Northwestern football is one game away from a bowl appearance. However, that’s not what head coach David Braun was focused on in his weekly press conference ahead of the ‘Cats match at Nebraska.
Opening
statement: “Had a great morning with the team, opportuniy to review our Purdue tape. Ultimately proud of the way that our defense was able to put four quarters together, finish with the shutout. Told the team after the game that that was a team shutout. That was complimentary football. We were able to win the rushing battle, effectively run the football, control the clock. When you’re doing those things, you’re positioning your defense to play at a really high level. And a credit to Coach [Tim] McGarigle and that defensive crew for playing playing four quarters of our brand of football. The thing that I love about this team is, you’ve got a group of defensive guys, defensive coaches that are chomping at the bit to get to the tape, get back to practice, knowing that there is plenty to clean up from the game and things that we need to improve upon. And if we don’t, we’ll get exposed. And that starts with Coach McGarigle. That starts with the leadership on this football team. You have a group of guys on this team — special teams, on the offense side of the ball — tha left the game with a bitter taste in their mouth, knowing that we did not finish in the fourth quarter the way that we expect to. There’s a lot of opportunities left down the field. I thought at times we responded well to maybe a three-and-out or a turnover, and came back the next drive and got the drive started the right way, but we’re not able to finish those drives. Weren’t able to finish with the field goal at the end of the game. Plenty of things this morning to address, clean up the objective with our evaluation and know that there is needed improvement as we approach this evening’s practice. Excited to get back out on on the field this evening with this group, with an incredible challenge in front of us. Coach [Matt] Rhule has done an exceptional job at Nebraska. Having a chance to be around him for a couple years, there’s no one better in the country in terms of coaching fundamentals and technique. He’s coached a lot of different positions, worn a lot of different hats, found a lot of success at a lot of different places. Does an incredible job. Very talented quarterback, a running back that’s thriving both in the run game and in the past game. Talented wide receivers on the perimeter, going to test us on defense in a lot of different ways. Defensively, they’re very talented and a group that, if we don’t do a great job of finding ways to consistently control the line of scrimmage, can give you fits. And special teams at Nebraska this year have been a difference maker for them. They’ve got a returner back there that’s scary with the ball in his hands. Arguably, you could say that they won the Maryland game because of some of the things that they were able to do on special teams. And we’re going on the road in arguably the best environment, most hostile environment in all of college football. So, incredible challenge in front of us. Looking forward to getting back with this group this evening as we get into prep.
On what he learned from playing at Nebraska in 2023: “You’ve got to do a great job of just really handling your pre-snap process. Specifically on offense. You’ve got to do a great job of responding as momentum shifts in a football game. In this league, it’s going to take four quarters. We’ve got to be at our best in the fourth quarter. And what a great opportunity coming off of this week to challenge our team to improve in that area, going into Nebraska.”
On the momentum that a four-game win streak brings: “It’s funny you asked — we addressed that as a football team this morning. Momentum is a real thing in a day and age when you talk about analytics and numbers, which are all very important things that you need to utilize. Momentum is real, but it’s something that you know you can’t take for granted. Like, why does this team have a little bit of momentum behind it right now? It’s because we have been incredibly intentional about focusing on daily improvement. If we can focus on daily improvement, we’re gonna give ourselves a chance. But just because we’ve won a few games in a row doesn’t mean that we’re positioned to win this next game. We got to get back to work and have a great Monday.”
On whether Caleb Komolafe would be back for the Nebraska game: “Yes, he’ll practice today.”
On winning the time-of-possession battle against both Penn State and Purdue: “It’s awesome to see. One thing that I’ve learned over the years, just because you’re winning time of possession doesn’t mean you’re gonna win football games. But ultimatley, when you’re able to consistently run the football and operate with efficiency on offense and sustained drives — it’s really easy to stand up here and talk about complementary football, but where does it actually show up for your football team? And specifically these last two weeks, that’s showing up, and it’s positioned our defense to play at the level that they’re playing right now. And it’s a credit to our offensive line, our backs, the way that Preston [Stone] is operating in the pocket, something that needs to continue.”
On how he can learn from Minnesota’s defeat of Nebraska: “You watch the film, you evaluate it objectively. You give Minnesota a ton of credit for the way that they performed and the way that they closed that game out in the second half. You acknowledge that. From the Nebraska standpoint, that is an outlier. You take the entire season and look at what Nebraska has been able to achieve. A really good football team that got off to a great 5-1 start didn’t have their best performance against Minnesota. And then in terms of the blueprint, you take nuggets and observe objective ly in the tape, but come back like ‘who are we, and what do we need to do to position ourselves for success on Saturday?’
On Brendan Flakes’ growth: “It’s neat to see the consistency that we saw from Flakes throughout fall camp. This is such an incredible place to be a student athlete. And ultimately, there’s things that our guys are balancing in terms of their preparation to win in the Big Ten and exist here. I think you’re seeing him start to understand what that needs to look like. Once we get into the core of of the Big Ten season and that’s going to need to continue, a lot of that comes back to just extra time that he’s taking post-class, in the afternoons, in the evenings, of really getting into film study, taking some extra time to put himself in a spot where he’s playing really fast. His condition is something that’s showing up. Just the overall energy that he’s playing with right now is something that jumps out on film. He knows that that can’t just be five plays a game, that’s got to show up on every single opportunity that he gets.
On whether what he said for Flakes applies to his entire defensive front: “We talk about being a line of scrimmage-based football program. There’s a standard that we expect and demand out of that D-line room in terms of the energy that they’re going to play with. And Saturday was a culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of great coaching and a group that is really starting to find their rhythm. And it’s not just one guy, it’s that group as a whole, impacting and affecting the quarterback, impacting and affecting the run game. You know what? We’ll go as our D-line goes on defense, and when they set the tone, it positions us for for our brand of football.”
On what Michael Kilbane brings to the table: “That dude is a special football player. In my opinion, he’s one of the best big ends in the country, and Mike isn’t concerned about anything other than having a great day today. But that’s a young man that’s got a lot of football ahead of him, in my opinion. Love the fact that he has position flexibility when needed. We can bump him down in pass rush situations. We can bump him down, but ultimately, I think he’s one of the best in the country as a big defensive man.”
On Northwestern’s backfield depth: “It fires me up, and it needs to continue. It’s a credit to that entire room. It’s a credit to Coach [Aristotle] Thompson. It’s a credit to Cam Porter. I mean, the maturity of that room. I told Cam after the game, like, ‘dude, this football team, who we are, our DNA, like, has Cam Porter all over’ and that running back room is the prime example of that. It’s something that we need to continue to lean int, being in the heart of the Big Ten schedule. We’re gonna need that entire room to continue to elevate their plays.”
On Ezomo Oratokhai getting named onto The Athletic’s All-Freshman team: “Teally cool story with Mo. I think Mo was our last commit in that class of ‘24, actually signed on the second signing day. Incredible young man. Loves the game of football. Unbelievable family. But one of those guys there wasn’t all this hype around at his signing at Northwestern and ultimately he showed up, he got to work, has improved daily. Showed some really promising signs last year, and his opportunities to play have continued to elevate. And where I give Mo a lot of credit is in a world where there’s more noise than ever, it can be difficult for a young man just to focus on the task at hand. And he’d be honest with you, there’s been some ups and downs this season for him in terms of the standard that he holds himself to. I think what’s shown up on film these last couple weeks is a is a young man that’s just straining to play with great pad level, finished plays, and wants to be coached hard. He has a has a bright future, and is a critical piece to what we’re doing right now.”
On being one win away from a bowl game appearance: “Those are the things that we have to do a good job of really isolating and understand that, nowhere on our list of goals does it say, ‘make a bowl game.‘ Nowhere does it say, ‘beat Purdue.’ This team set out to do something really special this year. The group has done an incredible job with taking really isolated focus on the task at hand. What this team needs to continue to lean into is, your time is waning as a group. It’s crazy to think that we’re already past the midway point of the regular season. Continue to enjoy one another. Have fun doing something that this entire group has dreamt of doing, in terms of playing Big Ten football and staying on the attack. This group has cut it loose. We know who we are. We’re attacking our preparation. We’re attacking on game day. All don’t want to say play loose, but play free and trust our preparation.”
On the improvements of the offensive line: “A lot of people deserve credit on that the entire room. Going back to the spring of 2024, we had seven offensive linemen participate in spring ball. Hard to build a room when you’ve got seven guys practicing, but the overall depth in that room, even guys that haven’t shown up on the field for us are just continuing to improve. I’ve mentioned it before, but Coach [Bill] O’Boyle, Coach [Ryan] Olson, their willingness to check their egos at the door and go to work with a common cause of helping that group elevate its play, and then it’s the leadership in that room, all starting with Captain Caleb Tiernan just sets the tone. The thing that’s been neat about that group is to see how its come together, the cohesiveness that is required for great O-Line play. It wasn’t there in January, February or March, but the progression we’ve seen for the entire room and the togetherness that exists, it’s fun to see and also fun to continue to challenge that group. We got better, we’ve got more in the tank, excited to see that group continue to grow.”
On Robby Preckel: “It’s super interesting, because Robby is a prime example of how, as a coach and an evaluator, you can get in your own way. Like the recruiting process with Robby was like, ‘what is he? Is he big enough to play tight end in the Big Ten, can he play fullback?’ And we were getting in our own way in that process. Ultimately, to Robby’s credit, he came to camp, competed his butt off and left us no choice. Like, we would be crazy after his camp performance to think that that’s not someone that we want on our football team, and where he’s earned an opportunity at such a young age. I’ll give you a tangible example from roughly 16 hours ago last night: we’re in late. We’re getting into our Nebraska prep as a staff. My family stops by for a quick hello. So I get to see the kids on a Sunday. The boys want to go play some catch in the indoor facility. Before they take off, we go to the indoor. We’re playing some catch. And guess who’s out on the field, catching balls off the JUGS Machine? It’s Robby Preckel. That’s just who Robbie is. That’s what he does, in his free time. He wants to get better at football. That’s how.”
On running a play for Ryan Boe in the first drive against Purdue: “At the end of the day, hindsight 20/20, and the result on that play, not good. Guys out of rhythm, for sure, also coming back to our point where the O-line was really excited, but there’s needed improvement. If we simply communicate what we need to communicate, go out to the edge, get that hatted up, we have a really good play. And as the field spacing gets condensed, where it becomes harder to throw the ball and boxes get loaded against run game, having an element where you can run the quarterback is critical to success down there. We’ve got to find ways to have that be part of our game plan. And you can also argue that taking the ball out of Preston Stone’s hands right now is very debatable and got us out of rhythm on that drive. We got to do a better job of executing the call all that that’s made, and if we do, I think we’ve got a really good play with Ryan.”
On Hayden Eligon’s progress: “It’s so awesome to see, like it’s all things that we’ve seen in practice out of Hayden. And again, I’ve mentioned this before, but his consistent availability for practice over the course of the last month and a half has been critical that rhythm and trust that’s going on between him and Preston. I may have said this previously a few weeks ago, but I’m sitting there watching the offense, and I turn to our senior analyst, Jeff Copp, and say, ‘Jeff, all this guy needs is, like, one breakout game and his confidence is just going to skyrocket.’ And sure enough, we saw that, and to see that continue to trend in that direction, excited for Hayden.”
On fake punting against Purdue: “I was really upset at myself afterwards based on the result. I think it’s a reflection of how much I trust this football team overall, like our execution on special teams. The fact that we call that in that situation, I think the former version of me wouldn’t have been willing to call that. I think it shows the trust that I have in our defense. It wasn’t like, what are we doing? It was like, ‘no, it’s our job to go out there and get a stop,’ which they did. Ultimately, we felt like we had a really good look against a team that was a high pressure oriented team in Purdue, that was going to try and find a way to block a punt,to swing momentum. The look that we got was a great look to run it. Ultimately, you know, their corner has vision on the football. Abandons his responsibility, makes a really good play. And when you’re calling it on fourth-and-10, you’re taking that risk, one of which I’ll completely wear. I put our defense in a hard position by making that call, but I will stand by the fact I trust those guys on special teams. I trust Coach [Paul] Creighton. And at times reverse those aggressive looks, you’ve got to be willing to apply some pressure back to your opponent with the willingness to occasionally fake.”
On what he means by the “former version” of him: “That’s not a decision that I make last year. And what I’ve done a better job of in fall camp is really stating philosophically to our entire program and all our players like, ‘this is how we’re going to operate, no more sitting on our heels and let other opponents stress us.’ We’re going to find ways to stress our opponent. And we got a group that’s mature enough in their preparation to handle that. You want those things to go well, but occasionally they don’t. And when they don’t, how do we respond? Our group has proven that they they can handle that.”
On whether the fake punting decision came from special teams coach Paul Creighton or himself: “Paul and I are on lockstep on that. Every single week, we’re talking about it. In a perfect world, the ball would have have been middle or right-hash. Still felt really good about it. We’re in conversations. We make the decision, I make the decision to go with it. Paul feels good about it. Paul felt awful afterwards. That’s all on me. Fustrated with but the process that we went through, I’ll still stand by the decision to call.”
On Joe Himon’s growth: “It’s awesome to see. And I forget which game we came out of where we felt really convicted between Coach [Zach] Lujan really initiating that conversation, but me agreeing — it may have been post-ULM — like, this guy needs to touch the ball more. Where Joe is special is there’s so many different ways for him to get the ball in his hands. For him to perform on Saturday the way that he did just traditionally out of the backfield, I think it was a run late in the fourth quarter, breaking tackles, running away from people, that’s Joe Hyman. That guy’s going to be a huge part of what we’re doing all season long.”
On having three boundary cornerbacks between Ore Adeyi, Josh Fussell and Fred Davis: “This league and this week specifically will challenge us in this area. Nebraska is talented on the perimeter and having the ability to have three guys that you really trust at that position is critical, whether it be just having that ability to rotate those guys a little bit, or if someone gets a little dinged up, feeling really good about next-man-up mentality. I thought Ore and Fred did an incredible job in Josh’s absence. Having Josh back definitely provides us a sense of some quality depth and competition in that room, and ultimately, when those guys are competing for playing time, everyone’s level of play rises. I’m excited about the way that room’s playing, and they’d be the first one to tell you there’s still areas that we need to get better.”
On whether there will be trash talk amongst the coaching staff over the upcoming North Dakota State-South Dakota State football game: “I’m sure as the week goes along, they’ll at least be a little bit of that. You can’t take that out of your blood, especially when guys on our staff from from both sides of that rivalry. We’re so passionate about their times within both programs, it’s rivalry games like that that make college football so special. And I know exactly who the Braun family will be rooting for this weekend, but I’m sure you know we will not go throughout this entire week without a little bit of trash talking from Coach [Christian] Smith, Coach Lujan, Coach Olson, Ean Deno, Zach Peters. I mean, there’s a lot of people in the building from both sides of that rivalry.”
