EVANSTON-The Wildcats escaped by the skin of their teeth with a 23-20 win over Howard on Homecoming.
Interim head coach David Braun wasn't worried about the narrow margin, though.
"I told the guys, the second you start taking winning for granted, you have bigger issues," he said. "You celebrate wins [because] there's so much hard work that goes into this around the year."
The Wildcats controlled the game completely in the first half, opening up a 16-0 lead with two 75-plus yard touchdown drives and a safety. Then, Howard came charging back in the second half.
But, despite outgaining Northwestern 259-130 after the break, the Bison's 20-7 run came up just short and the Wildcats ran out the clock on a six-play, 36-yard drive after recovering an onside kick.
Here are our takeaways from the win that got Northwestern back to .500 at 3-3.
Sullivan has a long way to go: With starting quarterback Ben Bryant sidelined with a shoulder injury, it was time for Brendan Sullivan to shine. The backup's first start of the season was a mixed bag. He led the offense on three separate scoring drives, each at crucial junctures, to stifle Howard's momentum and secure the win.
He flashed his dual-threat capabilities on a 35-yard touchdown to cap the opening drive, delivered a four-yard strike to Bryce Kirtz to close the half and then had his best throw across his body rolling to his left to Cam Johnson for a 35-yard score on a scramble drill.
There were moments where he delivered, but there were plenty of reasons for concern as well. The first half was bookended by two dominant drives, but the middle was abysmal. The Wildcats had four drives where they ran 19 plays for 25 yards. He appeared indecisive and was sacked four times, most of them coverage sacks due to delayed decision making or leaving the pocket too late.
Credit to the Bison pass rush, but they had just four sacks coming into this game.
"A few of them were definitely me holding onto the ball too much and getting to my checkdowns," Sullivan said. "Definitely have to take a look in the mirror after this game but [we got the win]."
Sullivan delivered a win but was far from bolstering his case as next year's starter. Don't be surprised if Northwestern goes portaling yet again for a quarterback for the future.
Defense's early success delivered win: Howard found its groove in the second half, but there was nowhere to go in the first. The Wildcat defense clamped down, allowing just 94 yards, four first downs and no points. Their offense exploded in the second, and gave Northwestern a scare, but the Wildcats don't get this win without the first-half excellence from their defense.
Xander Mueller's first-quarter safety was a key play to building Northwestern's early momentum and confidence.
"I think that's the first safety of my career," he said. "We talked before the drive that we wanted to get points, either a touchdown or safety. We capitalized on that."
Mueller wasn't satisfied with the team's performance, though, and stressed they need to keep aiming for more complete games.
"Putting four quarters together is a huge emphasis that we need to keep working on. [We] haven't done it so far," he said.
Even though Howard went on a run and ended up outgaining Northwestern 352-312 on the day, Braun was clear that the defense did its most important job: hold the other team to fewer points.
"You win and lose games not by yardage, but by points," he said. "We're going to continue to go back and evaluate, but we're not going to get tied up by yards."
Beautiful day at Ryan Field: The stands were far from packed for Homecoming as befits a game against an FCS opponent, but the atmosphere was amazing.
The weather was brisk but the sun was shining. Howard's famous “Showtime” marching band delivered an electric performance and Northwestern, joined by their alumni, thrilled the crowd as well.
The students, after a dismal showing against Minnesota and a delayed arrival for Penn State, filled the sectionto the brim. The largest crowd at Ryan Field was for last week's matchup with the Nittany Lions, but more than 22,000 in attendance had the stands nearly half-full on Saturday.
"The home crowd was great," Braun said. "Very impressed with our student section. I want to continue to express our gratitude to that group.
"They continue to show up with great energy. It's felt throughout our team and we greatly appreciate it in the entire program.
Ain't no lie, it's the bye, bye, bye (week): Northwestern ran the gauntlet in the first half of its schedule that featured two of the nation's best programs in Penn State and Duke, and came out at .500, a number very few would have predicted.
(Myself included; this win officially busts my preseason prediction of 2-10!)
Braun said the team's improbable start came from a belief and faith within the program to take it step by step and see what they could do.
"We just committed as a program to take it one day at a time," he said. "I will tell you there was full faith that this group could do special things and write a really special story moving forward.
"The only way we know how to operate is just one day at a time. We're 1-0 today and we're excited about that."
The Wildcats have a much needed week of rest and will get back two of their key offensive playmakers in Bryant and wide receiver AJ Henning for Nebraska in two weeks. The staff has an opportunity to take a breath for what has to feel like the first time in three months, reset and reload for the rest of the season.
