The 3-2-1 going into Week 12

Here are three things we learned about the Wisconsin game, two questions we have moving forward and one bold prediction about the future as the Wildcats prepare to host Purdue.

1. David Braun is the man for the job.

Interim head coach David Braun should be the full-time head coach of the Northwestern football program. Northwestern's players voiced as much by tweeting "#RemoveTheTag" after the game on Saturday and chanting "We want Braun!" in the postgame locker room. It would behoove the University to listen to the them.

Braun was brought to Evanston to fix Northwestern's defense; he's done that. A month and a half before the season, Braun was asked to take over the program and keep everyone pulling in the same direction. He's done that, too. Braun has done everything Northwestern could have hoped and then some.

The improvement on defense has taken a little bit of a backseat to the discussion of Braun's work as the head man, but the Wildcat defense that dominated Wisconsin for 60 minutes on Saturday was completely unrecognizable from the unit that allowed 28 points and 374 yards per game last season. In 2023, Northwestern is allowing 22.8 points per game and 332 yards per game. Those numbers are skewed by some rough outings earlier in the year but Northwestern's defense has been playing at an elite level for the last month-plus. In four games since their bye week, and after Saturday's domination, Northwestern's defense has allowed only 16 points per game.

The Wildcats lost two NFL players off their defense from 2022 in Adetomiwa Adebawore and Cameron Mitchell, but have improved leaps and bounds under Braun's tutelage. The players play fast and with confidence. They know where they're supposed to be and make plays when the ball gets there. All things that were missing over the last two seasons.

Braun's work on defense is only outdone by his work as head coach. The fact that the same Northwestern program that went 4-20 over the last two seasons and endured a program-altering scandal in July sits here in November at 5-5 and on the doorstep of bowl eligibility is improbable to say the least. Braun's ability to keep everyone together and keep Northwestern in a position to go bowling should secure him a long-term contract.

Braun is now the first Northwestern coach since Walter McCornack in 1903 to win at least five games in his first season at the helm. To put that in historical context, the forward pass became legal in college football in 1906.

This is a simple decision for Northwestern. As poorly as NU's administration handled the hazing scandal this summer, the perfect candidate to take over the program has fallen into their lap. If the play on the field hasn't convinced everyone in Evanston what needs to be done, the public endorsement of nearly every player on the roster should hammer the point home. Every day that the word interim isn't dropped from Braun's title is wasting everybody's time.

2. Northwestern missed Ben Bryant.

Northwestern managed to stay afloat, going 2-2 over the quartet of games that quarterback Ben Bryant was sidelined for with a shoulder injury. It was certainly good to have him back on Saturday, though.

Bryant was sensational in his return. He completed 7 of 8 passes for 56 yards on Northwestern's opening drive, including a 23-yard strike to a wide-open AJ Henning in the end zone.

The touchdown to Henning came on third down, a theme for the Wildcat offense in the first half. NU converted their first 10 third downs as the offense marched up and down the field at Camp Randall. Bryant led the offense to scores on each of the team's first four possessions, and he accounted for all three touchdowns as NU built up a 24-3 lead at the break.

The offense slowed in the second half as Northwestern focused on avoiding mistakes and killing the clock, but Bryant still finished with a sterling stat line. The sixth-year senior completed 18 of 26 attempts for 195 yards and three touchdowns: two in the air and another on the ground.

"I saw a young man that didn't miss a beat," Braun said about his quarterback. "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."

Bryant didn't do it alone. Northwestern's trio of receivers: Henning, Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz all had strong performances, highlighted by a dazzling one-handed grab from Henning. The much-maligned offensive line played by far its best game of the season. Bryant had time to get through his progressions all game long, and holes were opened up for Cam Porter to have arguably his best game of the season.

The return of Bryant boosted the whole Northwestern offense, and the unit that had scored in single digits twice in the last three games was dominant in the first half. With Bryant showing no signs of rust, the Cats will look to keep putting up points as they hunt for that all-important sixth win.

3. Northwestern can win on the road.

Going into Saturday, Northwestern hadn't won a road game since defeating Purdue on November 14, 2020. Almost three years to the day. The Cats left no doubt in Madison. Northwestern walked into Camp Randall Stadium and pushed the Badgers around for 60 minutes, leaving with a relatively stress-free win.

Northwestern did all the little things right. After being penalized at a head-spinning rate over the last three weeks, Northwestern committed five penalties for only 27 yards against Wisconsin. Bryant was sacked just once, too, as Northwestern's offense managed to stay on schedule all game long.

On defense, Rod Heard II punched the ball away from Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai and Garnett Hollis Jr. jumped on the loose ball, the fourth straight game where the Wildcat defense has created a turnover. Aidan Hubbard stayed hot, dragging down Mordecai for his fifth sack in the last three games. Kenny Soares Jr. also got home for his first career sack.

Northwestern did not look like a team that had struggled on the road for years. The Wildcats were in their comfort zone from the opening kick. They were the more confident and aggressive team from start to finish, and the score reflected that.

1. Can Northwestern win two in a row?

Northwestern has not had a winning or losing streak in 2023. The Cats have alternated every week on their way to a 5-5 record. Braun and his team would love nothing more than to change that when they return home to face Purdue on senior day.

In a credit to the team's resilience, Northwestern has played their best football after losses this season. Outstanding efforts in wins over Maryland and Wisconsin followed incredibly frustrating losses to Nebraska and Iowa, respectively.

The challenge now for the Wildcats is to continue playing a high level. Northwestern has shown repeatedly they can pick themselves up off the mat and get a win when they need one. Saturday will be a chance to show they can stay at the top of their game and string strong performances together.

2. Will Saturday be the last game at Ryan Field as we know it?

If everything goes according to plan, Saturday's game against Purdue will be the last game at Ryan Field before ground is broken on major renovations. Evanston's City Council will vote on Northwestern's proposed $800 million project on Monday night.

The Wildcats have called Ryan Field home for 97 years. The stadium has seen upsets, shootouts, rock fights and everything in between.

There is nearly a century of memories at the corner of Central and Ashland. Northwestern has a chance to write one final chapter filled with positive memories if the Wildcats can beat Purdue on Senior Day to become bowl-eligible.

David Braun will win Big Ten Coach of the Year.

There aren't enough good things to say about the job Braun has done in Evanston this year. A program that was seemingly in a tailspin after two dismal seasons got thrown into even more chaos by a scandal weeks before fall camp started. Braun was tasked with being a head coach, something he had never done before at any level.

The results he has been able to produce have earned him the right be in the conversation for Big Ten Coach of the Year, and by the time it's all said and done, the award will be his.

Northwestern has won more games in 2023 than they did in each of the two previous seasons combined. The team continually fights back from adversity. After beating Wisconsin, Soares said the team is "fighting for a bigger purpose," and it shows. Only one expected contributor left the program after the coaching change. Braun has had buy-in from the whole locker room from the start.

With Michigan's sign-stealing scandal reaching a head this past week, it's hard to imagine Jim Harbaugh, who has now been suspended twice this year, winning the award. That leaves Ohio State's Ryan Day and Rutgers' Greg Schiano as Braun's main competition.

Both coaches have done outstanding jobs this year, but they pale in comparison to what Braun has accomplished. He has navigated the stormy waters he's faced to not only salvage the season but elevate the program from where it was when he arrived in January.

He's done the best job of any coach in the conference this season, plain and simple.