The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 131 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS • NOV. 15 • GAME 10 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Northwestern won nine games, includ- ing beating Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, in 2023, its first season under head coach Da- vid Braun, who began the year with an in- terim tag after taking over for the fired Pat Fitzgerald. That was wholly unexpected. Every bit of it. The Wildcats came back down to earth in 2024, though, going 4-8 overall and 2-7 in Big Ten play. The offense was ineffective — to put it mildly — scoring less than 10 points in four of 12 games — all losses. They ranked 128th nationally with an average of 17.8 points per game and checked in 123rd in rushing and 111th in passing. The explosives weren't there, with only 131 plays of 10-plus yards (tied 124th). Mike Wright III and Jack Lausch both started games at quarterback, but the Wildcats ranked 17th of 18 teams (only ahead of Michigan) with 5.7 passing yards per attempt. A fix may be on the way, how- ever, with Braun and Co. adding a transfer who's been productive: graduate Preston Stone. The 6-foot-1, 214-pounder was a backup on SMU's College Football Playoff team last season, but in 2023 he started 12 games and completed 59.9 percent of his passes for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns with 6 interceptions, adding 198 yards and 4 scores as a rusher. He led the Mustangs to the American Athletic Conference cham- pionship game but broke his leg late in 2023 and lost the starting job the following sea- son to Kevin Jennings. The pieces are there for the Northwest- ern offense to take strides in 2025. Two starting offensive linemen return, led by redshirt junior left tackle Caleb Tiernan, an honorable mention All-Big Ten selec- tion. Graduate running back Cam Porter has been Mr. Reliable for years and aver- aged 4 yards per carry while rushing for 6 touchdowns in 2024. While the team's top three receivers have departed, the Wildcats did add ju- nior wideout Griffin Wilde, an FCS transfer from South Dakota State. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder collected second-team All- Missouri Valley honors last season, haul- ing in 71 receptions for 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns. Northwestern checked in 56th nationally in total defense a season ago (after being tied for 36th the previous campaign) and especially excelled in the red zone. Oppo- nents scored touchdowns on only 54 per- cent of their trips to the red area, with that figure slotting tied for 31st in the sport. Six starters are back for second-year co- ordinator Tim McGarigle, including lead- ing tackler Mac Uihlein, a redshirt junior middle linebacker. Redshirt sophomore Braden Turner and redshirt sophomore Josh Fussell make up a strong cornerback duo. Those two combined for 76 tackles and 7 pass breakups a season ago. Michigan State transfer Dillon Tatum will add to the back end at safety. The bulk of the continuity comes along the defensive front, where three starters — highlighted by leading sack man Aidan Hubbard at edge rusher — remain in place. One of the most intriguing players on the roster is redshirt sophomore edge Anto Saka — a 6-foot-4, 247-pounder with tre- mendous upside despite not starting any games in his college career. Saka showed up at No. 28 overall in The Athletic's early 2026 mock draft, after daz- zling as a sub-package player in 2024. He racked up 3.5 sacks and 27 pressures on 163 pass-rushing snaps. His performance in a 37-10 win over Maryland, notching 5 pres- sures, was eye-opening. That front seven should allow North- western to thrive against the run again, af- ter ranking 37th nationally in rushing de- fense last season, and the potential threat of Saka as an elite pass rusher and another productive season from Hubbard could help the group become more dynamic. Northwestern averaged only 1.9 sacks and 4.8 tackles for loss per game last fall. ❑ Northwestern Aims For More Explosiveness In 2025 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 at Tulane — Sept. 6 WESTERN ILLINOIS — Sept. 13 OREGON — Sept. 27 UCLA — Oct. 4 LOUISIANA MONROE — Oct. 11 at Penn State — Oct. 18 PURDUE W, 26-20 (OT) Oct. 25 at Nebraska — Nov. 8 at USC — Nov. 15 MICHIGAN L, 50-6 Nov. 22 MINNESOTA — Nov. 29 at Illinois L, 38-28 REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • QB Preston Stone has been there, done that • David Braun has had good defenses • Key transfer additions REASONS FOR CONCERN • Penn State, Michigan and Oregon on the schedule • Offense needs to make a big jump • Not much home-field advantage Northwestern avoids Ohio State, but the Wildcats have a sneaky-tough schedule in 2025. Even games against Nebraska, USC and Illinois will be big challenges, and Min- nesota was no pushover last season, either. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 60-15-2 First Meeting: Northwestern 10, Michigan 8 (Oct. 29, 1892, in Chicago) Last Meeting: U-M 50, Northwestern 6 (Nov. 23, 2024, in Ann Arbor) Head Coach: David Braun, 12-13 at North- western and overall (third year) 2024 In Review: 4-8, 2-7 Big Ten Final 2024 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 11 (4 offense, 6 de- fense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2023 (Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah, W 14-7) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Jack Lausch (1,714 yards, 7 TD) Rushing: Cam Porter (501 yards, 6 TD) Receiving: Cam Porter (174 yards) Tackles: Mac Uihlein (84) Sacks: Aidan Hubbard (6) Interceptions: Robert Fitzgerald, Evan Smith, Damon Walters (1) Linebacker Mac Uilhlein was named honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2024. PHOTO BY GRIFFIN QUINN/NORTHWESTERN ATHLETICS