The fifth of ten questions we're asking that will determine Northwestern's season.
MORE: 1. Can the defense be elite? | 2. What will Zach Lujan's offense look like? | 3. Who starts on the offensive line? | 4. Will Northwestern have a home field advantage?
Northwestern's offense in 2023 was surprisingly much more effective through the air than on the ground. The Ben Bryant-led passing attack averaged 202 yards per game via the air, nearly double the 105.7 yards the Cats averaged on the ground for the widest margin between the two with Mike Bajakian as offensive coordinator.
The 2024 Wildcats plan to bring more balance to their attack and that mission will be undertaken by several new faces. Offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, offensive line coach Bill O'Boyle and quarterback Mike Wright are all entering their first seasons in Evanston and will be among the driving forces of the attempted renovation of the rushing attack.
They'll be working with established running back Cam Porter, the roster's leading rusher with 1,270 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career, plus young backs like the electric Joseph Himon II and promising Caleb Komolafe.
Over the last two seasons with Lujan at the controls of the South Dakota State offense, the Jackrabbits averaged 219.7 rushing yards per game en route to a 29-1 record and back-to-back FCS National Championships. Last season, SDSU's lead running back, Isaiah Davis, ran for FCS-high 1,578 yards while adding 18 trips to paydirt. For reference, Northwestern ran for only 1,375 yards and 13 touchdowns as a team last season. It wasn't just a one-man show in Brookings, either. The Robin to Davis' Batman was Amar Johnson who tallied 801 yards and four scores. The Jacks' quarterback, Mark Gronowski, added 402 yards and eight trips to the end zone for good measure. Saying Lujan-coached offenses can move the ball on the ground would be an understatement.
It's clear from that balance that Lujan prefers to have a collection of ball carriers, even if a player like Davis establishes himself as the lead option. The newest, and maybe the most impactful, weapon in Northwestern's arsenal next year will be Wright. The transfer signal caller finds himself in Evanston after four seasons in the SEC, three at Vanderbilt and one at Mississippi State. Wright can absolutely fly.
He was a member of the track team at Mississippi State as a sprinter, and that speed shows up big time in games. In 2022 for Vanderbilt, Wright ripped off a 59-yard touchdown sprint against Kentucky where his top speed reached 22 miles per hour. That speed would have been good for the fourth fastest in the NFL last season.
Wright's game-breaking speed and ability to turn any play into a home run with his legs gives Northwestern a quarterback that hasn't been seen in Evanston since Kain Colter. Wright is one of the fastest quarterbacks, if not players, in all of college football. Expect Lujan to remind defenses of that early and often in 2024.
Wright has averaged about 77 carries per season over the past three years in SEC play, so he's prepared for the workload in Lujan's system. Still, against Big Ten defenses, without an experienced backup that fits Lujan's mobile system on roster, will the the staff take the risk to run him more than a handful of times a game?
Turning the attention to the trio of running backs who will help Wright out, there a few questions lingering as Northwestern heads into fall camp. Will Porter follow in the footsteps of Davis and breakout as this team's lead back, or will Himon and Komolafe make the Wildcats's backfield a true committee?
Porter should take that leading role to start. He has struggled to consistently regain the form of his promising freshman season after tearing his ACL preseason in 2021. The Cincinnati native totaled 651 yards in 2023 to pace the Cats but played his best football of the year to close out the season.
He averaged about 67 yards per game over Northwestern's final four contests, including a 95-yard, two touchdown tour de force against Purdue. That finish should give Porter confidence and the attention defense will have to pay to Wright will open up more room for the veteran to step into a more central role in the offensive attack.
Porter's lieutenant in the running back rotation will be Himon II. What Himon's 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame lacks in size, it more than makes up by being a blur in the open field. No play shows that better than Himon taking a screen and dashing 85 yards through the UTEP defense for the third-longest passing play in Northwestern history. Himon also weaved his way 53 yards through the Maryland defense on a screen. Those two plays illustrate Himon's strength: catching the ball out of the backfield.
Himon actually totaled more receiving yards (219) than rushing yards (136) in 2023. His role as a traditional running back will expand with Anthony Tyus III transferring to Ohio, but getting Himon the ball in space in any way possible will certainly be part of Lujan's game plans. Also picking up the slack after Tyus' departure will be redshirt freshman Caleb Komolafe.
Komolafe had just four carries for nine yards in his first season of college football but the WIldcats made sure to preserve his redshirt and played him in just four games. He has consistently garnered praise from those around the program for his abilities in practice and scored Northwestern's first 2023 touchdown against Rutgers. Additionally, speedy wide receiver AJ Henning and backup quarterback Jack Lausch, who lined up all over the field last season, figure to see some creative role in the rushing attack, respectively.
Northwestern has no shortage of talented ball carriers, but they can only do so much without the big guys up front opening up room to run. That's where O'Boyle comes in. After five years coaching the offensive line at Kent State, O'Boyle spent the last year on an ill-fated stint at Colorado. The Buffaloes did not do much damage on the ground last year; Dylan Edwards led the way with 321 yards. Edwards did, however, average a respectable 4.2 yards per carry. The Buffs' overall rushing numbers were hurt gravely by quarterback Shedeur Sanders' penchant for taking sacks. Prior to the move to Boulder, Kent State's offenses featured some dominant rushing attacks under O'Boyle's tutelage. Over O'Boyle's last three seasons in Portage County (2020-2022), the Golden Flashes averaged the third most rushing yards per game in the county. The 2020 Kent State offense lit defenses up to the tune of 283 rushing yards per game.
Much like his new coordinator, Lujan, O'Boyle has a history of running the ball all over opponents. With returning veterans, a number of young players ready for bigger roles and trio of experienced transfers joining the offensive line room, O'Boyle has the pieces to put together a group that consistently gives Northwestern's stable of playmakers room to run.
Despite a major step back in 2023, the additions of Lujan, O'Boyle and Wright have Northwestern's ground game set up to get back on track and be a strength in 2024.
