What first-year Northwestern coach David Braun is saying about Utah
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Northwestern coach David Braun had a huge undertaking when he was announced as the Wildcats’ interim coach this year.
After a hazing scandal broke in the offseason, coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired on July 10, mere weeks before fall camp was about to begin. Northwestern hired Braun, the team’s defensive coordinator, as the interim coach.
“I don’t think coach Whittingham knows this, but I commonly will use the Utah program as a model that I really admire in terms of the way that they’ve built that program, the way that they play complementary football and team football.” — Northwestern coach David Braun
Braun, who had been hired as the school’s defensive coordinator in January, was thrust into college head coaching duties for the first time in his life. It certainly wasn’t an easy assignment, with the school coming off of 3-9 and 1-11 seasons the last two years, but Braun has done about as well as anyone could in the position.
He coached Northwestern to a 7-5 record and five conference wins, emerging victorious in its last three games against Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois, and was named the Big Ten’s Coach of the Year. Braun was given the permanent head coaching job in November. According to Andrew Seligman of The Associated Press, he is the first Wildcats coach to win five or more games in his first season since Walter McCornack in 1903.
“We asked Dave to support our student-athletes this season, and he has done an exceptional job,” Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement. “Under his guidance, Northwestern’s football team has exceeded expectations on the field and excelled in the classroom. The turnaround he has led, under very difficult circumstances, is nothing short of phenomenal.”
The Wildcats improved on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just 192.1 yards per game through the air (24th in the country), though they do allow 159.5 rushing yards per game (81st in the nation). Points allowed per game dropped to 23.8 (51st in the country).
Braun’s defensive scheme — which worked wonders at North Dakota State, powering it to two FCS national championships — has been impactful at Northwestern.
Cornerback Rod Heard II has been one of the Wildcats’ best defenders with 73 tackles (four for loss), a sack, an interception, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Northwestern has a good linebacker duo in Xander Mueller and Bryce Gallagher. Mueller has 102 tackles (10.5 for loss), five sacks, three interceptions and two pass breakups, while Gallagher leads the team in tackles with 110 (four for loss), while adding a sack, an interception, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
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The Wildcats rank in the top third in takeaways per game with 19.
Offensively, Northwestern is quarterbacked by Ben Bryant, who has thrown for 1,585 yards 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Wildcats’ offensive line has been vulnerable, though, allowing 48 sacks, ranking 127 of 130 FBS teams.
Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz are Bryant’s favorite receivers, with Johnson hauling in 50 catches for 684 yards and five touchdowns and Bryant catching 44 balls for 633 yards and four scores.
Cam Porter is the workhorse running back for Northwestern, carrying the ball 156 times for 618 yards and four touchdowns.
The 2023 Las Vegas Bowl is a rematch of the 2018 Holiday Bowl, which saw Northwestrn outscore Utah 28-0 in the third quarter, but it will be the first time these two head coaches have faced off against each other.
Whittingham’s program has been a model for some upstart coaches across the country, like Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, and that’s no different for the head man in Chicago.
“I don’t think coach Whittingham knows this, but I commonly will use the Utah program as a model that I really admire in terms of the way that they’ve built that program, the way that they play complementary football and team football,” Braun said.
Braun was in Salt Lake City a few years ago to do professional development around Utah’s staff, an experience that left an impression on the first-year head coach.
“Even just being around the facility and the way that they operate, something to strive for and certainly a tremendous amount of respect for the way that coach Whittingham has built that program,” Braun said.
Utah has had 15 players enter the transfer portal since it opened in early December, including starting wide receiver Mikey Matthews and cornerback JaTravis Broughton, and has had four players officially declare for the NFL draft — left guard Keaton Bills, safeties Sione Vaki and Cole Bishop and wide receiver Devaughn Vele — along with right tackle Sataoa Laumea, who appears set to declare for the NFL draft.
Except for Broughton, the Utes will be missing all of the aforementioned starters in the Las Vegas Bowl. Per a recently released depth chart, Utah will likely start Jaren Kump and Tanoa Togiai at left guard and left tackle with Spencer Fano shifting over to right tackle. Luca Caldarella and Munir McClain will start at receiver.
On defense, Nate Ritchie and Johnathan Hall will fill in at safety with the cornerbacks room staying status quo, with Broughton and Miles Battle planning on playing in the bowl game.
Utes on the air
Utah (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12)
vs. Northwestern (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten)
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MST
Allegiant Stadium
TV: ABC
Radio: ESPN 700/92.1 FM
Even though Utah has different starters at some positions, Braun is still expecting that the Utes will play their brand of football — physical.
“You’re going to get a team that plays complementary football and plays a very physical brand of football and has consistently played high-end defense,” Braun said. “There’ll be a lot of challenges that these guys pose for us as we go into prep. And again, a lot of things that I’m describing is some of the best models that you see in the Big Ten and something that will be an incredible challenge for this coaching staff and this group of players.”
Utah and Northwestern are set for a 5:30 p.m. MST kickoff at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Dec. 23. The Utes have a four-game bowl losing streak starting in 2018 against Northwestern, and Utah will be looking to start a new bowl winning streak by defeating the Wildcats.
