A year later, the vibe at Northwestern sure is different.
Coach David Braun is locked in after having the interim tag removed late last season, and the Wildcats are looking to build on a surprising bowl appearance. They have a new stadium going up on the site of the old one and a temporary home on the lakefront with their shiny new digs under construction.
It’s a far cry from where things stood this time last year.
Northwestern was reeling in the wake of a hazing and abuse scandal that engulfed the athletic department. It cost longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald his job and led to lawsuits across multiple sports.
“At the end of the day, it comes back to what I mentioned in my opening remarks about staying true to our values at Northwestern and staying true to our objectives at prioritizing the student-athlete experience, prioritizing what the value of a Northwestern degree means, and leveraging all those things to find ways to create competitive advantages that lead to Big Ten championships,” Braun said.
The Wildcats went 8-5 last season and made a huge jump in a tumultuous season that few envisioned. They were a combined 4-20 the previous two years and finished 1-11 in 2022.
PHOTOS: Rocked by scandal a year ago, Northwestern now looks to build on bowl run
Braun, hired as defensive coordinator in January 2023, had never been a head coach. The season ended with a win over Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Along the way, Northwestern removed the interim tag with the calls to do just that growing louder by the week.
They are ready for what’s next.
The stadium where Northwestern will play most of its home games the next two years seats 15,000, far fewer than the old Ryan Field (47,000) and the new one (35,000), let alone other stadiums in the Big Ten. The wind whipping off the lake could be a nightmare for kickers, and the intimate setting might be a bit of a shock for visiting teams.
“I think it’s really cool, and I think it’s really unique,” running back Cam Porter said. “Obviously, you can see Lake Michigan right here. What other stadium in the country has that?”
Mississippi State transfer Mike Wright and the returning Jack Lausch are competing for the quarterback job after Ben Bryant started most of the games last year in his lone season with the Wildcats.
Wright made three starts for Mississippi State and threw for 453 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He played at Vanderbilt from 2020 to 2022. Lausch, a sophomore, has six completions over two seasons.
Linebacker Xander Mueller was third-team, all-conference last season when he had 110 tackles and five sacks. He also picked off three passes. Northwestern tied for third in the Big Ten with 13 interceptions and had 22 takeaways.
Northwestern actually averaged more yards in 2022 (335.4) than last season (303.9), when the offense ranked 121st nationally.
The Wildcats averaged just 2.9 yards per run. But they should be able to move the ball on the ground if Porter gets the room he needs. He carried 166 times for 651 yards last season. Receiver Bryce Kirtz caught 49 passes for 701 yards and five touchdowns.
The season opener is at home against Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31.
Northwestern plays Duke (Sept. 6), Eastern Illinois (Sept. 14), Indiana (Oct. 5) and Wisconsin (Oct. 19) on the lakefront. There are also home games at Wrigley Field against No. 2 Ohio State (Nov. 16) and rival Illinois (Nov. 30).
Northwestern has a shot to win its first three games for the first time since a 5-0 start in 2020. To do that, the Wildcats will need to get some payback for a 38-14 loss at Duke last season.
There are also tough games at Big Ten newcomer Washington, Maryland, No. 25 Iowa and defending national champion No. 9 Michigan. But Northwestern avoids Penn State as well as Big Ten newcomers Oregon, USC and UCLA.
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