Against Penn State, David Braun Has His Signature Win At Northwestern

Gavin Dorsey

Oct 12, 2025, 00:14

Gavin Dorsey

Oct 12, 2025, 00:14

Updated at: Oct 12, 2025, 00:14

The game was far from perfect in Happy Valley, but that's exactly the way the Wildcats needed it to be. As 21.5-point underdogs, Northwestern pulled off the unthinkable on Saturday, stunning Penn State by the score of 22-21 on the road.

But even though analysts and prognosticators doubted the 'Cats, head coach David Braun and his group's faith never wavered.

"Our football team expected to win today," Braun said after the game.

The shocking victory is easily Braun's most impressive in Evanston, and one of the program's best wins in the last half-decade. Northwestern's two conference wins a year ago came from the only teams worse than the 'Cats, and NU hadn't beaten the Nittany Lions since 2015.

This wasn't a fluke win, either — Northwestern was flat-out better than Penn State, which was ranked the No. 2 team in the nation just two weeks ago. The Wildcats held onto the ball nearly 10 minutes longer, won the turnover battle, committed fewer penalties and outgained the Lions overall. Northwestern won this game in the margins, aided by a standout defensive performance and a well-coached gameplan.

So often, Braun has spoken about getting his team to the fourth quarter with the chance to win the game. Northwestern led Ohio State midway through the second quarter last year before the wheels fell off. The 'Cats also held Oregon's offense down as long as they could in Week 3 until turnovers and missed opportunities became too much to overcome. Against Penn State, Northwestern never suffered a back-breaking moment. Braun's team stayed in the game despite every opportunity to let it get away from them, and that confidence allowed the Wildcats to finish off the gritty victory in the clutch.

Braun's "complementary football" mantra has come to fruition. Caleb Komolafe, Joseph Himon and Northwestern's offensive line controlled the game every chance they had, and Preston Stone made the plays he needed to without taking major risks. Penn State could never find a rhythm, and a stifling pass rush ensured that Northwestern's defense bent, but didn't break.

Now 4-2, Northwestern has as many wins and conference wins over the first half of the 2025 season as it did in the entirety of 2024. The Wildcats were widely picked to be a bottom-three team in the Big Ten, but now sit just two wins away from returning to the postseason.

With the only two losses coming to Tulane and No. 3 Oregon, Northwestern now knows that it's capable of beating some of the Big Ten's best. It doesn't matter that the Nittany Lions are in the middle of a drastic backslide; the point remains that any win against a program of the caliber of Penn State's is a major boost to Northwestern's confidence.

They don't ask how, they ask how many, and that is 'four' for Northwestern. But in this case, the manner in which the Wildcats reached that 'how many' is pretty sweet as well.

Against Penn State, David Braun Has His Signature Win At Northwestern