Who could be the X-Factors for Northwestern this weekend?
The Northwestern Wildcats come into this game against the Wisconsin Badgers after a big 37-10 win on the road against the Maryland Terrapins, looking to build on their momentum.
Northwestern is a 6.5-point underdog in this matchup against the Badgers, but has been able to win against them at home these past couple of years.
Here are three Wildcats to look out for in this game.
Jack Lausch
As mentioned in my three Badgers preview article, quarterback Jack Lausch is a lot more mobile than most of the quarterbacks Wisconsin has faced this season (besides Jalen Milroe, obviously).
Lausch had a good passing game at home against Indiana with two touchdowns but also had a good game as a runner last week at Maryland where he scored the first touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run.
Wisconsin needs to limit his ability to run and watch out for long passes to deep threats like receivers Bryce Kirtz or AJ Henning.
Bryce Kirtz
Bryce Kirtz is the definition of a deep threat. Last week against Maryland, he only had three catches. He still had 123 receiving yards and averaged 41 yards per catch. When watching the Indiana game, Kirtz caught my eye because he consistently diced up their secondary and kept the Wildcats in that game late into the 4th quarter. I’m not saying that Indiana’s defense is the same as Wisconsin’s, but still important to watch out for.
This Wisconsin secondary, specifically players like Hunter Wohler, Preston Zachman, and Ricardo Hallman needs to contain him to limit Northwestern’s passing attack. Kirtz isn’t the only good receiver on the team, as AJ Henning, who I mentioned before, has also been solid, but he is definitely the most dangerous.
Aidan Hubbard
Defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard leads the team with three sacks this season. He has recorded a sack in each of the last three games he’s played in this year as well. Hubbard will be up against a Badgers offensive line that hasn’t allowed a sack in quite some time, but still gives them a challenge.
Hubbard will also have to try and limit Wisconsin’s rushing attack in this contest. Wisconsin has rushed for 225+ yards in each of their last two games and will continue to pound the rock in this contest as well. Hubbard was a key player in NW’s games against Maryland and Washington, and I expect him to be a key contributor on defense in this game too.
Northwestern has their hands tied with a strong Wisconsin team, but can still make some noise if these three players step up and play well.