MADISON-Northwestern went into Madison and beat Wisconsin for the first time since 2015, 24-10.
For the third time this season, the Wildcats won a Big Ten game as double-digit underdogs. And, this time, they did it by snapping their 14-game losing streak on the road.
"I talked to the team on Tuesday about leaving no doubt," interim head coach David Braun said. "We took a step in the right direction and we're going to take that next step by preparing for Purdue.
"I told the guys this morning, you don't leave no doubt just by showing up on game day. You leave no doubt by the way you prepare. Today's performance was a direct reflection of that."
Quarterback Ben Bryant made his return in dramatic fashion and immediately set to work dissecting a listless Badgers defense. He threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, finishing 18-for-26 for 195 yards and two TDs.
Cam Porter played his best game since the 2020 Citrus Bowl with 18 carries for 72 yards, firmly establishing himself as the game's leading rusher. Wisconsin tallied plenty of yards when it was all said and done, outgaining NU 341-324, but that was filled with empty calories late in the game.
The Wildcats crushed the Badgers at the point of attack, outgaining them 129-86 on the ground. Braelon Allen left the game early after three carries for three yards but his replacement, Cade Yacamelli, fared little better.
Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's stunning road victory:
Bryant came back from injury to deliver yet another season-defining win: After a month-plus of rehab, Bryant came back and was absolutely aces. His final stat line doesn't do his first half justice.
"It was frustrating not being able to be out there for my teammates," Bryant said about his comeback. "That injury sucked especially being my last year of eligibility. It was so nice to get back out there."
Once he got the reins again, he delivered some of the best quarterback play this team has seen this season. He connected on nine of his first 10 passes, led scoring drives on all four full first-half opportunities and established an authoritative 24-3 lead at half.
Most importantly, the offensive line kept Bryant upright. He was sacked just once and consistently had room to operate and throw strikes. Wisconsin has a turf field so he was guaranteed a clean jersey, but Bryant joked about his ability to get up tomorrow morning without any bruising.
"I don't really feel banged up at all, to be honest," Bryant said. "I think I'll wake up and feel pretty good.
"I'm going to get out of bed and not waddle to the bathroom. I'll be good, I'm happy for those guys, they played a real good game."
Braun said they knew Bryant would be in the mix to return on Tuesday and was ecstatic at Bryant's performance after missing five weeks with an upper body injury.
"I saw a young man that didn't miss a beat," he said. "Tuesday's practice we were easing him back into things and he was on time, he was confident.
"He was focused. He knew his opportunity was going to come at some point and he was going to be ready for it."
With Bryant back, Northwestern's season is wide open. He's been a huge factor in two of their signature wins, against Minnesota and now Wisconsin, and will be hunting for his third and fourth. Next Saturday will be the last game this season, and potentially ever, at Ryan Field.
"We're going to put on a show," Bryant said. "We're really confident right now and these last two games are huge for us."
Northwestern flipped the historical script: This was a season-defining win for Braun and the Wildcats, and they did it by turning the reputation of the whole series on its head.
It was Northwestern who played bully ball, outrushing the Badgers 129-86. It was the Northwestern offensive line opening up huge swathes of green turf and the Wisconsin trenches grasping at jerseys to try and maintain some semblance of order.
In 2021, a then-freshman Allen said that "These guys aren’t really trying to tackle. They’re bouncing off me…start to finish, they weren’t interested in it.”
They were interested tonight. Allen left early after just three carries and possibly reaggravating an injury. But the Wildcats systematically smothered the Badger offense before allowing a touchdown with 14 seconds on the clock.
After Wisconsin's first field goal, it was like watching a boa constrictor in a wildlife documentary. Between their opening and closing drives, the Badgers stranded five drives in Northwestern territory without scoring.
Wisconsin's drives would cross midfield, meander towards the red zone and then just fade into nothing as the Wildcat defense squeezed and squeezed. Sophomore sensation Kenny Soares recorded his first sack, which he dedicated as a birthday present to his dad, and swatted away a Mordecai pass on a crucial third-and-goal.
From the kick to 14 seconds before the whistle, the Wildcats made it seem like the Badgers weren't really trying to score. Start to finish, they weren't interested in it.
Wildcats cleaned up their penalty woes: After 21 penalties for 215 yards over their last three games, the Wildcats were flagged five times for just 27 yards against Wisconsin.
It was especially crucial as the Badgers shot themselves in the foot with five flags of their own, but for 50 yards.
"It's critical," Braun said. "It helped us keep ahead of the chains offensively and keep drives alive...
"For the most part, I'm proud that we were really clean procedurally. The occasional holding or PI call, things that are based on aggression, you have to deal with those now and then. I'm really proud, especially in this environment, of our ability to play a relatively clean game."
An extension should be on Braun's desk: We said at the bye week that Braun still had more to prove. He's proven it. With an NCAA-leading Academic Progress Rate, the Wildcats are in the driver's seat to make a bowl game with just five wins. But Braun and his team can set their sights much higher.
"We're in a great spot," Braun said.
They have two games remaining, one at home against a three-win Purdue team, and then a clash for the Hat against a fellow .500 squad, Illinois. A true, six-win bowl berth is on the table.
Heck, a seven-win season is on the table. And so should be a long-term coaching contract for Braun. Herculean doesn't do this justice.
This program lost to Wisconsin by a combined score of 77-14 the past two years. Tonight, they posted an absolutely suffocating two-TD win. Check out #removethetag on X (formerly Twitter) to see the players' thoughts on the matter.
Tonight, Braun became the first coach in more than a century to win five or more games in their first season at Northwestern. The last to do it was Walter McCornack in 1903.
Braun, of course, deferred the landmark achievement back to his players.
"It means I'm so proud of this group of guys in that locker room," Braun said about the accomplishment.
(That group of guys in the locker room had been chanting 'We want Braun!' just minutes earlier.)
"True character is revealed in times of adversity," he continued. "To perform at this level is just a credit to their character."
When asked directly about if he had earned the full-time job, Braun deferred that to administration and addressed the work he's been able to do this year.
"That's not up to me," he said. "I'm just going to keep putting every fiber of my being into making sure these student-athletes have the best experience this year."
Braun elaborated on his ability to steward this year's team and his unique opportunity as head coach.
"We coach people, we coach student-athletes, we don't coach football players," he said. "You meet people where they're at and do everything you can to pour into them as individuals...
"That's the ultimate blessing of being a head coach, to do that with the entire team."
That's a blessing that will likely be recognized by the conference when they hand Braun the Big Ten Coach of the Year trophy. This program has so much uncertainty in its future with new conference foes and a new stadium on the horizon. They should do the right thing and extend the man who has been the constant this season.
