Northwestern
Northwestern is 6-3 and No. 39 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 9.3 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 24-10 vs Iowa in Week 10.
Week 11: at Ohio State, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Northwestern is No. 39
- Northwestern's rating is 9.3: the machine's estimate that Northwestern is 9.3 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 39 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 1.4, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 7.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: +5.3 after Week 3 (W 41-7 vs Colorado) and +3.6 after Week 5 (W 34-13 vs Penn State).
- Its record is 6-3. The 3 losses were to No. 9 Indiana, No. 13 Oregon, No. 17 Iowa, by 9.3 points on average. The 6 wins came by 22.2 points on average; the best was over No. 35 Penn State. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 52 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 38 Houston (9.4); just below is No. 40 UCLA (8.8).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
David Braun is in his 4th season at Northwestern (since 2023). This season: 6-3. At Northwestern overall: 25-22, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 163-238 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2079 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 14-1 |
| Yards per attempt* | 8.7No. 19 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 11.5%No. 46 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 8.8%No. 130 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 351-1712 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 4.9No. 39 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 17.8%No. 8 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 18.1%No. 86 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 31.0No. 50 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.54No. 24 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 42.7%No. 44 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 73.5%No. 14 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 3No. 2 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 19.3No. 28 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.57No. 74 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.3No. 30 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.6No. 100 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 3.8%No. 119 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 15No. 24 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 39.8%No. 86 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Aidan Chiles139-202, 1898 yds, 13 TD, 1 INT
- Nicco Marchiol24-33, 181 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Caleb Komolafe111 carries, 643 yds, 5 TD
- Joseph Himon II49 carries, 411 yds, 3 TD
- Aidan Chiles86 carries, 274 yds, 10 TD
Receiving
- Griffin Wilde49 catches, 813 yds, 5 TD
- Luke Dehnicke19 catches, 303 yds, 0 TD
- Drew Wagner32 catches, 285 yds, 2 TD
Tackles
- Braydon Brus75
- Kobie McKinzie64
- Robert Fitzgerald52
Sacks
- Braydon Brus4
- Michael Kilbane2.5
- Kobie McKinzie2
Interceptions
- Robert Fitzgerald3
- Braden Turner1
- Braydon Brus1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Aidan Chiles8 games202 attempts86%
- Nicco MarchiolMost passes in the last game2 games33 attempts14%
Carrying
- Caleb Komolafe9 games111 carries48%
- Joseph Himon II9 games49 carries21%
- Gavin Sawchuk8 games47 carries21%
- Daniel Anderson2 games6 carries3%
Catching
- Griffin Wilde9 games49 catches30%
- Drew Wagner9 games32 catches20%
- Caleb Komolafe7 games19 catches12%
- Luke Dehnicke5 games19 catches12%
Tackling
- Braydon Brus9 games75 tackles13%
- Kobie McKinzie9 games64 tackles11%
- Robert Fitzgerald6 games52 tackles9%
- Damon Walters7 games43 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 34–18 vs South Dakota State. South Dakota State is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 41–7 vs Colorado. The passing game was the strength: 11.0 yards an attempt, 3.3 more than Colorado usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 4 L 23–29 at Indiana. The passing game was the strength: 9.8 yards an attempt, 3.9 more than Indiana usually allows. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 5 W 34–13 vs Penn State. The run game was the strength: 7.5 yards a carry, 3.3 more than Penn State usually allows. The machine had Penn State by 1.9 (54%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 6 W 45–14 vs Ball State. The passing game was the strength: 11.3 yards an attempt, 2.4 more than Ball State usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 7 W 24–21 at Michigan State. The run game struggled: 3.2 yards a carry, 0.9 less than Michigan State usually allows.
- Week 8 W 42–14 vs Rutgers. The pass defense was the strength: Rutgers got 3.7 yards an attempt, 4.6 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 9 L 26–34 at Oregon. The pass defense gave ground: Oregon got 10.5 yards an attempt, 3.7 over what it usually gains. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 10 L 10–24 vs Iowa. The passing game struggled: 5.7 yards an attempt, 1.3 less than Iowa usually allows. The machine had Northwestern by 0.1 (51%), so this was a loss it did not see coming; Northwestern won the turnover battle by 2.