EVANSTON-Northwestern’s 30-14 victory over UNLV on Saturday at Ryan Field wasn’t exactly impressive. But it was the kind of workmanlike win that the Wildcats’ needed heading into Big Ten play next week.

The offense was light-years better than it was in a one-score dud of an opener against Stanford two weeks ago. And the defense, while victimized by some long runs in the first half, did what it had to do to close out the game in the second half. Even special teams answered some questions in the kicking game.

Still, any positives were tempered by the fact that Northwestern was playing a UNLV team that got hammered by Arkansas State, 43-17, last week.

We take a look at some takeaways in all three phases.

Hunter Johnson turned in a solid all-around performance and showed, in flashes, the talent that made him a five-star prospect out of high school. Had he gotten a little more help from his receivers, his day would have been significantly better.

Northwestern’s ground game may have been the strongest part of its offense. With starting running back Isaiah Bowser sidelined, the Wildcats still produced 276 rushing yards. Drake Anderson had a breakout game, running for 141 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Jesse Brown, who started but didn’t play in the second half due to injury, ran for 79 yards on just nine carries and looked sharp, especially on a 35-yard scamper down the sideline in which he broke a couple arm tackles to turn the corner.

Johnson finished 12 of 25 for 165 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, as well as 50 yards and another TD rushing. The offense racked up 442 total yards, more than twice what it did against the Cardinal, but they had trouble in the red zone, where they excelled last year.

The offense got off to a strong start with the exactly the type of drive they needed on their first possession. Johnson went 2-for-4 passing and converted a fourth-and-3 with a big-time throw to Kyric McGowan for 16 yards. Johnson then punched in the touchdown on a keeper and, less than two and a half minutes into the game, the Wildcats had themselves a 7-0 lead.

But that turned out to be the only touchdown of the first half, as the Wildcats repeatedly bogged down in UNLV territory. Their next four drives all made it inside the Rebels’ 30-yard line, but one ended with a Johnson interception and the other three with field goals.

The interception was Johnson’s worst decision of the day. From the UNLV 25-yard line, Johnson badly underthrew Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman and the ball was picked off by Javin White at the goal line. Chiaokhiao-Bowman was bracketed on the play, so it was a poor decision to throw it, compounded by a poor throw.

The next drive produced one of Johnson’s best throws of the day, a 12-yard bullet for a touchdown to McGowan. Alas, the score was called back because of an ineligible man downfield penalty on Nik Urban, so the Wildcats had to settle for a 30-yard field goal.

Johnson overthrew a couple balls, and his receivers dropped a couple, too. Most conspicuous was McGowan fumbling away a long shot down the sideline in the third quarter. The pass was on the mark and should have been a touchdown, but the ball bounced off his shoulder pads.

On the very next drive, however, Johnson showed off his arm with 50-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Jefferson, who was wide open down the sideline after the cornerback bit on a well-executed play-fake. Johnson lofted the ball long and high and dropped right into Jefferson’s arms, in stride, inside the 20-yard line.

Later, Johnson just missed another highlight-reel strike down the sideline when he slightly overthrew a sprawled-out Jefferson.

Northwestern’s defense was a mixed bag in the opening half as the Rebels gouged them for a few big plays on the ground. The biggest issue was containing the edge as UNLV running back Charles Williams looked like Saquon Barkley on two long runs in the first half.

In the first quarter, Williams turned the corner on the right side and sprinted 65 yards for a touchdown that tied the game at 7. In the second, he followed that up with another sweep around the right side, this one for a 37-yard TD to give the Rebels a 14-10 lead that stood until the Wildcats took it back near the end of the half.

Add in a 30-yard run by quarterback Armani Rogers on an RPO, and the Wildcats gave up 132 of UNLV’s 189 first-half rushing yards on three plays. Williams had 102 yards on his two long runs, but his other 14 carries in the game produced just 42 yards.

The Wildcats were much better in the second half, limiting Williams to 10 yards and the Rebels to just 102 as a whole, while sacking Rogers five times. Rogers isn’t much of a threat as a passer, and he proved it on Saturday, finishing 16 of 26 for 120 yards and the one interception.

Northwestern’s defense also had a couple opportune takeaways when the Rebels drove onto their side of the field. In the first quarter, Travis Whillock punched the ball away from Tyree Jackson after a completion, and Joe Gaziano pounced on it before it went out of bounds at the NU 19. Then, in the third, Fisher picked off a Rogers pass over the middle at the NU 23-yard line to snuff out another potential threat.

After NU took a 23-14 lead in the third quarter, the game appeared to be under control. However, UNLV mounted a drive in the fourth quarter that could’ve cut the Wildcats’ lead to one score, but Daniel Guttierez missed a 38-yard field goal.

The Wildcats’ D produced one more turnover in the fourth quarter that led directly to the final touchdown. Gaziano sacked Rogers on a fourth down and NU got it at the UNLV 7-yard line. Anderson wound up scoring on the next play.

Last week’s field-goal miss by Charlie Kuhbander sent a shudder through Northwestern fans who remember a 2018 season that was very shaky in the placekicking department, marred by injury and inconsistency.

But Kuhbander was perfect against UNLV, hitting all three of his field-goal attempts. He kicked a 33-yarder in the first quarter, and then connected on a 30-yarder and a 44-yarder in the second.

Punter Daniel Kubiuk again produced a highlight with a 39-yard punt that was downed at the UNLV 1-yard line. He remains a weapon in the field-position battle.