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

[BDawg35]

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

Loving the dynasty, as always, Bdawg!

Question - whats your injury and fatigue slider at? I have yet to have those severe of injuries.

Thank you! I had the slider at 52 at the time Kirtz suffered his season-ending injury. I think I dropped it down a bit after that, but not too much. Injuries are fun!

sucks how the season ended, but from what I've seen Northwestern amount to in my USC dynasty, a 7-5 record is a readily improvement. No doubt that you'll continue to guide them closer to the top

It would be best to end the season on a high note with a stomping of Western Michigan

If only I did ... (read on)

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON - BOWL GAME




Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff tosses a touch pass to Anthony Sambucci …


… and Sambucci takes off for the winning touchdown.


Kenneth Womack of Western Michigan scores on a 48-yard touchdown catch.


Western Michigan’s Damari Roberson grabs an interception that he took to the house.


Cullen Coleman bears down on Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff for a sack.


Calvin Johnson makes a 48-yard catch for Northwestern’s longest play of the game.


Cam Porter scores Northwestern’s only touchdown.


Northwestern’s Carmine Bastone celebrates a sack of Western Michigan quarterback Hayden Wolff.


Northwestern’s Caleb Komolafe is stopped on fourth down near the goal line by Western linebacker Donald Willis.

DEFEATED IN THE ‘D’
Wildcats end season with 4-game skid
after bowl loss to Western Michigan

DETROIT — Is playing with a heavy heart the reason Northwestern lost its final four games of B-Dawg’s first season at the helm?

Or was it simply because his reunion with quarterback Mike Wright never should’ve happened?

Probably a combination of both.

The Wildcats, once a contender for a Big Ten Conference championship and national playoff berth, ended the 2024 season with four consecutive losses after falling 21-10 to Western Michigan in the Detroit Bowl.

The losing streak began, understandably, against Ohio State. It continued the following week, also understandably, against Michigan. But then the Wildcats dropped winnable games against Illinois and Western Michigan.

What gives?

B-Dawg came out and admitted that the team never got its mojo back after seeing its top receiver, Bryce Kirtz, go down with a career-ending back injury in the first half of the Ohio State game.

“Our hearts weren’t in it,” B-Dawg said. “When you see a teammate’s career end in the snap of a finger, it’s hard to flip the switch and go back into football mode. We never recovered from that.”

Then there’s the quarterback play of Wright, who transferred from Vanderbilt in real life. Wright had success for B-Dawg in his NCAA ’14 Vanderbilt dynasty, throwing for 11,682 yards, 75 touchdowns and 40 interceptions while running for 1,892 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons.

B-Dawg went with Wright as his starter because of his 91 SPD but, except for one game, it was never put on display. Wright wound up throwing more interceptions (15) than touchdown passes (13). During the four-game losing streak, he threw five interceptions and no touchdown passes.

“In Mike’s defense, he had the benefit of my years of experience playing NCAA ’14 when I coached him last,” B-Dawg said. “He got me at the beginning of the cycle of a new game on an unfamiliar system. He was a little handcuffed by the man at the sticks learning the game, to be honest.”

Perhaps the Wildcats were a little too cocky going into the game. Before kickoff, B-Dawg texted good friends Roadhouse and bragged how Northwestern was going to run the ball down Western’s throats.

Instead, the Wildcats managed only one touchdown against a 75 OVR Mid-American Conference opponent, while standout running back Cam Porter averaged only 3.9 yards a carry while collecting 90 yards on 23 rushes.

Northwestern had two good drives to start the game, but the first ended when backup Caleb Komolafe was stuffed on fourth-and-one by linebacker Donald Willis. The Wildcats had run 12 times for 72 yards on the drive. A fumble on a read option keeper by Wright ended the second drive at Western’s 17.

The Wildcats surrendered a 48-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Wolff to Kenneth Womack on third-and-seven to fall behind 7-0 with 6:47 left in the second quarter, but tied it on a 2-yard run by Porter with 2:58 left in the half.

Northwestern’s defense kept the team in the game long enough for Jack Olsen to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead on a 20-yard field goal with 7:23 left in the game.

The Wildcats would fall victim to College Football 25’s “touch pass” cheese when Wolff tossed the ball to Anthony Sambucci as he was moving from left to right. Sambucci did the rest, going 11 yards to the end zone to give Western a 14-10 lead with 2:18 left in the game.

Then the interception monster reared its ugly head once again, as Damari Roberson picked off a pass and went 54 yards to the house to seal the victory with 1:37 left.

“I really need to learn how to pass the ball,” B-Dawg said. “Not just to avoid interceptions, but to have games where I’m not scoring only one touchdown against garbage MAC teams — uh, no disrespect to Western.”




NORTHWESTERN BLOCKING
Josh Thompson 5 pancakes, 0 sacks; Caleb Tiernan 4-0; Ben Wrather 4-0; Jordan Knox 3-0; Hunter Welcing 3-0; A.J. Henning 2-0; Marshall Lang 1-0; Nick Herzog 1-0; Duke Olges 1-0.

[redsox907]

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

Goes without fail. anytime I downplay an opponent in my week preview, they give me a challenge lol.

Hopefully you can parlay the 7 wins into some transfers to get the program kickstarted. But I think a 10 win season could be doable next year depending on the schedule

[RyanLeaf16]

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

Tough end to the season with the losing streak, but can't put too much stock in a bowl game. Bowl games that aren't the CFP are tricky. I'm in an online dynasty with other USF alumni. I lost to 5-6 Kentucky and couldn't stop them in my season finale, but then I went on to the Pop-Tarts Bowl and beat Colorado 41-0...go figure.

I'd just say the guys were still down from Kirtz being hurt and the fact that they were on a potential CFP track and spent part of their Holiday season at the Detroit Bowl. They probably just said "F it, I'm just here for the gift bag and the buffet." Always use your conference wins and your top 25 wins as your measuring stick brotha!

Looking forward to the off-season, portal and season two!

[cookies00]

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

Now that the season is over, it's time for me to ask: Mike Wright at Vandy or Mike Wright at NW, which did you prefer/enjoy more?

[BDawg35]

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

Goes without fail. anytime I downplay an opponent in my week preview, they give me a challenge lol.

Hopefully you can parlay the 7 wins into some transfers to get the program kickstarted. But I think a 10 win season could be doable next year depending on the schedule

Yeah, I went in figuring I could just shove the ball down their throats and not have to mix up my offense. Once it became apparent I couldn't do that, I never found a rhythm. Those MAC teams gave me problems this season - 0-2 vs. Miami (Ohio) and Western. Those are usually my cupcake opponents when I use a Big Ten team.

Tough end to the season with the losing streak, but can't put too much stock in a bowl game. Bowl games that aren't the CFP are tricky. I'm in an online dynasty with other USF alumni. I lost to 5-6 Kentucky and couldn't stop them in my season finale, but then I went on to the Pop-Tarts Bowl and beat Colorado 41-0...go figure.

I'd just say the guys were still down from Kirtz being hurt and the fact that they were on a potential CFP track and spent part of their Holiday season at the Detroit Bowl. They probably just said "F it, I'm just here for the gift bag and the buffet." Always use your conference wins and your top 25 wins as your measuring stick brotha!

Looking forward to the off-season, portal and season two!

You should have seen my guys the last few weeks. They just didn't have the spark they had the first part of the year. They were really hurting for their fallen teammate. Then they were pissed they had to go to Detroit in December. It's up to me to coach them up better so we get a better bowl game next year.

Now that the season is over, it's time for me to ask: Mike Wright at Vandy or Mike Wright at NW, which did you prefer/enjoy more?

Vandy, hands down. But I had also been playing that game for about 8 years when I started the Vandy dynasty with him, so even at Heisman mode I felt unstoppable. I could also run the read option really well in NCAA '14, so his SPD was put to good use. It wasn't fair to him to be my starting quarterback in the first year of a new game on a new platform.

[BDawg35]

2024 BOWL/PLAYOFF RECAP





FIRST ROUND

GEORGIA 35, TEXAS STATE 21
Heisman Trophy winner Carson Beck was 33-for-41 for 405 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to lead Georgia. Four Bulldog receivers had at least seven catches, led by tight end Oscar Delp with nine catches for 126 yards and receiver Dillon Bell with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan McClou was 22-for-35 for 230 yards, two touchdowns and no picks for Cinderella Texas State.

OHIO STATE 27, TEXAS A&M 17
Down 14-10 at halftime, Ohio State outscored the Aggies 14-0 in the third quarter. Will Howard was 20-for-26 for 255 yards and one touchdown and ran 12 times for 59 yards and a score for Ohio State. Freshman Jeremiah Smith had six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Noah Thomas caught six passes for 73 yards and two touchdown for Texas A&M. Conner Weigman was picked off three times by Ohio State’s defense.

KANSAS STATE 27, THE U 24 (OT)
Kansas State scored a touchdown in overtime after The U kicked a field goal on the first possession of the extra period. Avery Johnson was 30-for-42 for 337 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for Kansas State. Cam Ward went 14-for-22 for 210 yards and one touchdown for The U.

CLEMSON 38, CENTRAL FLORIDA 20
Clemson built a 38-7 lead through three quarters before Central Florida put up 13 window-dressing points in the fourth. Cade Klubnik was 27-for-33 for 334 yards and five touchdowns to Clemson. Three of those touchdowns were thrown to Troy Stellato. Phil Mafah racked up 136 yards on 13 carries on the ground. KJ Jefferson, like Klubnik a Heisman finalist, was 16-for-28 for 245 yards, three touchdowns and two picks.


QUARTERFINALS

KANSAS 35, GEORGIA 27
Jalon Daniels was 27-for-36 for 302 yards, four touchdowns to different receivers and two interceptions as Kansas sprung the upset in the Sugar Bowl. Kansas led 28-10 at halftime. Carson Beck went 16-for-31 for 336 yards, three touchdowns and a pick for Georgia. Colbie Young caught three passes for 175 yards and two scores for the Bulldogs.

OREGON 41, OHIO STATE 20
Up 17-13 at halftime in the Rose Bowl, Oregon broke it out by outscoring Ohio State 17-0 in the third. Dillon Gabriel went 19-for-31 for 294 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for Oregon. Tez Johnson caught four passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks. Will Howard threw for 251 yards, one touchdown and two picks while running for 145 yards on 13 carries for Ohio State.

FLORIDA STATE 34, KANSAS STATE 28
DJ Uiagalelei was 17-for-24 for 249 yards and four touchdowns for Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Destyn Hill and Ja’Khi Douglas each caught two touchdown passes. Keagan Johnson caught two touchdown passes for Kansas State. DJ Giddens ran 13 times for 127 yards and a score for the Wildcats.

ALABAMA 38, CLEMSON 32
Alabama’s 10-0 edge in the third quarter after trailing 24-21 at halftime was the difference in the Fiesta Bowl. Jalen Milroe was 23-for-27 for 252 yards and one touchdown while running nine times for 32 yards and a score for Alabama. Cade Klubnik was 26-for-35 for 295 yards, three touchdowns and two picks for Clemson.


SEMIFINALS

FLORIDA STATE 45, ALABAMA 14
Florida State raced out to a 31-0 halftime lead in the Orange Bowl. DJ Uiagalelei was 23-for-27 for 292 yards and four touchdowns for the Seminoles. Jalen Milroe was 17-for-24 for 181 yards, one touchdown and two picks for Alabama.

OREGON 38, KANSAS 10
Up 7-3 after one quarter, Oregon built the lead to 28-3 by halftime in the Cotton Bowl. Dillon Gabriel went 17-for-21 for 339 yards, four touchdowns and one pick for the Ducks. Jordan James ran 21 times for 103 yards, while Traeshon Holden and Tez Johnson each caught two touchdown passes for Oregon. Kansas’ Jalon Daniels was 12-for-27 for 167 yards, one touchdown and two picks.


THE NATTY

OREGON 55, FLORIDA STATE 40
Oregon rolled up 621 yards of total offense in a shootout that was only 7-7 after one quarter. Oregon scored 20 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third to take a 48-10 lead. Florida State scored 30 mostly meaningless fourth-quarter points. Dillon Gabriel GOT OFF (!!!), going 22-for-28 for 520 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions to lead Oregon. Evan Stewart caught six passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, while Traeshon Holden caught four for 86 yards and three scores. DJ Uiagalelei of Florida State was 24-for-35 for 314 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Oregon is officially EA Sports’ darling in College Football 25.


2024 BOWL GAMES
WEEK 1
LA Bowl: Hawaii 34, Illinois 24
Frisco Bowl: Appalachian State 28, Alabama-Birmingham 14
Fenway Bowl: Tulane 31, Duke 13
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Louisiana-Lafayette 38, Miami (Ohio) 31
Bahamas Bowl: Georgia Southern 30, Liberty 14
CFP first round: Georgia 35, Texas State 21
Cure Bowl: Georgia State 21, Toledo 13
CFP first round: Ohio State 27, Texas A&M 17
New Mexico Bowl: Florida International 42, Colorado State 28
Las Vegas Bowl: Penn State 36, Oklahoma State 35
CFP first round: Kansas State 27, The U 24 (OT)
68 Ventures Bowl: Buffalo 24, James Madison 3
CFP first round: Clemson 38, Central Florida 20
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Boise State 27, South Alabama 23
Boca Raton Bowl: Louisville 48, Texas-San Antonio 10
Detroit Bowl: Western Michigan 21, Northwestern 10
New Orleans Bowl: Arkansas State 52, Louisiana Tech 50
Hawaii Bowl: Washington State 21, San Diego State 14
Gasparilla Bowl: Iowa State 31, North Carolina State 17
Independence Bowl: Washington 35, Texas Tech 18
Armed Forces Bowl: Massachusetts 27, Fresno State 14
Texas Bowl: Utah 38, LSU 32
Military bowl: Rice 31, Virginia Tech 27
First Responder Bowl: Tulsa 28, Oregon State 21
Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati 47, East Carolina 28
Birmingham Bowl: Notre Dame 38, Syracuse 24
Holiday Bowl: Stanford 31, Wisconsin 16
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Arizona 25, UNLV 24
Camellia Bowl: Missouri 22, South Florida 15
WEEK 2
Sugar Bowl: Kansas 35, Georgia 27
Rose Bowl: Oregon 41, Ohio State 20
Peach Bowl: Florida State 34, Kansas State 28
Fiesta Bowl: Alabama 38, Clemson 32
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Baylor 28, Boston College 21
Alamo Bowl: Michigan 42, West Virginia 6
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina 31, Western Kentucky 6
Sun Bowl: Kent State 30, Middle Tennessee State 20
Music City Bowl: Maryland 28, Tennessee 24
Arizona Bowl: Jacksonville State 9, North Texas 0
Reliaquest Bowl: Nebraska 31, Texas 27
Citrus Bowl: Mississippi 27, USC 17
Gator Bowl: California 23, Arkansas 14
WEEK 3
Orange Bowl: Florida State 45, Alabama 14
Cotton Bowl: Oregon 38, Kansas 10
WEEK 4
The Natty: Oregon 55, Florida State 40

[BDawg35]

2024 NORTHWESTERN RECAP


Cam Porter rushed for 1,461 yards and 14 touchdowns for Northwestern in 2024.

2024 NORTHWESTERN RECAP

Team ratings: 81 OVR, 82 offense, 81 defense
Preseason ranking: Unranked
Final ranking: Unranked
Record: 7-6, 5-4 Big Ten (T-7th)
Bowl game: Western Michigan 21, Northwestern 10 (Detroit Bowl)
Award winners: MLB Xander Mueller (Linebacker of the Year)
First-team All-America: None
Second-team All-America: HB Cam Porter
Freshman All-America: None
First-team All-Big Ten: None
Second-team All-Big Ten: HB Cam Porter
Passing leader: Mike Wright 309-for-480, 3,273 yards, 13 TD, 15 int.
Rushing leader: Cam Porter 325 carries, 1,461 yards, 14 TD
Receiving leaders: A.J. Henning 72 catches, 736 yards, 1 TD; Bryce Kirtz 59 catches, 746 yards, 2 TD
Defense: Xander Mueller 109 tackles, 27 TFL; Cullen Coleman 11 sacks;
Synopsis: It looked like Northwestern was in the midst of a special season when the Wildcats got off to a 7-2 start. They were in the running for a Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, but knew back-to-back games against Ohio State and Michigan in November would be difficult to win. Not only did the Wildcats predictably lose those games, but they lost to Illinois to conclude the regular season and Western Michigan in the Detroit Bowl to end the year with a four-game losing streak. Interceptions were an issue for B-Dawg as he learned the new game, with Northwestern throwing 16 interceptions and only 13 touchdown passes. Bright spots were running back Cam Porter, who rushed for 1,461 yards, and middle linebacker Xander Mueller, who had 109 tackles and was chosen Linebacker of the Year. Disaster struck in the Ohio State game when senior receiver Bryce Kirtz suffered a career-ending back injury, the first such injury B-Dawg has ever incurred playing a college football video game.

[djp73]

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

Bummer to lose four straight after a promising start. Maybe you can avoid a couple of the big boys on the schedule next year and get closer to the top of the conference.

[bigjdotcom01]

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

Damn! Got off to a great start and then faded down the stretch. Lets see those Wildcats come out hungry in 2025!

[cookies00]

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

Solid first year overall ...FSU in the Natty, imagine that...

[BDawg35]

DEARLY DEPARTED AFTER 2024




Quarterback Mike Wright is among 42 players departing from the Northwestern football program.

Northwestern’s roster ravaged by
graduation, transfer following 2024

The urgency to get things done on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal has just magnified greatly for Northwestern coach B-Dawg.

He will be losing almost half his roster following the graduation of 41 players and the transfer of another. It was something he should have seen coming, but wasn’t focused on as he tried win games in his first season with the Wildcats.

“This is devastating to our program,” B-Dawg said. “Even if I handed out all 35 scholarships, we would still be a bit thin next season. Now we are going to have a shell of a roster. Maybe I should have just gone after any warm one-star body that showed interest in us, but I didn’t really think about how many players we were losing. We may have trouble going two-deep at some positions next season.”

Coach prestige was an issue for four Wildcats who considered transferring. Patrick Schaller, a 55 OVR freshman defensive end, ultimately left. Sticking around in Evanston are 67 OVR freshman guard Idrys Cotton, 67 OVR defensive end Troy Regovich and 71 OVR receiver Frank Covey.

Had one more player transferred, Northwestern would have lost more than half of its 85-man roster.

The Wildcats will lose their leading passer (Mike Wright), rusher (Cam Porter), receivers (A.J. Henning and Bryce Kirtz), tackler (Xander Mueller) and sacker (Cullen Coleman).

“That just means there are opportunities for other guys,” B-Dawg said. “Nobody knew who those guys were before this last season. New stars will emerge; they always do.”

DEARLY DEPARTED
Xander Mueller, MLB, 87 OVR
Coco Azema, SS, 86 OVR
Theran Johnson, CB, 86 OVR
Cam Porter, HB, 84 OVR
Bryce Kirtz, WR, 84 OVR
A.J. Henning, WR, 82 OVR
Ore Adeyi, CB, 81 OVR
Josh Thompson, OT, 80 OVR
Caleb Tiernan, OT, 79 OVR
Jack Olsen, K, 78 OVR
Ben Wrather, C, 78 OVR
Thomas Gordon, TE, 77 OVR
Marshall Lang, TE, 76 OVR
Carmine Bastone, DT, 76 OVR
Garner Wallace, SS, 76 OVR
Tyree Vernon, OT, 76 OVR
Joe DeHaan, FS, 76 OVR
Duke Olges, TE, 75 OVR
Richie Hagarty, DE, 75 OVR
Mac Uihlein, OLB, 75 OVR
Sean McLaughlin, DE, 75 OVR
Jaylen Pate, DE, 75 OVR
Greyson Metz, OLB, 75 OVR
Mike Wright, QB, 74 OVR
Jackson Carsello, C, 74 OVR
Aidan Hubbard, DE, 73 OVR
Nick Mills, DT, 73 OVR
Ryan Hilinski, QB, 73 OVR
Najee Story, DT, 73 OVR
Cooper Lovelace, OT, 73 OVR
Calvin Johnson, WR, 72 OVR
R.J. Pearson, DT, 72 OVR
Cullen Coleman, DE, 72 OVR
Hunter Welcing, TE, 71 OVR
Hunter Renner, P, 71 OVR
Lawson Albright, TE, 71 OVR
Donnie Gray, WR, 68 OVR
Jacob Tabibian, K, 62 OVR
Will Halkyard, TE, 58 OVR
Jake Arthurs, HB, 55 OVR
Braeden Edwards, OT, 55 OVR
Patrick Schaller, DE, 55 OVR (freshman, transfer/coach prestige)

[BDawg35]

NATIONAL SIGNING DAY - 2025



N-Dub’s recruiting class ranked No. 62

Recruiting and the transfer portal barely put a dent in the holes in Northwestern’s football roster.

Coach B-Dawg has signed 16 high school players and brought in two players via the portal after losing 42 players from last year’s team. That will leave Northwestern with a 59-man roster, well short of the max of 85.

“We will have to work some gymnastics to move guys around to fill out some positions,” B-Dawg said. “A lesson was learned during this recruiting cycle and I’ll never in my career lose that many players in one year ago. The rebuilding job begins now.”

Northwestern’s class is ranked 62nd in the nation and includes four-star defensive tackle Zack Cobb, 13 three-star players and two two-star players.

“We got too picky about talent,” B-Dawg said. “We should have been more cognizant of the fact our roster was going to be gutted and just brought in a bunch of warm bodies.”










TOP CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING CLASSES

1. Texas
2. Notre Dame
3. Georgia
4. Michigan
5. LSU
6. Oregon
7. The U
8. Oklahoma
9. Penn State
10. Alabama
11. Ohio State
12. Mississippi
13. Tennessee
14. Kentucky
15. South Carolina
16. Clemson
17. Washington
18. North Carolina State
19. Florida
20. Wisconsin
21. Auburn
22. Iowa
23. USC
24. Texas A&M
25. Nebraska
36. Maryland
47. UCLA
57. Rutgers
62. NORTHWESTERN
74. Illinois
79. Indiana
96. Michigan State
102. Purdue
110. Minnesota
134. New Mexico State

[djp73]

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

Looking like a pretty brutal roster. Will be interesting to see how you are able to move players around and fill holes.

[redsox907]

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

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that many players graduate at once. Going to be a tough sophomore season with a bare bones roster.

But, just means more room to bring in "B-dawg guys"