EVANSTON-Quarterback Jack Lausch cleared the first hurdle of his career last Saturday night in his first career start. Now, he faces a much higher one.

Lausch led Northwestern to a 31-7 win over Eastern Illinois, an FCS opponent, at Martin Stadium, in front of 12,000-plus friendly fans.

But this Saturday, he'll be playing against Washington, a new Big Ten rival, at Husky Stadium, with more than 70,000 mostly hostile fans.

The redshirt sophomore from Chicago isn't intimidated by the challenge in front of him. On the contrary, he sees it's part of the appeal.

"I'm excited," he said. "This is something I've dreamed about my whole life. I always love playing on big stages and great atmospheres, and I know my teammates do, too.

"It's what college football is all about. You grow up watching College Gameday, watching football all day, you see all these packed stadiums and sweet places... I'm fired up."

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Lausch found out he'd start against Eastern Illinois on the Monday before the game, just hours before head coach David Braun would announce his decision to the media at his weekly press conference.

"I heard last week on Monday morning," Lausch said. "[Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan] said that this is [my] opportunity. [They] don't take this lightly and this is my chance to go lead, play and compete.

"I met with both of them individually and they were very supportive, and then it was quickly onto getting ready for Eastern."

Their prep paid off and after a rocky start, Lausch deftly piloted the Wildcats to a 24-point win by outscoring the Panthers 17-0 in the second half. He threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, both season highs for a Northwestern quarterback, to go with seven rushes for 62 yards on the ground.

In terms of finding his comfort zone in the game, Lausch gave an answer you won't hear often from quarterbacks at this level.

"With a first start I knew there would be a lot of new experiences," he said. "It was good to be able to take some hits and get tackled. Obviously, haven't done that in a while, so that was good."

The dual-threat quarterback posted 20 rushing touchdowns and 20 passing touchdowns in his senior year at Chicago (Ill.) Brother Rice, when he was named the Chicago Sun-Times player of the year, so he's used to getting hit. He admitted he'll continue to work on avoiding unnecessary contact, but the glint in his eye assured his scrambling and speed will stay part of his game going forward, no matter the opponent.

This week marks another step up in his career with his Big Ten debut as a starter, in one of the toughest environments in the country. The Huskies have won 16 straight games at Husky Stadium, and you could hear the simulated crowd noise blasting at Northwestern's practice Tuesday morning.

Lausch is ready for the challenge.

He noted from his first start that he wants to be more consistent with his feet and his form on his delivery to sharpen his throws from a more stable platform. It's part of the extensive work he's put in since the winter to go from fourth on the depth chart in 2023, to the runner-up in a tightly contested quarterback battle, and now the starting job.

How did he progress so quickly from gadget plays to the program's No. 1?

"It's been a few things," he said. "Reps is a big one, getting real reps this spring at camp was a big deal for me. I think I've [done well] learning and developing in the new offense and I think Coach Lujan's scheme fits me really well.

"With him as a teacher, I think it's clicked really well for me and getting through my progressions, it's been a little easier to do that. I've been hitting it hard for a long time now, but this winter with my feet, my hips, my shoulders, I've really been working on my technique and my craft... I think this is the result of working hard for awhile."

Lausch feels like he's ready to face Washington on the road. On Saturday, he'll find out for sure.