Notebook: Braun shoulders blame for USC fake punt, readies for Michigan
EVANSTON-Never has a fake punt created so much controversy.
The Big Ten issued a statement in the aftermath of last Friday night’s Northwestern-USC game to address a fake punt the Trojans ran in the second quarter. USC sent backup quarterback Sam Huard, wearing a No. 80 jersey, the same as their normal punter, Sam Johnson, and had him line up in punt formation to run a fake punt on fourth-and-6. Huard completed a 10-yard pass to Tanook Hines for a first down.
A flag should not have been thrown on the fake, since it was the first punt formation of the game. But one should have been thrown on every following punt using Johnson, because Huard was established as No. 80, and “two players playing the same position may not wear the same number,” as the rule states.
Huard was listed as No. 80 only on the gameday roster before the game. To complicate matters, USC does not put last names on their jerseys, so the foul was hard to identify.
Northwestern head coach David Braun was making no excuses on Monday. While social media has bantered the last three days about whether Northwestern’s coaches, USC’s coaches or the officials were at fault, Braun took full responsibility.
“By the rulebook, there could be a flag on the second punt,” he said. “I don’t put that on the officials. I don’t know how they’re supposed to know which 80 is in the game, or know which Sam is under that helmet…
“I put this on me… It’s my job to put our guys in the best situation to go perform and execute… We will totally change how we go through our pre-game roster review.”
Injury updates
Braun said the team was optimistic that running backs Dashun Reeder and Joseph Himon II would be able to play against Michigan on Saturday at Wrigley Field. Neither of them suited or played against USC.
Braun was very complimentary of running back Caleb Komolafe, who stepped up without his two principal backups and rushed for 118 yards on 17 carries. It was his third game of 100+ yards this season, and second in a row after he ran for a career-best against Nebraska.
“Caleb Komolafe has truly turned himself into an every-down back in the Big Ten,” Braun said. “He can handle a larger workload than he’s had in the past, and that’s awesome to see.”
So even if the Wildcats do have one or both of their supporting backs back, it seems that Komolafe who will lead the charge.
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Wildcats welcomed to Wrigley once more
Michigan will be the first of two straight Northwestern games at the Friendly Confines this season. The Wildcats will take on Minnesota on Nov. 22.
Braun was typically effusive in his praise of the Cubs organization for accommodating the Wildcats. But with the new Ryan Field on the horizon it doesn’t seem like these will stay a staple of the schedule.
“Not sure if they’ll continue to be really honest with you,” he said.
Braun was adamant that it should be treated as a home game, though Wolverine fans will undoubtedly flood the stands.
“This is a home game, and this team has been good at home,” Braun added. “it’s time for us to lean into that and be excited about that opportunity and, honestly, not hype it up more than that it’s an opportunity for us to play at home.”
The Wildcats’ records at “home” differ dramatically. Braun is 11-4 in Evanston in his career, and 0-3 at Wrigley Field. The Wildcats have never won a game at Wrigley Field, where they are 0-6 all-time and 0-5 since 2010.
The Wildcats will look to snap that losing streak this Saturday.
A chance to win a trophy
It has been a frustrating stretch for Northwestern, which has now dropped back-to-back games after a four-game winning streak. They lost 28-21 in a game they easily could have won at Nebraska, and fell 38-17 at USC, where the Trojans ran away with it in the second half.
“This team truly believes we can beat anyone that we play,” he said. “What we have to guard against is the frustrations that, could this team be 7-2 right now? We could. But we’re not, we’re 5-4.”
The Wildcats lost three games in a row just once before under Braun: the last three games of the 2024 season. That could be matched with No. 18 Michigan coming on Saturday.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to get back home, get back to our winning ways and secure a spot in the postseason this week,” he said. “One of our goals is to win our trophy games, win our rivalry games. We’re playing for the George Jewett Trophy, that’s something we want to take a great deal of pride in.”
The George Jewett Trophy was established in 2021 to honor the first African-American to play for both schools. Michigan has dominated the series, winning the two games since the trophy was established by a combined score of 83-13.
Still, Braun is undeterred in his pursuit to bring the trophy to Evanston for the first time.
“There’s a lot to play for this week,” he said. “The expectation around here is to win all three [of our remaining games].”
Wildcats looking for better tackling, more pressure
One theme of the last two games has been uncharacteristically poor tackling. The Wildcats missed 17 tackles against both Nebraska and USC, according to PFF.
“There’s no one in this facility: myself, [defensive coordinator Tim] McGarigle, everyone on our defense, that thought our overall performance Friday night was up to our standard,” Braun said. “We have to tackle better.
“We emphasize it in practice. We’re not taking our foot off the gas in the way we approach it, but Michigan will certainly challenge that. We’re going to have to play better on Saturday.”
Another trait is lack of pressure on the quarterback. The Wildcats sacked Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola and USC’s Jayden Maiava just once each. Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood isn’t as prolific as a passer as either of those two, but his speed and size present a threat.
“When you’re dealing with these types of quarterbacks, these types of athletes, you can’t become passive,” Braun said. “You have to find ways to apply pressure, but you better understand your leverage and responsibility, because you give these guys any room to avoid that and it can become really scary with them extending the play to throw or take off with their feet.”
