The results are in from the boards and from Twitter, and the winner is David Braun! Check out @lou v's story on the first-year head coach picking up one more honor from 2023.

We have some very worthy candidates this year.

Question for the Evanston members. Is there construction fencing around the stadium and adjoining site plus office trailers being set up? If not, that would be a bad sign that anyone expects construction to start soon or that the contractor has been released to make major contractual commitments.

Here are our takeaways from tonight’s win, including remarks from Chris Collins on the passing of former DePaul head coach and Northwestern broadcaster Joey Meyer.

Login to view embedded media
VERY excited about a new S&C staff. My understanding is that Anderson’s job will be up to the new incoming OC.

Gotta think MacPherson is another potential casualty.

I'm just fantasy booking here, but I can't help but think there could be a few very simple, common-sense regulations implemented for players (who as a reminder, are college students) wanting to enter the transfer portal, to reduce the "wild west" elements that CFB is experiencing right now.

• You can enter the Portal once, unrestricted - for any reason or no reason at all.
• If you want to enter more than once, you either have to sit a year or lose a year of eligibility to play immediately, unless:
  1. There's a change to your head coach or position coach...then you can enter the Portal again.
  2. You've earned your degree...then you can enter the Portal once more.
  3. You've made academic progress in line with your status as a full-time student AND you can furnish an academic plan with assistance from an advisor to demonstrate your ability to graduate in a timely manner. This gets into the weeds but the idea being that academic progress isn't being stifled by the football. This rule would also support players who aren't getting any playing time, enabling them to get caught up in a year while also not burning through their eligibility.

As someone who works with undergrads...I can confirm that making steady academic progress in a degree program becomes difficult as a transfer. Then adding the scheduling restrictions as a player with games and practice, it reduces academic possibilities even further. I'm under no false belief that athletic programs care about academic progress, but enforcing rules like this would significantly reduce the fickle turnover we're seeing, which I think yields universal benefits for everyone involved (yes...including the players themselves).

I know many people cynically ask, "if the coaches can do whatever they want...then why can't the players?" I don't think there's an apples to apples comparison when it comes to a full-time professional and a full-time student for starters (but I would also argue that schools and coaches should stop entering into commitments that neither intends to honor). It worries me seeing players transferring 3-4 times just chasing after playing time, including those who land at Northwestern.

We have some very worthy candidates this year.

Given the Chi State debacle, we can take nothing for granted. This JS team was very competitive with Georgetown and beat Mizzou. NU can beat basically anyone when playing well, but an off night can be disastrous.

Ty Berry had his 2nd consecutive strong game, propelling the Wildcats to a comfortable victory over Jackson State. Nick Martinelli had another good game off the bench. When he plays the 4, things tend to go fairly well.

As noted by Matthew Shelton, Boo Buie had a very nice-looking +16 in his 35+ minutes, leading NU to a 67-51 advantage. No doubt the team is most effective when he is on the floor (Buie, not Shelton).
The notable thing here is that Jordan Clayton was not subbing in for Buie. Clayton did not play. Not sure if it was a health issue.

In this game, Buie got 3 short rests. In each case, we saw Martinelli/Barnhizer/Berry/Langborg with a center. In the first half Collins used those 4 with Preston and we won 5-4 over the two segments. With 11:08 to go in the 2nd half, Collins paired those 4 with Nicholson and Jackson State scored 8 points in 3 possessions. We scored 2 points in 2 possessions.

Luke Hunger played 4 minutes and we had a nice 3 minute segment that we won 8-3 with Hunger/Martinelli/Barnhizer/Berry/Buie.

I listened to this game on the radio before watching a replay the next day, At halftime, Special Assistant Brian James was interviewed. His statements were not particularly re-assuring. "Most teams would take advantage of Jackson State's lack of size by getting it inside to a big guy to score, but thats not what we do" or "thats not what we're good at or "we can't play that way" and continued "We have sort of a three man rotation at center and...." (yuck)

Not what you want to hear from the assistant coach who apparently is supposed to be developing the big guys.

If Clayton can't come off the bench and provide decent minutes, we're looking at a rotation consisting of 3 centers and Martinelli subbing for the other 4 starters. That can work until one of the non-centers can't play, for whatever reason. (I never got to see Hunger playing the 4, alongside Preston at the 5, which is one potential alternative).

Thru the 10 games I'm using, our best 5 man lineup remains Nicholson/Martinelli/Barnhizer/Berry/Buie, who have played to a 39-10 margin in 15 minutes. That group did not play against Jackson State, although Hunger did play with those other 4 (mentioned above) and won 8-3.

Another 5 man group that has put up sterling numbers is Hunger/Barnhizer/Berry/Langborg/Buie which is 62-30 in 28 minutes.

Open regular B1G play with a come-from-behind win against Rutgers. They outscored Rutgers 21-8 in the 4th. Third straight win.

He thinks Braun, not Bajakian, called hazing ‘allegations’ “totally made up”.

O’Donnell also becomes the first media source (I haven’t read anything) to specifically identify ‘the whistleblower’.


O’Donnell’s apparently been emailing Richardson’s dad since the summer.

It has almost been a week since attending our Bowl Game and I finally had a chance to see it as recorded on the DVR. I was surprised to see very few crowd shots of Purple fans in the stands . One that stood out was just after the interception as the first quarter was coming to a close.

So to remedy the situation, here are a few of my own shots of Wildcat Fans in the Stands starting off with NoChores and BosCat who were seated behind me. I have even included a TV Screenshot of the aforementioned broadcast view that was texted to me during the game in which he circled the finding of me with camera in hand.

At the end is a shot of Wildcat Willie and the Northwestern Cheerleaders looking up to the Purple Contingent.

We have some very worthy candidates this year.

Interestingly, it was a secret overnight visit that Priebe made to NU last week that sealed the deal for him. He didn’t announce that he was visiting. He spent the night in a dorm with Sam Stovall, went to Bat 17 for dinner with the starting five and just hung out with them. That’s when he knew he would be a Cat.

The other big factors (beyond the usual athletic/academic combo stuff) were Kurt Anderson (he loves the guy) and, in a new one, he really raved about the strength staff too. He said that the S & C staff was something he evaluated at every school.

It sounds like MSU was the runner up, and he visited East Lansing at least three times. He visited Michigan twice and Ohio State once. But he said that “nothing was as special as Northwestern and I felt like I fit in at Northwestern better than I did anywhere else.”

Story to come.

Per Sean McDonough

Better late than never, here is a selection of Purple Party photos now that I have finally been able to load them. As usual I'll leave it up to the photographed if they choose to identify themselves. That said, most will recognize our Board hosts Lou V and Matt S. along side Party host docrugby1 from prior Purple Party postings.

The early bird arrivals awaiting entry include BosCat, docrugby1, and NoChores. Others as referenced by Lou in hs "Notes on Gameday in Vegas" thread Mr. and Mrs. FarmCat68, SimpsonElmwood, and the Drillcat family:

For the "Where's Waldo" locate of Party Crasher Dave Eanet an iPhone screenshot is included to assist in the finding.

Is it logical to think that our new OC is on a staff that has yet to play in a bowl game, this bowl season? The fact that we have not yet named one, after relieving Coach Bajakian of his duties, makes me think that the new OC still has responsibilities with his current team.

2025 Commit Angelo Ciaravino said "Game, Blouses."

Of course it's a one-off highlight, but impressive look nonetheless.

Callen Campbell has prepared his whole life in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. to be a college football player. Thanks to his hard work in a gym in the garage, the right phone call at the right time, and a village of coaches, he got on Northwestern's radar. Check out our profile on the early enrollee from the UP.

This CFP snub was likely the nail in the coffin for FSU and the ACC…

It seems like the longer these decisions drag on the more negatively they impact players' confidence in the program. In fairness to both the impacted coaches and the players, it seems like this should be done the day after a bowl win or loss. Then, the remainder of the coaching staff can begin to reassure orphaned players who have lost a position coach or coordinator.

Northwestern (9-2, 1-0 Big Ten) hosts Jackson State (4-8) tonight at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 7 pm and the game will air on Peacock.

Last non-con of the season!

Nicholson looks like he gained too much weight and is hesitant to do anything on offense. Preston isn’t very talented. Just a hard worker ala Tydus last year. Hunger has the upside and will open up so much for the other 4 on the floor.

No surprise here.
Login to view embedded media