Bryant's status for Nebraska unclear after Braun's press conference

EVANSTON-Interim head coach David Braun addressed the media after Northwestern wrapped up its bye week, with Nebraska on the horizon this Saturday.

Both teams stand deadlocked at 3-3 with one Big Ten win and two losses, and their seasons could swing on the momentum won or lost at Memorial Stadium.

The Wildcats' task may be more difficult than originally thought, as Braun started his press conference with a non-committal answer on the health of starting quarterback Ben Bryant, who was out for Northwestern's last game against Howard with an upper body injury.

Here are our takeaways from the seventh press conference of Northwestern's season:

Bryant update cause for concern, otherwise the Wildcats are healthy: If Northwestern wants to be competitive with Nebraska, all signs point to them needing Bryant at quarterback.

Backup Brendan Sullivan got the win against Howard, but inspired little confidence that he could get it done against a Big Ten defense. Based on Braun's comments after the Penn State game, and in the run up to Howard, there was no concern for a long-term injury and, with the help of a bye week of rest and recovery, many expected Bryant to start against Nebraska.

Braun's tune changed on Monday morning and Bryant's status was jolted back to uncertainty.

"Ben continues to progress," Braun said. "Not sure exactly what his status will be come game time. But he is progressing and we anticipate that will be something we continue to evaluate as the week goes along."

The good news for the Wildcats is that wide receiver AJ Henning, wildcat quarterback Jack Lausch and defensive end Richie Hagarty have all been cleared for Nebraska. Henning and Lausch were ruled out against Howard; Hagarty left the game late with an injury.

Northwestern hopes to end their dual-threat quarterback woes: Dual-threat quarterbacks have been the bane of Northwestern's defense for several years running, and Nebraska signal caller Heinrich Haarberg is their latest adversary.

Haarberg has appeared in all six of Nebraska's games this season, and started the last four, although starter Jeff Sims is expected back this year and could start. Although he benefited from a waning in the Huskers' strength of schedule, Haarberg has led them to a 3-1 record in that stretch.

Taking Michigan off his ledger, Haarberg averaged 112 yards rushing and a touchdown across his three starts. He also averaged 140 yards passing and a touchdown per game in that span, but the danger he poses on the ground is undeniable.

After Riley Leonard carved up the Wildcats seemingly at will, they plan to contain a quarterback who can use his feet to complement, or, in Haarberg's case, sometimes supersede, their arm.

"You have to play with great leverage and you have to tackle," Braun said. "I know that's oversimplified, but when you don't do that, he has the ability to be extremely explosive.

"He has the ability to run through arm tackles and when you lose leverage, he'll turn it into a touchdown on you... You talk about plus-one football when he's carrying the ball...you better use every hat you've got."

Bye week gave the team a chance to regroup and reset: It's hard to draw up a better bye week for the Wildcats, as it split their season right down the middle.

Braun said it was a much-appreciated break to spend time with family and make some progress on recruiting.

"We tried to find a healthy balance between continuing to push and improve, and preparing for Nebraska," he said. "[We wanted to] give our guys ample time to recover and get their bodies back.

"I really feel like in our planning, we were able to accomplish that [balance], and it's pretty exciting to get back to practice today."

Braun steadily rebuilding Northwestern's Class of 2024: Northwestern picked up its first two commitments since the summer with Aiden Newbill and Tito Williams, who both pledged the program on Oct. 4. Based on Braun's comments, the team's recruiting operation has been refueled by the bye week and will continue to expand this year's class.

"I've just leaned into relationships, genuine relationships," Brauns said on how he's recruited as interim. "I'm going to bust my tail and put every fiber of my being into [recruiting]."

He didn't open up the full playbook, but he did give a taste of the pitch he's using with players. He's emphasizing Northwestern's strengths -- like academics and facilities -- regardless of who is on the coaching staff moving forward.

"You tell a story, a story of truth about what truly exists here," Braun said. "We're doing that through genuine relationships and telling them the truth about what this looks like moving forward.

"Clearly, you're starting to see a bunch of young men and their families deem that as something they want to be a part of."