David Braun just wrapped up his press conference for Penn State week, here are my initial notes. A takeaways/notes story will go up this afternoon.
No injury concern for Bryant
Ben Bryant left the second half against UTEP and then was limping late against Minnesota. Braun said that this is just standard wear and tear that comes with the position and there is no concern about a lingering injury.
Braun trying to avoid distractions with interim title
Braun said he hasn't had any discussions with Dr Gragg thus far about dropping the interim title or what performance benchmarks there may or may not be to earn the full role.
"I think it can be a very easy distraction or trap to fall into to allow your mind to wander," Braun said. "Myself and my wife feel like we were put in this role for a reason. That's to support our players, to serve our players and be an incredible steward of the program moving forward and let all that take care of itself. If that's what's meant to be in the long term, that is an honor and a privilege that we would take on with a great deal of gratitude and humility. But that's not what we're concerned with right now."
Northwestern head coaches have welcomed Braun into the department
Men's basketball head coach Chris Collins was at the Minnesota game and Braun spoke about what its meant to him to be embraced by his fellow coaches at the university.
"I've been really impressed with not only the quality of the coaches but their character and who they are as people," Braun said. "The support, the text messages, the calls, 'Dave, anything you and Kristen need let us know.'
"We all know this, we know genuine. We know when it's real and every single interaction I've had with head coaches in this department, assistant coaches, support staff, has just been thoroughly genuine."
Team has streamlined its game day routine
Braun noted after the game that the athletic department and support staff have been very accommodating to differences in game day routines. I asked him what some of those changes were and he said that a lot of it has come with listening to his captains and leaders to streamline the process. Rather than going from team hotel to the Walter Athletics Center and then to Ryan Field, the team goes directly from the hotel to the stadium. They've also dispensed with some of the COVID protocols and practices like using the atrium at Welsh-Ryan Arena and are back to their old locker room.
"I think the way things were structure in the past was really well thought out but there had been some requests from our leadership, they were looking for a new rhythm at home," Braun said.
He was very thankful to the operations and athletics staff for accommodating the late request as the decisions were made in late August.
Braun broke down the fourth down difference between Duke and Minnesota
Braun was kicking himself for not going for it early against Duke, and was faced with a similar opportunity against Minnesota. He elected to punt again, and said it was a different kind of decision. They knew the dangers of Duke's offense and Riley Leonard and should have taken an early shot to stay in it. Against Minnesota, there wasn't the same fear or respect for their offense and they thought it'd be a low-scoring affair so they chose to flip the field.
"At that point in the game with the way Minnesota operates offensively, it felt like it could be a game where possessions were limited, field position would play a critical role and and points would be at a premium. That proved not to be the case," Braun said with a laugh. "But at the time of the decision, I felt very confident in the decision that we went with.
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