Braun: "I am highly optimistic about this football team and where it's headed. Difficult strenuous wins can be great learning opportunities just as losses can if you handle them the right way."

Braun: "This one definitely hurts. Lotta guys in that locker room that are struggling. It'll be good to get this group back together...and prepare for a good Eastern Illinois team next week."

Braun on if he's considering a QB change: "No. But Mike needs to improve. We're constantly evaluating everyone on this team, but we're rolling with Mike right now. He just needs to do a better job evaluating the football game."

Braun on the third down play in double OT: "I think Coach Lujan would be the first to tell you...he'd like to have that play back. But hindsight is 20/20."

Braun on the final play: "Mike did a good job extending the play, giving our guy a chance in the back of the end zone."

Braun on special teams: "When those things are going on on special teams, you should win football games. You gotta convert those into points, and when you have an opponent on the ropes like we did, you've gotta put them away."

Braun on Wright's decision-making: "That's something we certainly need to improve on, and Mike knows that. It's the difference between taking care of the ball and forcing it."

Braun on the weather: "Definitely affected the special teams game. But we felt (after warmups) like the throwing game was going to be unaffected."

That's all from David Braun. Cam Porter and Xander Mueller up next at the podium.

Cam Porter and Xander Mueller at the podium now.

Mueller: "We gotta finish better in overtime."

Porter: "We've got a room full of talented guys...we're gonna step up to the plate when our name is called.

Porter on the third and one play: "They're a sound defense. We felt like we had a good call, but it just didn't go our way, and that's how football goes."

Porter: "I trust Coach Lujan. I know he's gonna make the right decision and put us in a position to succeed."

Mueller: "Special teams is a huge part of the game...we take pride in it. I think we did a great job of that today."

Mueller: "After wins and losses, using that 24-hour rule of acknowledging that this game sucked...but not letting that impact the rest of the season."

Porter on his receiving success: "They were defending downfield and it opened up some of the flats and some of the check downs, so I was able to get going a bit."

That's all from the press room.

Northwestern assuredly failed to finish well in the overtime period last night. But as Brendan Preisman notes, failures to finish plagued the ‘Cats from the very beginning. insidenu.com/2024/9/7/24238…

Men’s Golf: 2024 Fall Preview sbnation.com/e/24001769