After back-to-back blowout losses, Jack Lausch and David Braun enter a critical four-game stretch to close out Northwestern’s season.
Being a Northwestern fan this season feels like sitting through a New York, Philadelphia or Chicago winter without a working heater—just when you think it can’t get any colder, the wind picks up, leaving you to wonder if spring will ever come.
Rock bottom? We’re not just there; we’ve unpacked and set up camp, and with Northwestern sitting at 3-5 (1-4 B1G) after a blowout 40-14 loss to Iowa on Saturday afternoon, we’re now left wondering if it will ever get better.
Expectations for this team, in many ways, were unfair from the start. After a chaotic 2023 offseason that saw longtime head coach Pat Fitzgerald fired in the wake of a hazing scandal that sent shockwaves through the college sports world, David Braun was thrust into a nearly impossible situation. Yet, against the odds, he led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record last season, capped off with a Las Vegas Bowl victory, and completely transformed the program’s culture. There’s no doubt Braun is a leader these players would go to war for—but his puzzling in-game decisions this season show that he is still experiencing growing pains in his first stint as a head coach.
A prime example came when Braun sent punter Luke Akers—filling in as kicker for the injured Jack Olson—out to attempt a 50-yard field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-two against Iowa. Akers missed, and the Wildcats surrendered valuable field position. What’s most concerning is that this wasn’t an isolated mistake: Braun made the same decision last week in the team’s 23-3 loss to Wisconsin, opting for a 51-yard field goal attempt by Akers on a similar fourth-and-two situation. At some point, accountability matters. It’s these seemingly small but telling moments that highlight why Braun has been out-coached in nearly every Big Ten matchup this season
Another reason for Braun’s struggles this season? Last year, he had the luxury of an “adult in the room” in sixth-year quarterback Ben Bryant, who knew how to keep the wheels from coming off. Bryant, a seasoned traveler with 35 career appearances at Cincinnati and Eastern Michigan, brought a steady hand to Evanston and navigated the Wildcats to a 6-3 record. He threw for 1,807 yards and 13 touchdowns, with four more on the ground—like a man who’s been around the block and knows where the shortcuts are.
This season, though? It’s been a different story entirely.
Northwestern thought it had found its steady hand under center in Mike Wright, a transfer with 41 career appearances at Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. On paper, he looked like the kind of quarterback you could trust to keep the car in the right lane. But instead of leading the offense downfield, Wright couldn’t find the end zone with a GPS.
After a string of uninspiring performances, the Vanderbilt and Mississippi State transfer was benched in favor of redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch. Lausch has shown flashes—just enough to make you think there might be something there—but, like his head coach, he’s still figuring out how to play with the grown-ups. And if his rough outings against Wisconsin and Iowa are any indication, the road to becoming a reliable Big Ten signal-caller might feel more like a long, winding detour.
Just two weeks ago, in the Wildcats’ dominant 37-10 win against Maryland, the team fired on all three cylinders. Lausch looked every bit the quarterback of the future, going 10-of-18 for 203 passing yards, adding 24 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. But then, you have to wonder—did Lausch look good because he’s good, or because he was up against a defense so bad they’d struggle to guard a revolving door?
The Terrapins’ defense, after all, ranks dead last in the Big Ten, giving up 275.8 passing yards per game like they’re handing out Halloween candy. The following week, however, Lausch faced a different beast in Wisconsin, as Luke Fickell’s team boasts the conference’s fourth-best passing defense, holding opponents to nearly 167 yards per contest. And Lausch? He looked like a golfer with the yips—unable to find his rhythm, misfiring all over the place—finishing a woeful 9-of-24 for just 82 yards, with a fumble tossed in for good measure.
But the real trouble came a week later in front of a sold-out crowd at Kinnick Stadium during Iowa’s homecoming game, where Lausch faced Kirk Ferentz’s world-renowned defense. Against one of the most disciplined units in the Big Ten, Lausch delivered what was likely the worst performance of his college career. He completed just 10-of-19 passes for 62 yards, threw two interceptions, and, as a dual-threat quarterback, was completely shut down on the ground—finishing with -4 rushing yards.
Notice a pattern? The tougher the competition, the worse version of Lausch we see. Sure, he’s only made six career starts donning purple and white, but the trend isn’t exactly promising. It’s as troubling as, say, watching Sam Bankman-Fried try to explain a business plan—full of potential at the start, but a disaster as soon as things get serious and you’re forced to earn a profit.
As Northwestern enters the final four-game stretch of the season, it’s gut-check time for David Braun and Jack Lausch. This stretch isn’t just challenging—it’s a gauntlet. With matchups against Michigan, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 22 Illinois, the Wildcats won’t be judged by wins and losses alone. At this point, expecting victories feels like wishful thinking. But signs of growth—a spark between the young quarterback and the second-year head coach—could be exactly what fans need to feel hopeful about the future.
Before diving into the deep end of Big Ten competition, Northwestern gets a much-needed tune-up opportunity this Saturday against a 1-6 (0-4 B1G) Purdue squad. Call it a “get-right” game—a chance for Lausch to shake off the growing pains and build some momentum. But if he falters, the Wildcats could find themselves facing a familiar dilemma. Since 2018, Northwestern’s quarterback spot has been a game of musical chairs, with a new transfer starter leading the team each season. If Lausch doesn’t prove he’s the solution, the Wildcats may once again be forced to turn to the transfer portal, searching not just for a quarterback but for the stability they’ve been chasing for far too long.