Sullivan's patience paid off in breakout performance against Maryland

Brendan Sullivan put it all together last Saturday in a 33-27 win over Maryland, the first of his career against a Big Ten team. He accumulated more than 300 yards of total offense, threw for two touchdowns and arguably outplayed the Terrapins' star quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa.

"[It was] definitely one of the better performances I've had since being in college," Sullivan said before deferring credit to his teammates. "It comes down to everyone playing better.

"That was the one game where we finally put what we do at practice into the game... Everyone played together, 11 as one. That's one of our mottos, and that led to our success."

Whether it was a dime to Bryce Kirtz, neatly dropped between a corner and a safety for a touchdown, or a long connection to AJ Henning in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal, Sullivan said a performance like he had last Saturday comes together one throw at a time.

"You get into the flow of the game and it goes by pretty fast. You read and react one throw at a time," he said. "It was a pretty fun game.

"[The throw to Henning] came in the flow of the game on a scramble drill. He reacted really well and we connected deep. It's something that comes in the flow of the game, sometimes you just have to play football."

For Sullivan, part of that flow is establishing himself on the ground. He ran for 56 yards against Maryland, converting several key first downs. Establishing himself as a dual-threat helps his game snowball, each completion creating space for a scramble, each scramble freeing up a receiver.

"I think on third down specifically, when you have a heavy-man [coverage] team like they were, they cover our receivers and the quarterback makes a run for the first, it's deflating," he said. "It helps the dynamic of the team and offers us another aspect to become more comfortable."

Braun may not exactly be comfortable with some of the hits Sullivan took at the end of those runs. "I promise you we don't coach that," he ruefully remarked in the press conference after the win.

Braun characterized Sullivan as "a warrior" after the game on Saturday, and doubled down on that description in his weekly press conference on Monday.

"The first thing I told him is that I'm proud of him, that he's a stinking warrior," Braun said, deftly avoiding profanity.

Those comments meant the world to Sullivan, who has battled across nine games through two seasons as a Northwestern quarterback. He was knocked out of the 2022 season with a broken sternum, rehabbed and challenged Ben Bryant for the starting position this fall.

Although he eventually lost the job to the Cincinnati grad transfer, after Bryant went down with an injury of his own against Penn State, Sullivan stepped up once again and has delivered a 2-1 record in three starts.

One of the most impressive aspects of Sullivan's career day against Maryland is that it came a week after one of his most frustrating performances, at Nebraska, where he threw for 176 yards but suffered an interception and was sacked seven times as the offense failed to scored a touchdown in a bitter 17-9 defeat.

"The way he battled at Nebraska [two weeks ago], did he play a perfect game? Absolutely not. But he battled, he battled for this team," said Braun.

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Sullivan said that his family, teammates and coaches helped him through the adversity he's experienced over the last couple of years.

"Their trust and confidence, being there for me and my faith, my recent faith has helped me a lot," he said. "Leaning into family and faith, the people that I love, that's what's helped.

Sullivan wears a cross around his neck for practices and games as a symbol of that faith.

Now, Sullivan is tasked with sustaining his success against an Iowa team that boasts one of the best defenses in the country.

The Hawkeyes defense is formidable, and Northwestern's 33-13 loss at Kinnick Stadium last year with Sullivan as starter is still fresh in his mind.

"That's a game last year where we didn't play our best game," he said. "Now it's about going out there and giving our best performance as a team.

"[Iowa] does what they do. They don't sugarcoat too much, they're a physical team and they're going to go out there and be physical."

Sullivan's not kidding. Iowa ranks sixth in fewest points allowed per game and is tied for 11th with eight interceptions on the season.

"Every week, [protecting the ball] is the No. 1 thing," he said. "We protect the ball. If there are no turnovers, your chances of winning the game go up to 75%.

"That's something that [offensive coordinator Mike] Bajakian has done a study on, and that's something that's always an emphasis."

Stepping back to the big picture, Sullivan didn't get a chance to play at last year's Wrigley Field matchup with Purdue due to injury. He can't wait to become part of the rich tapestry of history at the Friendly Confines this season.

"It's definitely cool," he said. "There have been a lot of stories there, a lot of people that played there.

"Like Jackie Robinson played there. It's crazy to think about who's been there [before me], and it's definitely added excitement at a pretty cool venue."

Even though he's the centerpiece of the offense as the quarterback, and even though he's riding high after the definitive performance of his career, Sullivan made sure to highlight the importance of the offense delivering as a collective on Saturday.

"I'm just a small piece of the big puzzle we have on this team," he said. "We have everybody that contributes very well and there are a lot of pieces.

"I'm just a small piece, but we have some exciting things coming our way."