While new stadium takes shape, Northwestern looks to re-establish winning foundation

Associated Press

a day ago

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — The steel frame for Northwestern's new home stands out as a beacon of promise on the site of the old stadium. The sections filled in by concrete are more signs of progress.
A little more than a year after the school broke ground on a new Ryan Field, the framework for something special appears to be in place.
'It truly will be the best football venue in the country,' coach David Braun said. 'It won't affect us in 2025. It's certainly affecting our recruiting in a positive manner. But so much to look forward to in 2026.'
As for what Northwestern has to look forward to this year?
The Wildcats come into Braun's third season looking to bounce back after going from winning eight games in 2023 to finishing 4-8 last year and near the bottom of the Big Ten with a 2-7 mark. Only Maryland and Purdue had worse records in league play.
Northwestern has a new quarterback in SMU transfer Preston Stone and one more season playing in a temporary lakefront stadium before moving into what figures to be a sparkling new home.
New QB
Northwestern struggled at quarterback the past few seasons. The Wildcats hope Stone can change that.
Things didn't go the way Stone would have liked last year, when he started the first three games before Kevin Jennings took over. The Mustangs advanced to the College Football Playoff.
But in 2023, Stone started the first 12 games, throwing for 3,197 yards with 28 touchdowns and six interceptions before breaking a leg in the regular-season finale. SMU went on to win the AAC championship.
Jack Lausch, who started the final 10 games for Northwestern last season, informed Braun in June that he was leaving the team to focus on baseball.
Keep an eye on
Left tackle Caleb Tiernan earned an 88.9 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last season that ranked sixth among all tackles. He gave up just one sack over the final six games.
Run it
Northwestern's running backs combined for 910 yards rushing a year ago, with Cam Porter, Joseph Himon II and Caleb Komolafe accounting for 897 of them. All three are back.
Porter led the team with 501 yards and Himon was second with 257, but the Wildcats will need to get more from their run game. They were 17th in the Big Ten in rushing at 98.5 yards per game.
Lakefront living
Northwestern will play five of its seven home games in one of college football's most unique settings, plus two more at Wrigley Field against No. 14 Michigan and Minnesota.
The Wildcats were 2-3 on campus last season and lost both conference games, to Indiana and Wisconsin. But with its location along the lake and views of the Chicago skyline, the pop-up stadium was a stunner. Wisconsin's strength coach even made good on a promise and took the plunge after the Badgers' victory. The place is getting a bit of an upgrade this year, with more premium seating and improved audio and video.
The schedule
Though the Wildcats miss defending national champion Ohio State, the schedule is hardly a breeze.
Northwestern opens against a potential playoff team when it visits Tulane on Aug. 30, and No. 7 Oregon, the defending Big Ten champion, visits on Sept. 13. The games against Michigan and Minnesota at Wrigley Field are on Nov. 15 and 22. The Wildcats also have some difficult road games, with trips to No. 2 Penn State on Oct. 11, USC on Nov. 7 and No. 12 Illinois on Nov. 29.
Northwestern's home opener is against Western Illinois on Sept. 5.
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