Notebook: Braun preps NU for 'hostile environment' at Penn State
EVANSTON-Northwestern closed out their four-game home stretch at 3-1 and will go back on the road for the first time since August and their shocking 23-3 loss at Tulane.
They’ll start their Big Ten road schedule with perhaps the toughest road environment in the league: Penn State.
“We’re going into a hostile environment,” head coach David Braun said. “This team, specifically in 2025, has not experienced an environment like we’ll experience at Penn State. It’s an awesome challenge for this football team and a challenge our team is looking forward to.”
Penn State was the AP preseason No. 2 team in the country but have fallen out of the Top 25 entirely after losses to now-No. 3 Oregon and then last week, in shocking fashion, previously winless UCLA, a team that Northwestern had beaten 17-14 in Evanston the week before.
Braun discussed Penn State’s stunning loss on the West Coast.
“I had this conversation with some of our guys on the staff postgame. The Big Ten is a totally different animal right now than it’s been in the past,” he said. “Not that it wasn’t a great conference before, but this is so much more like the NFL than it’s ever been.
“You know it’s ‘any given Sunday’ in the NFL [i.e., one team can beat any other team]. Well, in the Big Ten, it’s ‘any given Saturday.’ Week in and week out, you’re going to be facing a team that’s really talented, well-coached, well-prepared. You better bring your best.”
Injury updates
Braun disclosed that grad transfer linebacker Yannis Karlaftis‘ knee injury is “long-term”, likely ending his season.
“I’m crushed for Yannis,” he said. “I told him this yesterday when we were talking: when he was here [out of the portal] for three weeks, you thought he’d been here for three years with the way he integrated into this team, the energy and passion he brings…
“He’s going to be missed in terms of his impact on defense, as well as his huge impact on special teams.”
Karlaftis was injured in a collision on kick coverage after the first drive in the ULM game. Braun did not openly name his successor at the Sam linebacker position.
Braun continued to be coy about the statuses of safety Damon Walters, who has missed every game this season, and cornerback Josh Fussell, who has missed the last game and a half.
“We’ll know more after tonight’s practice in terms of where some of those other guys are at,” he said. “We’re optimistic about what we’re seeing specifically out of Josh and Damon.”
He also noted that wide receiver Hayden Eligon II, who missed some time late in the ULM game, does not have an injury. They do not expect him to miss time going forward.
“Hayden is fine, a little bit of cramping going on,” Braun said. “He’s back up and ready to go.”
Himon’s workload set to increase
Running back Joseph Himon II got 26 snaps against ULM but carried the ball just twice for 13 yards, with two receptions for one yard. It was as surprisingly sparse day for the speedster that had been a key pillar of the running back committee’s production to that point.
Against ULM, it was Caleb Komolafe, with 13 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and redshirt freshman Dashun Reeder, with 11 carries for 79 yards, that bore the brunt of the workload.
Braun said he expects this game to be an aberration, and that Himon’s production will spike back to normal levels soon.
“[His role] has to be elevated and expanded,” Braun said. “I don’t know where he exactly finished in terms of touches, but we need to get Joe Himon more touches. Not only out of the backfield but in other scenarios…
“One of the first things that [offensive coordinator Zach] Lujan said to me postgame is we need to make sure we’re getting the ball in Joe’s hands more often.”
Braun advocates again for removing redshirt rule
Northwestern utilized some of its true freshman players immediately this season. Safety Jon Jon Stevens Jr. has played in all five games, burning the possibility of a redshirt year by playing in more than four games in a season. Safety Alijah Jones has played in four of the five games and is on the brink of burning his.
Typically, programs prioritize saving that extra year of eligibility to extend players’ careers and time in the program to five seasons. Braun was adamant that if he sees a use for players, they’re going in. At the same time, he hopes that the redshirt rule will change soon.
“We’ve been really transparent with our football team that if you’ve positioned yourself to help this team and you’re the best person for the job, whether it’s special teams or defense, you have to be ready to play,” he said.
Braun emphasized a point he made in his last presser: he wants the redshirt system abolished from the game entirely.
“In terms of the way we’re structured, the rules and governance that goes into it, we need to get rid of redshirting,” he said. “It’s in the best interest of our young student-athletes to not be navigating that. To be honest, trying to navigate that with roster sizes shrinking, from a roster management standpoint, it’s just not sustainable.”
Braun has previously endorsed a system where players will have five years of eligibility starting from when they arrive on campus, regardless of playing time in their first or subsequent seasons.
