Northwestern coach David Braun’s first football game inside Wrigley Field was a fourth-quarter heartbreaker, as Iowa’s game-winning field goal on Nov. 4, 2023, granted the Hawkeyes a 10-7 win.
Over a full year later, Braun leads his team into The Friendly Confines hoping to play the role of giant-slayer. The Wildcats (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) are set to face No. 2 Ohio State — a perennial national championship contender which more than looks the part this season.
NU comes off a bye two weeks removed from defeating Purdue 26-20 on Nov. 2. The ’Cats avoided falling into a three-game skid and also scored their first offensive touchdown in three weeks.
The Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) are fresh off a 45-0 pummeling of the Boilermakers. In the week before, Ohio State registered a close 20-13 win over No. 4 Penn State. Its lone loss on the campaign came in a 32-31 road nailbiter against No. 1 Oregon, which is yet to lose a game.
The ’Cats have lost 10 straight games to the Buckeyes, dating back to 2004. NU is hovering around a 30-point underdog for Saturday’s tilt, per various sportsbooks.
Here’s what to watch for as NU hopes to pull off one of the largest upsets in college football this season.
Ohio State’s dominant defense
The Buckeyes allow the least yards per game to opposing offenses in the country. Ohio State’s menacing defense allows just 250.8 yards per game and 10.7 points per game, the second-lowest mark in the nation.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ unit has conceded more than 20 points in a game just once this season, coming against No. 1 Oregon.
The ’Cats have not scored an offensive touchdown in three of their six Big Ten games this season, although the team scored 26 points in its last time out against Purdue.
Graduate student running back Cam Porter and redshirt sophomore Joseph Himon II each went for over 100 scrimmage yards in West Lafayette.
“We certainly want to continue to find ways to get both those guys the ball in their hands through the run game and the passing game. Both have proven to be very effective catching the ball out of the backfield,” Braun said.
Braun did not clarify whether or not graduate student wide receiver Bryce Kirtz, who has missed the previous two games, will suit up at Wrigley Field. He added that his staff is “hopeful” Kirtz will return at some point this season.
The second-year coach also stressed the importance of continuously moving the ball, noting that getting caught in third and longs will be incredibly difficult to convert.
“We have to find ways to stay ahead of the chains, and that starts off with just pre-snap operation and making sure that we’re executing the call that’s come in, whether that’s through run game, quick game, RPO, drop back,” Braun said.
The Buckeyes’ remarkable receiving core
Ohio State’s offense is one of the country’s premier units, too. The Buckeyes’ 38.6 points per game ranks 11th in the nation.
This is largely aided by a star-studded receiving core, consisting of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuku and Carnell Tate.
Smith’s 765 receiving yards ranks him second in the Big Ten, while his nine receiving touchdowns tie him for first. Egbuku also cracks the Big Ten leaderboards, ranking ninth in receiving yards with 587 and tied for third in receiving touchdowns with eight.
“We’re going to have to do a great job of staying on top of routes,” Braun said. “We’re going to have to do a great job of affecting the quarterback. … We’re going to have to do a great job of tackling in space.”
In its most recent game, NU allowed Purdue quarterback Hudson Card to throw for a season-high 267 yards.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has thrown for 2,237 yards and a Big Ten best 22 touchdowns. Braun said Howard’s ability to get the ball in the hands of his receivers could pose a threat to the ’Cats’ defense.
“(He’s) very mature, commands the offense, can make all the throws, understands the talent that he has around him (and) has done a good job of valuing and protecting the football,” Braun said. “He forces you to defend the entire field.”
Braun’s toughest task yet
Although he has already taken on No. 21 Duke on the road, faced No. 6 Penn State and had the bright lights of a bowl game dawn upon him, Braun has never faced a task like what is pending this weekend during his tenure as NU’s coach.
“(They are) a very talented football team, a very deep football team,” Braun said. “It shows up on offense, defense and on special teams. (They are) very well coached in all three phases and clearly a team that is on a mission. I mean, you see the way that they play, the way that they play together, the way that they battle.”
Braun has never faced a team ranked as high as No. 2 in the country. Against No. 6 Penn State, the highest-ranked team Braun has faced, the ’Cats forced the Nittany Lions into a 10-10 gridlock at halftime, but by the time the game concluded, it was a blowout. Penn State won 41-13.
Ohio State outpaces NU in nearly all statistics on both ends of the ball, pinning the ’Cats as the David to the Buckeyes’ Goliath.
With Kirtz and graduate student linebacker Xander Mueller potentially missing Saturday morning’s contest due to injury, an NU upset will be all the more difficult. Regardless, Braun said his confidence in his squad is “unwavering.”
“There’s no one out there that expects Northwestern to go in and beat Ohio State — even for that matter, compete — but this group believes that … we can make this a four quarter battle, make it close in the fourth quarter and look up with zeros on the clock, and the expectation is to expect victory,” Braun said.
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