Northwestern (1-1) faces off against No. 4 Oregon (2-0) this Saturday at 11 a.m. CST in what figures to be a difficult contest for the Wildcats to win. Currently, the Ducks are 28.5 point favorites on the road at Northwestern's lakefront stadium.
Coaches tend to hate the term "moral victories," but, realistically, those are what Northwestern is after this weekend. Avoiding a total blowout against a team that beat Oklahoma State 69-3 last week would be a valiant effort. Here are three keys for the 'Cats to manage just that and defend their home turf as Big Noon Kickoff hosts:
Preston Stone protects the football
Last time we saw Stone play against FBS competition, he accounted for five Northwestern turnovers in a brutal opening week loss to Tulane. Last Friday, against Western Illinois, the SMU transfer flipped the script and protected the football. It resulted in a dominant 42-7 win.
But that was Western Illinois and this is Oregon -- a top five team in the country with an offense capable of blowing the doors off the Wildcats. Giving it extra possessions will only make things worse. If Stone can extend drives, keep the ball in his hands and not set up Oregon passer Dante Moore and co. with good field position, then maybe Northwestern hangs around.
If he looks more like the player he was in the Tulane game, then the 'Cats have a serious problem. Oklahoma State is a real football program, and they lost by more than 65 points. The onus is on Stone to keep the Ducks from doing something similar in consecutive weeks.
The defensive line shows its full potential
This is the unit that is supposed to define Northwestern's defense. The 'Cats had four returning starters along the line heading into the season in edge rushers Anto Saka and Aidan Hubbard along with tackles Najee Story and Carmine Bastone. Thus far, they've been fine, but they haven't been making the game-breaking plays required to put up a fight against an Oregon.
Stopping the run will also be crucial. Against the Cowboys, Oregon had a whopping 312 total rushing yards, led by senior Noah Whittington who had 92. It's a balanced rushing attack with more than one back capable of burning defenses. It will be up to Northwestern's best unit to play to its full potential and control the line of scrimmage better that Oklahoma State.
It would also help of Saka can put a little more pressure on the quarterback than he has thus far. The pass rusher came into the season with lofty expectations as a player who could potentially be selected in next year's NFL Draft. He's yet to record a sack on the season.
David Braun stays aggressive
Northwestern's head coach has to meet the moment and recognize that this isn't the game for a measured approach to fourth down decision making. The 'Cats need to hold on to the ball which means they cannot be punting in fourth and short scenarios near midfield. They shouldn't be kicking long field goals just trying to get on the board.
Instead, Braun should put his trust in Stone and see what he can do. If this game is about moral victories, then give your players some opportunities to earn them. Despite the Tulane debacle, Stone is an experienced, veteran quarterback. That's something NU didn't have last season with Jack Lausch. Stone is someone who deserves a chance to make things happen.
There's no reason not to make aggressive decisions in this game. If Braun sits back and hands the Ducks possession after possession, everyone knows how it will end. If he shakes things up and puts the pressure on, the worst that can happen is the same scenario, but the reward could be big.
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