Interim head coach David Braun addressed the media and fielded questions after a disappointing 38-14 loss at No. 21 Duke on Saturday, their second road loss of the season.

Braun broke down what his team his to work on after the big loss, how they plan to bounce back against Minnesota this week and his excitement for his first home game at Ryan Field with students in attendance.

Here are our takeaways from the fourth press conference of Northwestern's 2023 season:

Braun acknowledged road struggles: The Wildcats are 0-2 on the road and haven't been close in either contest. Braun addressed if he thought that was symptomatic of being away from Evanston, and if he saw improvement from Rutgers.

"I've seen improvement since Rutgers, day in and day out in terms of performance," he said. "That isolated 60 minutes down in Durham, I don't know if I can say that [we improved]. It wasn't our best.

"We pride ourselves on fundamentals and technique and our demeanor of play, and that did not show up on Saturday... There's no doubt that on our two opportunities on the road so far, we have not started fast and we have not played well.

"Excited to be back at Ryan Field but regardless of where we play, whether we're at home or on the road, we need to perform at a higher level than we did Saturday."

Wildcat fans are exhausted with hearing about streaks, but the loss was the fifth in a row against Duke and 13th straight in true road games.

Returners have the green light: After so many years of fair catches under previous head coach Pat Fitzgerald, to see AJ Henning and Coco Azema bolt out of the end zone on kicks was a surprise to many Northwestern fans.

Giving those guys the green light is part of Braun's game plan moving forward as a way to generate explosive plays.

"I think part of it is looking for a spark and part of it is belief in that unit," he said. "Between AJ Henning and Coco, both guys have the ability to do some really good things with the ball in their hands...

"On some of those returns, a lot of good things are going on. We're getting the ball out to the 30 and we're a block away and really springing one. It really comes back to belief in that entire unit, belief in our returners and looking for a spark."

The team needs change to avoid replicating Rutgers and Duke: Braun knows he has a tough task ahead to get the team ready for Minnesota after the disappointing loss in Durham. One key to that will be bringing the defensive intensity and tackling precision that defined their win over UTEP.

"It sounds very cliche, but it all starts with our fundamentals and technique," Braun said. "We need to create knockback at the line of scrimmage, we need to define our gaps up front, we need to violently get off blocks.

"We need to understand the structure that we're playing with and play with great leverage, and we need to tackle well. It's easy to say all those things, not always easy to do against a well-coached, quality opponent like Minnesota."

Braun laid out what his team needs to take care of in order to pull off the upset at home against the 13-point favorite Golden Gophers (2-1).

"We need to start early," he said. "We need to find ways to get them behind the chains and force them to become one-dimensional and drop back to throw the football.

"They have the ability to do that at a high level as well. But we need to get these guys out of their comfort zone because when they're running the ball and leading into their play action, they are a dangerous outfit."

Expect more from Anto Saka: Braun was effusive in his praise for sophomore defensive end Anto Saka, the first player to sack Duke quarterback Riley Leonard this season and Northwestern's current sacks leader with 2.0.

"That young man can rush the passer," Braun said. "We talk about roles within this program and owning your role. None of us want Anto to be satisfied with being a third-and-long specialist or a pass-rush specialist. We want him to continue to strive to be an every down guy that becomes unblockable in this league...

"He and I talked about it a few days after I arrived... In terms of your role, let's start off with someone who can have a huge impact on the the quarterback. Week in and week out he's shown the ability to do that. I'm excited for him to continue to push that element of his game while also being a more consistent first and second down guy for us as well."

Saka has had one sack in two consecutive games for the Wildcats.

Braun will stick with Renner at punter: Braun was asked about Hunter Renner's struggles against Duke but said he'll remain at punter. Renner's first shanked punt traveled just 22 yards, and he averaged just 34.4 yards per kick against the Blue Devils.

For the season, Renner ranks 15th in the 14-team Big Ten with an average of 38.4 yards per punt. He has landed four of his 15 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.

Take Braun's confidence in Renner with a grain of salt as the coach hasn't always been forthcoming about depth charts. He was adamant about using a committee at right tackle last week, but then Josh Thompson got all the first team reps on Saturday at Duke.

It's Renner's job for now but backup Luke Akers should stay loose.

Students will be back at Ryan Field: Minnesota coming to Ryan Field marks a lot of firsts for Braun and the Wildcats.

It's their first night game of the season (6:30 p.m. CT kickoff), their first divisional opponent and their first game in front of the students. Northwestern's quarter system is finally underway, and the freshman Class of 2027 will be in the stands as part of their Wildcat Welcome.

"I don't know what to expect but I'm really excited for the opportunity for our guys to have students back, to have Wildcat Welcome at Ryan Field along with the rest of the student body," Braun said. "It's a Big Ten opponent, a Big Ten West opponent, if you can't get charged up for this opportunity, you have something wrong with you."

Braun also had the chance to address the incoming class at the pep rally last week.

"It would have gone much better if I could figure out how to work the mic," Braun said with a smile. "In some ways it was very humbling to have an opportunity to take some time with a group that is absolutely critical to the student-athlete experience...

"That freshman class, they will play a critical role in home-field advantage opportunities for us in football for the next four years. Coming out to basketball, lacrosse, field hockey, whatever it may be, that experience is something that, when it's done the right way, can be really special."