Komolafe, Himon Lead Northwestern’s Ground Game to Historic Heights

By Charlie Perlman, NUSports.com

Northwestern’s running game turned in a performance to remember in the first game at New Ryan Field.

The Wildcats rushed for 413 yards Friday, their third-most in a game since 1995. After the game, Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun offered a simple assessment.

“We know how to run the football,” Braun said. “They put together a really good game plan and trusted the plan. And I tell you what, those guys are pretty special.”

Leading the charge was Caleb Komolafe, whose 188 rushing yards were a personal best and the most by a Northwestern player in a Big Ten game since 2016.

Komolafe’s approach was no different than any other game. Following the advice of his coaches, he and his fellow running backs stayed prepared for their chance to make an impact.

“We come into every opportunity we get on the field to make the most of it,” Komolafe said. “Coach AT preaches that, Coach Kelly preaches that. So today the ball happened to be in our hands, and we got to make the most of it.”

Komolafe wasn’t the only running back who had a night to remember. Joseph Himon II ran for 162 yards and two rushing touchdowns, career highs in both categories.

Himon II’s explosiveness continued to show as he averaged 16.2 yards per carry, the highest mark by a Northwestern player since 1995 with a minimum of 10 carries. His six touchdowns through the first four games are the most by a Wildcat non-quarterback since 2013.

For Himon II, his focus on this game started the minute the clock ran out last week in Bloomington.

“We had a bad taste in our mouth from Indiana,” Himon II said. “We wanted to come out here, knew we were playing at home, and we wanted to start it off right at the new field with a win with my brothers.”

Himon II and Komolafe became the first Wildcat duo to each rush for more than 150 yards since 2012. The pair helped Northwestern average 7.5 yards per rushing attempt, its highest mark in Big Ten play since 2002.

For Braun, the production is a reflection of how well the two backs complement one another.

“Those guys are both so special and they're different,” Braun said. “From a defensive perspective, when you have different tempos and different running styles, and it's kind of like facing a fastball versus a curveball, it can become really difficult to adjust. Those guys play off of each other so well.”

To complicate things even more for opposing defenses, Aidan Chiles adds another dimension to Northwestern’s ground game. The dual-threat quarterback scored a rushing touchdown for the fourth consecutive game, with his five touchdowns on the ground this season already the most by a Wildcat quarterback since 2018.

Chiles’ score helped the Wildcats record four rushing touchdowns for the first time in a conference game since 2020. It also marked the first time Northwestern had three separate players record a rushing touchdown in a game since 2024.

“I'm gonna do whatever the team needs to succeed,” Chiles said. “Today, it was handing the ball off to Joe and Komo. I'm just proud of how they came out and played, and trusted the offensive line and trusted everybody around me.”

The production on the ground has also helped fuel one of the Wildcats’ most productive offensive starts in program history. Northwestern’s 132 points across the first four games of a season are tied for the fifth-most in program history with 2009.

With the offense clicking and the running game emerging as a strength, Himon II credits the success to the people inside the program.

“It’s just the brotherhood we have and the work that we put in each and every day,” Himon II said. “It’s our running back coach, Coach AT, he’s a great mind and puts us in position, coaches us hard, and pushes us each and every day. Then, there’s just the bond that we have off the field that makes us stronger. That makes us better.”