After the Wildcats’ first conference win, spirits are high in Evanston.
Northwestern dominated Maryland in a Friday night showdown, earning a 37-10 victory. The team’s first conference win is exciting, but the focus is already turned to this Saturday. The Wildcats, in their final game this season in Martin Stadium, welcome a scorching-hot Wisconsin Badgers outfit to town. Here’s everything David Braun had to say about the Saturday morning conference contest.
Note: These quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Opening statement: “Excited about where this team’s trending right now. I think we saw Friday night, the first time that this team found a way to find spurts of playing at a high level in all three phases, all within one game. And that’s something that we’re gonna have to continue to do to compete in this league. And, you know, find the outcomes that we’re looking for here in the second half of the season. Excited to have our last home game on the lakefront against a really good Wisconsin team that’s playing really well right now. Their two losses, obviously, to a very talented Alabama team, had USC on the ropes early on on the road. And you know, these last two games, have certainly caught their stride. I think in the last two games, they’ve outscored their opponents something like 94-13. There’s certainly a group that have found their groove. Well-coached, scary passing attack. They’re finding ways to run the ball really effectively right now, playing good defense, very sound on special teams. You know, our group understands that we got a great challenge in front of us, but we’re excited for that challenge, and excited to be at home, excited for what the environment is going to look like, and excited to get get back at it this afternoon and move into our Wisconsin prep.”
On the offense’s success with deep passing against Maryland: “The exciting part about it is, those are things that we’ve been seeing out of Jack [Lausch] these last couple weeks in practice. And to see that show up a few times in game, you can just tell there’s a level of continuity, timing and trust with those guys right now. And something that I know all of us are excited for Jack and that wide receiving group to continue to build off of.”
On how passing success helps the rest of the offense: “It’s critical. Again, we talk about complimentary football, but there’s also complimentary offense. You know, when you have a balanced attack and strive for a balanced attack, effectively running the football can open up things in the RPO, play action, drop back pass game. And you know, on the reverse side of that, when you prove that you can find ways to push the ball down the field effectively, that should certainly lead for opportunities to show up in the run game. And I’m excited for that to continue to turn in the right direction. For us to be at our best, we’re going to have to continue to be a balanced attack that keeps play callers on their heels in terms of how we’re trying to attack a defense.”
On Theran Johnson: “Just very competitive and very confident right now, consistent in his practice habits, and it’s showing up on game day. But the level of confidence that he’s playing with right now, the amount of poise that he’s playing with. You know, he makes a big fourth down stop where the wide receiver kind of bobbles the ball. He’s able to get his hands in between his and knock the ball out, which is a huge play. Had one against Indiana. You can just tell, you know, even when he is getting targeted, he’s able to get himself back in phase and play with a lot of poise and compete for the football at the end. His level of play continues to trend in the right direction. And, you know, I think he’s setting an example for the other guys in the room of just what it looks like to consistently compete and challenge routes. And that’s something that we’re going to continue to need out of him here moving forward.”
On whether playing against Wisconsin (his home state) carries extra weight: “No, I don’t think it carries any extra weight. But, you’ve heard me speak before about my roots in Big Ten country. You know, being born here in Illinois. Vividly remember watching the ‘Cats beat Notre Dame. Vividly remember the following year being at Camp Randall, when the ‘Cats beat Wisconsin with that D’Wayne Bates touchdown. And, honestly Matt, I think it’s one of those things that I’m trying to be really intentional about. You know, even pregame at Maryland, having an opportunity to be part of Big Ten football is something that is really special to me and my family. And I think this is just another one of those games, an opportunity to be the head coach at Northwestern playing Big Ten football, coaching in Big Ten football. I mean, this is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid.”
On Wisconsin’s offense: “I think the quarterback play continues to trend in the right direction for them. [Braedyn Locke] came in against Alabama. That’s a tough situation to be thrust into, but you can tell that he continues to play with more and more confidence. You know, the O-line play is something that you know has certainly stood out and been impressive. The backs are running hard, running well, they’re creating some explosive opportunities in the run game. And anytime you pair that with the passing attack that has the ability to be extremely explosive, it can be a really tough outfit to defend. And it shows, the production that they’ve shown on the offense side of the ball against Purdue. They went on the road against Rutgers, traditionally known for really stingy defense, well-coached team. You know, Wisconsin will always have our attention, but these last two games, you can tell they’re definitely a confident group and trending in the right direction.”
On Jack Olsen’s injury status: “As of right now, we do not expect Jack to play this week. It looked like it was going to be anywhere from two to four weeks. We’ll continue to monitor that, but do not expect Jack to play this week.”
On the difference between being a coordinator and head coach: “It’s navigating in a different phase and learning through it. You know, calling the defense last year required a different level of time put into specifically just getting prepared to call a game and just managing my time appropriately. But the thing that I appreciate about Tim [McGarigle], Zach [Lujan] and Paul [Creighton] is, you know, our conversations are ongoing throughout the week. And you know, it wasn’t like I wasn’t in that defensive room in the prep leading into Indiana. I think all of us identified that ‘We got an issue here. We got to fix it. Let’s put our heads together and let’s go do that.’ And those conversations are ongoing throughout all three phases. I think the one thing that we understand is, as much as it was exciting to get back on track against Maryland, we need to continue to have a thirst for improvement and identify things before they become issues. And that’s something that our staff is hard at work at. And it’s been a fun early portion of the week, you know, with an extra day of preparation, of getting our eyes on Wisconsin, identifying what we’re gonna have to do to play winning football.”
On dealing with Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke: “It’s going to sound redundant, but we have to force ways to make sure that the quarterback is processing post-snap. So he doesn’t know where he’s going with the football before it gets in his hands. And then we got to find ways to disrupt him. And the easy stat to look at is sacks, which are drive killers for an offense. You know, we want that trend to continue, but it’s also just pressures and making a quarterback uncomfortable. And it’ll be absolutely critical. We did a good job Friday night of affecting Maryland’s quarterback early, and we’re gonna have to find ways to do that on Saturday as well. Just to not allow that offensive passing attack from Wisconsin to get into a rhythm.”
On Josh Fussell: “I think Josh is someone, that we’ve been excited about ever since we had a chance to work with him in his first practice last year. And he just continues to trend in the right direction. You know, very humble, very hardworking. Hungry for coaching, wants to be pushed, wants to be coached hard. And I think you’re starting to see a level of confidence really start to show up through Josh’s play. And that just comes with reps, but specifically reps in the arena, as he’s had an opportunity to gain even more and more reps in those game scenarios. I think Josh, coming off the Indiana game, knew it wasn’t his best performance. And you know, what a credit to his character and work ethic and humility of bouncing back. And thought Josh played really well against Maryland, and Josh Fussell is going to be one heck of a corner in the Big Ten for a long, long time.”
On what last year’s Wisconsin game taught him about this year: “I think looking at the game flow against Wisconsin last year, there’s a lot of things that show up. Against a team like this, they are certainly dangerous, whether they’re up or behind with their ability to tempo and throw the ball at the level that they’ve proven to be able to do. I gotta be honest with you, regardless of what the score was last year, I was uptight until it was zeros on that clock, that’s just the way that they operate. You’re going to have to put four quarters together. But there is a level of advantage if you can find ways to create a lead in the first half. Just from a standpoint of what you’re seeing out of Wisconsin these last two weeks is they get up in a football game, they remain incredibly balanced, and with that balance it becomes really difficult to defend. So we’re gonna have to do a great job of limiting explosive plays, but also finding ways to keep these guys behind schedule and behind the chains, to create some third and long situations. Then we’re gonna be able to get off the field and play complimentary football, get the ball back to our offense.”
On Wisconsin’s Air Raid system: “Again, with the way that they’re structured offensively, they have the ability to put up points in a hurry, there’s no doubt about it. And they’re never out of a game with their ability to tempo and put up explosive plays in the passing game. They do a good job with some of their their motions and finding ways to check the sideline in critical situations and getting advantageous calls. But we’re going to have to do a great job of tackling in space. We’re gonna have to do a great job of affecting the quarterback, and we’re gonna have to do an exceptional job of limiting explosive plays. I believe it’s the first series of the game last year where they open up with an explosive play early on, it only led to a field goal. Add that one to the list. They’re gonna move the ball. There’s no doubt about that, but we’re gonna have to make sure that we find ways to get off the field on third down, create some takeaways, and if they do make it in the red zone, force them to kick field goals.”
On Josh Thompson and the offensive line as a whole: “Yeah, we’re gonna have to reestablish that run game. Have to eliminate self-inflicted wounds. Coach Lujan shared this with our offense this morning. If you go back and look at our percentage of scoring points in drives where we do not have procedural penalties, it’s what you’re looking for. Those chances for scoring points in a drive when we do have procedural penalties gets cut in half. That’s something that we have to eradicate from what’s going on. There was too many on Friday night, and in terms of the run game, there’s some good things showing up, but there’s certainly room for continued improvement there. We do anticipate Josh playing this week, but we need to continue to find a level of continuity with that group up front. What I am confident in is that group is really straining, really pushing. They’re practicing really hard. They’re buying into the coaching. There continues to be signs of improvement, not only collectively, but individually. You know, excited that a guy like Nick Herzog is back and practicing, there’s some young guys coming on. But definitely need guys like Josh Thompson, Ben Wrather and Caleb Tiernan to continue to really set a tone as veteran leaders in that room of what it needs to look like to win in the Big Ten.”
On whether Herzog will start this week: “No, but we anticipate Nick to contribute. Nick’s coming off of being a little dinged up and his availability being in question. It appears that Nick is back to health and feeling himself and we’re excited for him to get back in the moment where he’s really competing for more playing time than he’s had these last few weeks. There’s just more competition at the position going forward. Specifically with those internal alignment, with Jack [Bailey] going down and moving some pieces around. Nick being limited, excited for there to continue to be some competition and depth created in specifically center and left guard.
On Joe Himon in the return game: “It’s been critical. I think there’s a level of momentum that gets created. We all know how important the field position battle can be, but there’s just a level of energy that comes off the sideline when the offense is opening up a drive at the 40-yard line, or 50-yard line, or whatever it may be. And again, there’s a level of confidence right now when Joe has the ball in his hands and people are blocking for him, they know and understand that, good things — they’re anticipating good things happening when Joe gets the ball in his hands, but really excited about his growth in that area. We knew we had some special things with Joe on the offensive side of the ball, but to see that carry over into the special teams game has been been really fun to watch.”
On Josh Thompson and Caleb Tiernan finding early season success: “It’s been huge. I mean, we knew going into spring ball and transitioning over to fall and into the season that those two guys were guys that we were going to have to absolutely lean on. And we don’t put much stock in PFF grades. It’s an incredible tool for us in breakdown and having access to film. But what I will say is those two have really bought into Coach (Bill) O’Boyle. Really excited about the way that Josh has moved these last couple weeks. If you were out at practice these last couple weeks, I mean, Josh is really starting to take an ownership role in setting the tone and run game. Caleb’s done a nice job, as a left tackle, of consistently protecting our quarterback. That needs to continue to trend in that direction. But, you know, Caleb Tiernan’s walking around this facility with a lot of confidence right now. The transformation and maturity and growth that I’ve seen out of Caleb here in the last year has been really, really exciting. That young man has a bright future ahead of him, as does Josh. And I think the challenge to both of those guys moving forward is, now that you really built some credibility and some confidence, continuing to permeate that confidence throughout that entire room.”
On Jack Lausch’s development: “Just lots of confidence, decisive decision making. You know, you can see when a quarterback is playing confident. He’s not waiting for wide receivers to become open. He’s throwing the ball to a spot and knowing where his wide receivers are going to be. Really proud of the way that he’s developed. And then when things aren’t there, you know, he’s making decisive decisions to pull the ball down and take off with his feet. We don’t want Jack carrying the ball, he’s not a glorified running back. He’s a quarterback. He’s playing like a quarterback right now, which is really exciting. But we all know those third and six situations that all of a sudden for a quarterback, things break down. He’s able to pick up a first down, how frustrating that can be for a defense. Proud of his decision making, proud of his practice habits and how that’s led into production on game day.”
On getting Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning the ball: “It’s critical. I mean, Bryce and A.J. are proven playmakers in the arena. There’s more playmakers within this offense than just those two guys. I’ve seen great things out of CJ Johnson and Frank Covey in practice. Thomas Gordon, Marshall Lang, Duke Olges as tight ends, utilizing the backs in the passing game, But there’s no doubt that finding ways to get AJ and Bryce the ball in their hands in critical situations down the field is something that we need to continue to do. You know, it’s shown up and needs to continue to show up. And if teams are going to find ways to try and take those guys away, then other guys will step up too. But again, I think Jack has done a really good job of not forcing those things, but also having a very clear understanding where those guys are lined up and find ways to get involved.”
On how to find offensive success against Wisconsin: “It all starts up front. It all starts at the line of scrimmage, creating a new line of scrimmage in the run game, doing a good job of protecting our quarterback in the passing game. Sound decision making out of Jack, not not forcing anything, taking what the defense has given us. That can be utilized in RPO, quick game, drop back pass. But it’ll be critical that we establish the line of scrimmage early, which opens up opportunities for play-action. And a ton of credit to Wisconsin, I mean, they’re playing at a really high level right now in all three phases.”
On Devin Turner: “Right now, he’s day-to-day. We’ll know more later in the week. Probably questionable right now.”
On Wisconsin’s defense: “Well-coached, very fundamentally sound. I think they play at a high level up front, veteran safety in the back end that does a great job of directing traffic, and high level corner play. When you marry those things together, you got a good recipe for good defense. I’m really excited about the challenge that’s in front of us in all three phases. But we’re gonna have to have another great week of practice. The success that we saw on Friday, I think, is a direct reflection of the way that our guys attacked last week’s practice, and we’re gonna need that again. Starting tonight and transitioning to tomorrow, fully padded practice. It takes what it takes in the Big Ten, and it’s gonna require a great week of preparation.”
On how to win the turnover battle: “It sounds so cliche, but it’s really just trusting the process. Sometimes takeaways come in bunches, and those takeaways came from guys just doing things that they’re coached to do. We need to continue to play with great fundamentals. Trust the things that we’re being coached to do, and when opportunities present themselves, executing those opportunities. And then offensively, like I said, playing within the framework of the offense, trust in our progression, making sound decision-making, valuing the football by protecting it. The one fumble we had was on special teams against Maryland. We were fortunate to recover it, but it’s just doing the little things right that we’re coached to do. And I was really excited to see those things show up on Friday night.”
On giving some of Luke Akers’ responsibilities to other special teamers: “Luke has been such a weapon with kickoffs and his ability to kick touchbacks. It’s definitely discussions we’re having, though, with the load that he’s carrying. Got to be really thought out and strategic in terms of even the way that ways that we practice, and making sure we’re not putting too much on Luke. One thing that we’ve utilized — Hunter Renner’s quite a weapon with pin punt situations. I think that’s a role that that Hunter will continue to to embrace. But to answer your question directly, we plan on still utilizing Luke to kick off. I mean, he’s such a weapon, not not only the distance he puts on the ball but the hang time that he can create for us.”