Stock up, stock up after a disappointing thriller under the lights on the lake

Northwestern was hoping to end a five-game losing streak against the Blue Devils, but fell in heartbreaking fashion in overtime by a score of 26-20. Here's who's on the rise and who's on the decline after the Cats' second game of the season.

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Cam Porter

The Northwestern running back rushed for 63 yards on 4.8 yards per carry last week against Miami (OH), a solid performance for the graduate student. Porter's improvement as the Cats' best runner this season is outstanding. He started his night against Duke with a bang, carrying the ball 44 yards on his second run of the game. He also got involved early in the passing game (not normally a big part of his game) and scored 11 yards. After the Cats were gifted a botched punt, Porter burst through the middle of the line and scored Northwestern's first touchdown of the game.

Porter struggled a little more in the second half, but was productive in overtime, scoring a touchdown and finishing with 93 rushing yards. Porter appears to be Northwestern's only reliable running back — at least so far. Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II combined for just 21 yards. Komolafe also had a poorly timed fumble right after a Theran Johnson pick that quickly reversed the momentum against the Cats. Porter's workload doesn't seem to be in much danger right now, but Northwestern needs more production from its other running backs.

The defense line

The 'Cats were excellent against the run in the opener, allowing just 40 yards on 1.7 yards per carry. That was a notable positive from the week one win. They followed that performance with another impressive performance against the Blue Devils. Duke managed just 42 yards rushing in the first half and only two runs of ten yards. Eli Pancol, a receiver, was the leading runner in the half. The Blue Devils were similarly unsuccessful in the second half, finishing the game with 93 yards rushing. Northwestern got key run stops on third down attempts when they really needed them in this game and was part of a dominating performance at the line of scrimmage.

The pass rush resulted in four sacks last week and only two this week, but they applied pressure and did their job. RJ Pearson had a sack early in the third quarter, setting the Devils back four yards and forcing a punt. This seems to be a strength of NU, albeit in a small sample size.

Punt Team

A few big special teams plays helped the 'Cats stay in the game during regulation. They recovered a botched punt in the first half that led to the Porter touchdown. Then, after slowing Duke on its first drive of the second half, Noah Taylor blocked a punt that led to a field goal attempt by Akers. He missed a 29-yard field goal, which is one reason this isn't a more general compliment to the special teams, but the punt team created the opportunity.

Luke Akers also had seven punts for a 38.6-yard average, a decent performance for the junior punter. After a difficult punting season last season for Northwestern, Akers was solid early in 2024. Henning wasn't a big factor in his return, but the team around him stole the show on special teams against Duke.

Honorable Mentions: Xander Mueller, AJ Henning, Braden Turner, Theran Johnson, Northwestern Bunnies

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Score touchdowns

Northwestern had trouble getting the ball into play last week, which was one of the reasons the game remained tight until the end. It was a similar story early on, with the Cats' first offensive drive stalling just outside the red zone and having to settle for a Jack Olsen field goal. Northwestern got the ball into opposing territory again early in the second quarter with tough running and some encouraging plays from AJ Henning, but couldn't score a point overall. They got behind the posts on a negative tackle by Caleb Komolafe, and then Wright took a brutal seven-yard sack to push Northwestern out of field goal range.

Early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern had to settle for another Olsen field goal (this time he converted it to take a 13-10 lead). The 'Cats just haven't managed to get into the end zone as often as they would have liked so far this season. And of course, the failure to get into the end zone in the second overtime sealed the bitter defeat.

Third down conversions

When Northwestern fell behind on first downs in this game, it struggled mightily. The 'Cats made 1 of 7 third down attempts in the first half, which resulted in four punts by Luke Akers. Last week, they made 5 of 11, but in this game, they clearly struggled to get the ball down the field early, completing just two passes for 12 yards in the first half.

The struggle continued early in the second half, as Northwestern failed its first three attempts. By the end of the game, they managed 3 of 16 third downs, a frustrating total that hampered the 'Cats all evening, delaying attacks and putting tremendous pressure on the defense to get stops.

Michael Wright

Going into this game, the hope was that Wright would improve a little and take advantage of some situations he didn't in the first game – a game where he showed flashes on the ground and in the air. Against Duke, he was worse in both areas. Wright threw for 158 yards and his completion rate was a questionable 56%. On the ground, he managed 17 yards on eight carries, compared to 65 yards against Miami (OH). Wright also threw some ill-advised passes and arguably should have been intercepted more than once. He threw one interception in the first half when a safety undercut his pass deep down the left sideline.

Northwestern needs Wright to take positive steps as the season progresses by dropping back and throwing the ball, and he clearly failed to do so this time. But his running game is a huge part of his overall game, and if he struggles there, this offense will likely always struggle. The bottom line is that this was not a good performance under the lights in Evanston.

Honorable Mentions: Penalties, Offensive Line, Caleb Komolafe