Northwestern left Ohio State with a 28-19 loss, but David Braun didn’t sound like a coach ready to spin the result into excuses. He gave the Buckeyes their due, pointed to a few key moments that swung the game, and kept coming back to the same idea: his program is trying to reach the level Ohio State has already established.
“First off, credit to Ohio State. (They) made more plays down the stretch to put them in a situation to pull away there at the end.”
That was the cleanest summary of the night. Ohio State took advantage when it mattered, turning a muffed punt and an overturned Jeremiah Smith catch into touchdowns in the red zone.
Northwestern had its own chances in similar spots and came away empty. A punt bounced off Devin Sanchez’s back and the Wildcats recovered, but the drive stalled after an illegal formation penalty and a three-and-out.
Those sequences told the story as much as the final score did.
Braun didn’t hide how he views the gap between the two programs, either. He said Northwestern is still working toward the kind of success the Buckeyes have stacked up in recent years.
“The reality is Ohio State has achieved things in recent years that we’re chasing after as a program. You know, whether that be conference championships, opportunities in the College Football Playoff, National Championships.”
For Braun, that’s the standard in the Big Ten. He has set a high bar at Northwestern, and he knows where the measuring stick sits. The Wildcats had spent multiple weeks in the top 25 before losing starting quarterback Aidan Chiles, and Braun made it clear that with Chiles healthy, this season might have kept moving in a better direction.
He was also asked about the Jeremiah Smith third-down play that was first ruled incomplete before replay changed the outcome and eventually helped lead to an Ohio State touchdown on that drive. Braun didn’t dance around it.
“No, no I didn’t. I thought the officials on the field made the right call. And I think sometimes with replay, you know, we overcomplicate it and abandon common sense.”
On Northwestern’s own penalty that wiped out a run for a first down, Braun kept the focus on his team. He said the Wildcats need to be better and clearer about where they’re lining up. He did not lean on officiating as the reason the game slipped away.
Braun also updated the status of Chiles, who missed this game and last week’s 24-10 loss to Iowa. His timeline sounded less optimistic than it had before.
“I felt like last week was much more day-to-day. You know, as we’ve progressed and he’s continued to navigate this, I feel like it’s a little bit more week-to-week.”
Northwestern is now waiting on its quarterback and trying to steady a season that once looked like it could stay on track for a Big Ten title chase.
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The pushback is easy to find in Ohio States own recent games, from Smiths game-winning touchdown against Indiana to a strong showing against Iowa that featured key receptions and scores. Even with the Buckeyes College Football Playoff path still uncertain, Smith remains one of the sports top Heisman Trophy candidates, which is exactly why any fresh swipe at his big-game rsum is going to get noticed. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces A Bigger Problem Than Just Beating Northwestern
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The path forward is complicated by more than just its own inconsistency. The Buckeyes are also watching results elsewhere, with teams such as UCLA, Indiana, USC, Oregon and Iowa all shaping the postseason picture around them. Even if Ohio State handles Northwestern, the bigger question is whether this group can sharpen enough to hold its place in a crowded Big Ten race and keep its playoff hopes alive. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Let This One Slip Away Against No. 4 UConn
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The Buckeyes were undone by a second-half surge from UConn, which shot a season-best 61.2% from the field and 47.4% from beyond the arc. Ohio States 16 turnovers made the climb even steeper, and Jimmie Williams 17 points were not enough to keep the Buckeyes within striking distance once the game started slipping away. [Read more 🡒]