Following an Impressive Week 1 Performance, RB Evan Hull is Set to Take on an Increased Workload
When running back Cam Porter went down in camp with a season ending injury, it was to be expected that the rushing attack may suffer a setback. However, there was still belief surrounding the Wildcats that the ground game would not struggle too much in Porter’s absence. That was not the case, unfortunately, as the Northwestern offense struggled to get the run game going in their season opener against Michigan State.
In their season opener loss to the Spartans, the Wildcats were out-gained on the ground to the tune of 326 yards to 117, or nearly three times less yards than the Spartans. While they did manage to put up 400 yards of total offense, that was mostly due to quarterback Hunter Johnson having a strong game, throwing for 283 yards.
Moving forward though, the Wildcats need more stability in the run game if they want to compete for a Big Ten championship. While 117 yards rushing is lower than they would have hoped, the run game showed signs of life behind running back Evan Hull in the second half, as halfway through the second quarter they only managed a whopping four yards on the ground.
Once Hull started getting the bulk of the carries in the second half the run game appeared noticeably better, as he started the second half with back to back runs for 49 yards and nine yards, respectively. It is clear that Hull is an explosive runner and can be a catalyst for the offense going forward, as Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald noted as well.
“I think [all three running backs] will have a role,” Fitzgerald explained. “I thought Evan played well on Friday night”
“His 40+ yard run was our third 40+ play of the game, which is not easy to do in a Big Ten football game,” Fitzgerald continued. “We’ll see how the game goes, how it ebbs and flows, but at the end of the day I think Evan has earned it.”
Fitzgerald’s comments reflect what the stat sheet shows from Friday, as Hull was far and away the best running back on the field for the Wildcats, totaling nine carries for 87 yards on an impressive 9.7 yards per carry.
Both the stat sheet and the film show how explosive of a runner Hull is, with a quick first step and ability to identify a hole and burst through it with speed, and going forward for the Wildcats look for Hull to become a key focal point of the offensive game plan.
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.