‘Cats Showcase Resilience in Comeback Win Over Michigan State

By Charlie Spungin, NUSports.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Expect victory. A mantra coined by Gary Barnett over 30 years ago, it’s what Dan and Susan Jones Family Head Football Coach David Braun has aimed to instill in his football team since he took the reins of the Northwestern program in 2023.

When the Wildcats entered the halftime locker room at Spartan Stadium with a 14-10 deficit against Michigan State, their belief never wavered. Even when the Spartans took an eight-point lead with a 53-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the Northwestern sideline echoed with confidence.

That confidence paid off. The No. 25-ranked Wildcats recorded a 24-21 victory over Michigan State after fourth-year kicker Jackson Kleather drained a last-second 34-yard field goal to move Northwestern to 5-1 on the 2026 campaign.

“Going into halftime, we felt like we had some missed opportunities in the first half,” Braun said. “I thought we kept our poise and our composure. [We] came back in the second half and just continued to plug away. I think those last few minutes of the game are a direct reflection of what this team is all about.”

Though the Spartans took a 21-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, fourth-year quarterback Aidan Chiles led the Wildcat offense down the field and scored a rushing touchdown before converting the two-point attempt to even the contest at 21 apiece.

After Northwestern turned the ball over on downs, Michigan State lined up for a go-ahead 33-yard field goal with one minute remaining. However, fifth-year defensive lineman Brendan Flakes blocked the attempt, giving Chiles and the Wildcats another opportunity. With no timeouts remaining, Chiles led Northwestern down the field to set up Kleather’s game-winning kick.

“Never a doubt,” Chiles said. “We knew we were going to win this game. We just didn’t know how. When we came out, we finished the game like we were supposed to.”

The Wildcats’ victory marked the first time that they overcame an 8+ point fourth-quarter deficit on the road since defeating Notre Dame, 43-40, in 2014.

For Braun, the comeback was a direct result of the team’s practice routine, in which they prepare for high-leverage moments.

“The types of scenarios that we were [in] today, whether it be an all-out block situation or a two-minute scenario with no timeouts, our guys have been in the furnace in practice scenarios with that so many times that you could tell they were ready for the moment,” he said

Braun credited Northwestern’s timely field goal block to Special Teams Coordinator Paul Creighton for ensuring the right personnel took the field and executed the proper alignments.

Flakes said he approached the snap knowing how game-changing a blocked kick would be.

“Before the play, I was like, ‘Man, I have to make a play. We have to do it,’” Flakes said. “I just had a feeling that I was going to get the play. It was like slow motion as I put my hand up. I had full vision on the kicker, and I was just floating with my right hand in the air. And it went right to my hand.”

With the game on the line, Chiles connected with Wilde three times to advance the ball to the Spartans’ side of the field. Aided by a 14-yard rush by fourth-year running back Caleb Komolafe, Northwestern set up shop for Kleather on the 16-yard-line.

In the fourth quarter, Chiles completed 8-of-9 passes for 111 yards and finished the contest with 226 passing yards. Braun credited Chiles with settling into the contest, noting how the team rallies around him.

When it came time for Kleather and the field goal unit to step onto the field, Braun had the utmost confidence in the group, saying that he knows Kleather is “built for that opportunity.” Though Kleather had a field goal blocked early in the second quarter, he didn’t let it affect him as he helped Northwestern register its fifth win of the campaign.

“I just try to stay right on a good middle ground throughout the entire game — not get too high after a make, not get too low after a miss,” Kleather said. “Something we say in our room is, ‘Birdie after bogey.’ Step up, and if you miss a kick or if something poor happens, you step up and do your job next time.”

Having been with the program for all five years of his collegiate career, Flakes knows exactly what it means to play for the Wildcats. It’s the exact grit and hard work that Northwestern put on display to defeat Michigan State.

“When you have that N on your chest, it’s the Wildcat way — as hard as you can for as long as you can,” Flakes said. “You just have to continue to push yourself as hard as you can.”