Northwestern Wildcats fell, at home, to the 23rd ranked Indiana Hoosiers today, 41-24, but they did show major promise in what is the weakest aspect of their overall team- the passing game. Northwestern had two wide receivers bring their A-game in the loss, Bryce Kirtz, who caught 10 balls for 128 yards, and A.J. Henning, who had put up a 6-67, to go along with his two touchdown receptions.
While it’s major progress, this Northwestern Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) team is well aware that there’s a lot of work to do. That is the right attitude to have if you want to become an elite wide receiver.
Just ask newly-minted Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of the game. Johnson spent most of his storied career with the Houston Texans, and he maintains a close relationship with his former team. He’s really impressed with Texans wideout Nico Collins, who currently leads the NFL with 489 receiving yards, on 30 receptions, good for a 16.3 yards per reception.
“It makes you smile because it’s like when you see a guy put in the work and do the things he needs to do and the way he plays,” Johnson said in an exclusive interview with RG.org. “Man, I love the way he plays the game. To me, he reminds me of myself a little bit.
“I love his physicality. He makes you want to watch the game of football. What he’s doing, man, it’s been a lot of fun to watch, and I just hope he continues it.”
Collins, a former Michigan man, is on pace for 128 catches for 2,078 yards this season. While he likely won’t finish with numbers anywhere near those, he’ll still put up astronomical numbers.
Henning, another former Michigan man, maintains the same mantra, of never being satisfied; making sure he never gets complacent.
“Today was definitely a step in the right direction for the offense, and I look forward to watching film and getting better,” he said in the postgame press conference.
He later added:
“Leaning on me and Bryce in the passing game, is going to be clutch. Today was a step in the right direction, but there is always room for improvement.”
Indiana became the first 6-0 (and this bowl eligible) team in the entire nation today. This is the first time that they have been 6-0 since 1967, when John Pont’s Hoosiers started 8-0 and would eventually go to the Rose Bowl.
“It’s players, not plays,” Northwestern Wildcats coach David Braun said in the postgame press conference.
“I think you saw Bryce and A.J. catch their rhythm today and Jack did a good job of getting them the ball.
“It was a combination of things, RPO, Jack getting them the ball in space, some option routes.”
Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Jack Lausch had what was by far his best game of his brief career, going 23-38 passing for 243 yards, 2 TD passes, no interceptions.
Northwestern is on now on a short week, as they’ll travel to Maryland, to take on the Terrapins on Saturday night.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.