5 Northwestern players to watch against Iowa football in 2024

IOWA CITY — Northwestern surpassed essentially everyone’s expectations in 2023, winning eight games after being picked before the season to finish last in the Big Ten West.

The 2024 season has been a different story. The Wildcats are 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play. All three of their conference losses have been by three-plus possessions. Northwestern’s last road game was its most impressive showing, though, as it pulled off a 37-10 blowout of Maryland.

Here are five Northwestern players to watch when the Wildcats head to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday:

WR Bryce Kirtz

Bryce Kirtz presents a big-play threat on the Northwestern receiving corps.

His 414 receiving yards leads the Wildcats, and his 27 receptions are second-best on the team. He has burned secondaries with 40-plus-yard receptions in two of Northwestern’s last three games — a 55-yard reception against Maryland and a 47-yard reception against Indiana.

The Brownsburg, Ind., native first emerged as a weapon for the Wildcats in 2023. He was an all-Big Ten honorable mention last year after racking up 49 catches for 701 yards — more production than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined.

He was Northwestern’s leading receiver against Iowa last year, catching three passes for 33 yards in the Wildcats’ 10-7 loss at Wrigley Field.

Kirtz could be especially important for Northwestern’s success this week. Ex-Michigan wideout A.J. Henning, Northwestern’s 2024 leader in receptions, was carted off the field in the Wildcats’ 23-3 loss last week to Wisconsin last weekend.

RB Cam Porter

Cam Porter again is a focal point of Northwestern’s offense in his fifth season in Evanston.

The 5-foot-10 running back has 320 yards so far this season while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. His five rushing touchdowns lead the team, with all others combining to score four touchdowns on the ground.

His best performance of the season was in Week 2, when he had 94 yards on 16 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in Northwestern’s 26-20 double-overtime loss to Duke.

Iowa’s defense has fared well against Porter in recent years. He had only 36 rushing yards on 12 carries in last year’s game, and he had two carries for four yards at Kinnick in 2022.

DL Aidan Hubbard

Aidan Hubbard has been a mainstay on Northwestern’s defense, appearing in 31 of the Wildcats’ last 32 games while being one of David Braun’s most productive defensive players.

Hubbard has a team-high 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks through the Wildcats’ first seven games of the 2024 season. In 2023, he led the team with six sacks and was second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss.

He had a key scoring play in Northwestern’s win over Maryland, recovering a fumble forced by fellow defensive lineman Carmine Bastone and returning it for a touchdown.

CB Theran Johnson

Opposing offenses have tried picking on Theran Johnson this year. His receivers have been targeted 44 times, according to Pro Football Focus, with no other Northwestern defensive back being targeted 30-plus times.

Johnson has held his ground, however, allowing receptions on only 50 percent of targets — significantly better than the team-wide 66.8 percent of targets turning into receptions.

Johnson, a fourth-year player from Indianapolis, has one interception and a team-high nine pass breakups this season. His first career interception was last year against Iowa’s Deacon Hill.

QB Jack Lausch

Northwestern made a quarterback change earlier this year after an iffy first two games by Mississippi State transfer Mike Wright.

The results have not necessarily been rosy with Jack Lausch under center either, however.

Lausch has completed 50.7 percent of his passes while throwing four touchdowns and two interceptions. His completion percentage and his 5.9 passing yards per attempt are the worst among Big Ten quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, per PFF.

If there is a bright spot for Lausch this season, it is his decision-making at quarterback. His turnover-worthy play rate of 1.2 percent, as tracked by PFF, is the lowest among Big Ten quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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