The Cardiac 'Cats are back! Northwestern won a roller coaster of a matchup against Nebraska, who lost yet another one-score game. It was a phenomenal performance for so many different Wildcats in a game where the 'Cats outgained Nebraska 532-466, won the turnover battle 3-1 and held Nebraska scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Here are the takeaways from a promising win in Ireland:
Pick your poison: Evan Hull or Cam Porter
Hull and Porter were a dominant tandem, trading drives and carries to close out Nebraska. Hull finished with 22 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown, Porter had 19 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown. This was a much hyped duo, and they delivered. Northwestern closed out the game running the ball 15 straight times across three different drives, daring Nebraska to stop Hull and Porter.
The 'Cats ran the ball 16 more times than the Huskers, and outgained them 214-111 on the ground. A far cry from last season, when Nebraska rushed for 390 more yards than Northwestern. The offensive line dictated the line of scrimmage, and played a very clean game outside of a pair of false starts.
This duo is going to be scary all season long.
Ryan Hilinski delivered a masterclass
Ryan Hilinski made his 2022 debut one to remember. He was in complete control for the first half, and turned over the keys to the ground game in the second. Whenever the Northwestern offense stumbled early, Hilinski picked it back up. He made two incredible touchdown throws, hitting Ray Niro III for a 41-yard score and rifling another to Donny Navarro for a six-yard touchdown to take the lead 17-14 into halftime.
Hilinski delivered on time and on target. The offensive line gave him a clean pocket and a clean jersey. He completed passes to nine different receivers, with Malik Washington leading the way with eight catches and 97 yards.
The wide receivers deserve a ton of credit, they were a reputable stable the whole game. Washington, Navarro and Bryce Kirtz all had strong performances, creating separation and giving Hilinski somewhere to go with the ball when the line gave him time.
This was Hilinski's best game for the 'Cats by far, and a massively encouraging sign heading forward. It will remain to be seen how they will fair against some of the Big Ten's heavy hitters, but the passing attack looked exceptional today.
If Hilinski and the 'Cats can show up with this offense to every game this season, it will be a great season for Northwestern.
Bend don't break is back
The defense played a true Northwestern game today. They kept everything in front of them, consistently rushed four or five, and dared Nebraska to beat them. Early on the Huskers looked up to that challenge. Casey Thompson came out slinging the ball, and Nebraska had two touchdown drives that lasted a total of 6:47 in the first half. But the 'Cats chipped away at their momentum in bits and pieces.
In a sight for sore eyes, the 'Cats won the turnover battle 3-1. Grayson Metz ripped the ball away from Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda in the red zone to end one dangerous Nebraska drive early on. In the second half, Cam Porter lost a fumble that led to a 28-17 Nebraska lead just 17 seconds later. Then, the defense locked in.
Cam Mitchell snagged an overzealous throw by Casey Thompson, which led to the Northwestern touchdown that took the lead for good, 31-28. Late in the fourth quarter, Xander Mueller intercepted a tipped pass to seal the win, evoking memories of Blake Gallagher's game-winning pick against Iowa in 2020.
Nebraska gained 466 yards, scored 28 points and won zero games in Ireland.
Luke Akers is phenomenal, the rest of special teams was a mixed bag
It might not be an exaggeration to say that punter Luke Akers saved the game early for Northwestern, and he certainly starred throughout. Akers punted six times for an average of 40.6 yards, with four downed inside the 20. Among those four great punts, two stand out. The first was a punt downed at the Nebraska 1 in the first quarter that limited the options of a red hot Nebraska offense and set up a three and out. The second helped decide the game.
Akers dropped the Huskers on their own 4 with 2:07 remaining and no time outs. He was superb, and one of the deciding factors of a nail biting win.
Elsewhere in special teams, the 'Cats recovered an extremely ambitious onside kick attempt from Nebraska in the third quarter ambitious with ease. It flipped momentum and set the offense up in great position.
Kicker Adam Stage split a pair of field goals, making one from 35 but missing from 36. Some things have changed from 2021, some haven't.
The 'Cats are set up for a strong start to the season
This was a huge win for Northwestern, and a crucial foundation for what the 'Cats hope to accomplish this season. Looking at their schedule, the 'Cats can make some serious headway towards a bowl berth.
Northwestern will host Duke and their new head coach Scott Elko at Ryan Field on September 10, after an Ireland-enabled bye week. Then, they will host Southern Illinois, an FCS school, and Miami (OH) the following weeks.
The 'Cats should be 4-0 headed into their matchup at Penn State on October 1, eclipsing their 2021 win total a third of the way into their 2022 campaign.
