Look on the bright side…at least Northwestern covered.
In a game that no one expected to be close, the ‘Cats has a few chances early on, but failed to capitalize. Once No. 2 Ohio State got rolling, the Wildcats had no answer, giving up 31 unanswered points and eventually falling 31-7.
Stock Up:
Bryce Kirtz
Kirtz returned to action after a two-game absence and immediately made an impact for the ‘Cats. Kirtz had three receptions for 46 yards in the first quarter alone, including a 21-yard back-shoulder catch over Denzel Burke, and he didn’t stop there. Despite the ‘Cats offense stalling out for the rest of the first half, Kirtz ended the half with four catches for 58 yards.
In the second half, the Buckeyes keyed in on Kirtz, and stopped him from having a strong start to the half. But when the Ohio State backups came into the game, Kirtz started to heat up again with three receptions for 34 yards in the second half. Overall, seven catches were Kirtz’s second-most in a game this season, while 92 yards was his third-best mark of the year. It was a great performance against a great secondary, especially considering it was Kirtz’s first game back from an injury.
Zach Lujan’s script
Northwestern’s offensive play-caller has faced his fair share of scrutiny throughout the season, but during the first few drives of the first half, Lujan called a pristine game. Northwestern’s first drive stalled out in the red zone because of a fumble, but other than that negative play (which can’t be blamed on Lujan), the ‘Cats were able to march down the field at will throughout their first two drives.
Unfortunately, Northwestern’s offense hit a wall immediately after those drives. The ‘Cats lost all of their momentum, ending the half with three consecutive three-and-outs where it felt like most play calls from the ‘Cats were destined to fail before the play even started.
Honorable mentions: Josh Fussell, Robert Fitzgerald, A.J. Henning, Greyson Metz, third down conversions (in the first half), time of possession
Stock Down:
Ball security
As mentioned earlier, Northwestern’s first drive stalled out because of a Jack Lausch fumble in the red zone. Had it not been for that fumble, the ‘Cats would have had the opportunity to kick a chip shot field goal, and Northwestern could have jumped out to an early 10-0 lead.
And after Northwestern scored its first touchdown of the game, the ensuing drive was an absolute disaster in terms of ball security. Jack Lausch threw a pass intended for Donnie Gray into double coverage, and was lucky to walk away with just an incompletion. But later that drive, Northwestern fumbled the snap on third and four, and just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, Hunter Renner was forced to chase down a snap over his head and had his punt blocked at the one-yard line. That sequence, of course, led to an Ohio State touchdown.
1-on-1 tackling
Obviously Ohio State had the talent advantage in this matchup, which will always lead to a missed tackle here and there. But the ‘Cats blew too many opportunities to make tackles in the open field that could have swung the momentum of the game, especially early on. If the ‘Cats had any chance of pulling off an upset today, they needed to get tackles for loss whenever the opportunity presented itself, but the Buckeyes turned negative plays into decent gains repeatedly this afternoon.
Besides allowing Ohio State to turn negatives into positives, Northwestern also allowed explosive plays with multiple players in position to stop an Ohio State ball-carrier (i.e. Jeremiah Smith was able to take a well-covered slant and turn it into a 68-yard reception). In total, the Buckeyes tallied 10 explosive plays, with seven of them going for at least 15 yards.
The offensive line
While giving Ohio State’s defense a lot of credit in this game, Northwestern’s offensive line faltered after the first few drives of the game. Northwestern was forced to alter its play-calling to adapt to the lack of protection, but even when the ‘Cats tried to shift the pocket or run to the outside, it wasn’t enough.
If Northwestern is going to pull of an upset in either of the final two games of the season, the offensive line has to give Jack Lausch more opportunities to throw from a clean pocket, as Lausch was sacked four times in today’s game. Beyond protecting Lausch, 1.7 yards per carry with six tackles for loss for the Ohio State defense is an absolutely dismal performance on the ground, and one the ‘Cats will have to improve on going forward.
Honorable mentions: the secondary, special teams, second half adjustments, Northwestern’s run defense, Cam Porter, red zone offense