Komolafe, Wilde Shine as Wildcat Offense Stays Hot vs. Rutgers

By Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern’s offense has been clicking on all cylinders through the first seven games of the 2026 season.

Consistency has been key for the Wildcats, who moved to 6-1 with a 42-14 win over Rutgers on Saturday. Northwestern has scored at least 20 points in each of its first seven games, marking the fourth time in program history the Wildcats have accomplished the feat.

“When you focus on your process, when you focus on the standard, when you focus on what’s right in front of you and you stay present in the moment, there’s opportunity for that consistency,” Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun said.

Fourth-year running back Caleb Komolafe and fourth-year wide receiver Griffin Wilde starred for the Wildcats in Saturday's win over the Scarlet Knights. Komolafe had 13 carries, 150 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, while Wilde hauled in nine receptions for 133 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

Saturday’s game marked the first time since 2016, that Northwestern had one player rush for at least 150 yards and another record at least 125 receiving yards in the same game (Justin Jackson and Austin Carr vs. Michigan State).

“This is an equal opportunity offense, and whatever’s working is working,” fourth-year quarterback Aidan Chiles said. “If me running is a key part of our game, then that’s what we’re going to do. If the run game is working, give them the ball. If the pass game’s working, we’re going to throw it.”

From the start of the contest, Wilde couldn’t be stopped. On Northwestern’s first drive, he logged all three catches for 29 receiving yards and a touchdown. By midway through the second quarter, he eclipsed the century mark in yardage.

With his touchdown, Wilde moved into a tie for 10th in program history for career receiving touchdowns (12). Having previously registered a career-high 144 receiving yards just two weeks ago against Ball State, Wilde also became the first Wildcat to have two games with 125+ receiving yards in a single season since Carr did so in 2016 amid his Big Ten Receiver of the Year campaign.

“He’s so process-driven,” Braun said of Wilde. “He’s so consistent, and where he separates himself is his competitiveness and his toughness. It shows up. When the ball’s in the air, there’s a mentality that, ‘I’m coming down with this football.’”

Wilde said the reason he is able to consistently come down with contested catches is because of the confidence he has in himself.

“My mentality is if the ball’s up in the air, it’s got to be mine,” the Sioux Falls, S.D., native said. “50-50 as a wide receiver shouldn’t exist. That ball should be yours, and you have to do whatever you can to come down with that ball.”

Over the past three games, Wilde has totaled 344 receiving yards, the most in a three-game span by a Wildcat since Flynn Nagel in 2018.

Komolafe, too, has found his groove as of late. Late in the first quarter, Komolafe broke free for a 56-yard gain, matching his career-long run. Then, late in the second quarter, the Katy, Texas, native broke free up the left sideline to score a 33-yard touchdown.

Komolafe recorded his second game of the season with at least 150 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, becoming the first Wildcat to post two such games in a season since Justin Jackson had three in 2017. Jackson, Northwestern’s all-time leading rusher, was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame just this past week and was on the field Saturday to watch Komolafe’s performance.

“With Komo, I found myself there in the fourth quarter going, ‘Gosh, I love watching this guy run the football,’” Braun said. “It’s not always flashy. It’s just pads down and physical. I think him and Joe and Gavin complement each other so well, but for Komo, I think it was a really special day.”

Komolafe is on pace for the best start to a season by a running back in the Braun era, as his 551 rushing yards this season are the most by a Northwestern player through the first seven games of a season since Evan Hull’s 643 rushing yards in 2021.

For Chiles, having a player of Komolafe’s talent opens up the entire field.

“It makes it really easy for us,” Chiles said. “People have to play against 11 guys. There are five guys on the field that can make the play. It’s a lot to worry about, especially with the complexity of our offense and how it looks. For defenses, that’s a lot. That’s a lot to prepare for, so it really opens up the pass game for us. It opens up everything for us.” 

Northwestern has won four straight games amid its best start to a campaign since 2020. For Wilde, the key to the team’s success has been finding its “rhythm and routine.”

“You just continue to do that every week,” Wilde said. “[I’m] just continuing to use my voice to help other guys just find their rhythm and routine, do what they need to do — whether it’s being in their training room, getting their lifts done, getting 50 catches at the end of practice, just doing stuff like that. We’re continuing to raise the floor.”