If you are a Northwestern fan and watching the game on TV, you are welcome to join us for a live Zoom discussion during the game. It is usually just a few of us fans who show up for these chats, but I have found that having others to talk to during the game makes for a better experience.

Come chat with us as the 'Cats host Purdue. This is the first game for new (non-interim) Head Coach Braun. It may also be the last game played in Ryan Field (AKA Dyche Stadium). It will be historic. I hope to see on Zoom on 11:00 AM CT.

Topic: Zoom In-Game Discussion: Purdue at NU Saturday Nov 18 11:00 AM
Time: Nov 18, 2023 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 816 9823 8674
Passcode: 431945

Go 'Cats
- Astro

Hopefully @CappyNU wont delete this thread.

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It seems like years now, maybe decades that our qbs have been running for their lives....even Clayton Thornson never seemed to have enough time. It seems surprising that some years OSHA was not called in. And we mull around on the board wondering if qbs hold on to the ball too long , receivers cant get open, coaches cant coach, we cant recruit or we run the wrong scheme for the kids we have. We have managed some years by having mobile qbs or outstanding running backs. This year it seems to me that it is not the receivers nor play calling but that the O-line can neither open solid holes for the backs or protect the qb to the level that allows us to have a successful offense. My question is does anyone know with some degree of expertise what the issue is with our offensive line? Is it recruiting? Is it coaching? Is it strength training? Is it the quarter system? Is it scheme vs type? Anyone? Bueller?

This guy….

So anything I have heard him say about NU has generally been negative. However, I have never been more entertained by any college football commentator.

He had some gems this week about the NCAA

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Tomorrow could be the last game at Ryan Field as we know it, @lou v and I log our predictions for Northwestern's matchup with Purdue.

Thought this was a big enough story to link since anyone who went to NU knows Howard all too well.

For those of you who have 37 minutes to kill, here is the full press conference, including remarks by Schill and Gragg:

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Phoenix in December?

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Shocking! Something will be recommended from an Ohio State board.There are about ten OSU boards out there, one of the most prominent is the OZone.


They ended any and all message board scandals with one policy - enforced with no exceptions - no talking about the board on the board, In other words if you have a problem with board monitor "X" okay, take that up with them individually (via personal email) or write the board owner (In the OZone case it would be Ed, in this/our case it would be Lou). No discussion of the board on the board. If you do that the board opens up (and people who have questions - "hey why was my post taken down?" still have recourse, it is just not huge board scandal recourse.

So again the policy is ask away, but not publicly, not on the board.

I did not watch the press conference. Did any of the media ask Braun if he spoke to Fitz after he was named the head coach? I would imagine Fitz is happy for Braun. I would have love to have seen a camera on Gragg if Braun was asked about Fitz.

Here's @mshelton33's take on the Cats' too-close-for-comfort win.

With David Braun now the permanent head coach, the interim monkey is off the back of Northwestern's recruiting operation. Here are some things I've learned since Braun's promotion.

There are staff changes on the horizon for post-Illinois. I haven't heard specific resignations or firings, but an estimation was 3-4 coaching changes. There are notably five guys left over from last year but it would be a surprise if there were fewer or more coaches to leave outside of that 3-4 range.

The staff hopes it locks in all public commitments and will push a couple silent guys to announce. They didn't name names, but I think that's Oke and Strong. They also hope it keeps VanSickle away from Ohio State. They think there are some guys who will appreciate the added security, I can confirm that both Alex Green and Hayden Eligon II appreciate having Braun as permanent HC ahead of their OVs this weekend.

In terms of recruiting and personnel staff, it's unclear of Braun's plans at this time as he's still in the thick of the season. Now that he's the permanent head coach, he will, at minimum, make hires for the vacant Director of Player Personnel position as well as a vacant creative role in the offseason.

Tomorrow could be the last game at Ryan Field as we know it, @lou v and I log our predictions for Northwestern's matchup with Purdue.

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Seemed the most likely outcome based on everything I was hearing lately. Though the timing is a bit earlier than I expected, I can see how this could/should help with recruiting and team continuity.

Should be fascinating to watch the staff decisions he makes. Pretty sure at least Bajakian is toast, wouldn’t be surprised to see at least the entire offensive staff out the door as well. I would personally like to see extensive changes to the recruiting and S&C staffs, but don’t know that Braun will go that far.

Either way… we’ve got our guy, let’s see where he can take us.

Thought this was an interesting evolution on the thinking from NDSU on Fitz’s firing and Braun and his journey at NU. Maybe others would think so too

That has to be some kind of record.

Anyone know anything about this? This is not the official site but it's a ticket broker but why would they fake an event cancellation and make less money? I don't see anything about this on the NU site., What's going on?

EVENT CANCELLED. Please contact your ticket point of purchase to claim a refund on your tickets.​

Credit to GCG for recently flagging the UNLV OC as a potential OC target for David Braun. Man, the more I read about him, the more I want NU to open the checkbook for him.

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They brought in a band, cheerleaders and Willie the Wildcat for David Braun's press conference today. Northwestern president Dr. Michael Schill and athletic director Dr. Derrick Gragg were there. There were rows and rows of seats reserved for VIPs -- though very few showed and they eventually gave the seats to media. They made a video for announcing him as the permanent head coach.

But if you want to know the real David Braun, you could find him several minutes after the press conference, after the band, the cheerleaders, the administrators and the VIPs had all cleared out. He had just taken a picture with his wife and three kids in front of the podium. Matt Shelton and I walked over to shake his hand and offer our congratulations, and we started talking. About anything and everything. Eventually, Adam Rittenberg walked over and joined us.

The newly hired coach stood there and talked to us for maybe 15 minutes, while holding his four-month-old baby girl, Blake, loosely in his left arm. We talked about how much of a whirlwind the last few months have been for him and his family. We talked about the last couple days, when the program offered him the job that he's been dreaming about his whole career. We talked about recruiting. We talked about NIL. We talked about transfers. He was an open book, just a guy talking football with a few guys. He wasn't guarded. You felt like you could ask him anything.

He seemed more at home there than he did at the podium, then he did having to listen to people shower him with praise. He was wearing a suit, and he was now a Big Ten head coach making millions of dollars a year, but for those few minutes, he was just a guy talking to a few reporters -- and genuinely enjoying it. We were in cavernous Ryan Fieldhouse, but it just as well could have been in his yard, talking over the fence. Or in a bar, maybe. He shared his thoughts. He laughed. He listened. We cracked a few jokes.

That's who David Braun is. That's why his players love him. That's how he got the job. He connects with people, plain and simple. He likes engaging them. He's easy to talk to, earnest and genuine. When you talk to David Braun, you get David Braun -- not a Big Ten head football coach who is careful about what he says and is conscious of certain things he can't say. He's the same guy I talked to back in March, when he was a defensive coordinator. I imagine he was the same guy at North Dakota State and Winona State, too.

That's the secret of David Braun's success. It's not the Xs and Os. It's not the experience and resume. As long as David Braun keeps being David Braun, he'll be just fine.

Read the Daily article below and I thought it was weird that we haven't been doing this previous years?

If so, credit to Braun to get the DL reps but I figured that's been a standard practice in the Fitz era.

All times CENTRAL, and all games played on Saturday, November 18. Rankings come from the CFP poll. All games available nationally unless otherwise indicated.

First, the NU game:

Purdue @ Northwestern
11:00 AM, BTN*
PxP: Connor Onion
Color: Matt Millen

And the rest:

#3 Michigan @ Maryland
11:00 AM, FOX
PxP: Gus Johnson
Color: Joel Klatt

Michigan State @ Indiana
11:00 AM, BTN*
PxP: Jason Ross Jr.
Color: Anthony Herron

Rutgers @ #12 Penn State
11:00 AM, FS1
PxP: Chris Myers
Color: Robert Smith

Illinois @ #16 Iowa
2:30 PM, FS1
PxP: Adam Alexander
Color: Devin Gardner

Minnesota @ #2 Ohio State
3:00 PM, BTN
PxP: Cory Provus
Color: Jake Butt

Nebraska @ Wisconsin
6:30 PM, NBC
PxP: Noah Eagle
Color: Todd Blackledge

*These are regional telecasts; check your local listings or the BTN GameFinder.

Did Northwestern schedule a home football game and home basketball game that overlap?