Opponent Q&A: Washington faces Northwestern in Big Ten Opener

Previewing Washington vs. Northwestern with Brendan Preisman from Inside NU: Key players, the Wildcats' offense and a prediction for Saturday's game.

SeaTown Sports is a free email newsletter covering Seattle’s sports teams. Click the button below to subscribe:

Can the Washington Huskies bounce back against Northwestern after a disappointing Apple Cup loss? To preview Washington’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern, I caught up with Brendan Preisman, a writer and broadcaster covering the Wildcats at InsideNU and WNUR Sports.

KC: Northwestern enters Big Ten play with a 2-1 record, in your view, is the team playing below, at, or above its expectations?

BP: This is right about where I expected Northwestern to be through the non-conference slate. I predicted a 6-6 season with 4 conference wins, and so far the team is on pace. The defense has been spectacular (the Wildcats are currently 7th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game), but the offense has started slower than I think most fans expected. I think overall the record is where most people would expect, but the low-scoring manner in which the team has made it to 2-1 is falling short of most preseason expectations (though there are signs of positive momentum). 

KC: The Wildcats have a new offensive coordinator in Zach Lujan this year, what kind of offense do the Wildcats run and is it finding success so far this season?

BP: Zach Lujan came in from the FCS, and so far his offense has been a mixed bag (although that's more due to inconsistent quarterback play). He mostly runs 11 or 12 personnel, and is willing to run the ball towards basically anywhere on the field, whether that's stretch plays or dives.

In the passing game, Lujan's offense involves a lot of short-to-intermediate passes -- curls, digs, slants, outs -- and he likes to get the ball either to the tight ends over the middle or to the receivers in space underneath the secondary. There's also a fair amount of quarterback runs, whether that's on a scramble or a designed power read.

The offense is currently tied for 105th nationally in scoring, but most of that is because of turnovers. In my opinion this offense will be clicking by the end of the season.

KC: What's the team's biggest area of concern after three games?

BP: Third down play. Northwestern is 106th in the country with a conversion rate of 31.6%, and some of the failures to convert have been devastating.

In the loss to Duke, the Wildcats went just 3/16, including several critical failures in the second half that enabled Duke to stage a comeback.

Even against FCS Eastern Illinois, Northwestern still converted just four of its 11 third-down tries. If this offense can't stay on the field, Big Ten play will be a rough ride. 

KC: Who is the player to watch on the Wildcats? What have you seen from this player in the past three games?

BP: I would say the player to watch is defensive back Theran Johnson, who's been arguably the most consistent player on the Wildcats this season. He's tallied 15 tackles (including half a tackle for loss) and 3 pass breakups, and he also snagged an interception against Duke.

While the run defense has been more team-oriented, Northwestern's secondary has often relied on great individual plays in order to make their mark. Johnson has been the shutdown guy for a unit that's already snagged four interceptions, and he's been able to erase receivers for large chunks of games. 

KC: Moving to this week’s matchup, what are the keys for Northwestern to beat Washington?

BP: The biggest one is Northwestern's run defense against Washington's rushing attack. The Huskies are 56th nationally in rush yards per game, while Northwestern is 7th nationally in rush yards given up per game.

Washington's Jonah Coleman has been brilliant this year, and Northwestern's front seven, which includes stalwarts like Xander Mueller, Mac Uihlein, and RJ Pearson, will have its work cut out for it.

Washington's top-20 passing offense against Northwestern's middle-of-the-pack pass defense should also be an interesting battle.

When the Wildcats have the ball, they'll need to establish the run against a Huskies defense giving up over 120 rush yards a game.

And special teams could play a massive role in this one -- Northwestern has blocked a kick in each of its last two games.

KC: What's your view on the Big Ten welcoming Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and USC this season? Does the addition of these programs make it even more difficult to compete in the Big Ten for Northwestern, or is it a net benefit in the long term?

BP: I was honestly fairly against the move, not only in terms of football but in terms of the massive travel strain this realignment will put on non-revenue teams that don't have the logistics teams or favorable travel schedules of football or basketball teams.

In terms of competing in football specifically, my view on Northwestern's long-term ceiling didn't really change. Obviously the Wildcats will never be on the level of an Ohio State, Penn State, or Michigan, but they could potentially contend for that second tier with teams like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Maryland. The one benefit I could see from this is that it might make recruiting on the West Coast easier because those recruits can now see Northwestern in-person more easily.

KC: Is the temporary home field by the lake as majestic as it looks from all the pictures that have been circulating on social media?

BP: It's somehow honestly even better. The lakeside views are absolutely magnificent, the bleachers are set up so everyone has an unobstructed line of sight to the field, and the weather has been very friendly.

My personal favorite hidden gem is that if you walk to the far south end of the press row (which is up above the west bleachers), you have an almost completely clear view of the Chicago skyline.

You can definitely tell the stadium is temporary (the support system of the bleachers is completely exposed, there's no down and distance on the center video boards, the concourses get really crowded really easily) but it's worth dealing with some minor drawbacks to catch a game at one of the most picturesque stadiums in the nation.

KC: What’s your prediction?

BP: Prediction: Washington 24, Northwestern 17.

It should be a fairly tight battle with the defenses controlling the pace, but Will Rogers has a decided edge in terms of experience, and I expect him to make a few fourth-quarter throws that Jack Lausch simply won't be able to for Northwestern. It'll be tight, but the Huskies will begin their time in the Big Ten with a victory.

---

You can follow Brendan’s coverage of Northwestern on X (@BrendanPreisman ) and at Inside NU.