It’s no secret that the Northwestern Wildcats are a better team when Justin Jackson finds success. Despite the impressive improvement of Clayton Thorson and the heroics of Austin Carr, Jackson is the guy who has been the most reliable player for this team and the common factor in its wins. In two of Northwestern’s four wins, he’s gone over 100 yards and in only one of the five losses has he surpassed that mark.
Recently, the rushing game has been severely slowed by two very impressive defenses, but also two poor performances from the offensive line. Northwestern ranks 111th in rushing S&P+; 114th on standard down line yards (which measures per-carry line yardage on standard downs (first down, second-and-7 or fewer, third-and-4 or fewer, fourth-and-4 or fewer)); and 123rd with just 29 rushes of 10-plus yards.