On the heels of last season's 4-8 disaster, David Braun revamped Northwestern's entire leadership structure.

The Wildcats' head coach wanted his team to be player-led, and a year after auditing his program from the top down, NU is reaping the benefits.

Northwestern is entering the final week of the regular season at 6-5, with bowl eligibility locked up despite facing one of the toughest schedules in the country. It's a testament, not just how the team has overachieved from its preseason ranking that projected NU to finish 17th in the Big Ten, but how the 'Cats have responded in critical junctures of the year.

The Wildcats were embarrassed by Tulane in the opener, showed few signs of offensive life against Oregon and headed into their bye week in search of their identity. At 1-2, Braun asked his players what type of team they were going to be, and the group came out of the bye with a renewed sense of cohesion.

Northwestern rattled off four consecutive victories, including one over a Penn State team that was widely viewed as a title contender before its season went off the rails. The 'Cats played their brand of tough, physical, Big Ten football against the Nittany Lions, using an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that milked nearly six minutes off the clock to finish off an upset win that nobody saw coming — except themselves.

After holding on for dear life for much of the first three quarters, the Wildcats certainly could've thrown in the towel when the supposedly superior Nittany Lions team scored to start the fourth and said, "Well, we tried." Instead, Northwestern dug in, marched down the field and pulled off the colossal victory.

A game like that requires talent, of course. But Northwestern took down Penn State because of the leadership and the cohesive culture that the team has embraced. The program's motto, "Trust Yourself," serves as a reminder for players to tune out the outside noise, focus on what they can control and believe that they can compete with anybody in college football.

Another inflection point came this past weekend against the Golden Gophers. The Wildcats had lost three straight games, including a gutting 24-22 defeat to Michigan that just got away from them. Instead of folding under pressure, Northwestern came out hot, then battled adversity with a 15-point comeback and captured victory with a thrilling 38-35 win.

That's not luck. That's not talent. That's a winning football culture, and it's something that lasts much longer within a program than the four years an athlete spends in it. Braun doesn't just have his guys playing hard — he has them planting the seeds for Northwestern's long-term viability as a Big Ten contender.

"What this team has shown is that character is truly revealed in the hard times," Braun said during his Monday press conference. "What this team has shown is this unwavering willingness and ability to move on to the next opportunity and continue to focus on what we can control. It showed up in the Michigan game — unfortunately, we fell short — and it showed up against Minnesota... Our team's ability to take a breath, focus on the task at hand and get back to work is a reflection of the character of our football team, but also the leadership."

Northwestern's five captains — Preston Stone, Mac Uihlein, Carmine Bastone, Caleb Tiernan and Cam Porter — have paved the way for the success the Wildcats have had this season. But leadership isn't just a position held by the team's best players. It's an enduring theme that permeates through the program and enables anyone on the roster to step up in the biggest moments.

Braun took some time on Monday to shout out sophomore wide receiver Hayden Eligon II, who experienced a career day against Minnesota with seven catches for 127 yards, but also made an impact beyond the stat sheet.

"You can see it on tape after an offensive false start," Braun said. "This is a young guy, only second year in the program, you can see it on film literally telling the offense, 'Hey guys, calm down. We're okay. On to the next play.' I think those are all indications of not only the character, but also the maturity of this football team."

The book has not yet closed on the 'Cats' 2025 season, as two games still remain. However, the ripple effects from Northwestern's successful campaign could shape the next half-decade of Wildcat football as the start of something special.

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