Head coach David Braun had a media availability Monday afternoon to address the upcoming Michigan State game. Here are our notes, with some edited for clarity:
Braun on Ball State win: The truth is, we didn’t play a complete game against Ball State. There was good, there were lulls, there was bad, there was a lot to learn from.
Braun on Northwestern’s road game struggle: There’s truth in the fact that, as we evaluate this program over the last two years in 2025 and 2026, we’ve had six opportunities
to go on the road, and we’ve only won one of those games. [It’s] an incredible challenge going into Michigan State, returning to Big Ten play to go on the road in a hostile environment and prove ourselves.
Braun on Northwestern’s upcoming matchup against Michigan State: We’re a work in progress. There’s a challenge in front of us going on the road, and an understanding that the opponent that we’re about to face is is a really good football team that we will have to be at our best for.
Braun on Chiles returning home and facing off against Pat Fitzgerald: You approach it the same way we approach anything that I think would be a potential distraction or hindrance from us being at our best. This game is not about me. This game is not about the fact that Coach Fitz is one of the most revered individuals to ever grace this program as a player, and, as a coach, and this isn’t about Aidan playing his former program. This is about this team preparing to be at our best on the road in a hostile environment, making sure we position ourselves to go on the road and come back with a win in the Big Ten.
Braun elaborating on his relationship with Pat Fitzgerald: It’s this acknowledgement that coaching is this really neat, close fraternity where relationships matter. It’s acknowledging the level of gratitude I’ll always have for Coach Fitz in terms of the fact that I wouldn’t be here today without the opportunity that he gave me and my family. And then also acknowledging very clearly that the game really has nothing to do with that.
Braun on getting fans to travel for road games: Just like in our home games, we want our student section, who is totally bought in to feel like they are part of the team because they are, and that extends to the entire fan base. You’re a part of it. We need you, and there’s something pretty remarkable about being on the road, feeling supported the right way. This is a special group. Well, how do we honor that group? We honor that group by by staying focused on what’s right in front of us one day at a time. And the opportunity we have in front of us right now is to go to East Lansing and and be at our best.
Braun on Chip Kelly and the Wing-T offense: It’s been huge. I think we always want to pride ourselves here at Northwestern on being innovative and differentiating ourselves, and I think that’s why Chip was the right person at the right time, just to be someone that can be creative and sound and has a lot of experience to pull from. But there’s no doubt that when you turn on the tape of our offense right now, we’re finding ways to to differentiate ourselves and hopefully create conflict and issues for for our opponents.
Braun on fumbled snap against Ball State: I can promise you, in terms of the way that we operate in practice, the way that guys are being coached around those details, whether it be center-quarterback exchanges or other areas of the game… [is that] they they don’t want those things swept under the rug, and they are things that are being talked about. Like, we can’t think that it’s okay to have those issues continue to persist throughout the season.
Braun on week two bye: It gave us an opportunity to address week one and really focus on things we need to improve upon. I think there’s an opportunity moving forward right now. We have some momentum building. Are we mature enough to keep our foot on the gas and continue to build that momentum? Sometimes a bye week, if it falls at the wrong time, can actually take some of that momentum away, and we have an opportunity here going into another game to make sure that we keep our foot on the gas.
Braun on Northwestern falling into the AP top 25 for the first time under his leadership: I mean, it’s kind of cliche, and I’m going to sound like a 41 year old when I say this, but it’s like, get off social media. You know, don’t read the headlines.
Braun on Hayden Eligon returning to play but taking fewer snaps: I’m excited for Hayden. You know, you came back against Penn State. Second game back against Ball State. But I’m excited for him to get back into like full stride. You know football is a rhythm game. It’s a reps game. Anytime you’re dinged up, it’s not just that you’re not available for games. You’re not available for practice. There’s had a couple instances on a scramble play where he makes a really nice catch. His blocking on the perimeter was great, but I’m excited for his level of play to elevate here in the coming weeks, in terms of the room around him.
Braun on the rest of the wide receiver room: It’s been great to see obviously Griff, but you know, the way that we’re utilizing Drew Wagner, Ricky’s level of play has really continued to improve which is really exciting and the the rest of that room may not be seeing as many offensive snaps as they would like, but Frank Covey right now is playing his butt off on special teams, makes a huge fourth down stop. So there’s some confidence built in that room, and that needs to continue.
Braun on Michigan State’s run game following Cam Edwards’s season ending injury: I mean, you turn on the tape against Illinois, and they they ran the ball really effectively. I know that was a huge loss for them. You hate to see that. It’s just the ugly side of this game, but sometimes you’d identify that they’re really going to struggle in that element of their of their game with that individual being down and the Illinois tape tells a different story. We’re gonna have to be at our best and be ready for Big Ten football. They’re also finding creative ways to get the ball out on the perimeter right now.
Braun on Dehnicke, Turner and Fussell injury updates: We’ll we’ll stick to the Big Ten reporting on that, but what I what I will say is our football team is trending in the right direction from a health standpoint.
Braun on early morning games: You know, it’s just it’s less of a wait. I think anyone would tell you whatever time they tell us we’re kicking off, we’ll prepare for it. But I think our guys like these early games, and you just try and find that rhythm. The biggest difference is the fact that you’re you’re not sitting around in a hotel just like chomping at the bit to get to game time, you wake up, you have your pregame meal and your breakfast, quick special teams meetings, quick walk through and we hop on the bus and it’s time to go.
