Northwestern Defense Sets the Tone in Home Opener
9/6/2025 9:23:00 AM | Football
EVANSTON, Ill. — As the Northwestern defense prepared for its Friday night home-opener against Western Illinois, the group's leadership instilled a simple, forward-looking philosophy.
"We just have that mindset of putting one foot forward and letting the past be the past," graduate student cornerback Fred Davis II said. "[We're] constantly pushing, striving for greatness and just keep going, regardless of the outcome."
Six days after relenting 421 yards of total offense — including 269 rushing yards — at Tulane, the Wildcats walloped the Leatherneck offense into an utter standstill during Friday's 42-7 win at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
In a comprehensive effort, Northwestern gave up just 181 total yards, its lowest yards allowed figure since Nov 4, 2023 (169 total yards against Iowa). The Wildcats held Western Illinois scoreless until the final three minutes of the contest.
For Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun, the battle on the ground marked a critical element for success throughout the week. A stifling run defense that relented just 71 yards on 23 attempts surely answered the bell.
"If we can win the rushing battle, if we can win the turnover battle and we can find ways to flip the field on special teams, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win a lot of football games this year," Braun said. "To see that show up tangibly, specifically in the run game today, that can't just be a one week outlier. That has to be our calling card throughout the 2025 season."
While the Northwestern front seven seldom relented a sliver of space at the line of scrimmage in what Braun deemed a "disruptive" performance, the secondary showcased a relentless drive to impact passing plays.
The Wildcats racked up eight pass breakups, including a career high three apiece for Davis and redshirt sophomore cornerback Josh Fussell. Plus, graduate student linebacker Mac Uihlein recorded his first career interception — the team's first takeaway of the season — on the back of redshirt junior cornerback Braden Turner's tipped pass.
"You can start to see a level of continuity and confidence showing up in that group as Fred gets a little more comfortable back there," Braun said. "That needs to be a trademark of what we do in the back half. If we're going to play the brand of defense that we do, we need to be getting our hands on footballs and turning those opportunities into takeaways."
Despite holding a 22-point halftime advantage, Fussell said the defense knew its work was far from over as it entered the break boasting a shutout.
Northwestern didn't allow a completion from a Leatherneck quarterback throughout the third quarter and held Western Illinois' starting signal-caller Chris Irvin to a 5-of-18, 27-yard passing output.
"We stuck to our game plan and just focused on playing fast and making plays," Fussell said. "Even at halftime, we came in and [were] up a little bit. We immediately said the score was 0-0. Everybody was playing fast, focusing on the assignment and that led to success at all three levels."
Unlike the season opener at Tulane, when redshirt junior safety Robert Fitzgerald's 13 total tackles led the Wildcats by a hefty margin, Northwestern fielded a myriad of defensive contributions on Friday. Eleven Wildcats posted multiple tackles, with six players tying for a team-high four total stops.
Veterans and newcomers alike made a marked impact on the defensive side of the ball. Two-time captain Carmine Bastone recorded a game-high 1.5 sacks, while true first-year safety Alijiah Jones was one of six 'Cats to tally a co-team-high four total tackles.
"Our level of confidence in our defense is extremely high," graduate student quarterback Preston Stone said. "We know firsthand just how difficult the looks they give offenses are. I got to see it just about every day in fall camp. When we were stalling a bit, I speak for the whole offense by saying there was no anxiety, no stress because we know the defense has our back."
"We just have that mindset of putting one foot forward and letting the past be the past," graduate student cornerback Fred Davis II said. "[We're] constantly pushing, striving for greatness and just keep going, regardless of the outcome."
Six days after relenting 421 yards of total offense — including 269 rushing yards — at Tulane, the Wildcats walloped the Leatherneck offense into an utter standstill during Friday's 42-7 win at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
In a comprehensive effort, Northwestern gave up just 181 total yards, its lowest yards allowed figure since Nov 4, 2023 (169 total yards against Iowa). The Wildcats held Western Illinois scoreless until the final three minutes of the contest.
For Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun, the battle on the ground marked a critical element for success throughout the week. A stifling run defense that relented just 71 yards on 23 attempts surely answered the bell.
"If we can win the rushing battle, if we can win the turnover battle and we can find ways to flip the field on special teams, we're going to give ourselves a chance to win a lot of football games this year," Braun said. "To see that show up tangibly, specifically in the run game today, that can't just be a one week outlier. That has to be our calling card throughout the 2025 season."
While the Northwestern front seven seldom relented a sliver of space at the line of scrimmage in what Braun deemed a "disruptive" performance, the secondary showcased a relentless drive to impact passing plays.
The Wildcats racked up eight pass breakups, including a career high three apiece for Davis and redshirt sophomore cornerback Josh Fussell. Plus, graduate student linebacker Mac Uihlein recorded his first career interception — the team's first takeaway of the season — on the back of redshirt junior cornerback Braden Turner's tipped pass.
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— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) September 6, 2025
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"You can start to see a level of continuity and confidence showing up in that group as Fred gets a little more comfortable back there," Braun said. "That needs to be a trademark of what we do in the back half. If we're going to play the brand of defense that we do, we need to be getting our hands on footballs and turning those opportunities into takeaways."
Despite holding a 22-point halftime advantage, Fussell said the defense knew its work was far from over as it entered the break boasting a shutout.
Northwestern didn't allow a completion from a Leatherneck quarterback throughout the third quarter and held Western Illinois' starting signal-caller Chris Irvin to a 5-of-18, 27-yard passing output.
"We stuck to our game plan and just focused on playing fast and making plays," Fussell said. "Even at halftime, we came in and [were] up a little bit. We immediately said the score was 0-0. Everybody was playing fast, focusing on the assignment and that led to success at all three levels."
Unlike the season opener at Tulane, when redshirt junior safety Robert Fitzgerald's 13 total tackles led the Wildcats by a hefty margin, Northwestern fielded a myriad of defensive contributions on Friday. Eleven Wildcats posted multiple tackles, with six players tying for a team-high four total stops.
Veterans and newcomers alike made a marked impact on the defensive side of the ball. Two-time captain Carmine Bastone recorded a game-high 1.5 sacks, while true first-year safety Alijiah Jones was one of six 'Cats to tally a co-team-high four total tackles.
"Our level of confidence in our defense is extremely high," graduate student quarterback Preston Stone said. "We know firsthand just how difficult the looks they give offenses are. I got to see it just about every day in fall camp. When we were stalling a bit, I speak for the whole offense by saying there was no anxiety, no stress because we know the defense has our back."
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