Three things to watch for against Maryland

Despite the loss, Week 6 was arguably Northwestern’s best performance all season. The offense finally showed something with Jack Lausch under center against a non-FCS opponent. However, the defense was not at its best.

On a short week, Northwestern travels to College Park to face Maryland after receiving a bye against Indiana in Week 5. At 3-2 overall, the Terrapins are 0-2 in conference play this season, with losses to Michigan State and Indiana. They, like the Wildcats, are looking to get into the win column in the conference. Here are three things to watch out for on Friday night:

Northwestern’s pass defense

Northwestern had just faced one of the best offenses in the country, led by a quarterback who torched every defense he faced. Kurtis Rourke continued to impress against the Cats and made the defense look silly. Indiana receiver Elijah Sarrat was his favorite target as the transfer from James Madison finished the day with seven catches for 135 yards. The Cats also allowed a 52-yard catch-and-run by Ke’Shawn Williams; the longest game they have given up this season. Tackling as a whole was an issue against Indiana, but the Northwestern secondary couldn’t stop Rourke and his receivers at the time of the catch. Although Billy Edwards Jr. and Maryland’s offense as a whole aren’t as explosive as Indiana’s, they still average over 300 yards per game, good for second in the Big Ten. The Cats’ secondary will need to play better than they did against the Hoosiers if they want to have a chance at winning. Even last week, they were only down by three in the fourth quarter, but the secondary couldn’t hold on. Stopping wide receiver Tai Felton will be crucial for Northwestern. If they can’t stop him, it could be a long night for this secondary.

Keep the offense moving

Against Indiana, the Cats’ offense finally looked competent. Lausch didn’t turn the ball over and looked more comfortable than he did against Eastern Illinois and Washington. Against the Hoosiers, Lausch was 23 of 38 for 243 yards and two touchdowns and added 34 yards on the ground. He’s also only been sacked twice, which is huge considering starter Jack Bailey is out for the season and Indiana’s pass rush was one of the best in the country last Saturday. Beyond the pure statistics, Lausch was able to extend plays. He was more accurate with his passes, his pocket presence was better and he knew when to scramble. The bye week definitely seemed to help this offense, as not only did Lausch get going, but Bryce Kirtz and AJ Henning also stood out. Kirtz had over 100 yards receiving while Henning had two touchdowns. Lausch also didn’t throw any interceptions like he did against Washington.

Indiana’s defense has been a very solid unit this season. Maryland’s defense isn’t that good. In their two losses, the Terrapins allowed Aidan Chiles and Kurtis Rourke to each throw for over 350 yards. The Cats offense must take advantage of this and look to continue their success in the passing game in College Park. Maryland is also allowing over 100 rushing yards per game, which is one of the areas Northwestern can take advantage of now that Cam Porter is healthy and Joseph Himon II is starting to play better.

Win the revenue battle

In their Week 6 game, neither the Cats nor the Hoosiers gave the ball away. As David Braun said in Monday’s press conference, “To play winning football at Northwestern, you have to win the turnover battle.” Maryland has won the turnover battle in all but one game except that one was about an FCS school. Even in games where the Terrapins have won the turnover battle, they are still 2-2. UMD forced three turnovers against UConn and Michigan State (they lost to the Spartans and turned the ball over once) and four against Virginia and Indiana (they lost that one too). The turnover margin was even in three of the Cats’ games. Northwestern is 1-2 in those games. They lost the turnover battle against Washington, but they won it against Eastern Illinois. The Terrapins are a team that can force turnovers, so the Cats will either have to keep up or outplay them.

To force turnovers, the front seven must rely on quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. Edwards has been sacked eight times this year, including five in Week 5 against Indiana. Edwards still had a solid game against the Hoosiers, but similar to when the Cats played IU, the Terrapins couldn’t finish the game. If Northwestern can get into the backfield and make Edwards uncomfortable, there could be mistakes that the ‘Cats can capitalize on.