Northwestern head coach David Braun often comes off as level-headed and relatively soft-spoken for a college football coach. On the heels of a 34-14 defeat to Oregon that ended up much closer after two garbage-time touchdowns, the third-year coach was animated and honest about his disappointment.
"We got our butts kicked by a really good football team today," Braun said in his postgame press conference. "Yeah, we played hard, but we didn't execute at a high level. We need to do a better job as a coaching staff, starting with me, of identifying truly who this football team is and putting our team in situations to get a game like this to the fourth quarter, to be within striking distance."
The Wildcats drove into Oregon territory three times on their first five non-kneel-down drives and came away with zero points. Quarterback Preston Stone threw two picks and had a turnover on downs on those drives, also recovering his own fumble once for a loss of 18 yards. While the Northwestern defense managed to hold the Ducks' prolific scoring attack for as long as it could, the 'Cats struggled to end possessions with points and forced its defense to play on its heels for much of the game.
This allowed Oregon to build a 34-0 lead, despite resistance from the Northwestern D.
"We can't turn the ball over, and the ball can't be on the ground," Braun said. "Did [Stone] make some nice throws, even on the fourth-and-10 that Ricky's [Ahumaraeze] got a chance to make that play? I think you can evaluate some plays and say, 'You know what, kid? Good job.' And you can look at some plays like, 'Man, this can't happen.' That's three weeks in a row that the ball has been on the ground. It can't happen. We can't turn the ball over against a team the caliber of Oregon. It's not part of the equation for us to win football games."
Stone is now up to six interceptions and a lost fumble on the season, tying his career-high for picks through only three games. Braun was open about his captain's turnover problem, saying it has to get fixed.
Although the stat sheet and yardage totals may make the defeat look not as bad, it was a demoralizing loss for Northwestern. Sure, the Wildcats' defense held the Ducks to their lowest offensive output of the young season, but Braun and the team have higher goals than just moral victories. If there's a silver lining to the Oregon game, it's that there are still nine weeks remaining in the regular season, with plenty of time for the 'Cats to rebound.
Next week's bye and ensuing match against 0-3 UCLA will likely be the true test if Northwestern's 2025 season is salvageable.
"We've won a lot of games over time at Northwestern getting into the fourth quarter and finding ways to win in the fourth quarter," Braun said. "We didn't give ourselves a chance to do that today. It's an opportunity for us to learn and grow... I still believe we have a good football team in that locker room that has a lot of bright things ahead."
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