I assume most fans understand that he was executing the gameplan in light of the situation.
Game thread for Northwestern vs. Wisconsin
- Thread starter mshelton33
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I think Coach Braun took another big step towards taking off the interim title. Maybe another win with a bowl bid seals the deal for a contract. The defense has been consistently solid. The offense is too inconsistent but the 1st half was one of their best performances for awhile. We also broke a long road game losing streak. The team has performed beyond expectations but the defense esp has kept us competitive.
The Badgers seem very Wisconsolate
Gee, seems like I see other teams STOMP their opponent when they’re dominating. Like 49-10. The gameplan was to score zero points in the second half? They literally could not stop us in the first half. Then the entire second half is RUTM, RUTM (often lose yards or get a penalty), incomplete pass, punt. It was NOT successful at taking time off the clock. Wisconsin had MANY drive opportunities and with generally very good field position.
The second half offense made the D’s job WAY harder and we’re fortunate they rose to the challenge despite losing Coco. The 4th down stop near the goal line and the forced fumble deep in our territory may have been a 14 point swing.
^ When the Cats have beaten big weasels, it usually was a pretty close game with the difference being having the better QB.
When the Cats didn't have that advantage, Whisky would usually blow the Cats out.
You go with the better (passing) QB most every time.
The whole QB transfer thing worked out pretty well for the Sooners.
Also seem to recall someone saying that this would be something along the lines of a 6 year rebuild job...
When the Cats didn't have that advantage, Whisky would usually blow the Cats out.
You go with the better (passing) QB most every time.
The whole QB transfer thing worked out pretty well for the Sooners.
Also seem to recall someone saying that this would be something along the lines of a 6 year rebuild job...
All you need to do is take a look at the roster and the schedule to realize things will get A LOT harder before they get better. Enjoy this year. Braun better get some job security with his contract because next year is going to be rough with the amount of roster turnover that will happen this offseason. It will be a miracle if they can allocate all 85 scholarships to player that are good enough to be given a Big Ten football scholarship.
^ Things were just as big of a mess at places like Dook and KU and they managed to turn things around quickly.
While it could very well take an extra year or 2, it's not going to take 6 yrs.
Especially if the Cats make a bowl game.
That will not only jumpstart recruiting, but Braun should be able to fill a few holes with the portal.
Now, the W-L may not be quite where we would like it to be as going forward, no longer playing the mess that is the B1GW.
While it could very well take an extra year or 2, it's not going to take 6 yrs.
Especially if the Cats make a bowl game.
That will not only jumpstart recruiting, but Braun should be able to fill a few holes with the portal.
Now, the W-L may not be quite where we would like it to be as going forward, no longer playing the mess that is the B1GW.
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Absolutely agree in all respects. The players love him and so do the incoming recruits. I also believe that will will land more decent players in the 2024 class. Perhaps best of all, the O-line played well, which might be enticing to some quality transfers.
It doesn't seem like you understand what having a developmental program means.
It's not starting a sophomore so that he can learn how to play the position during games.
Oh I do. It means you play the more talented, younger homegrown player over the more experienced alternative in the transfer portal even if you lose an extra game or two in a season because that experience will give you a shot at competing for a conference Championship when that player is a junior and senior. It's exactly the formula NU employed for a decade under Fitz. That's how you avoid going 1-11 in back to back seasons because the transfer QBs you rolled the dice with end up making very little difference.
NU is probably (we can’t know, but we can guess) 7-3 with Bryant.
Who knows if Sullivan would have won Minnesota (doubtful) and Wisconsin (possible, though the game was won on Bryant’s arm.)
Are you suggesting 4-6 is better than 7-3, for the ‘development’ of the program?
That's literally the opposite of what a developmental program is.
A developmental program is having players develop physically and mentally in supporting roles during their freshman and sophomore seasons while more experienced and physically developed players are on the field and teaching the younger players how the program does things.
Throwing physically overmatched younger players who don't understand how to play at a D1 level is how you destroy younger players and keep them from developing.
Hard to say if Bryant would have been the difference specifically against Iowa and Nebraska because those 2 games the OL was letting through free rushers left and right (literally) and no QB may have had time to throw. However since they were one possession games Bryant may have been able to make a quicker read and find the open guy.
First half of this game was like a completely different O line, Bryant had a beautiful pocket most of the time and Porter had nice holes to run through. Kind of like the mirage that was our Dublin game.
Second half was much like most of our other games unfortunately - no holes at all and Bryant often getting flushed out or hit while throwing.
So really the offense played a great second half against Minnesota, a great first half against Wisconsin and a fairly complete game against Maryland. Otherwise quite unproductive against Power 5 defenses.
Absolutely true but at some point those young players have to play because there is no amount of practice that will substitute for live game reps. That is particularly true at QB. If it's close, and it's close, you play the young player you recruited out of HS rather than constant gambling on the transfer portal QB roller coaster, Gambling on the transfer portal QB is one of the main reasons this program has lost 10+ games in 3 out of 4 of the last seasons coming into this year.
Heck, we'd be 6-4 if we'd have played all of our home games at Ryan Field.
The transfer portal QB is one of the reasons the team went to the B1G title game and is in position to go to a bowl game this season, too. I don't put the recent poor seasons on the shoulders of transfer QBs. The teams stunk across the board. Ryan Hillinski had three seasons of eligibility left when he came to Northwestern. And he was physically and mentally two seasons removed from high school when he first started games for Northwestern. He didn't play well and the teams around him stunk. But it's not like Sullivan has led the team to better results.
You ruin Mike Kafka if you hang him out to dry in his sophomore season. You ruin Brendan Sullivan if you throw him out there physically and mentally unprepared. Have your opinion about who should have started at QB for Northwestern all you want regardless of how wrong it might be, but don't call it having a "developmental program" when that's decidedly not what it is.
The Transfer portal is not the way NU stays relevant. The transfer portal is the equivalent of crack cocaine for NU. Again, NU is a developmental program. You can't develop players if they come into your program with one year of eligibility. NU's reliance on those players was a sign that there were fundamental problems with the program. The formula for NU success has been and will continue to be being elite at identifying/recruiting undervalued HS talent, having an elite coaching and training staff to develop that talent and retaining that talent for the entirety of their college careers. The deterioration in the program was a result of shortcomings in that approach. The transfer portal has made that formula more challenging but there is no doubt the recruiting, coaching, and player development over the last ~ 5 fell off significantly from where it was before.
At this point I’d prefer a crack QB over the fentanyl ones we’ve been churning out.
Sure. Hillinski had three years of eligibility when he came to Northwestern, so quit trying to change the subject.
Starting raw sophomores isn't a "developmental program".
Does anybody know when Braun decided to switch to a 4-2-5 defensive alignment?
That seems to have signifcantly upgraded the defense, since we really only had 2 quality linebackers.
The secondary has stepped up and those guys are crushing people - the tackling is so much better now.
That seems to have signifcantly upgraded the defense, since we really only had 2 quality linebackers.
The secondary has stepped up and those guys are crushing people - the tackling is so much better now.
O.k. I was not going to let you ruin yesterday’s game for me, and nobody should get dinged on a day when they coached well.
I don’t evaluate anybody’s performance on a single game when there are years worth of data points available for examination. Bajakian can whup a bad defense, obviously. It is hard to believe Wisconsin looked that awful.
After yesterday’s game, NU should climb up slightly from #125 in the country in total offense and #113 in scoring offense.
Last season they finished #105 in total offense. The year before that they finished #113. The year before that they finished #93.
It is entirely permissible to find that disappointing. I guess that in the eyes of many fans, Northwestern can do no better than a roughly #100-something ranking. And that we should crow triumphantly over a 24 point “explosion.”
Bajakian seems like a super nice guy who shares Northwestern’s institutional values. I think he wants his players to be academic and athletic success stories. I like him. I only wish he was meeting with more success in games.
Edit: The stats are updated. NU rose to #124 in total offense.
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Plus, his failure to land even a single HS QB that has turned into anything merits his firing alone.
As we saw yesterday, it’s not always just the “oline sucks” that causes all of the offensive woes. It’s tough to block when the other team knows your QB will hold onto the ball and struggles to make quick decisions. It completely changes how you can play on defense.
When you have a QB that makes good and quick decisions, all the sudden it opens up other things you can do. The defense has to respect more. It makes the front 7 a little less aggressive thus a little easier to block.
The recruiting failures at the most important position on the field year after year is enough to let him go.
Bang. Davison has no pocket presence. It’s not been coached up. He’s confused the moment he drops back.
Bryant came in, dare I say, pretty developed. He uses 2-3-4 options.
Bajakian has failed at the most important job.
No matter if Braun gets retained or not, do you think we still need a new OC? Bajakian has improved with play calling, especially when Bryant is there. Maybe Fitz did order him to "stand down". I think the Cats need to really juice up the offensive scheme to stay competitive with the new set up, so I am not sure if he is the guy. If all future schedules resemble 2024's, we are looking practically at 3 automatic losses every season. Can't rely on a stingy defense every week, with these West Coast teams in the mix. Still can't believe we have OSU and Michigan back to back. Has that ever happened, to any B1G team before in recent memory?
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