Top Five Takeaways From Northwestern's 38-21 Loss vs. Michigan State

Everything we learned and saw from the Wildcats' first contest in their 2021 campaign against the Michigan State Spartans.

TAKEAWAYS: The Good, The Bad, and Everything In Between

Big Moments Make the Difference

Clearly, from the second the game started, the Spartans were ready and revving to play; the 75-yard touchdown from Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III was quite the rude awakening for Northwestern and it proved hard to recover from. 

However, the Spartans did not shy away from other "big moments"; such as a big sack from Xavier Henderson at the very beginning of the second half, which halted any momentum the Wildcats had coming out of the locker room, and Thorne capitalizing on the sleepy Northwestern defense to grab and maintain an early lead in the game. 

On the other hand, the Wildcats simply had too many missed opportunities: two missed field goal attempts (one from just 28 yards), near-fumbles from Johnson, and even the hold-your-breath bobbled interception attempt from Cam Mitchell in the first quarter. The Spartans, led by Walker and Thorne, came bursting into Evanston not taking no for an answer...while Northwestern has a lot to clean up in order to execute in key situations. 

Kenneth Walker III is REALLY Good...But the Northwestern Run Defense is Also Not That Great (Right Now)

Walker III practically single-handedly defeated the Wildcats on their home turf tonight, as he scored 4 TDs–the first MSU RB to do so in quite some time–while racking up 264 rushing yards on the night. On 23 attempts, the Spartans running back averaged 11.5 yards, and was definitely the spark plug for Michigan State's offense for all 60 minutes of the contest. Despite his obvious talent, Walker III's ease of performance could also be attributed to the weak showing by the Northwestern defense tonight. Everything for Walker III just looked too easy, such as his second touchdown of the night in which he practically waltzed into the end zone. 

Although the Wildcats had the edge over the Spartans in terms of possession time throughout the night–seeing as the Wildcats had the ball for 16 more minutes than their B1G Football counterparts–the Spartans were much more efficient and effective on the ground as they gained an average of 8 yards per carry, seemingly slipping through the visible cracks in the Wildcats' defensive strategy. 

Field Goals May Be Less Points, But They Are Still Important

It's the same as with free throws in basketball: it's the "little things" that matter. Even going into halftime, the vibe in the Wildcats locker room could have been immensely different if the deficit was 11 rather than 14. Furthermore, even if the touchdowns were not coming easily in the first half for Northwestern, getting points on the board and having positive endings to drives and the more successful pushes down the field ultimately leads to a much more attainable comeback. On the other hand, in the fourth quarter, the field goal from MSU's Coghlin was essentially the nail in the coffin for the Wildcats. 

Hunter Johnson and Payton Thorne are Solid Performers

While there were a few hiccups of discomfort for Hunter Johnson in his 2021 debut as the Wildcats quarterback–such as some bobbled snaps and a few pass attempts that seemed relatively rushed (and ended up spiked into the ground)–he actually proved himself as a reasonable choice at the helm for the Northwestern offense. Multiple times throughout the game, Johnson took matters into his own hands, converting on third and fourth downs by way of QB sneaks; he also put his pinpoint arm on display, connecting with Kirtz, Robinson Jr. and others on considerable passing gains. Overall, Johnson completed 30 of 43 attempts (70%), tallying up 283 passing yards and 3 TD, with a 47-yarder as his game high yardage. 

As for the Spartans, many were somewhat surprised to see Payton Thorne taking snaps in pregame warmups, as many anticipated the more-experienced Temple transfer Anthony Ross to lead the way for Michigan State. However, he quickly quieted any doubters, as the junior racked up 185 passing yards while going 15-26 (58%) on attempts and worked at a quick pace to keep the Wildcats defense on their toes. 

Especially Without Cam Porter, the Wildcats' Rushing Game Needs Some Work

Compared to Kenneth Walker III alone, the Wildcats run offense only tallied up 117 rushing yards to the RB's 264 (and the Spartans cumulative 326 yards on the night). Although many expected sophomore Evan Hull to fill the void, he was yet to rush the ball until the second half of the game. The Wildcats tried five other options throughout the night, relying on Andrew Clair and Anthony Tyus III before they ultimately settled on Hull, who ended up with 89 yards on the night. Either way, the Wildcats averaged only 3.1 yards on the rush, while the Spartans averaged 8.8; if the Wildcats are looking to make some improvements, the rushing game is the first place to look (on both sides of the ball, for that matter). 

One Final Thought

Even though this wasn't necessarily the outing the Wildcats wanted to have in front of fans on their home turf for the first time since 2019....we have to admit, the Gothic uniforms are NICE. Enough said.

Oh, and Joe Spivak is awesome. The fact that they tried to have him as a receiver for a play just shows how special he can be for this Wildcats squad.

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