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

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON - GAME 8




Northwestern defensive end Anto Saka sacks Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara for a safety.


Northwestern free safety Joe DeHaan breaks up a pass.


Northwestern running back Cam Porter celebrates a touchdown.


Northwestern’s Devin Turner picks off a pass that he took to the house.


Northwestern defensive end Anto Saka had 2.5 sacks of Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara.


Northwestern receiver Calvin Johnson reaches back to snare a pass.

Beaten at own game
Northwestern takes Iowa’s blueprint,
wins snooze-fest as ‘D’ steps up big

IOWA CITY — Simply put, Northwestern out-Iowaed Iowa.

Nothing is more on brand for Iowa football than to have a stout defense bail out a garbage offense, which is how the Wildcats beat the Hawkeyes, 22-7, on Oct. 26, 2024.

It was a snooze-fest on offense for Northwestern, which managed only one touchdown and two field goals while running 50 times for 171 yards and going 14-for-25 for 139 yards.

Iowa wasn’t much better because — well, it’s Iowa. Led by former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, the Hawkeyes mustered only 247 yards of offense and one touchdown.

That one touchdown with 6:52 left in the game put pressure on Northwestern, which had its lead cut to 14-7.

That’s when the defense decided enough was enough and it would have to do something to secure this victory.

The first “something” was a sack of McNamara in the end zone by defensive end Anto Saka for a safety with 3:10 left in the game, giving Northwestern a two-possession lead at 16-7. Setting the stage for the safety were a pound that went out of bounds at the 8-yard line and the decision to accept a holding penalty, taking away a third-and-three opportunity for Iowa with a little more room to operate.

“I’ll let everyone know that was a user sack,” B-Dawg said. “I never control anyone on defense, because that’s a recipe for disaster, but I’m having success controlling Anto Saka and getting sacks and pressures.”

The second “something” wrapped up the victory with 1:18 remaining when Devin Turner took an interception 57 yards to the house.

McNamara finished 15-for-42 for 181 yards, no touchdowns and on interception. Nine of his completions were to tight ends (a very Iowa thing go do), one to a running back and only five for 86 yards to wide receivers. For much of the game, McNamara was throwing the ball away because he was confused or under pressure, which explains the 35.7-percent completion rate.

“We beat Iowa at its own game,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “We played mistake-free football, played smart, ran it a lot, played tough defense. took field goals when it was prudent and got the dub.”

Cam Porter scored Northwestern’s only offensive touchdown, running 28 times for 105 hard-fought yards. He leads the nation in rushing with 1,033 yards on 221 carries, scoring 10 touchdowns. Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon is second with 1,007 rushing yards, but is averaging 7.5 yards per carry to Porter’s 4.7.

Northwestern’s No. 1 receiver, Bryce Kirtz, was absolutely brutal. He didn’t have a catch and dropped both passes that touched his hands. He came into the game with 46 catches for 560 yards and a touchdown and only two drops.




NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Josh Thompson 9 pancakes, 0 sacks; Caleb Tiernan 6-0; Duke Olges 5-0; Ben Wrather 5-0; Jordan Knox 4-0; Hunter Welcing 3-0; Thomas Gordon 2-0; Nick Herzog 2-0; Cam Porter 1-0; Bryce Kirtz 1-0.

[superjames1992]

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

BDawg, do you experience the shadow glitch with Northwestern during day games at home? I kicked around doing a NW dynasty a while back, but that was bothering me too much! It may be a console-specific thing, though (I am on Xbox).

[redsox907]

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

Not the flashiest win, but Iowa is a team that is always sneaky. Nice job winning the defensive game

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON - WEEK 9




Northwestern kicker Jack Olsen kicks the game-winning 27-yard field goal with four seconds left.


Purdue’s Markevious Brown intercepts a pass.


Northwestern cornerback Ore Adeyi breaks up the final pass of the game.


Purdue’s Dillon Thieneman intercepts a pass.


Northwestern running back Joseph Himon catches a touchdown pass.


Northwestern receiver Frank Covey makes a big 30-yard catch.


Northwestern’s Cullen Coleman sacks Purdue quarterback Hudson Card.


Purdue’s Devin Mockobee ran 19 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns.


Northwestern receiver Bryce Kirtz crosses the goal line with a touchdown catch.

SOMBER WIN
Northwestern loses standout defender
while beating Purdue on final seconds

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The celebration in the visitors’ locker room was muted following 24th-ranked Northwestern’s 27-24 victory over Purdue on Nov. 2, 2024.

Word came down to the players that standout defensive end Anto Saka will miss 11 weeks with a dislocated elbow which, this late in the season, effectively ends his outstanding junior year.

Saka was injured in the third quarter and originally just listed as being out for the game. The full details were revealed after the game.

Saka has been a beast for the Wildcats as the left defensive end being user-controlled by B-Dawg with shocking success for a coach who never user-controls defenders. Saka has six sacks, 13 tackles for losses, six deflections and 25 total tackles in nine games.

“We all feel a little down right now about what happened to Anto, but it’s next man up and we’ll have someone ready to go next week against — gulp! — Ohio State,” Northwestern coach B-Dawg said. “He’s felt really good in my hands using him to loop into the line and get to the quarterback unimpeded several times this year. I hope whoever takes over his spot has the same burst off the line.”

The Wildcats (7-2) led 17-7 at halftime, but Purdue fought back to tie the game 24-24 on Devin Mockobee’s second touchdown run of the game with 1:01 remaining.

The Wildcats then marched 65 yards in six plays, including three straight successful drag route passes to Bryce Kirtz, who finished with 171 yards and a touchdown on 12 catches. Northwestern moved into possession for a game-winning 27-yard field goal by Jack Olsen with four seconds left.

Purdue had one second left after the following kickoff and had its one final pass knocked down by cornerback Ore Adeyi to end the game.

Northwestern quarterback Mike Wright was 29-for-43 for 354 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two critical interceptions that made the game more difficult than it needed to be for the Wildcats.

The Boilermakers ran effectively, with Mockobee gaining 122 yards on 19 carries and Jaheim Merriweather chipping in with 18 yards on his only two carries, but they abandoned the run for significant stretches.




NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Jordan Knox 6 pancakes, 0 sacks; Nick Herzog 5-0; Josh Thompson 3-0; Caleb Tiernan 3-0; Duke Olges 2-0; Ben Wrather 2-1; Thomas Gordon 2-0; Simon Silva 1-0; Lawson Albright 1-0.

[BDawg35]

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

BDawg, do you experience the shadow glitch with Northwestern during day games at home? I kicked around doing a NW dynasty a while back, but that was bothering me too much! It may be a console-specific thing, though (I am on Xbox).

It does seem to get dark when you're going into the sun. It's a little annoying, but not a game killer. It would be cool to have the stadium Northwestern is using this season. It looks like a small soccer stadium on Lake Michigan.

Not the flashiest win, but Iowa is a team that is always sneaky. Nice job winning the defensive game

It felt very much like I was playing an Iowa game. What was also fun was the fans waving at the children's hospital. I love seeing some of the unique traditions in the game. Another reason why I like being in the expanded Big Ten.

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING UPDATE



NW gets another DB commitment

At this rate, Northwestern will become known as DB U.

The Wildcats have three commitments so far during the B-Dawg regime and all three are defensive backs.

The latest to jump on board with Northwestern is three-star free safety Vonn Waddy of Wendell, N.C.

Waddy is the 22nd-ranked free safety and 509th overall recruit in the Class of 2025. He’s 5 foot 10, 198 pounds. He chose Northwestern over Wake Forest and North Carolina State.

Waddy has a zone tendency. He joins two other three-star prospects, cornerback Jose Watford and free safety Lamar Bakhtiari, as the newest Wildcats.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, are having the kind of predictable growing pains on the recruiting trail that you would expect in the first season of a dynasty.

The team’s top four targets have all committed elsewhere, including wide receiver Dimitri Newcomb. Newcomb, the fifth-ranked receiver in the country, chose Illinois over Northwestern and Iowa State, in that order.

Four-star prospects who opted to play elsewhere are WR-14 Moses Dennis (Missouri), OT-5 Maurice Swope (Michigan) and WR-31 Scott Bequette (Iowa). Northwestern was third on the list of all three players.

The only four-star prospect remaining on Northwestern’s board is Zack Cobb, the 10th-ranked defensive tackle in the country. Cobb has Northwestern No. 1 on his list, with Army, Rutgers, Wake Forest and North Carolina also in the running.

[redsox907]

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

They tried to spoil the game, good job holding on for the GW FG.

Watch out for Purdue in the future. Ryan Browne became a stud in my dynasty and broke the Big Ten passing record en route to a 2027 Natty

[RyanLeaf16]

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

Catching up a bit. Mike Wright has stepped up in the passing game - other than those 3 INTs against Purdue, but you still got the dub!

What was up with Cam Porter having limited carriers against the Boilermakers? Is the wear/tear system rearing it's ugly head as the season closes down? He's been the 3-down back you need to get those tough yards in B1G conference games. Hoping to see him back to his old workload against Ohio State.

Massive kick in the gut with Saka. Just a big of unsolicited advice, go with the strongest power-rusher you have at LE. He may not have the burst of Saka, but if his skills are lower than Saka's, you're gonna want those power-moves over the finesse rushers.

Looking forward to reading how it goes against Ohio State. Run the ball well, keep yourself in short down-and-distance situations and hit on the 3rd down pass and you can win that game.

#GoCats

[cookies00]

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

Gotta catch up still, but glad to see you on CFB25! Didn't you also have Wright at Vandy? Interesting.

[BDawg35]

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

They tried to spoil the game, good job holding on for the GW FG.

Watch out for Purdue in the future. Ryan Browne became a stud in my dynasty and broke the Big Ten passing record en route to a 2027 Natty

I will keep an eye out for him. It's funny how different players can be beasts in one dynasty and inconsequential in another. I don't need to face any stud quarterbacks.

Catching up a bit. Mike Wright has stepped up in the passing game - other than those 3 INTs against Purdue, but you still got the dub!

What was up with Cam Porter having limited carriers against the Boilermakers? Is the wear/tear system rearing it's ugly head as the season closes down? He's been the 3-down back you need to get those tough yards in B1G conference games. Hoping to see him back to his old workload against Ohio State.

Massive kick in the gut with Saka. Just a big of unsolicited advice, go with the strongest power-rusher you have at LE. He may not have the burst of Saka, but if his skills are lower than Saka's, you're gonna want those power-moves over the finesse rushers.

Looking forward to reading how it goes against Ohio State. Run the ball well, keep yourself in short down-and-distance situations and hit on the 3rd down pass and you can win that game.

#GoCats

Wear and tear seems to be limiting my running back carries, which is probably as it should be.

This whole "user-controlled player" thing is new to me. I've been playing football video games since 2002 and have never done it at all, because my stick skillz are horrible. I started doing it with my defensive end because if you mess up, you're probably not going to open up a big play for the offense. I'll play around with different player types there, but I do like having the speed of the defensive end once he gets through a hole. He's getting his user sacks when he's pretty much unblocked and has a free lane to the QB.

Gotta catch up still, but glad to see you on CFB25! Didn't you also have Wright at Vandy? Interesting.

You get a gold star for the best memory of any poster! I indeed had a Mike Wright at Vandy. I'm wondering if it's the same guy who transferred.

...

Just looked it up ... AND IT'S THE SAME DUDE!!! How did I not know this until now? Thanks for pointing that out.

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON - GAME 10




Ohio State freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith caught 5 passes for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns at Northwestern.


Ohio State’s Caleb Downs picks off a pass he took to the house.


Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer gets a sack on fourth down.


Northwestern middle linebacker Xander Mueller intercepts a pass.


Northwestern’s Richie Hagarty celebrates a sack of Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.


Northwestern’s Cullen Coleman sacks Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.


Northwestern quarterback Mike Wright celebrates a touchdown run.


Ohio State quarterback Will Howard was 14-for-17 for 278 yards, four touchdowns and one pick.

LETHAL FRESHMAN
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith blows up
in Buckeyes’ victory at Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. — EA Sports gave Jeremiah Smith an 84 OVR rating, a significant show of respect for a true freshman who is killing it in real life.

But the Ohio State receiver played like a 99 OVR freak during the second-ranked Buckeyes’ 38-14 victory over 17th-ranked Northwestern on Nov. 16, 2024.

Smith simply couldn’t be covered on the deep ball, as he hauled in touchdown passes of 58 and 91 yards to stake Ohio State to an early 21-0 lead. He finished with five catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

Both touchdowns happened on third-and-long situations.

With Ohio State facing third-and-18, Northwestern coach B-Dawg dialed up a blitz to force Will Howard to throw the ball early to someone short of the sticks. B-Dawg thought he had three safeties back, but they were invisible. Smith was wide open on a seam route and was in the clear to give the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead with 3:38 left in the first quarter.

“I normally don’t like to blitz, because stuff like that usually happens,” B-Dawg said. “I wasn’t as confident about getting Ohio State off the field in that situation as I would be against a normal team, so I took a risk and got burned.”

On Smith’s 91-yard touchdown, B-Dawg called a dime defense with two safeties back on third-and-12. Smith got behind free safety Joe DeHaan and was gone. At that point, just 2:23 into the second quarter, Howard was 5-for-6 for 168 yards and three touchdowns.

“We were more worried about their ground game and they torched us through the air,” B-Dawg said.

Howard finished 14-for-17 for 278 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Running back Treveyon Henderson wasn’t much of a factor, running 19 times for 87 yards.

The Wildcats got themselves back in the game when a four-yard run by Cam Porter cut Ohio State’s lead to 28-14 with 6:47 left in the third quarter.

But then Mike Wright coughed up the ball twice, once on a fumble and then on an interception that Caleb Downs took 65 yards to the house with 9:10 left in the game.

Ohio State looks like a national championship contender at 10-0. Northwestern’s hopes of making the playoff took a hit, with the Wildcats dropping to 7-3.





NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Caleb Tiernan 5 pancakes, 0 sacks; Ben Wrather 4-0; Jordan Knox 4-1; Nick Herzog 2-0; Josh Thompson 2-2; Duke Olges 1-0; Hunter Welcing 1-0; Thomas Gordon 1-0.

[BDawg35]

CAREER-ENDING INJURY


Northwestern receiver Bryce Kirtz grabs his back after suffering a career-ending injury against Ohio State.


Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz makes the final catch of his football career.

Back injury ends career for
Northwestern’s top receiver

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern coach B-Dawg faced an existential crisis while taking a trip to the post office in the middle of his game against Ohio State.

B-Dawg paused the game at halftime having already seen the devastating news flash across his screen — leading receiver Bryce Kirtz had suffered a career-ending injury.

Still shaken by that news, B-Dawg ran a quick errand up to the post office and pondered his next move.

Did he stay true to himself and play out the game, essentially ending the career of his most dynamic offensive player?

Or would he quietly quit the game and start over? Nobody would know.

But B-Dawg would know. And he couldn’t live with himself knowing he didn’t roll with the punches the game was throwing his way.

“I would be a fraud in my own mind,” he said.

So, when he got back to the sticks, he resumed the game, which ended in a 38-14 loss to the Buckeyes. When he officially saved his dynasty file afterward, he bid a tearful adieu to Bryce Kirtz.

Kirtz suffered what the game called a “back strain” after making a 17-yard reception with 2:28 left in the first half.

Anybody who has ever had a back strain knows it’s painful, but not permanently debilitating. Perhaps a ruptured disc or broken spine would have been more appropriate for a career-ending injury.

Kirtz is Northwestern’s top receiver, making 59 catches for 746 yards and two touchdowns. His 12.6 yards per catch is the most by any player who has at least 10 receptions.

“Farewell, Bryce Kirtz,” B-Dawg said. “We hardly knew ye.”

This is the first career-ending injury B-Dawg has ever seen in a college football video game and only the third ever in his coaching career. While coaching the Detroit Lions in Madden back in the day, quarterbacks Joey Harrington and Mike McMahon had career-ending injuries.

[BDawg35]

WEEK 12 NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK



What could have been
Cornerback nearly coached by B-Dawg
picks off 5 passes for Coastal Carolina

When B-Dawg was deciding which team to roll with in College Football ’25, his first choice was Coastal Carolina.

He loved the teal field and the opportunity to play matchups he’d never experienced before.

But when he accidentally simmed a game a few games into this first season, he abandoned ship and started over at Northwestern.

One of the things B-Dawg was looking forward to at Coastal Carolina was posting headlines with “McDOOOOOOOOM” every time star cornerback Matthew McDoom had a big game.

He never envisioned a game as massive as the one McDoom had during a 41-21 victory at Marshall in Week 12.

McDoom picked off five passes to tie the FBS record achieved four other times in real life. Akron’s Dick Miller had six interceptions against Baldwin-Wallace on Oct. 23, 1937 before division records were compiled.

McDoom had 88 yards in interception returns and three solo tackles. He somehow didn’t return one for a touchdown.

Marshall quarterback Cole Pennington threw six interceptions, going 20-for-36 for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

[RyanLeaf16]

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

That early lead OSU jumped out to hurts when your trying to shorten the game with a grind-it-out style, but part of me thinks you can appreciate that. If it was too easy early on, there would be no fun in it.

Suck about Kirtz, but glad you rolled with the punches. REO Speedwagon is proud of you too lol.

"If you're tire of the same old story
Oh, turn some pages
I'll be here when you're ready to roll with the changes"

McDoom is just a name made for TV, maybe he hits the portal and you can get him on campus.

#GoCats

[BDawg35]

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

That early lead OSU jumped out to hurts when your trying to shorten the game with a grind-it-out style, but part of me thinks you can appreciate that. If it was too easy early on, there would be no fun in it.

Suck about Kirtz, but glad you rolled with the punches. REO Speedwagon is proud of you too lol.

"If you're tire of the same old story
Oh, turn some pages
I'll be here when you're ready to roll with the changes"

McDoom is just a name made for TV, maybe he hits the portal and you can get him on campus.

#GoCats

So much to like about your comment, especially the REO Speedwagon reference. They were the shiz my senior year of high school. Yes, I'm THAT old!

And you're right - I would've been disappointed to start beating the Ohio States of the world regularly in year one. I do enjoy picking off an upset here or there in the first couple years, but when it happens too regularly, you need to question a lot about yourself as a dynasty mode guy.