NU Offensive Line Fuels Surging Offense, Four-Game Win Streak

By Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

Before Northwestern football took on Penn State in the New Ryan Field opener, the coaching staff made some adjustments to the Wildcats’ offensive line.

Fourth-year Grant Seagren transitioned from left tackle to right tackle, which bumped fifth-year Deuce McGuire inside from right tackle to right guard. Third-year Patrick Schaller assumed the starting left tackle position, while third-year Dennis Rahouski and sixth-year Jackson Carsello remained at left guard and center, respectively.

“It was best to have the best five guys in the lineup,” Offensive Line Coach Tim Drevno said. “Sometimes, these guys go out there and they’re playing in a game, they play well and gel together. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good. Let’s not mess up those five guys. They got a good rhythm going.’ They’ve done a good job of just cutting it loose, playing together, and being the heartbeat of the football team.”

Since that change, the No. 20 ‘Cats have won four consecutive games while averaging 36.3 points and 451.0 yards per game. Northwestern has allowed just one sack in three of the four games while averaging more than five yards per carry in three of the contests.

In the Wildcats’ second game of the season, third-year offensive lineman Ezomo Oratokhai — who was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention last season — suffered a season-ending injury, forcing Northwestern to embrace its “next man up” mentality. Despite the offensive line’s relative inexperience, Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun credited the coaching staff for the unit’s success.

“Going into this season coming off of last year, we were really confident in that room as a whole, but the reality was that was a group we knew was going to be not very experienced across the board, especially after Mo going down,” Braun said.

Of the Wildcats’ new starting five up front, only Carsello started for Northwestern last season. He comes off a season in which his 79.8 PFF grade was tied for fourth-best in the country among centers. This season, the veteran has yet to allow a single sack or quarterback hit.

In June of 2026, Carsello was granted another year of eligibility. Drevno said he was fired up when he heard the news.

“It was like Christmas Day to me,” Drevno said. “It was awesome to have him back, and he’s played a lot of games here. He’s a true ’Cat. He loves this place. He loves this brotherhood. He’s done a good job of leading them, helping and communicating. He’s a wealth of experience, wealth of knowledge to lean on if you’re a young guy in the room.”

Carsello, one of six captains on the roster, has taken the bull by the horns to lead the offensive line group. He credits much of the offensive line’s success to the group’s selflessness and taking their roles to heart.

“It helps being in the middle to lead. As the center, you go to make your calls and be able to direct the guys around you,” Carsello said. “It’s just a lot of guys who want to play their best for the guys around them, which I think is such a huge asset. We just want to see our backs, our quarterback and our receivers do their best. We put everything we can on the line to make sure that happens.”

“He’s had a baptism by fire situation,” Carsello said of Schaller. “He’s had some ups and downs. It’s not easy as a blindside protector. You’re going against the best pass rushers in the country in here in the Big Ten, and he’s just willing to step into the fire. He knows he’s there. He knows he’s ready. He’s willing to go punch people in the face and just play his heart out.”

Rahouski received offers to play both offensive line and defensive line out of high school, ultimately committing to Northwestern to play offensive line. He played tackle at the beginning of his college career before starting to play guard this past Spring.

Drevno said that Rahouski and Schaller both possess a natural ability to play offensive line given their athleticism. For Rahouski, the transition to a new position was made easier by embracing lessons from last season’s starting guards Oratokhai and Evan Beernsten, who was recently selected in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

“[It’s] just being a football player, being ruthless, being physical, coming off the ball, using physicality,” Rahouski said. “[I took] a strain to finish and nastiness. … Seeing the old guys we had last year, having two guards play at such a high level, really helped me see how it’s done and things I have to apply to my next game to take it to the next level.”

On the right side of the line, the versatile and more experienced McGuire and Seagren are yet to allow a quarterback hit this season. Seagren, who also did not play offensive line until college, has not allowed a sack in his entire college career (624 pass-block snaps).

“As long as we give it our all, I don’t think there’s going to be a team in the country that can necessarily stop us,” Carsello said. “If we play with clear minds and just play for one another and the guys next to us, I think we’re a very formidable group. If we just play our game, we’re going to have a lot of success as we continue through the year.”

According to Drevno, Carsello has “seen it all,” with 29 games under his belt as a Wildcat starter. Now, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound center believes the offensive line’s potential is sky-high.