CHICAGO — After suffering three consecutive defeats for the first time as a head coach Saturday, David Braun sported a stern expression as he stepped into the Chicago Cubs media room for his final postgame press conference of the 2024 season.
Moments earlier, Northwestern could merely watch on as No. 23 Illinois recaptured the Land of Lincoln Trophy on Wrigley field with a 38-28 victory. Now, Braun thawed from the sub-20-degree wind-chill — just as his second season at the program’s helm was placed on ice.
But a fire soon lit under Braun, who wrestled with the Wildcats’ (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) disappointing campaign.
“This season was certainly frustrating in some ways, but it’s either happening to you or for you,” Braun said. “How are we going to use this for improvement moving forward? I’m excited that those who are going to be a part of the program moving forward are going to embrace that opportunity.”
In the wake of an 8-5 season and a Las Vegas Bowl Victory in 2023, NU faced an uphill battle of replicating its unlikely success story amid conference realignment and a myriad of moving pieces. Graduate transfer Ben Bryant was a mere one year rental at quarterback, and Braun hired new coordinators on both sides of the ball.
At the conclusion of the first full-fledged year of the Braun era, the ’Cats’ clash with the Fighting Illini (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) marked a microcosm of the season as a whole.
“It’s important to be honest with yourself and look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Four wins wasn’t good enough for this season,’” graduate student wide receiver A.J. Henning said. “The most important thing about this group is the way that we fought.”
Although it surrendered a touchdown on the opening possession, the NU defense proved perhaps the most potent unit on Braun’s squad. Junior safety Devin Turner gave the ’Cats a fleeting 10-7 lead with his first career pick six then later snagged his second interception of the day.
Turner became the first Wildcat to post a multi-interception game since Jaheem Joseph did so against Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 23, 2023. He said his highlight plays wouldn’t have been possible without his teammates stepping up in big moments
“I got to shout out my boy (redshirt sophomore defensive lineman) Brendan Flakes for getting his big paws up there and tipping the ball, and (redshirt junior defensive back) Theran Johnson had great coverage as well,” Turner said of his defensive touchdown. “The ball just kind of fell into my hands.”
While Turner delivered two showstopping takeaways, the defense gave up 38 points and surrendered 7.2 yards per play.
Braun has long lauded NU’s culture as a run-stopping program, but the ’Cats possessed no answers for Illinois running back Aidan Laughery. A rusher who had never eclipsed 100 yards prior to Saturday, Laughery accumulated 172 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries during the rivalry matchup.
“It was a litany of things,” Braun said of NU’s struggles against the run. “At the end of the day, there’s nothing to point to other than the fact that we need to be better. That is not winning Big Ten Football. The explosive variety that (their) run game showed up was concerning.”
The ’Cats outgained the Fighting Illini 442-382, but their inability to finish drives persisted and proved fatal. Offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s unit mustered up just three points on its first two red zone trips, and redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Lausch and true freshman quarterback Ryan Boe combined to throw three interceptions.
Saturday’s loss encapsulated Lausch’s season as NU’s starting quarterback, with some signs of progress — including a season-high 287 passing yards — marred by poor decision making and costly turnovers. In his first 10 starts, Lausch accumulated 1,714 passing yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Boe took his first collegiate snaps at Wrigley Field, and the Batavia, Illinois, native looked exactly like a true freshman thrown into a matchup with a ranked opponent. He completed 4-of-13 passes for 42 yards and an interception.
Braun, who brought in graduate student quarterback Mike Wright in the transfer portal in May only for him to lose the starting job after two games, said he’s unsure of whether the ’Cats will dip into the portal for a transfer signal caller this offseason.
“Am I excited about Jack’s progression? Do I think we can win a lot of football games with Jack as our starting quarterback?… Absolutely,” Braun said. “Are we really excited about Ryan Boe? Yeah, when his time is going to come — time will tell — but we’re really excited about the things we’ve seen out of Ryan.”
NU’s offseason officially began once Braun and the ’Cats trotted out of the historic ballpark and made their way back to campus. The transfer portal waits for no program, opening on Dec. 9.
In addition to shoring up their 2025 recruiting class, which Braun has praised as a well-rounded conglomeration of talent, the NU staff certainly has its work cut out in attracting dynamic veteran talent to Evanston.
It has been done before with Bryant and Henning — who hauled in 10 of his 23 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown Saturday — but if Braun aspires to return the ’Cats to Big Ten contender status, he must bridge marked talent gaps.
“What we owe this football team and our next crop of seniors is to evaluate everything that we’re doing,” Braun said. “If we’re going to talk about winning Big Ten championships… if we’re going to talk about playing in the College Football Playoff, everything in our program better align with those goals. It starts with me, but we have to evaluate all of it.”
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