That's a good point, but not sure if most of the NW game questions are NUs offense or NWs questionable defense. I rewatched the 2021 game last night and NU gashed NW with big plays. NW had some success both in the run and pass game, but were inconsistent, couldn't string drives together, and got behind early.
If NW can stop the big plays by NU's offense and not turn the ball over, I think this will be a much tougher game than some folks are expecting. Big plays by NU killed them last year especially in the 1st half.
Can NU's defense hold up in a nail biter and/or a game where NW can lean more on the run and not play from behind? Hilinski isn't a world beater, but he made some nice throws in that game last year. If they can take pressure off him with a run game and not get behind by 3 TDs early, they'll be able to test NUs defense.