Northwestern makes much-needed quarterback change

The Northwestern Wildcats announced a change in football's most imperative position today. The purple Cats will bench Mike Wright in favor of sophomore Jack Lausch. A Chicago native, Lausch will make his first start of 2024 against the Eastern Illinois Panthers this Saturday. Northwestern is sitting at 1-1 entering week three.

Thanks to their amazing defense, they have that one win against Miami-Ohio, which they claimed two weeks ago. Wildcats fans should be thankful for the 1-1 mark as it could easily be 0-2 without stout defensive play.

One of the biggest problems that the team has faced early this year has been an inept offense. Through the first eight regulation-length quarters, Northwestern has scored a total of 26 points.

That is far from peak offensive production. The biggest reason for the lack of offense is due to bad quarterback play. Heading into this season, Northwestern had to solve the dilemma in spring camp. Last year's starter, Ben Bryant is now with the New York Jets. The QB battle was fought between Lausch and Mark Wright, a transfer from Mississippi State.

Wright eventually started the first two games for Chicago's Big Ten squad. To say he didn't look good is an understatement. While he's shown an ability to run with the football, he hasn't proved he can be the consistent passer that the team needs to get back to the bowl season. In his first game against Miami-Ohio, he did run for the team's only touchdown.

However, he only threw for 178 yards and no scores through the air. He did post a 60% completion percentage but what good is that when you can't score against a team from the MAC? Yes, the RedHawks are one of the MAC's top contenders but there was no excuse for this showing offensively. He struggled with handling snaps all game long and only averaged 5.9 yards per completion. He also lost two fumbles.

In last Friday's loss to Duke, Wright struggled once again. In a sloppy mess of a football game, he completed just 56% of his passes for 158 yards. Once again, he threw for no touchdowns in the contest.

He also launched a horrendous pass into double coverage along the far sideline in the first quarter. Duke's Terry Moore picked it off, and the Blue Devils took advantage of it, scoring their only regulation touchdown, which made a major difference in the final outcome.

As of now, Northwestern is on a short list of five teams that do not have a single touchdown toss through two weeks of action. The other four teams are Miami-Ohio, Notre Dame, Western Michigan, and Air Force. It should be just four teams as Air Force is known for always running, just like the other two major military academy squads. As of now, NU ranks 108th in the nation in passing yards per game.

They are also in a 16-way tie for 108th in lost turnovers as the Wildcats have already racked up four turnovers. This is alarming because they were sixth in the nation a year ago in committing the fewest turnovers. Three of those have been because of Wright. So, with all that being said, the decision to go with Lausch was the smartest choice.

Let's see what the sophomore can do this week against EIU. Needless to say, Northwestern needs a victory on Saturday against Tony Romo's alma mater. As you can see, the slate ramps up in difficulty for the Cats next week with a visit to Washington. Northwestern faces a tall task in trying to make the bowl season for a second straight year. The November portion shows why. Can Jack Lausch salvage NU's season? We'll find out soon as he's set to make his first collegiate start.

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