Northwestern dropped its fifth game of the season in disheartening fashion to Iowa Saturday and Zach takes a look at how this program got to the brink of bowl elimination. He begins by assessing the head-scratching coaching decisions made by David Braun and Zach Lujan, focusing on the lack of consistency and the uncertainty in the decisions (6:25). Then, he breaks down the play of Jack Lausch and how the young quarterback's development and growth doesn't seem to be headed in the right direction (22:55). After pointing to some numbers on the offense's futility (27:20), he pivots to the play of the defense (30:12) and the injuries that are plaguing a thin group (36:20). Finally, he looks ahead to the Purdue matchup on Saturday, pointing to a weak Boilermakers' defense that will give Northwestern's offense its best opportunity to get back on track (41:06).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

Northwestern (3–4) needs to quickly turn the page after a dreadful loss to Wisconsin, so Zach welcomes on KCRG TV-9’s Jack Lido to take a look at the 'Cats eighth opponent of the season: Iowa. The pair discuss how the Hawkeyes' season took a rather dour turn with a surprise loss at Michigan State (2:28), before diving in on some individual scouting reports—beginning with Iowa's QB Cade McNamara (13:00). Next, they talk about the impressive rise of running back Kaleb Johnson (20:06) and what's happened with a usually stout Kirk Ferentz defense (26:40). Finally, they move into discussing the various keys to the game for both teams coming off disappointing losses (37:20) and make their picks for the Saturday mid-afternoon showdown in Iowa City (42:46).

Northwestern heads back to Evanston for its final game of the season at the lakeside stadium against Wisconsin and Matt Perkins of the Bleav in Badgers podcast joins the show to give insight into Luke Fickell's program. He and Zach begin by discussing how Wisconsin has gained momentum over the last few weeks behind a strong rushing attack and the play of quarterback Braedyn Locke (1:58). They also discuss how the rest of the roster has improved to complement its quarterback, both on offense and defense (10:48). The pair pivots to discussing what expectations are for Wisconsin this season and going forward (18:40), before rounding out the show with their keys to the game for each team and, of course, picks (26:14).

Northwestern forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter and shut the door on Maryland on the road to improve to 3–3. Zach was on hand in College Park and gives his thoughts on how the Wildcats were able to come up with just a few big plays to completely open up on the floodgates on the Terrapins (2:04). He breaks down the performance on offense, which featured plenty of explosiveness, but also a fair bit of futility in the second and third quarters (13:24). Then, he pivots to talking about the defense, which put together its best performance of the year, stifling the Maryland attack and coming up with timely takeaways in crunch time (23:31). Finally, Zach touches on the heroic special teams game, particularly from specialist Luke Akers (32:15).

Northwestern heads east to close out the first half of the 2024 season against Maryland and Zach is joined by Inside the Black and Gold's Ahmed Ghafir to take a closer look at the Terrapins. They begin by assessing the job Mike Locksley has done with the program in his tenure (1:34) before going over the play of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. in his first year as the team's starter (6:11). Next, they discuss where Maryland can improve on offense (8:37) and break down what's worked for the Terps' defense and, more importantly, what hasn't (11:32). Finally, they give their keys for each program to win such an important midseason matchup and make their predictions for the prime-time game in College Park (15:54).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

Northwestern couldn’t keep pace with Indiana despite a better performance on offense and Zach takes a look at what happened to the Wildcats in their return home to Evanston. He begins with the disappointment of watching the defense, thought to be this team’s strength, struggle so much against one of the best units in the country (1:19). Then, he discusses the improvements he saw from Jack Lausch and the offense (9:22), while pointing out the necessary areas of growth (15:14). Then, he pivots to what went wrong for the defense, focusing on how the front seven and secondary failed to complement one another (19:51). Finally, he takes a brief look ahead to Maryland and the task that awaits NU on a short week with plenty to address (28:54).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

Bleav in Big Ten podcast host and former Indiana receiver Rhett Lewis joins Zach on the show to preview Indiana, Northwestern’s undefeated opponent coming out of the bye week. The pair begin by discussing Curt Cignetti’s nearly instant turnaround of the program (1:39) along with Kurtis Rourke’s clinical start to the campaign in a high-powered offense (6:54). Next, they pivot to Indiana’s defense before touching on some keys to the game for each team (13:18). Finally, they make their predictions for this Saturday’s game in Evanston (21:50).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

It's mailbag week! Wildcat Report's Matt Shelton joins the show to answer questions with Zach about Northwestern football after a crushing loss to Washington and a 2–2 start to the season. They begin with a follow-up discussion on David Braun's head-scratching field goal decision against Washington (3:01) before diving into the team's quarterback play through four weeks (14:16). Then, they discuss the struggles of Bryce Kirtz and what the offensive line will look like going forward (25:16), in addition to breaking down Zach Lujan's first four games as an FBS offensive coordinator (33:05). Finally, they break down the chances of Northwestern making a bowl game in a talented Big Ten (43:22).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

Northwestern got a rude awakening to the Big Ten over the weekend, falling to Washington 24–5 in the 2024 conference opener. Zach is joined by Andrew Bowen to try and decipher what exactly went wrong for the Wildcats and how they can fix it. They first discuss the inept showing on offense, beginning with the early-career struggles of Jack Lausch at quarterback (4:01). They also discuss NU's inability to run the football without Cam Porter and with a patchwork offensive line as well as a game to forget for the pass-catchers (15:34). Next, they dissect Northwestern's two disappointing sequences around the goal line, focusing on David Braun's head-scratching decision-making and some questionable play-calling (20:35). On a positive note, they compliment the effort of the defense and tip their caps to the execution and talent on Washington's offense (29:45). Finally, they talk about the challenges ahead for the Wildcats and the questions they have for this team going into the bye week (36:53).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]

Northwestern got back on track with a 31–7 victory over Eastern Illinois and Zach takes a look back before glancing ahead at the Washington matchup. He begins by assessing Jack Lausch’s performance in his first start (2:10), explaining why he thought the redshirt sophomore quarterback was able to settle in over the course of his 2024 debut. Later, he’s joined by Andy Yamashita of the Seattle Times to preview the Huskies ahead of Saturday’s Week 4 tilt (17:14). The two discuss Washington’s revamped coaching staff and roster, as well as a self-inflicted loss to rival Washington State in an early-season edition of the Apple Cup (22:40). They go over the addition of Steve Belichick to helm Washington’s defense and point out some areas that need improvement for the Huskies as the season continues on (38:47). Finally, they make their picks for the first Big Ten game of the year for both programs (50:07).

Contact info—Twitter: @ZachKoons, Email: [email protected]