Northwestern had No. 18 Michigan on the ropes on Saturday. After initially trailing by 12 points entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats found the end zone on consecutive drives to take a one-point lead with 12:05 remaining.

The 'Cats forced three Wolverine turnovers in the fourth quarter, but couldn't capitalize on the opportunities. Northwestern had two drives following Caleb Komolafe's lead-taking six-yard rushing touchdown. Both were three-and-outs and combined for negative three yards.

Michigan won the game, 24-22, on a walk-off 31-yard field goal from Dominic Zvada to hand Northwestern its third consecutive loss and drop the Wildcats to 5-5 (3-4 Big Ten) on the season. Head coach David Braun was understandably frustrated with his team's performance during his postgame press conference, but also used the platform to share his thoughts on the state of Northwestern's football program as a whole within the Big Ten.

"Whether it’s our football team, whether it’s our coaching staff, whether it's anyone that touches the program, our fan base, the media, both local and national, officials, none of us want to hear, ‘Hey, good effort guys. You gave Michigan a run for their money. That was a great effort,'" Braun said. "We came here to win a football game, and that was the expectation. My commitment that I made to those guys, I’m going to get right back to work. I’m going to battle my butt off for every single guy in that room, and I expect the same out of them."

Northwestern has long been the butt of the joke in the Big Ten, despite being a founding member. The program has lost more football games than any in the FBS, but even amid a successful 30-year stretch that has featured 16 bowl game appearances and three conference titles, Northwestern often has not received the respect from those outside the program that it has deserved.

Braun was clearly fed up, with Saturday's loss to the Wolverines coming as the tipping point. The third-year head coach made it abundantly clear that his expectation is for Northwestern to win the Big Ten Championship. Respect is earned, not given, but Braun let everyone listening know that Northwestern would no longer be pushovers in the Big Ten.

"The way that people approach entering into the program, the way that we work within the program, the way that you officiate our games, the way that you communicate with our staff... Don’t mistake my politeness, our program’s politeness, for weakness," Braun said. "The expectation is to win the Big Ten Championship. And to win Big Ten Championships, you’ve got to find a way to beat Nebraska on the road. You’ve got to find a way to beat USC on the road. And when you’ve got your foot on somebody’s throat at home, a team like Michigan, you’ve got to put them away."

The Wildcats had seven penalties for 55 yards, while the Wolverines were called for four flags for 24 yards. There were far more reasons for Northwestern's loss than just the penalty margin, as the 'Cats were nearly doubled up in total yardage, scored nine points off five turnovers and went 2-for-12 on third down to Michigan's 10-for-15.

Still, the way his team was treated on Saturday was evidently enough for him to erupt in his fiery postgame speech. It also served as a warning to the rest of the conference that Braun is determined to see his team receive the respect it deserves, regardless of the logo on the helmet.

The season isn't over yet. The Wildcats have two games remaining to earn that sixth win and clinch a bowl appearance, and if Braun's passionate rant was any indicator, Northwestern's pursuit of excellence should instill confidence that the program is headed in the right direction.

"Do I love this team? Am I proud of this team? Am I excited to get back to work with this team? Yeah. Is anyone satisfied with the result today, or feeling okay because we came back and we gave it a good try? Absolutely not. Can’t wait to get back to work and prepare for a really good Minnesota team."

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