2023 Northwestern
8–5 (5–4 Big Ten), coached by David Braun. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat UTEP 38–7Sep 9
By 31 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Illinois 45–43Nov 25
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | at Rutgers | L 7–24 | 35% |
| Sep 9 | vs UTEP | W 38–7 | 43% |
| Sep 16 | at 21Duke | L 14–38 | 19% |
| Sep 23 | vs Minnesota | W 37–34 | 29% |
| Sep 30 | vs 6Penn State | L 13–41 | 18% |
| Oct 7 | vs Howard | W 23–20 | 68% |
| Oct 21 | at Nebraska | L 9–17 | 30% |
| Oct 28 | vs Maryland | W 33–27 | 30% |
| Nov 4 | vs Iowa | L 7–10 | 21% |
| Nov 11 | at Wisconsin | W 24–10 | 24% |
| Nov 18 | vs Purdue | W 23–15 | 53% |
| Nov 25 | at Illinois | W 45–43 | 42% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs UtahLas Vegas Bowl | W 14–7 | 33% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Utah 14–7 in the Las Vegas Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 5th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 44th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 133 on file).
- Record
- 8–5
- Conference
- 5–4 tied for 5th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 287–293
- Coach
- David Braun
- Elo
- 1517 +150 this season
- SP+ rating
- -1.3 No. 69 of 133; offense No. 111, defense No. 18, special teams No. 104
- SRS
- 0.7 No. 62 of 133 in FBS
- Returning
- 66% of last season’s EPA, No. 34 of 131
- Recruiting class
- No. 47 roster talent No. 52 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Mike Bajakian
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- Multiple 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.04 | 39% | 1.17 | 93rd of 133 |
| Defense | 0.04 | 43% | 1.08 | 28th of 133 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off 0.07 def | 41% off 43% def | — | 76th off 44th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.1 | own 30 | 18% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 31 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -0.2, 65th of 133 (offense -4.5, defense -4.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Ben Bryant QB | 1,807 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ben Bryant QB | 13 TD |
| Rushing yards | Cam Porter RB | 651 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Ben Bryant QB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Cam Johnson WR | 715 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Cam Johnson WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Bryce Gallagher LB | 113 tkl |
| Sacks | Aidan Hubbard DL | 6 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jaheem Joseph S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Nigel Glover LB | ★★★★ | No. 336 |
| Jordan Knox OL | ★★★ | No. 494 |
| Dylan Senda OL | ★★★ | No. 514 |
| Damon Walters S | ★★★ | No. 533 |
| Michael Kilbane DE | ★★★ | No. 579 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.863 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.871 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.877 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.874 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.5 | 0.882 |
| Defensive backs | 6 | 3.0 | 0.852 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.868 |
| Whole class | 19 | 3.1 | 0.867 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 103
The 2023 roster103 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 62 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2023 portal Ben Bryant QB | ★★★ | from  Cincinnati |
 A.J. Henning WR | ★★★ | from  Michigan |
 Cam Johnson WR | ★★★ | from  Arizona State |
Transfers out 8
 Malik Washington WR | ★★★ | to  Virginia |
| Austin Firestone DL | ★★★ | to  Missouri |
| A.J. Hampton Jr. CB | ★★★ | to  Tulane |
| Carl Richardson PRO | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Genson Hooper-Price WR | ★★★ | to  Coastal Carolina |
| Jason Gold Jr. DL | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| Wayne Dennis Jr. WR | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Wendell Davis LB | ★★★ | to  Arkansas State |
All-Big Ten
1 second teamSecond team
- Bryce GallagherLBCoaches-2; Media-2
From Wikipedia’s 2023 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2023 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 9–0 | 15–0 | 1 |
 Ohio State | 8–1 | 11–2 | 10 |
| Penn State | 7–2 | 10–3 | 13 |
| Iowa | 7–2 | 10–4 | 24 |
| Northwestern | 5–4 | 8–5 | |
| Wisconsin | 5–4 | 7–6 | |
| Maryland | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
| Rutgers | 3–6 | 7–6 | |
| Minnesota | 3–6 | 6–7 | |
| Illinois | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
| Nebraska | 3–6 | 5–7 | |
| Purdue | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
 Michigan State | 2–7 | 4–8 | |
 Indiana | 1–8 | 3–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.