David Braun Delivers Blunt Message as Northwestern Turns Attention to Ball State

It would be easy for the Northwestern Wildcats to ride the high of Friday’s 34-13 throttling of Penn State into their last slice of non-conference action.

Deservedly, the eyes of the college football world have turned their gaze to NU (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten), thanks to back-to-back Friday night games on over-the-air TV. The Cats popped up as the 30th-highest vote getter in the AP Poll and even got a smattering of College Football Playoff projections.

Instead, head coach David Braun invoked Oscar-winning film Mad Max: Fury Road in response to the outside praise.

“That’s bait,” Braun told reporters Monday. “Those are things that just turn into a distraction. And if you asked any of our players about the message this morning, I was very direct on all that.”

The opening of the new Ryan Field, plus tantalizing performances from running backs Caleb Komolafe (25 carries, 188 yards, one touchdown) and Joseph Himon II (10 carries, 162 yards, two touchdowns) dominated the news cycle. Braun’s message to the NU locker room was to focus inward in advance of Saturday’s homecoming game against Ball State (1-4, 0-2 MAC).

“We have a special group of young men that have done a great job of staying focused on what they can control, and why would that ever change?” Braun said. “And just because we found a little bit of success and a little bit of momentum should not change how we operate.”

Something to replicate on offense: no pre-snap penalties until the middle of the fourth quarter, a delay of game call on Aidan Chiles in a three-possession game. Impressive for a team that has shown a number of different formations and pre-snap movement in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s multiple-spread/hybrid wing-T scheme. NU had three false starts at Indiana a week prior and had jumped at least once in its previous two home wins at Martin Stadium.

“Yeah, it's really challenging,” Braun said. “I mean, really challenging, and it takes investment. It takes belief, and you know, the fun part in the collaboration is, you know, whether it's between [defensive coordinator] Tim [McGarigle] and Chip, or Chip and myself, just understanding how each side of the ball and what we do impacts one another.

“But when there's a lot of things going on pre-snap, that that can become really difficult for the defense. But it also requires a lot of reps and timing for the offense to execute at that level.”

NU committed five of its penalties against Penn State on defense, including a holding call on Amare Jordan on a second-quarter punt from the Nittany Lions that resulted in a fair catch.

“There are some that, it's guys playing hard,” Braun said. “We're not gonna just be reactionary because a flag got thrown. But there were penalties Friday night that we can control, whether that's technique or just doing a better job of understanding, the ball’s 30 yards downfield, get in pursuit and find the next block.”

Ball State has struggled in most every phase of the game, not the least of which is run defense; their 229.8 yards per game allowed on the ground ranks 135th of 138 FBS teams.

The execution surely has not been there, but Braun noted that second-year coach Mike Uremovich – a Chicagoland native who got his first head coaching gig at NAIA St. Francis in Joliet – has some talent to work with. Braun alluded to defensive tackle Ameir Glenn as a playmaker. He also appeared to allude to running back TJ Horton, who ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in Saturday’s loss to Toledo, and a veteran offensive line that can open up gaps.

“These guys know ball,” Braun said. “They know how to build a team. They know how to develop a team. They know how to improve throughout the course of the season.”

The musical chairs game of the Top 25 is an ancillary follow. There’s a world in which the Cats sneak in after Saturday, obtaining their first spot in the national rankings since the 2020 postseason.

“This team has proven that they understand they're not a proven or a finished product yet,” Braun said.

The Wildcats opened as a 36.5-point favorite against the Cardinals, per DraftKings. They are set to kick off Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network. NU is 4-0 against the spread this season, if you’re into that sort of thing.