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Northwestern announces starting RB, key OL will miss 2021 season

Scott Schultz

By Scott Schultz

Published:

There’s bad news out of Evanston.

A pair of training camp injuries will sideline running back Cam Porter and offensive lineman Zachary Franks, as reported by Northwestern Football’s Twitter feed Tuesday afternoon.

Porter, who was projected to be the Wildcats top running back, is now out for the year. Last season Porter combined for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns over Northwestern’s final three games of the 2020 season.

During his first four appearances last season Porter only had eight carries for 32 years, but he stepped into the spotlight after some fumbling issues allowed him to move up the depth chart. He followed with a huge performance against Illinois, rushing for 142 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns.

Considered to be a key to the success of the Northwestern offense, Porter was looking to step in to fill the void left when Drake Anderson and Isaiah Bowser transferred out of the program.

The loss of Franks adds to the trials of an already difficult task for the offensive line. The running game, with the loss of Porter added to the equation, will not make it any easier for the Wildcats to fix their biggest weakness from last season, which was the rushing attack.

Scott Schultz

Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.