On a cloudy Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Northwestern picked up one of its biggest wins of the David Braun era. And it did so by turning areas of progress into strengths that carried the ‘Cats across the finish line.
For much of this season — including last week against Michigan — postseason chatter of Wildcat performances has entailed immense praise for the defense for standing firm and shutting down powerful teams, while criticism has been levied at the ‘Cats offense for late game execution and lack of consistency. Entering this contest, there were also legitimate concerns about the “Wrigley curse,” as the ‘Cats had yet to win a game at the acclaimed field.
But instead, during the most pivotal matchup of the season the team flipped the script on each of those question marks. The offense put together its most complete performance of the season, the team’s resilience shined with its backs pressed against a wall, and a venue that was once seen as a confine of bad memories became the setting of a signature win.
Making a bowl game was the ‘Cats biggest goal this season. And considering Braun’s elated and emotional tone in his postgame presser, accomplishing that feat meant so much to this program.
“It’s rewarding and emotional for a lot of people,” Braun said. “It’s really special to see guys put so much into something, and have them rewarded today with an opportunity to know that we get to do this a lot longer, we get to go to a bowl game and spend the month of December together. That’s really special.”
For many Wildcats, securing a bowl appearance was validation of the resilience and effort put in from the moment the team finished 4-8 last season, to throughout this offseason and midseason. This team wasn’t perfect at times. But most fans, coaches and players will tell you — a star is defied when the stakes are risen and the spotlight is brightest.
For quarterback Preston Stone, he would be the first to tell you it’s been an up-and-down season. But his growth as a player was evident on Saturday, and it served as a culmination of the work he put in to learn from the tougher moments and find his place within a locker room he joined just 10 months ago.
Braun described Stone as “fearless,” someone who had the resilience and drive to ensure that when it matters most, he could deliver. The graduate student did just that, going 25-of-30 for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
It was Stone’s legacy game, and takes pride in both himself and his teammates for what this offense accomplished.
“I think this might be the most complete offensive game I’ve ever played in college football,” Stone said. “O-line kept my jersey clean all day. Receivers made plays, the beast (Caleb Komolafe) and Joe (Himon II) were moving the ball, just super grateful to come out and play with these guys.”
At halftime, the ‘Cats found themselves down 21-13 after a Golden Gophers touchdown capped off the first frame. Northwestern had seen a 13-7 lead shatter in the span of just a few minutes, and that early first quarter morale had somewhat dissipated.
In the locker room, Stone recalled a special moment between him and Braun, where his coach comes up to him sitting down and prays for him, instilling courage and recognition that his name would be called upon to will the ‘Cats to victory.
“I think it was one of the coolest moments I ever had in college football,” Stone said. “To have our leader and coach come and do that, that was that was incredibly special. His presence on the sideline throughout the entirety of the game allowed our ball club to play free.”
It was a historic performance for the ‘Cats offense at large, who posted 525 yards — the second-most in the Braun era. Alongside Stone, the running back room was unstoppable for much of the game, rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
Komolafe’s 129 yards — along with his first receiving touchdown of the season— showcased the player he’s blossomed into after embracing the RB1 role following Cam Porter’s injury. His burst of speed and exploitation of holes created by NU’s top-tier offensive line proved dividends particularly in the second half.
“I’ve become a little more decisive,” Komolafe said regarding how’s he improved throughout the season.“Getting more reps in the game, doing an extra time with coach, talking to Cam himself. He’s always with us in our room, helping our guys out.”
More history was made in the passing game: Hayden Eligon II and Griffin Wilde had 127 yards and 111 yards, respectively. This marked the first time in 12 years that Northwestern has had two receivers with over 100 yards in the same game.
While Wilde was proud of his productive and the rhythm he found during the game, he also commended Eligon for the chemistry the two of them have developed and the sophomore’s prowess in what was by far his best performance as a Wildcat.
“I don’t have enough good things to say about him,” Wilde said. “Coming in the second half, throwing up, I don’t even know how many yards after catch, just being the guy is something that that’s so awesome to see from Hayden as his growth has only been upward.”
There were some flawed aspects of NU’s outing. The special teams struggled, ceding 242 combined kick and punt return yards to Minnesota, including a 93-yard kickoff return from Koi Perich that led to a Gophers touchdown. The ‘Cats also had a muffed punt, which gave Minnesota the ball at the 28-yard line and led to another score. The defense also struggled against highly touted freshman Drake Lindsey, giving up three straight touchdowns across the second and third quarters, while also struggling with penalties and giving Minnesota’s offense extra opportunities.
While Braun recognizes those concerns must be addressed, it also made the ‘Cats look even more impressive for overcoming those setbacks and never thinking the door was closed — even when the ‘Cats were down by two touchdowns in the 3rd quarter.
“We’re a very resilient team,” Komolafe said. “No matter who we’re going against, we’re a team that’s always going to fight back. No matter how many blows we take, we’ll be punching back.”
As the group looks ahead to a matchup against rivals Illinois and postseason play, Braun stressed the importance of separating the objective from the emotional. While this win deserves celebration, there’s still more left on the docket.
“One of the goals that we do talk about is dominating the postseason,” Braun said. “We’re playing for a trophy. We’re playing for the hat next next week, this is our posting. We secure the postseason bid. We’re playing for a trophy next week against a great Illinois opponent, and we got to carry this momentum to make sure that we finish what we started with this group.”
