Three takeaways from Northwestern football vs. South Dakota State
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Northwestern’s 34-18 victory over South Dakota State was far from pretty.
Outside of the first two plays, the Wildcat offense didn’t show the supercharged explosiveness that some had hoped for with the start of the Chip Kelly era. Yet, at the end of the day, the Wildcats came away with a two-possession victory and flashed their prowess in all of the needed areas — that’s more than Rutgers and even Michigan and Oregon can say about their week one matchups.
Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s Wildcat win.
The defense will keep Northwestern in games
The “bend, don’t break” mentality shown by the ‘Cats has already been discussed in detail in several articles, but it’s important to recognize the grit that NU showed in its first game. South Dakota State reached the red zone five times on Saturday but walked away with one touchdown and just 18 points on the night. The Jackrabbits hit some explosive plays, but the Wildcat defense always seemed to be the side that walked off the field with its head held high. Northwestern battened down the hatches in its final 20 and prevented South Dakota State from causing any serious damage. From key pass breakups to the defensive line collapsing on Jackrabbit runners, NU’s defense hit another gear whenever its opponent was threatening.
The defender who stepped up the most was Robert Fitzgerald. The 2025 All-Big Ten Second Team safety had 14 total tackles, one pass deflection and was a hawk when the ball was in the air and a wrecking ball when it was in the backfield. Damon Walters and Braydon Brus also had big games for the ‘Cats, as Walters forced the first Wildcat turnover of the season with an interception and Brus had one of the two Northwestern sacks on the day. With Michael Kilbane, who I picked as my team MVP for the 2026 season, sidelined, Northwestern exemplified the next-man-up mentality and grinded its way to victory. If the ‘Cats’ defense continues to limit big plays and big numbers throughout the season, then their offense will always have a shot at the end of games.
A tenacious four-headed rushing attack
Saturday wasn’t the Caleb Komolafe show that many expected this season would be. It wasn’t the Aidan Chiles running-for-his-life show, either. Northwestern had four ball-carriers see touches, and all four made an impact.
Komolafe had 10 rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown while also causing havoc as a checkdown option with two catches for 37 yards. Gavin Sawchuck had eight rushes for 69 yards and acted as a change-of-pace guy when Komolafe needed a breather. Chiles had eight rushes for 18 yards, including a late touchdown to give the ‘Cats a two-score lead. Joseph Himon II had four rushes for 87 yards and broke off an 80-yard touchdown run to ice the game late in the fourth. Northwestern had 224 yards on the ground in total, surpassing last season’s average by over 60 yards.
While a lot of the credit should be given to the NU offensive line and the tough running of the backs, Chiles made a noticeable impact on the rushing attack. He adds a dimension to the Wildcat offense which we haven’t seen in years. Beyond his ability to escape trouble in the pocket and create something out of nothing, the threat of Chiles’ legs kept the Jackrabbit defense in check all game. Chiles’ reputation as a rusher made sure South Dakota State paid close attention to the possibility of him tucking the ball and running, taking eyes away from NU’s running backs. Every time Chiles held the football for a split second longer than usual, multiple South Dakota State defenders stepped toward him, which opened a hole for Komolafe or Sawchuck. While the passing may come and go throughout the year, Chiles’ legs will always add a dangerous option to the growing NU offense.
The offense needs to stay ahead of the chains
The one glaring negative takeaway relates to the complacency that plagued the ‘Cats throughout the middle of the game. Although it’s not fair to say the offense was an issue against South Dakota State, it certainly wasn’t dominant. Outside of the first two offensive plays of the game and the very last one, Northwestern scored 20 points in over 55 minutes of action. The ‘Cats handled business and won the game, but the offense will have to be more effective to beat Big Ten opponents.
A big reason for the lull in the middle of the game was an inability to get ahead of the chains and give themselves easy third-down distances. The ‘Cats faced seven third downs with at least eight yards to go, and five of those long third downs were drive enders that led to punts or field goals. NU only had five third downs with distances of less than eight yards and converted three of them.
Whether it’s running the ball more effectively on early downs or avoiding penalties and sacks, Northwestern needs to give itself more chances on third down to extend drives. Shorter distances mean a higher conversion percentage and a more confident offense. The ‘Cats must do better on first and second down moving forward, as they won’t always benefit from chunk plays which ultimately decide the game.
Northwestern has a bye week to fine-tune the offense and improve the non-red zone defense before it hosts Colorado in a massive non-conference opportunity on Sept. 19.
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