Northwestern head coach David Braun took time Monday afternoon to speak on last week’s matchup with Oregon and the upcoming home game against Iowa. Some of the quotes below may have been edited for brevity or clarity.
Braun on the energy needed at Ryan Field: “I’ve been so impressed with Wildside’s energy, our students’ energy at New Ryan Field, and we have an incredible opportunity that we need to deliver on during the game on Saturday night. You are part of this football team. You are part of this program.
You are part of our success. We need Wildside and our student section at full force Saturday night.”
Braun on election day: “Our political climate around this country has been, in my opinion, divisive, deceptive and destructive. I personally have become apathetic. I haven’t been an active voter as I should be, and it’s kind of a wake-up call for me. If I want to have an opinion, my butt better get out and vote, and I hope everyone else does too. We need to remind our elected officials that they answer to us and they answer to the people.”
Braun on his misevaluation of Saturday’s game: “My evaluation of Saturday’s game at the Oregon postgame was inaccurate. I shared that with our team. I made some comments alluding to taking our foot off the gas and not finishing. Going back and looking at the film, I think it was actually the opposite. I think our foot was certainly on the gas… I think we had a group that just wanted it so bad and wanted it all to go right. Wanted to finish the right way. Wanted to answer the call and the challenge of finishing off an opponent… And as you just go back and evaluate the film, you see just missed opportunities and uncharacteristic things showing up on film that is not who this team is.”
Braun on moving forward: “All frustration needs to be left in the rearview mirror. That frustration needs to turn into fuel, and any discouragement or frustration will absolutely not be tolerated. We’re moving forward. We’re pouring gas on the fire that’s building within this team, within this program right now, and shifting our focus to a really impressive Iowa team.”
Braun on the coaching staff’s evaluation of Iowa: “Offensively, I think that staff has done a great job the last couple of years of staying true to who they are; there’s a clear identity, but they continue to evolve. Obviously, for Iowa, it’s going to start with the running game, but they have weapons on the perimeter, and their quarterback played at an extremely high level last week. And we haven’t even mentioned their special teams, something that is a trademark of Iowa football and has been for a long time. We will be challenged. We have our hands full, and we understand that. But we’re also excited for the opportunity that’s right in front of us.”
Braun talks about meeting with Jerry Neuheisel: “I stepped in Jerry’s office last night just to check in on game plan stuff, and through that conversation, Jerry was really the one that brought [closing out opponents] to my attention. It was this push [we emphasized in practice] of closing people out. [For example] when all of a sudden maybe Oregon built some momentum back, our guys are almost like, man, we’re just gonna try harder instead of just taking a breath, taking it to the next play and executing. That’s why I feel so fortunate to coach this group. Like they really care. They really put it all on the line.”
Braun on injury-ridden defense: “Getting those guys back is huge. You know some of it is longer timelines, some of it is truly day to day. That’s why I’ve elected to allow the availability report to speak for itself. But what I will say is if you want to win in this league, you better have competitive depth, and I think we’ve proven that we have competitive depth. But to just say that those guys don’t have impact on our football team does those guys a disservice.”
Braun on Jon Jon Stevens: “Jon Jon’s doing well. You know, praise God. I mean, that was really scary. He was back in meetings today. He’s doing well, and just glad that he’s all right.”
Braun on the Iowa defense: “It starts in their front seven. I mean, they are just so disruptive, so technically sound, so well coached, and it’s the consistency that shows up from those guys. Like they may give up one play, but they’re not going to give up a second, then a third.”
Braun on Matthew Smith: “I think Matt’s story is so much bigger than just this season. I think it’s a credit to him. It’s a credit to our staff, our strength staff and our coaching staff. Matt was one of those guys who, in his first couple of years, had a really rocky road. Not by his own doing. It’s just a maturing process and some injuries along the way… he’s so talented, and he’s doing everything that we ask of him, but the impact that he’s had on special teams has been really impressive.”
Braun on running a triple stack out of the backfield: “I don’t know. Probably a better question for Chip, and I know he’ll keep that close to the cuff. But I mean that’s a credit to Chip, Jerry and the offensive staff. It’s also a credit to our players for the level of execution too. But I mean that’s the type of stuff that makes it so fun working with this staff. I’m sometimes sitting in practice saying, like, what? That’s really hard to defend.”
Braun on Wilde’s dropped passes: “I think it’s so easy to get in the moment saying like ‘oh my gosh, I dropped the pass.’ Griffin Wilde is one of the best pass catchers in the country. Period. That’s who you are, man. Just keep showing up as you. I think it’s really that simple because it’s so uncharacteristic, and it’s an opportunity just to make sure that if [dropped passes] start to seep into his mind, [I’ll tell him] ‘dude, you are literally one of the best pass catchers in the country. That’s who you are. So keep showing up as the best version of you’”
Braun addressing his “golden ticket” analogy after Rutgers: “My message to the team with the golden ticket was coming from a standpoint of like, okay, Saturday win, afternoon or morning game, a lot of free time on our guys’ hands. Every guy that is a part of this football program is holding a golden ticket in terms of being a Northwestern football player, earning a Northwestern degree, the network, the relationships and the opportunities on the field for this team. You’re holding this golden ticket, and all it takes is one bad decision on a Saturday night, and you’re literally giving that golden ticket away.”
Braun on team’s AI usage: “I think it’s Ted Lasso that says be curious, not judgmental. A year ago I was super judgmental, ‘like AI in football… get out of here.’ Now you start to get curious, and you got guys on staff that want to get curious about how it can help us. I won’t give any details here, but we’re definitely leaning into that.”
Braun extending on his Ted Lasso viewing history: “I wish I had time to watch more of it. All I can say is the few episodes I have seen, I love it. My wife Kristin, before we got married, was a college strength and conditioning coach and is like the best flag football coach in the North Shore. Sorry to the rest of the coaches out there, but I’m married to a coach, and it’s really cool to hear her even talk about the nuggets that she’s taken from that show.”
Braun on the most important coaching lesson he has learned from his wife: “Let it rip. I mean, she’s one that doesn’t care if it’s fourth-and-17 on the minus 26. She expects us to go for it on fourth down. She’s way more aggressive than I am.”
Braun on Drew Wagner: “You want to talk about a dude that lays it all on the line and truly has courage. That’s who Drew Wagner is. I think the thing that’s also exciting is coming back to Coach Kelly and the way he approaches things. I think he sees Drew for who Drew is and sees how we can utilize him best.”
Braun on his pitch to the CFB committee to consider the Wildcats: “I’d tell them to closely watch the tape against Iowa and make us earn it. But what I will say is I promised our team that if I hear them talking about that stuff, I’m coming after them. So if I sit here in front of a microphone and start talking about it, they should come after me.”
Braun on his initial reaction to Chip Kelly playing 1960s Delaware footage: “Yeah, I think my initial reaction was like this is awesome. I just I’m going to just use my personal experience from this: one of the greatest gifts that I received by going to North Dakota State as defensive coordinator when Coach Entz hired me was I got this unique opportunity to step into a place where the men that had sat in that chair prior to me were so talented. You go back to Matt Entz and Chris Klieman. I mean, the list just goes on and on. There were install cutups at NDSU when we’re installing certain coverages that literally is tape from Monty Kiffin and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, like, I mean, grainy film. Those are the things as a coach you get fired up about. Just because it seems like it was in the distant past doesn’t mean it doesn’t work at a super high level.”
