Keys to the Game: Northwestern vs. Indiana State
On Saturday, Sep. 11 the Wildcats will be matching up with non-conference opponent Indiana State, who are coming off of their first win of the year after narrowly defeating the Eastern Illinois Panthers, 26-21. After doing research on both teams, we’ve compiled some factors that could be key in this week’s clash.
Finding the seams through the air
In senior quarterback Hunter Johnson’s first game as QB1, he showed the NU faithful why he was chosen as the starter weeks in advance of the opener against Michigan State. Despite the Wildcats losing to the Spartans by 17 points, Johnson’s play was one of the few bright spots of the game. He finished the night with 283 passing yards and three touchdown passes.
In this week’s matchup against the Sycamores, Johnson’s continued impressive play could prove to be crucial. In Indiana State’s week one win against Eastern Illinois, the Sycamores allowed the opposing QB to get plenty of yardage in the air which should give Johnson some extra confidence heading into this game.
On the other hand, the Indiana State defense did force two interceptions and they have Missouri Valley Football Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week, redshirt junior DB Michael Thomas. The Southern California native finished the game with 10 tackles and two interceptions in his first showing of the year.
No surprises to us - Michael Thomas named the @ValleyFootball Defensive Player of the Weekhttps://t.co/N92nE5o7Tf#MarchOn | #LeaveNoDoubt pic.twitter.com/ttK9klEdTz
— Indiana State Football (@IndStFB) September 5, 2021
The running game
Once sophomore running back Cam Porter went down to injury many projected that Northwestern’s running game would suffer and that’s exactly what happened in their week one matchup against MSU. In fact, before sophomore running back Evan Hull’s 49-yard run in garbage time, none of the team’s backs were averaging more than four yards per carry.
Indiana State’s defense against the run in their first game wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great by any means either. In fact, every touchdown the Sycamores allowed were rushing touchdowns which should mean the Wildcats will be able to find opportunities to break through Indiana State’s defense.
Converting on field goals
Field goals are rarely missed at the NFL level so it’s easy to take the points they bring for granted, but in the Big Ten, and specifically with Northwestern’s offensive struggles, every point counts. In the season opener against MSU, graduate student kicker Charlie Kuhbander missed two field goal attempts that would’ve accounted for 6 more points. It wouldn’t have changed the outcome but it would be a necessary confidence boost for an offense that many projected to struggle.
Defending the run
In their matchup with MSU, Spartan junior running back Kenneth Walker III ran circles around Northwestern’s defense on his way to recording four touchdowns. He finished the game with 264 rushing yards on the night, more than the entire Wildcat running back room combined. If Northwestern doesn't want to start the season 0-2, they’ll have to make defending the run a major focus in their game plan.
It’s way too soon to state definitively whether this could be the Wildcats’s achilles heel, but they’ll need to make an adjustment this week against Indiana State because the Sycamore’s primary form of attack in their week one win was running the rock. Senior running back Peterson Kerlegrand ran the ball 19 times for 73 yards, and Indiana State’s backs combined for 158 of the team’s 245 yards. While it is not a great sign that the Sycamore’s biggest offensive strength they’ve showcased thus far in the season is Northwestern’s biggest weakness, the Wildcats’ coaching staff will likely recognize this and have their defense ready to roll on Saturday.
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Jonathan Fernandez is a reporter and writer for Wildcats Daily Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Fernandez is also pursuing his master's degree in sports media at Northwestern Medill.