With Northwestern’s back against the wall, its head coach is ready for the latest challenge.
Northwestern’s matchup against No. 2 Ohio State went about how you’d expect. The Wildcats fell 31-7 at Wrigley Field, dropping to 4-6 on the season. Bowl eligibility is still possible, but the team has to traverse some tough terrain to get there. That journey starts in one of college football’s most iconic venues as Northwestern will take on the Michigan Wolverines this weekend. Here’s everything David Braun had to say about the Wildcats’ trip to the Big House.
Note: Some quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Opening Statement: “Start off with a huge shout out to Tracey Fuchs and women’s field hockey, on to the Final Four. Excited that their semi final contest will be in Ann Arbor. Excited for her and her team, excited for our opportunity ahead in Ann Arbor as well. It’s been exciting to watch Tracey and her team throughout this season, and hopeful that this weekend will be be a great weekend for the ‘Cats all around. So, with that, had an opportunity to get back to work this morning with our team, review the Ohio State film. I think a lot of learning opportunities from the game, both positive and constructively in terms of how we need to move forward. Incredible opportunity in front of us in Ann Arbor against a very good Michigan team, very talented. A team that is certainly line of scrimmage based, going to look to establish a run game. Stay committed to a run game. Very talented up front. You know, have a defensive coordinator with a ton of NFL experience, very well thought out, very much pressure oriented. Saw a lot of looks from Ohio State [where they] pressured much more than they had shown in the past leading into our game. Would anticipate a heavy dose of pressure from Michigan’s defense this week. But it’s an exciting challenge for this football team, a football team that we feel is improving in some areas, but certainly have a lot of work to do. We have two more guaranteed opportunities, and we’re excited to go on the road and put ourselves in a position to win a football game and work towards bowl eligibility.”
On the offense and Jack Lausch dealing with Michigan’s pressure: “I think as you looked at the way Jack performed versus pressure, even this past weekend, I think Jack did a really good job. I mean that that completion to Bryce Kirtz on our sideline, pressure is coming, gets picked up. He knows he’s got an unblocked defender to his left. He’s got to get the ball up early. Bryce goes and makes a big catch. I think Jack is feeling more comfortable week to week with some of that pressure. And we have to understand our opponent. I’m sure that they’re going to find ways to work to manipulate protection and find some ways to pressure. Where Jack was at his best on Saturday was with decisive decision-making. And trusting what he was seeing and trusting his wide receivers. That’ll have to continue this week.
On the defense getting off the field: “I could be slightly off on this, but I think third down-wise against Ohio State, we were 4-of-10 which is, we would like to be better there, but you feel like you’re in a solid place with that percentage. But with the two fourth down conversions, all of a sudden, they’re 6-of-10, and that plays a critical role in the game. You know, Michigan has proven to be very effective on fourth down. I think that’s a credit to their run game and staying ahead of the chains. They picked up a big fourth down against Minnesota in minus territory. It starts with getting in advantageous third down situations, third and long situations, where you feel like you’re forcing them to be one dimensional. And then being prepared on fourth down to convert defensively. And one thing we talk about, as much as we talk about takeaways, and how critical that is, a fourth down stop is as good as a takeaway and something that we got to celebrate. But we’re in need to be better in that area this week.”
On Ezomo Oratokhai starting at left guard: “It was something that, you know, he had been getting some opportunities to rotate in and has consistently improved in practice, over the course of not even the last couple weeks, throughout the course of the entire season, as we have become very thin on the O-line. You know, honestly speaking, Cooper [Lovelace] was a little dinged up coming off of Purdue, providing an opportunity for Mo [Oratokhai] to get even more reps. And as the game flow was going, the initial plan was to rotate at that position. But some of the things that we were seeing out of Mo in the game led us to believe that it was in our best interest to let him keep rolling. Proud of the way that he’s continued to develop, and his ability as a young guy. I mean, going against the number two team in the country, one of the best defenses in the country, and really can compete at a high level. (On if Oratokhai will start this weekend): The plan is for Mo to start against Michigan. Yes.”
On defending Michigan’s run-heavy offense: “I mean, if Tim McGarigle was sitting up here with me, he would tell you, priority number one for us defensively in the Big Ten is to stop the run. And this that will certainly get tested this week against Michigan. Again, you always have to evaluate what you’re potentially giving up or exposing yourself to in that commitment to stopping the run game. Michigan has a very talented tight end that can create some matchup issues. Again, you go back and look at some of the Minnesota game, and some of the plays that Michigan was able to hit in the passing game, it’s against some loaded boxes. So you just have to continue to make sure that you have balance in your structure, in your plan. But what I can say with absolute conviction, if we don’t effectively stop the run against Michigan, it’s not going to be the outcome we’re looking for.”
On Bryce Kirtz’s return for the home stretch: “It’s huge. I know Bryce has been chomping at the bit to get back for a long time now, and I know he was thrilled to be back. Our team was thrilled to have him back and for him to produce the way that he did, even in short preparation. I mean, really, even midweek, we were still working through a level of uncertainty if we’d have him back or not, so huge credit to him. But thrilled to have him back for these last two guaranteed opportunities. It makes our offense better. It makes others around him better. It forces defenses to account for him and others in that wide receiver corps. And Bryce is playing some of his best football this season. And you can certainly tell that there’s a level of confidence that Jack Lausch has with Bryce. The AJ Henning catch on the opposite sideline as well. Like, there’s a level of confidence and timing that’s starting to show up with those guys with more banked reps in game.”
On what A.J. Henning has brought to the program: “As a player, the production speaks for itself. I think the thing that really stands out to me about A.J. is the way that it’s not easy to transition as a transfer. Especially at a place like Northwestern that’s incredible and awesome, but also unique in terms of just some of the rigor that exists with academics here. I think A.J. did a great job of building credibility first, and doing that through his work ethic and who he is as a teammate. That credibility has just continued to blossom and grow in this time here. And you really find out about a person when adversity hits. And I think some of the things that we experienced in our passing game early during the year with transition at the quarterback position, you know, some inexperienced quarterback play. Not that Jack wasn’t growing, but some early starts for him in his career. And A.J., his commitment to this team and his work ethic, his consistency and availability and practice and for games is something that just really stands out. You know, gets dinged up against Wisconsin. He’s back at practice on Tuesday. I think A.J. has only missed one practice this entire year, fall camp throughout the entire season. Like, the workload that’s on that guy, that’s incredibly impressive. But it just speaks to his competitiveness, his commitment to this team, and to see him continue to have opportunities to impact games on Saturdays for us is something that we’re all really excited about. And something that’s a driving force for me personally, and our program as a whole, is that I know our record isn’t where we want it to be right now, but we want to extend the opportunity for this group to continue on this season. We’ve got 12 days left in the regular season with this group. Two guaranteed opportunities with a really special group of young men. Like, let’s go battle our butts off and extend that opportunity. And for guys like A.J. Henning as a senior, and Coco [Azema] and Bryce [Kirtz] and Xander [Mueller], I mean, the list just goes on and on. What greater motivation than finding a way to get this group to a bowl game?”
On the George Jewell trophy: “It’s a huge deal. First and foremost, a shoutout to Liam Kennedy, who actually kind of spurred this concept and trophy on. I think it represents so much of what makes college football so special. In terms of, you know, you can bring together a group of young men from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different races, ethnicities, and all working towards a common goal. And for us to have an opportunity to go into Michigan, to go into Ann Arbor, to win a game for this football team, but also to bring that trophy to Evanston for the first time would be something that would be an incredible feat to celebrate.”
On Xander Mueller’s chances of returning this season: “Yeah, it’s up in the air. I know I said last week how optimistic I was that that that he would be back. Again, I have a lot of optimism that, that we’ll have Xander back. Certainly very hopeful for this week, but we’ll know a lot more midweek. And what I can tell you very clearly is Xander Mueller — we have a lot of tough guys on this football team — Xander Mueller is one of the toughest individuals I’ve ever been around. The dedication he’s put in to continue to lead his team and get himself back out on the field is something that exemplifies what we’re all about. And what I know is if Xander Mueller is able to get cleared, he’s going to be back out on that field with his teammates.”
On the importance of special teams success: “It will be critical. I mean, as we’ve seen, when this team’s found success and found wins, it’s been all three phases that have contributed to that. Special teams is huge. Even going back to Ohio State, we did win the field position battle, which is somewhat surprising considering, you know, our one punt that resulted in Ohio State getting the ball at the one yard line. But our kickoff team did a really good job. We had a very detailed plan on our kickoff return in terms of how we wanted to approach that against Ohio State. We’ll take another really detailed plan of finding our selective areas where we really want to be aggressive. But this will be a game that field position certainly factors in, for sure.”
On playing in Michigan’s Big House (capacity of 107,601): “Yeah, I think it’s an exciting opportunity for our team. That’s what’s really neat about the Big Ten, is these incredible venues that you have an opportunity to play in. So excited for what’s ahead in 2026 for the ‘Cats, in terms of the new Ryan Field. I mean, add the new Ryan Field to the list…the new Ryan Field is going to be the best stadium in all of college football. Excited for us, you know, for opponents to be talking about our venue. But the Big House is going to have an impact on our ability to operate offensively, on special teams. The way that we prepare, no different than the way that we prepare for all our road games. But we’ve got to understand that that crowd noise will play a factor. And that’ll certainly be a part of our plan all week long, in terms of pumping that crowd noise into our practices. And then our guys just got to do a great job of really eliminating interference. Whether it’s, you know, the tunnel situation at Michigan (both teams use the same tunnel), whether it be the crowd noise, whatever that looks like. I’m confident that our group will handle that the right way and focus on what really matters, and that’s the 60 minutes of football we gotta go play.”
On the red zone offense: “Yeah, improving. The expectation is that when we get down there, we’re scoring touchdowns, and worst case scenario, we’re kicking field goals and taking three away. And obviously turnovers are crushing in those situations. But the following drive (after Lausch’s first-quarter fumble), you saw a really well-executed red zone offensive series. Great run by Cam Porter, great run by Jack. I think the critical piece in that that’s starting to show up that I’m excited about is a level of balance. Some of the third down and fourth down conversions we’ve seen out of this offense recently. I think we’ve talked about what that identity is, especially in short yardage situations, which, really, red zone offense is a series of short yardage situations where space starts to get condensed. Continued improvement is needed. But also excited about some of the areas that we’re improving on.”
On his involvement in the process of the new Ryan Field: “Starting with Pat Ryan Jr. and the Ryan family as a whole, they’ve been incredible just keeping myself and the program up to speed. The administration. Mark Jackson, others within the administration have done a great job of taking a lot of that stuff off of my plate and allowing us to focus on winning football games, but also keeping me in the loop. And again, I’ll bring a lot of the credit back to the Ryan family as a whole, of really asking all the questions of what it’s going to need to look like operationally on gameday, from a recruiting standpoint, from a gameday operations standpoint. What it looks like utilizing that space in recruiting during the recruiting season, when we’re out of the fall and in the winter. It’s going to be a game changer for us. I mean, for recruits to step on campus on gameday and experience the new Ryan Field, for recruits to step on campus even when we’re out of season, to see the venue that we’re going to be playing in. I’ve been really, really blown away, to be honest with you, in terms of the level of detail that’s gone into the planning for the new Ryan Field.”
On the importance of chemistry on the offense: “Absolutely essential. And as a football team this past Saturday, we were certainly far from perfect. And to be honest with you, you don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be at your best. And I saw a group of guys up front against Ohio State that managed a lot of different looks relatively well. Good communication on the sideline, and guys that were straining in the run game. And I know the run stats, you look at that sheet post game, is not where we want it to be. If you look at designed, called runs against Ohio State, I think we were averaging like 3.8 yards per carry, which is an indication that this group has it within them to establish a run game. If you can do that against an operation like Ohio State, Michigan will present a lot of the same issues in terms of their personnel and their multiple looks, but we’re gonna have to find a way to have a balanced attack against a team like this, especially on the road.”
On Theran Johnson’s availiability: “We do expect Theran to be available for Michigan. Excited to have him back.”
On preparing for Michigan’s two-quarterback system: “In terms of the two-quarterback system and the preparation of Purdue, I think there is some carryover from that Purdue prep. And then also just understanding how Michigan’s specifically utilizing it at the end of the day. You go back and look at the Minnesota game, I mean, both quarterbacks are certainly capable of throwing the football. It’s just understanding tendency and how they’re utilizing each. But we’re going to have to do a good job of making sure that we have a balanced plan that can certainly account for drop back pass, some of the axis throws that they like to throw to the field, and then being sound against the quarterback run game.”
On his rise from FCS defensive coordinator to Big Ten head coach: “In a lot of ways, I know I’ve used this word before, in a lot of ways, it’s surreal. Grateful, beyond grateful for the opportunity that myself, our family, this staff, has. There’s a lot of guys on this staff, a lot of people on this staff, that have dreamed of working in the Big Ten throughout their entire career. So I don’t think that’s something that gets lost on this group. But the thing that you quickly realize, you know, whether it’s coaching in the FargoDome or coaching at Winona State or Culver-Stockton college, or coaching a national championship game, or coaching in the Big Ten and going into Kinnick or getting an opportunity to do it at Wrigley Field is you take your opportunities pregame to soak that in. But that first ball goes up and you’re into the game. I mean, I know it sounds silly to say this, but it’s all the same. And I think it’s finding those moments to be grateful for the opportunity and soak it in. You never should take it for granted, while also being really focused on the task at hand when it’s time to go coach a game and put your guys in good situations.”
On winning the turnover battle: “It’s gonna be huge. It’s gonna be huge. I mean, if you look at these two teams, as Northwestern and Michigan matches up, it’s most likely going to be a limited possession football game. So every possession is so critical. Back to your previous question, fourth down stops will be critical. We’ve got to do a better job of creating takeaways as a football team right now. And then any turnover offensively or on special teams just can’t happen. And there’s some things in terms of our process and what we’re actually putting on film that we can address in terms of our ball security, which I’m excited to get fixed this week.”
On Cam Porter’s success in pass blocking: “I think it’s one of the things that you love and admire most about Cam. I mean, he’s a well-rounded back, you know, we saw against Purdue what he can do in the passing game. You know, we’ve seen what he can do in protection. Certainly you know what he’s capable of in the run game. But I think it just shows his toughness, his demeanor, his care for his team. Pass protection is not the first thing you think about in terms of ‘Man, I can’t wait to be a running back in the Big Ten’, but it is a critical piece. And to be honest with you, I think it’s one of the things that, for Cam in his opportunities to play football beyond college, will be a huge asset that pro scouts and organizations are going to look at. There’s a lot more value you can bring to a football team than just carrying the football as a back and Cam is certainly proving to be very well rounded.”