For the second straight season, quarterback Brendan Sullivan has been thrust into the starting job after Week 6.
In 2022, Sullivan got his shot from a coaching staff looking to spark a one-win team and a sputtering offense. He started the next four games but was unable to notch a win before he was knocked out with a broken sternum against Minnesota in game 10.
Now, in 2023, he's filling in for the injured Ben Bryant at the same point in the season, under very different circumstances but with very similar results.
Sullivan started the Howard game in the aftermath of Bryant's injury against Penn State, an injury that interim head coach David Braun described as "kind of a fickle deal."
Sullivan, who bulked up to 225 pounds this offseason to better prepare his body for the wear and tear of a Big Ten season, has needed every bit of it to sustain the battery he's taken through his starts the last two weeks.
Howard sacked him four times in a 23-20 win on Oct. 7. After a bye week, Nebraska dropped him seven times behind the line of scrimmage in a 17-9 loss that exposed all of the offense's weaknesses last Saturday in Lincoln. (The Huskers sacked Jack Lausch once, too.)
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With no public timetable for Bryant's return, it's on Sullivan and much-maligned offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian to try and keep this season on track. The Wildcats are 3-4 overall and 1-3 Big Ten play, and games are becoming must-wins if they want to get to six wins and bowl eligibility.
The offense's success starts with keeping Sullivan upright.
"Obviously, it's not good to be taking eight sacks in one game," he said. "It's not solely to be blamed on the O-line, it can be blamed on myself and other position groups, too.
"There's not one group that's getting blamed for this. It's [on] the whole offense to better that outcome."
Sullivan cut straight to the point when asked about things that are changing up front or in his game to keep his jersey cleaner.
"Just play better," he said.
Through eight games, Sullivan's 176 passing yards against Nebraska is his most as a Northwestern quarterback. He knows he's struggled in his past two starts but he thinks he's yet to play his best football.
"Ultimately, as a quarterback, you're graded on if you win or lose," he said. "Being 1-1, the one loss in the Big Ten, I feel like I'm underperforming right now. "I feel like I can play a lot better.
Raising his play is a process that starts, for Sullivan, in the film room.
"[I have] to continue to watch film, continue to critique at a high level individually and as the offense about what we can do better," he said. "Whether that's a receiver getting open, a quarterback delivering on time or an O-line blocking.
"It's just being able to look yourself in the mirror and say, 'What do I need to get better at?'"
While Sullivan is harsh on himself, his head coach continues to give him a full vote of confidence as the starter until Bryant returns.
"I see a young man that battles," Braun said. "That's all you can ask for out of your quarterback. I'm confident, our group is confident that we're going to continue to improve and we're going to continue to find ways to protect him in the passing game.
"As long as he continues to trend in the direction he's trending right now, we're very confident that Brendan Sullivan is going to find ways to help us win a lot of games."
The next game for Sullivan, still in search of his first Big Ten win as a starter, will be Maryland. The Terrapin defense next week may not be as imposing or accomplished as Nebraska's, but it's still formidable. The Terps rank 40th in the country in yards allowed and 22nd in points allowed per game.
"It's the Big Ten. Every defense is a defense that you need to prepare for, that you need to be worried about," Sullivan said. "[It's about] finding the creases and finding the things that we need to attack their defense."
One of the people helping to identify those creases and points of attack will be the man he's momentarily replaced, Bryant. Sullivan said that while the grad transfer QB rehabs, he's been an excellent tool to help him prepare each week.
"Ben has been a really good friend to me, a really good mentor," Sullivan said. "I feel like he's done a really good job of showing me his experiences and helping me through my process.
"He's been nothing but supportive and I really appreciate that guy."
Sullivan doesn't know how long his stint as Northwestern's starting quarterback will be. Bryant could come back in a week or two. But whether he's the No. 1 or No. 2, Sullivan will use just one standard to judge his performance.
"Did you get the win, or not?" he said. "No matter how you play during the game, did you find a way to get the win?"
