B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

[Deuce2223]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Always humbling coming off a Nattty to get smoked in Week 1. Tennessee is like Alabama/Oregon/Miami in my Dynasty they have a loaded roster but always seem to suck in the CPU sim engine. Right now in my Dynasty they have a 90 Overall SO QB and a a SO RB that's already a 90 as well.

I am curious why Hoke seemed to get the bulk of the carries when he had the lowest avg per carry on the day. Especially after how well McFarlamd did filling in last year as your main runner

[RyanLeaf16]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Better to lose now than later in the season. Boys probably walked in there proud as peacocks struttin' their stuff and didn't realize stadium shadows would be their downfall.

Real talk, this game loves to serve up humble pie when you feel your best. My guess is you'll go on a big run now and probably trample some good competition - and maybe you'll get to see Tennessee again in the CFP.

Just remind the boys that success isn't bought, it's earned and everyday rent is due - even in the virtual world.

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

oof. You got steamrolled. But as others have said, better now than later. Still got faith in B-Dawgs Cats!

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Always humbling coming off a Nattty to get smoked in Week 1. Tennessee is like Alabama/Oregon/Miami in my Dynasty they have a loaded roster but always seem to suck in the CPU sim engine. Right now in my Dynasty they have a 90 Overall SO QB and a a SO RB that's already a 90 as well.

I am curious why Hoke seemed to get the bulk of the carries when he had the lowest avg per carry on the day. Especially after how well McFarland did filling in last year as your main runner

I have Hoke above McFarland in the depth chart because he's a bit faster. He shows up in a lot of spread formations. It's been a while since I played that game. Not sure if Kush was in and out with injuries, too.

Better to lose now than later in the season. Boys probably walked in there proud as peacocks struttin' their stuff and didn't realize stadium shadows would be their downfall.

Real talk, this game loves to serve up humble pie when you feel your best. My guess is you'll go on a big run now and probably trample some good competition - and maybe you'll get to see Tennessee again in the CFP.

Just remind the boys that success isn't bought, it's earned and everyday rent is due - even in the virtual world.

Practice is going to be a miserable experience for the guys this week!

oof. You got steamrolled. But as others have said, better now than later. Still got faith in B-Dawgs Cats!

Yep, plenty of time to get things turned around. If it happened in the 10th game or later, I could be screwed. It's also a nonconference game, so it doesn't affect us in the Big Ten.

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 2




Northwestern defensive tackle Izaiah Bush sacks EMU quarterback Jace Stuckey.


Northwestern receiver Carson Grove had two touchdown catches.


Northwestern defensive end Dennis Rahouski grabs an interception.


Northwestern cornerback Jameel Croft picks off a pass.


Northwestern receiver Brendan Wicks makes a 38-yard catch.


Eastern Michigan’s Brian Baca leaps to intercept a pass.

ALL IS WELL
Wildcats bounce back from beatdown
in opener to trounce Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. — Boy, did Northwestern ever need this one.

Their confidence shaky following a 37-7 loss to Tennessee in the season opener, the Wildcats took out their frustrations on lowly Eastern Michigan on Sept. 2, 2028.

Northwestern could do little wrong in 51-14 rout of the Hurons on their gray field, not allowing a point until the backups were inserted in the fourth quarter.

Carson Grove and Brendan Wicks had 100-yard receiving performances against the worst secondary the Wildcats will face all season. The defense picked off quarterback Jace Stuckey five times, even tackling him in the end zone for a safety.

“We really needed to just kick someone’s butt to get our mojo back,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “I know this game isn’t a barometer of what to expect from our team when we get into the teeth of our Big Ten schedule, but after what happened last week this at least confirms that I haven’t totally lost whatever skillz I have.”

Despite the rout at Tennessee, Northwestern entered the game ranked No. 1 in the nation, as College Football 25 apparently doesn’t redo polls after Week 0.

The Wildcats moved 89 yards in 12 plays on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead, but then had a brief — very brief — moment of anxiety when Ryan Boe served up an interception to Brian Baca on the next series.

It took only one play to get the ship steered back in the right direction. The Hurons tried to seize the momentum of the interception and chuck a deep ball on their first play, but safety Tito Williams was there to pick off the pass.

From there, scored three straight touchdowns to take a 28-0 halftime lead. Carson Grove’s second touchdown catch and a safety by defensive end Braxton Strong made it 37-0 after three quarters. Once Prince Hoke extended the lead to 45-0 on the first play of the fourth quarter, B-Dawg mass subbed.

This is where players who are backups learn why they are backups, particularly the guys on defense. The Hurons hadn’t threatened all day, but got two touchdown catches from Brian Remigio in the fourth quarter.

The schedule will get considerably tougher the next two weeks with games against Wisconsin and Clemson.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Idrys Cotton 6 pancakes, 0 sacks; Shawn Boyett 6-0; Tobias Lamm 4-0; Nick Stoddard 4-0; Calvin Claybrooks 3-0; Taylor Jackson 2-0; Brock Castonzo 2-0; Jaelen Camarda 2-0; Cornell Kafka 2-0; Kerry Hanoian 1-0; Dell Choice 1-0; Dionte Hicks 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0; Hayden Eligon 1-0.

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 3




Northwestern safety Keke Adams intercepts a pass to seal the victory with 48 seconds left.


Xavier Lucas sacks Northwestern quarterback Ryan Boe to force a fumble …


… then returns it 24 yards for a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter.


Northwestern safety Tito Williams picks off a pass.


Northwestern defensive end Braxton Strong sacks Wisconsin quarterback Mabrey Mettauer.


Northwestern receiver Dell Choice heads to the end zone with a touchdown catch.


Northwestern receiver Hayden Eligon cuts upfield for a touchdown reception.

NOT THIS TIME!
Wildcats stop QB who haunts them,
gets revenge with win over Badgers

EVANSTON, Ill. — B-Dawg took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst.

The Northwestern football coach had already seen what Wisconsin quarterback Mabrey Mettauer could do late in a game while trying to rally his team to victory.

Even though he won a natty last season, B-Dawg is still haunted by the memory of Mettauer bouncing off a certain sack, then throwing a dime down the field to Kam Adams-Parker for the game-winning 70-yard touchdown pass with 62 seconds left in a midseason game.

It was the Wildcats’ only loss in a 15-1 season, so it still lingers.

There would be no robo-QB shenanigans this time around, however.

Northwestern went out on defense, understandably nervous, after breaking a 17-17 tie on a 25-yard field goal by Enrique Swaim with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter.

But on third-and-17 with 48 seconds left in the game, the dragon was slayed. Safety Keke Adams picked off a pass near the sideline to seal a 20-17 victory for 14th-ranked Northwestern over the eighth-ranked Badgers on Sept. 9, 2028.

“That dude kept me up at night all week,” B-Dawg said. “Even though we kept him under control most of this game, I was still terrified he would pull off some nonsense at the end.”

Mettauer threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns against Northwestern last season. He appeared to be on his way to another epic performance when he hit Hunter Doss with a 22-yard touchdown pass just 1:46 into the game.

But that was the only touchdown the Badgers would score on offense, as Mettauer finished a pedestrian 17-for-28 for 184 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Northwestern stormed back to take a 17-10 lead on two second-quarter touchdown passes by Ryan Boe. But just when it looked like the Wildcats had things on lock, Xavier Lucas sacked Boe, causing a fumble that he returned 24 yards for the game-tying touchdown with 6:49 left in the third quarter.

Northwestern’s winning field goal drive began at its own 41 with 4:39 left in the game. The key play on an 11-play, 48-yard march was a third-and-seven pass to Carson Grove that advanced the ball to Wisconsin’s 13-yard line with 1:52 left.

On third down from the 10 and with the Badgers possessing only one timeout, B-Dawg called for a QB Blast from Boe to burn the last timeout and set up an even closer field goal.

“No way I’m slinging the ball around on a compacted field like that,” B-Dawg said. “I’m taking three points and trusting my defense to keep playing strong.”





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Deon Barry 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Cornell Kafka 5-0; Josh Stephen 5-0; Calvin Claybrooks 5-0; Shawn Boyett 4-1; Idrys Cotton 3-0; Jaelen Camarda 2-0; Quin Ford 1-0; Nick Stoddard 1-0.

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 4




Northwestern cornerback Jameel Crofts intercepts a pass …


… that he takes 72 yards to the house to seal the victory.


Northwestern defensive end Braxton Strong blows up a third-and-three run by Clemson quarterback Tre Sperry.


Northwestern receiver Hayden Eligon catches a touchdown pass.


Clemson receiver Antwon Vick hauls in a 42-yard touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Dell Choice hauls in a 33-yard pass to the 2-yard line.

WE BACK!!!
Second straight top-10 win signals
Northwestern is threat to win natty

EVANSTON, Ill. — B-Dawg will never fully get over the humiliation that took place in the season opener on Rocky Top.

A 37-7 beatdown for a coach used to being in contention to win every game he fires up is the type of thing that will linger for a very long time, no matter how much success he has.

But the memory of that loss is fading more and more into the distance with each passing week.

Sure, the Wildcats were expected to thrash a lowly Eastern Michigan team the following week.

But the real tests were coming up with back-to-back home games against eighth-ranked Wisconsin and third-ranked Clemson.

How the Wildcats fared in those games would go a long way toward determining the trajectory of their season.

Well, don’t look now but … they’re baaaaaack!

The eighth-ranked Wildcats earned their second straight victory over a top-10 team, beating Clemson 28-17 on Sept. 16, 2028.

B-Dawg isn’t ready to get too full of himself just yet, however.

“These last two games were at home where we don’t have to deal with the struggle squiggles when looking at our plays and other shenanigans that go with playing on the road,” he said. “We’ll have to see how we perform on the road against a good team to know that we’re fully back.”

The game was tied 7-7 after one quarter and 14-14 at halftime before Clemson (2-1) took its first lead on a 38-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser with 7:33 left in the third quarter. The Tigers settled for a field goal when defensive end Braxton Strong blew up a third-and-three keeper by quarterback Tre Sperry.

Northwestern scored the go-ahead touchdown by driving 82 yards in nine plays, getting a 1-yard run by quarterback Ryan Boe with 4:17 left in the third quarter. The key play on the drive was a third-and-13 hot route to Dell Choice that went 33 yards to the 2-yard line. Two plays later, Boe audibled to QB Blast when Clemson vacated the middle of the field covering a five-wide set.

Clemson marched to the Northwestern 5-yard line, but Sperry threw away the ball on third-and-goal and missed an open receiver in the end zone on fourth-and-goal with 9:11 left in the game.

The Wildcats had to punt the ball back, but Strong came up huge again with a sack that led to a third-and-14 the Tigers couldn’t convert. Each team punted, giving Clemson one final chance to win the game.

A huge penalty was called when left guard Elyjah Thurmon was called for holding when Sperry scrambled to the Wildcats’ 8-yard line with 29 seconds remaining.

Then, on third-and-15, cornerback Jameel Croft picked off a pass and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game.

“I let out a huge exhale when I saw the ball in Jameel’s hands,” B-Dawg said. “He didn’t need to score, he just needed to get to the ground without fumbling. But he had a pretty clear path to the end zone, so why not take it? It could help they young buck down the road when awards are handed out.”

Sperry, a 77 OVR true sophomore, threw for 385 yards but got the Tigers into the end zone only twice.

“Question: Why does Clemson have a 77 OVR starting quarterback?” B-Dawg said. “I have higher-rated guys on my bench at freakin’ Northwestern. Clemson should never have anyone lower than 85 OVR starting at quarterback.”





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Shawn Boyett 7 pancakes, 0 sacks; Calvin Claybrooks 5-0; Idrys Cotton 3-0; Deon Barry 2-0; Jaelen Camarda 2-0; Dewayne Flowers 2-0; Cornell Kafka 1-0; Rishard Vilain 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0.

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25



Nice string of wins to get over the tough L

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Nice string of wins to get over the tough L

That first game was just weird. It felt weird the whole time. We are back to ourselves now.

[BDawg35]

2028 HEISMAN UPDATE

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 5




Northwestern running back Nazir Kush breaks off a 39-yard run.


Northwestern cornerback Jayvon Hope upends USC receiver Reggie Beebe on an incomplete pass.


Northwestern receiver Quin Ford snags a touchdown catch.


Northwestern quarterback Ryan Boe runs through a huge gap for a touchdown.


Northwestern safety Tito Williams picks off a pass.


USC receiver Reggie Beebe lunges to grab a touchdown pass with 3:10 left in the game.


USC tight end Joey Olsen makes a 51-yard catch late in the game.

TRY AGAIN, KID!
Northwestern shuts down highly touted
freshman USC quarterback in 20-14 win

EVANSTON, Ill. — Darius Atwell may become a problem for Northwestern in the future, but USC’s redshirt freshman quarterback looked like … well, a redshirt freshman quarterback … when the teams met on Sept. 23, 2028.

Atwell already has an 88 OVR rating, which gives him the potential to be one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the country in a few years.

He led USC to touchdowns on its first and last drive of the game, but did nothing in between as third-ranked Northwestern pulled out a 20-14 victory over the unranked Trojans.

Atwell was 18-for-31 for 236 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He ran twice for eight yards.

One thing the Wildcats couldn’t do was sack Atwell, but they proved a team can play strong defense without racking up a bunch of splash plays.

“There was nothing gaudy about our defense today,” B-Dawg said. “It was just solid, well-executed defense, just the way I coach them up.”

Give some love to punter Larry Hurley, who put four of his five punts inside the 20-yard line.

After falling behind 7-0 early, the Wildcats scored 17 second-quarter points to take the lead. Northwestern quarterback Ryan Boe threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to little-used receiver Quin Ford and ran for a five-yard touchdown in the quarter.

Those were the only two touchdowns the Wildcats (4-1) would score. They went up 20-7 on an Enrique Swaim field goal with 5:05 left in the game before USC kept things interesting on a nice 17-yard touchdown catch by Reggie Beebe with 3:10 remaining.

The Trojans (1-3) wouldn’t see the ball again, however, as Northwestern was able to milk the remaining clock. A key play was a third-and-nine 14-yard catch by Carson Grove with 1:53 left. Shortly before that catch, Kush went over 2,500 career rushing yards.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Idrys Cotton 14 pancakes, 0 sacks; Shawn Boyett 9-0; Calvin Claybrooks 9-0; Cornell Kafka 8-1; Deon Barry 4-1; Jaelen Camarda 3-0; Hayden Eligon 3-0; Dewayne Flowers 2-0; Quin Ford 1-0; Nazir Kush 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0.

[BDawg35]

UPDATED 2028 NATIONAL RANKINGS

[BDawg35]

2028 SEASON - GAME 6




David Diggs forces what may have been a game-changing fumble by Michigan receiver Jimmy Pack.


Northwestern safety Tito Williams recovered Pack’s fumble and took it 51 yard to the house.


Michigan had a fumble return for a touchdown of its own by Barry Gage.


Running back Nazir Kush has one of two fumbles by Northwestern.


Michigan took a 44-43 lead with 1:13 left on a 21-yard catch by Trae Lyons.


Hayden Eligon caught two touchdown passes for Northwestern.

 
Michigan’s Spencer McManis cuts upfield with a touchdown catch.


Michigan’s Anfernee Philbin scored on a 65-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.


Michigan’s Tysean Griffin scores on an 86-yard touchdown catch.


Michigan quarterback Jadyn Davis fumbles the ball.

Integrity test: Passed!
Northwestern rallies from 20 down,
knocks off top-ranked Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was a test of B-Dawg’s integrity as a virtual football coach.

With his third-ranked Northwestern Wildcats trailing No. 1 Michigan 17-0 early in the game and 27-7 in the second quarter, a lesser man would’ve hit the reset button and pretended none of it ever happened.

But B-Dawg’s motto is “street cred above all.” It might even be tattooed on his chest, right above his heart.

So, he foraged on, figuring blowout losses like the one in the season opener at Tennessee are just part of football and make for a more interesting storyline.

The game itself must’ve been impressed with B-Dawg’s integrity, because it rewarded him with a healthy dose of comeback code in a 46-44 shootout victory over Michigan on Oct. 7, 2028.

Enrique Swaim kicked the winning 21-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining after Michigan had taken a 44-43 lead with 1:13 left in the game. It was the second winning field goal by Swaim against Michigan late in a game, as he booted a 28-yarder with 29 seconds left in the national quarterfinals last season.

Northwestern allowed a 65-yard touchdown run to Anfernee Philbin on the first play from scrimmage just 11 seconds into the contest and was down 17-0 only 2:19 into the game.

The lead reached 27-7 when Michigan’s Barry Gage returned a fumble by receiver Brendan Wicks 28 yards for a touchdown with 6:48 left in the second quarter.

The play that made you think the game was going to smile favorably upon B-Dawg came shortly after the Wildcats cut the lead to 27-14. Michigan receiver Jimmy Pack fumbled the ball on a hit by linebacker David Diggs and safety Tito Williams scooped it up and went 51 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 left in the first half, making it a game again at 27-21.

“How can I, in good conscience, say I’m running a legit dynasty when I’m quitting games that appear hopeless?” B-Dawg said. “I have to admit, I thought this game had a chance to get really ugly, worse than the Tennessee loss. A real man just bends over and takes the inevitable. Somewhere along the way, the tide turned. It was after that fumble return by Tito that I started to think we had a chance. If we could keep it within two possessions, there’s always a chance.”

The Wildcats (5-1) were going to have to be in shootout mode to pull this one out, because Michigan (4-1) responded to the fumble return just 12 seconds later when Tysean Griffin caught an 86-yard touchdown pass from Jadyn Davis. Undeterred, Northwestern made it 34-28 at halftime on Hayden Eligon’s second touchdown catch of the game with 50 seconds left in the half.

“We were extremely fortunate to be down only six points at halftime,” B-Dawg said. “We felt really good in the locker room, especially knowing we got the ball to start the second half.”

The Wildcats took advantage of the opening possession, taking their first lead on a 1-yard run by Nazir Kush with 6:18 left in the third quarter.

Northwestern held Michigan to a go-ahead field goal on a drive inside the 10-yard line and regained the lead at 43-37 on another 1-yard run by Kush with 7:19 left in the game.

The seesaw battle continued, with Trae Lyons catching a 21-yard touchdown pass on third-and-one with 1:13 remaining in the game.

Northwestern’s comeback hopes appeared bleak when Ryan Boe was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Dion Stingley on the first play, but he connected with Carson Grove for a 26-yard gain on third-and-10 with 52 seconds left to keep the drive alive.

That began a streak of seven straight completions for Boe totaling 80 yards before Northwestern called timeout with 20 seconds still on the clock to set up a go-ahead field goal.

“I left too much time, but I was terrified I would get caught with a fast clock rundown and time would expire before I could hit timeout,” B-Dawg said. “I would rather be safe than sorry. I figured our chances were good making that kick with 17 seconds left.”

This is the second time Northwestern has rallied from 20 points down to win a big game in the past two seasons. The Wildcats trailed Oregon 20-0 in the Big Ten Conference championship game last season before winning 28-23.

Both teams finished with more than 500 yards of offense, Michigan with 510 and Northwestern with 503. The Wildcats racked up an astounding 38 first downs, going 9-for-10 on third down. Northwestern had a tough enough time beating Michigan without also having to beat the refs, getting called for five penalties for 30 yards while the Wolverines didn’t have a flag thrown against them.

“You know what you’re getting into when you come to the Big House,” B-Dawg said. “Just ask Minnesota about what happened in the real-life game at Michigan in 2024. I’m a Michigan fan, but even I felt the Gophers got jobbed.”





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Cornell Kafka 8 pancakes, 0 sacks; Calvin Claybrooks 4-0; Deon Barry 4-1; Idrys Cotton 3-0; Shawn Boyett 3-0; Jaelen Camarda 3-0; Nick Stoddard 3-0; Hayden Eligon 1-0; J.C. Cantwell 1-0; Nazir Kush 1-0.

[redsox907]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Boe with that veteran savvy on the final drive to down Michigan. Glad you didn't have to bend over and take the inevitable lol

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Northwestern Wildcats: Navigating the new Big Ten in CFB25

Boe with that veteran savvy on the final drive to down Michigan. Glad you didn't have to bend over and take the inevitable lol

He's definitely got that veteran savvy, but the game doesn't seem to recognize it. We go on the road and the offensive play art goes nuts like we have an 18-year-old true freshman running the offense.

And I'm glad I didn't have to take the inevitable, too. I did at Tennessee and it still hurts to sit down. I freak out when I hear Rocky Top or banjo music.