Here are three things we learned about the UTEP game, two questions we have moving forward and one bold prediction about the future as the Wildcats prepare to take on No. 21 Duke in Durham on Saturday.

1. Winning is fun

Maybe this was something everyone already knew going into Saturday, but it sure was nice to remember. After a grueling 12-game losing streak that spanned multiple calendars, Northwestern finally got back into the win column. It wasn't always pretty, but the smiles on the home sideline when the clock hit zero told the story. Saturday was a long time coming in Evanston.

Interim head coach David Braun got his first career win as a head coach at any level. Even though he's been tight-lipped since taking over, even Braun couldn't stick to coach speak after the win.

"I don't know if we needed [a win], what we need is continued support and we need one another. That's what we've leaned on," he said. "But my gosh does it feel good to see those guys have big smiles on their faces and celebrate. I'm just so happy for our players. It's a special day."

2. Northwestern needs to lean on the ground game

Northwestern's offense started hot, with Jack Lausch's six-yard scamper punctuating an opening drive score for the Cats. In total, Northwestern picked up 44 yards on the ground on the scoring drive. The remainder of the first half netted -6 rushing yards for the home team. Unsurprisingly, Northwestern did not score again in the first half.

Northwestern went right down the field and took the lead to start the second half, picking up 45 yards on the ground along the way. Notice a trend?

In total, NU ran for 184 yards, with 146 coming in their 31-point second half. Cam Porter led the way with 17 carries for 90 yards. He was followed by 53 from Lausch and another 35 from AJ Henning.

The depth in the run game is evidenced by their leading rushers on Saturday: a running back (Porter), a quarterback (Lausch) and a wide receiver (Henning). Even the usually pocket-bound Ben Bryant found the end zone on the ground and made some off-schedule plays with his feet. Henning is an incredibly explosive player with the ball in his hands, and getting it to him on the ground would serve Northwestern well as the season goes on.

Speaking of explosive, running back Joseph Himon II's 85-yard catch and run was the big strike of the day. While Himon II didn't contribute a ton on the ground against UTEP, he's yet another option for Northwestern to pick up yards in the run game.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian has no shortage of options to turn to on the ground, and the results from Saturday prove relying on the run leads to points. He just needs to remember that.

3. Defenses will be seeing a lot more of Jack Lausch

Anyone who watched Northwestern practice this spring noticed one thing about the quarterbacks: No. 12 is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Lausch, a redshirt freshman QB, scored Northwestern's first touchdown of the game against the Miners and then flashed his speed with a 46-yard dash in the fourth quarter.

Questions linger about Lausch's arm, but there are none about his legs. On a team that looks like it is going to struggle offensively, Braun knows the importance of getting a player like Lausch touches.

"There have been consistent conversations from myself to the rest of our staff that he's a young man that needs to be on the field, he just does," Braun said. "He has the ability to do some things that really change the map for a defense."

Lausch's packages were simple against UTEP, with Northwestern not showing anything more than a couple read plays and a QB sweep, albeit with his touchdown including a fake handoff to starter Ben Bryant in motion.

Lausch's opportunities should continue to expand as the season goes on, especially with Bryant and backup Brendan Sullivan both banged up. The Wildcat has been a favorite of Bajakian during his tenure in Evanston. Lausch is far from a gunslinger, but his quarterbacking history makes him the most dangerous trigger man out of those sets that Bajakian has had to work with.

1. Who is the right tackle?

Among the biggest problems with Northwestern's offense in the first half was the play of right tackle Zach Franks. Franks had a really tough time, and his assignment ended up in Bryant's lap more often than not. NU's coaches realized that, inserting Josh Thompson at right tackle to start the second half.

Well, after the insertion of Thompson, Northwestern scored every time they touched the ball, other than their final drive to run out the final 38 seconds. One would think that makes the decision easy: Thompson came in, played better than Franks and the offense ran like a well-oiled machine, so Thompson starts. Braun wasn't ready to commit to that at his Week 3 press conference. He said the plan was always to rotate the tackles, and the coaches just rode the hot hand in the second half.

Whether Braun was being truthful or just trying to avoid driving the bus over a veteran who lost his job remains to be seen, but for now right tackle is one of the few positions up in the air at this point in the season.

2. Can the D keep taking the ball away?

Devin Turner was oh-so-close to starting the Northwestern defense's campaign the way every defensive coordinator dreams: with a turnover. An errant pass slipped through Turner's fingers, though, and Northwestern's defense finished the opener without a takeaway.

Senior leader Bryce Gallagher made sure the drought wouldn't last much longer when he made a leaping catch on a forced throw from UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison on Saturday.

Gallagher's fellow linebacker Xander Mueller picked off Hardison again on UTEP's opening drive of the second half. Mueller returned it to the five-yard line, setting up a Northwestern touchdown.

The Cats weren't done there, as walk-on safety Joe DeHaan picked off Miners' backup Jake McNamara with 38 seconds left.

Coaches talk constantly about the turnover battle, and for good reason. Creating short fields are huge boosts to a team's offense, and Northwestern's offense needs all the boosting it can get. After spending far too much time on the field in Piscataway, NU's defense creating takeaways on Saturday allowed them to get off the field and stay fresh for the full 60 minutes.

As evidenced by the 18.5-point spread, Northwestern is facing a significant uphill battle at Duke this weekend. Taking the ball away is a tried and true method to level the playing field against a more talented opponent. Winning the turnover battle for the second week in a row is a must if NU has dreams of pulling off a stunner on Tobacco Road.

Anto Saka will lead the Cats in sacks.

Getting to the quarterback is going to be a real struggle for Northwestern in 2023. NU didn't pick up their first sack of the season until redshirt freshman Anto Saka dragged down Hardison in the second quarter.

Expect to see more of that.

Mueller, DB Rod Heard II and DE Aidan Hubbard also added sacks, but Saka was the star of the show up front.

A former four-star recruit, Saka spent most of his true freshman 2022 season on the sideline as he added the requisite weight to hold up in the Big Ten. Now 15 pounds heavier, Saka flashed early and often against the Miners.

He was the only Wildcat able to consistently get into the backfield and harass Hardison. He only got the quarterback down once, but the chances for more were there. Even when Saka didn't get all the way home, he was still able to force hurried throws or force Hardison out of the pocket and throw off UTEP's timing.

The Maryland native will continue to get chances. Northwestern desperately needs a pass rush to take advantage of a back end that has been generally strong through eight quarters. Saka is their best chance to get it done, and he will get to the quarterback more than any other Cat when it's all said and done.