Ten Questions: 5. Can Cam Porter return to form?

Cam Porter was one of the bright spots of Northwestern's Big Ten West-winning 2020 campaign, when he was only a freshman. The running back depth chart was shuffled late in the year after a disappointing loss at Michigan State, and Porter made the most of his chance down the stretch.

He put up 301 yards and four touchdowns over the last three games alone, all on big stages: Illinois for the Land of Lincoln rivalry, Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. The workhorse ran for 142 yards against Illinois and lugged the rock 33 times against Auburn.

Porter's potential seemed limitless in 2021, when he returned as the team's projected starter as just a sophomore. The future seemed to be his.

Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. He suffered an ACL tear in fall camp that caused him to miss the entirety of the season. In his absence, Evan Hull flourished as the lead back, rushing for 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.

Hull and Porter were projected to split time in 2022, but Hull's progression continued and he earned most of the snaps after the first few weeks. Porter, meanwhile, never regained his 2020 form and seemed hesitant, a half-step slower than he looked as a freshman.

That’s typical for a running back playing a year after a catastrophic knee injury. Oftentimes, it takes longer to recover mentally than it does physically.

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TEN QUESTIONS SERIES:

1. Can the Cats flip their turnover ratio? l 2. Will the Cats be able to stop the run? l 3. Will Ben Bryant be the answer at quarterback? l 4. Can NU capitalize on its non-conference schedule

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Hull's excellent 2022 campaign led to him leave Northwestern early, declare for the NFL Draft and get selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round. The running backs room is once again Porter's for the taking.

He will no doubt get some help from junior Anthony Tyus III, a short-yardage back, and sophomore Joe Himon II, who can provide some lightning to Porter's thunder, as well as pass-catching ability out of the backfield. But those two combined for just 23 carries last season.

If Northwestern's offense is going to be serviceable, they need Porter to assume the mantle now that he could have had in 2021: a bell cow running back.

At 220 pounds, Porter's bread-and-butter is running between the tackles, where he can lower his shoulder and move the pile. He would be a perfect fit for a Northwestern offense looking for an identity, with his power-running style and ability to gobble up time-of-possession.

Porter proved against two high-level programs two years ago that he can play three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football at the highest level. Justin Hilliard, an Ohio State linebacker in 2020, said after the season that Porter was one of the hardest players to tackle he ever played against. Northwestern could really use that Porter this season.

There are already plenty of moving parts in Northwestern's offense with a potential transfer quarterback, a couple transfer wide receivers and at least three new starters on the offensive line -- not to mention a new head coach and five rookie assistants. The Wildcats need Porter to be the hard-nosed heartbeat he has shown flashes of in the past in every game, on every play, if they want to build the complementary attack that has fueled Northwestern's best teams.