Bleav in Northwestern

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]

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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]

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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]

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Former Inside NU editor-in-chief David Gold joins Zach on the show to further dissect Northwestern's first two games and the quarterback switch from Mike Wright to Jack Lausch. The two begin by discussing their initial reactions to the news and why they're stunned it actually happened (2:20). They then jump into how the Wildcats got here and what changed from Wright between Week 1 and Week 2 (10:35). The pair then pivots to hypothesizing what the team might get out an unknown talent like Lausch and what NU needs from him behind center (24:09). Finally, the pair talks about what else Northwestern can improve upon outside of the quarterback position and what the team has done exceptionally well across the first two weeks (30:28).

Notes: 

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

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After last Friday’s debacle vs. Duke, David Braun has opted to make a change at quarterback. Jack Lausch will start for Northwestern against Eastern Illinois this weekend instead of Mike Wright, and Zach reacts instantly to the news. He discusses why the change was made and what Lausch brings to the table (1:25). However, there’s some hesitation to the early-season move, and he breaks down why this move gives him pause (6:36).

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

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Northwestern lost in heartbreaking fashion to Duke and Zach laments a massive missed opportunity after the double overtime loss. After touching briefly on the challenging elements of the late-night Friday game, he goes over the key moments of the loss (2:06) and reflects on Mike Wright’s second straight shaky performance (9:10). Next, he gives out flowers to Cam Porter and the other standouts on offense before emphasizing the importance of the unit cleaning up its disastrous mistakes (17:45). He then pivots to the defense, stating how impressed he’s been by the front seven through the first two games (23:29), but pointing out that improvements can still be made in the secondary. Finally, he goes over what the team needs to focus on ahead of the Eastern Illinois game in Week 3 and delivers an important message to the Northwestern fan base (29:23).

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

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Fresh off of a win to start off the year, Northwestern will return to action against Duke on Friday night in Evanston. Zach is joined by Mike McDaniel of Sports Illustrated to preview the game, beginning with how the Blue Devils reloaded under first-year coach Manny Diaz after changes in the offseason (3:14). They go over the talents and drawbacks of Texas transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy (11:31) and discuss the question marks surrounding Duke’s offensive line (15:59). The duo touches on the performance of each defense in the opening wins for both teams (19:40), while emphasizing the importance of the matchup for both program’s bowl chances (27:01). Finally, they give their keys for the game and their final picks (31:15).

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

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Northwestern football is back! Zach was on hand at the lakeside facility for the Wildcats' season-opening win over Miami (Ohio) and is now joined on the show by Henry Ettinger to give their thoughts on the stadium setup (1:15) and assess Northwestern's performance. The two begin by focusing on Mike Wright's Northwestern debut (7:14), before talking about the positives and negatives of the offense as a whole (10:58). They then discuss a dominant outing for the defense while pointing out areas of improvement for a unit that already stepped up in big moments during Saturday's win (18:25). Finally, they briefly look forward to the Duke matchup and suggest what NU should focus on going into Week 2 (26:54).

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It's game week! Northwestern welcomes Miami (Ohio) to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium and Zach is joined by Alex Scheer of the MAC Sports Connection podcast to preview the game. The two discuss the Redhawks' 2023 season and how the team was able to win 11 games without starting quarterback Brett Gabbert (3:44). Then, they pivot to this year's Miami team, talking about the vast returning production on defense (9:39) and some key new additions on offense (11:33). The pair hypothesizes what impact the lakeside stadium will have on each side (19:33) and then goes over a few of the Redhawks weaknesses, highlighting where Northwestern may be able to take advantage (26:59). They also name their keys to the game, pointing specifically to which units for each team need to be up to the task. Finally, they make their predictions for the outcome of the season opener for both teams (33:23).

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

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It’s prediction time on the show and Zach is joined by Jack McKessy of USA Today to make a number of picks related to the outcome of the 2024 season for the Wildcats. They begin by discussing if Northwestern will have a home field advantage at the temporary stadium on Lake Michigan (2:45) before projecting who will be the starting quarterback in Week 1 (12:05). Then, they make their picks for the team's individual stat leaders (15:32) and also name an MVP for the defense and the offense (21:39). Next, the duo breaks down Northwestern’s schedule and predicts what the team’s record will be and where it will finish in the Big Ten (28:38). Finally, the two discuss the Big Ten as a whole and choose a conference title game matchup (40:29) before briefly talking about the expanded playoff and which team will win the national championship (48:36).

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

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