Wildcats work through injuries as undefeated Indiana looms

EVANSTON-Northwestern will need all hands on deck for Saturday's matchup with 5-0 and No. 23 Indiana.

But per head coach David Braun's comments at his Monday press conference, even after a week off to heal, the Wildcats' team depth will be tested across the board by the Hoosiers.

Left guard Nick Herzog has been cleared to play this week, but Braun didn't specify whether Herzog will start against the Hoosiers, or if Cooper Lovelace will get the nod. Braun called the battle between Herzog and Lovelace a tossup ahead of the Washington game two weeks ago.

Running back Cam Porter was a game-time decision against Washington and sat out. While many assumed that would mean that NU's leading rusher would return for Indiana, Braun cast some doubt on that on Monday by saying that Porter is "definitely trending in the right direction, but not clarifying whether he would play.

Center Jack Bailey, who left the Washington with an injury and didn't return, has been ruled out against Indiana, and Braun added that the grad transfer from Colorado is "unlikely" to return this season. That would be a serious blow to the offensive line. Redshirt junior Jackson Carsello, who came on in relief of Bailey against the Huskies, is expected to start against Indiana.

Defensive tackle and captain Carmine Bastone was deemed "doubtful" by Beraun and has yet to play this season due to a "finicky" injury that has followed the path of quarterback Ben Bryant's saga last season. Bastone has been given a week-to-week type of designation for five straight weeks now.

Braun readies team for undefeated Indiana: The respect for new Hoosier head coach Curt Cignetti and quarterback Kurtis Rourke was palpable as Braun addressed the media on Monday.

Braun reiterated time and again how impressed he's been by the Hoosiers' night-and-day turnaround after going 3-9 in 2023. He called Rourke, a grad transfer from Ohio, the most impressive quarterback he's seen so far this season.

The Hoosiers' 48.4 points per game is nearly triple Northwestern's 17.2, and one or the other will have to yield should the Wildcats want to stay in the game, let alone win it. Maryland gave Indiana their closest game of the season last Saturday, as the Hoosiers committed their first three turnovers of the season in the first half. But the Hoosiers went on a 21-7 run to put the game away and secure a 42-28 win.

"[Indiana] is playing at a really high level," Braun said. "You could see in the first half against Maryland, uncharacteristically, they turned the ball over a few times. I think Maryland in the early stages was doing some good things, but we've seen some good quarterback play this year."

Duke's Maalik Murphy and Washington's Will Rogers, the two quarterbacks who have beaten the Wildcats this season, are both in the Top 25 nationally in passing yards. Rourke outranks them both, landing at No. 13 with 1,372 yards threw the air, to go along with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

"He has clearly impressed me more than anyone that I've watched on film so far this year," Braun added.

The team knows it needs more on offense: After significant struggles at Washington, where the Wildcats managed just 112 total yards and a field goal, Braun talked about where his sporadic offense stands.

"We're not playing at the level we want to but there are a lot of areas we're excited to see breakthrough," he said. "Until Washington, I felt we were doing a great job establishing the run... Going back and evaluating the game, really proud of the way that Jack [Lausch] stood in and continued to compete against Washington...

"We just need to take a deep breath, take it one play at a time and execute."

Lausch took the starting quarterback job in large part due to the staff's evaluation that Mike Wright was not protecting the ball the way the team needed.

Lausch often appears indecisive in the pocket and sometimes holds the ball too long. While some might see that as the result of a conflicting mandate to play free while protecting the ball at all costs, Braun doesn’t see it that way.

"I don't use language like avoiding turnovers, it's valuing the football," he said. "Make a convicted decision and let it rip. Don't be reckless and put the ball in danger just to try and make a play, and I think, for the most part, Jack did a great job of that...

"I think we've done a good job of not sending a mixed message in that regard."

Lausch threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions against Eastern Illinois, but suffered two interceptions against the Huskies, while completing just 8-of-27 passes for 53 yards.

Northwestern quarterbacks have thrown for three picks and no touchdowns against FBS opponents so far this season. They'll look to flip that script this week.

Transfer portal contrasts two of the Big Ten's rising coaches: Braun won the Coach of the Year award in the Big Ten last season, and Cignetti may be on the fast track to win it in 2024. But Braun and Cignetti have followed very different paths.

Braun had to rebuild and instill a winning mindset on short notice after an interim promotion just months before the season, in his first head coaching job at any level. Cignetti has been a head coach since 2011 and brought along with him to Bloomington much of the foundation and roster he built at James Madison.

"Coach Cignetti has been able to do this at multiple stops," Braun said. "He's been able to get teams playing at a really high level very quickly and has clearly done a good job of bringing in a lot of transfers that fit their scheme and culture...

"I give them a tremendous amount of credit, that is not an easy task."

Braun's transfer toolbox is very different at Northwestern with academic restrictions, but he said there's no envy involved comparing the turnarounds.

"Credit to him and those that hired him. He's showed it in his time at Elon, at James Madison, and now Indiana," Braun said. "That's how they chose to build this year, and we'll see what their long-term philosophy is, but a credit to them.

"I think the thing that we are absolutely convicted in, with myself leading that charge, for us to win the Big Ten, we have to out develop people and out-team people. The best way to do that is to fully commit to high school recruiting and developing young men over the course of four and five years."

Braun added that protecting their existing roster from the portal and "selectively bringing in the right transfers" is also critical. He highlighted 2023 quarterback Ben Bryant, as well as wide receiver AJ Henning, defensive tackle RJ Pearson and Lovelace as examples of the Wildcats utilizing the portal in their favor.