Northwestern’s David Braun Avoids Mike Gundy’s Oregon Mistake as Key Starter Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Where does Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks stand right at the moment? The Ducks have outscored their opponents by a whopping 112 combined points through the first two weeks of the season. Lanning and co. are now on their way to prove them after David Braun’s Northwestern Wildcats were picked at or near the bottom of the Big Ten in preseason polls. They now got to whitewash their 4-8 season record. While Braun preps for it, he ensured not to follow Mike Gundy’s path. After all, knowingly or unknowingly, the Oklahoma State’s head coach gifted Lanning’s squad the motivational juice to prove that no one should mess with them.

After all, there was a time when Gundy was considered as the savior of Oklahoma State. He has been the winningest coach, posting a 169-88 record during his time in Stillwater. However, he has lost his charm. Lanning’s boys crushed the Cowboys in a blowout in a blowout 69-3 win. The gap wouldn’t have been so much had not Gundy stirred Lanning and co.’s pot with a blunt remark. And in no way Braun is going to handover the magical wand to the Ducks. 

What’s Braun’s mood right now? He went all praise for Lanning during the pre-game press conference. “Incredibly opportunity this weekend with Oregon coming into town, opening up Big Ten play. Coach [Dan] Lanning has done an exceptional job at Oregon…Turn on the tape from last year, turn on the tape from their first two games, and it doesn’t take long to find a profound respect for the quality of football team that they have and the task we have right in front of us this Saturday.” Talking about pressure?

January 1, 2025, Pasadena, California, USA: Head coach, Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks prior to the 2025 Rose Bowl CFP Quarterfinal game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday January 1, 2025 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. JAVIER ROJAS/PI Pasadena USA – ZUMAp124 20250101_zaa_p124_145 Copyright: xJavierxRojasx

Braun and co. must be soaking in steam of the Ducks’ craze. The No. 4 Ducks are 28.5-point favorites at Northwestern, according to Action Network. The over/under is 51.5. But that did not stop Braun from praising Lanning. He’s all about feeding his sky-high swagger. Because we’ve seen how merciless the Oregon head coach gets when anyone dares to call his team out. Just ask Gundy after his NIL jab. 

During his game week press conference on September 1, Gundy stirred the pot, claiming, Oregon is “spending a lot of money and they’ve put a lot into that organization and you can see, they’re a good football team.” This did not sit well with Lanning who at that moment used his words to give the Oklahoma State head coach a tough lesson. “It sounds like there is (a difference in our programs) listening to him talk. If you wanna be a top 10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. We spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t,” came Lanning’s retort. However, later on, his boys pushed Gundy and co. to the corner on the gridiron. 

And Braun definitely would not want that to happen with his boys. After all, he can’t afford to upset Lanning as he himself is struggling with a costly loss. 

Northwestern star’s injury leaves David Braun searching for answers in the backfield

Here came a bad news for Braun’s squad. Their running back Cam Porter will miss the rest of the season with a right leg injury. This comes off as a huge blow for Braun’s Wildcats as Porter is their leading rusher. After their two games of the season, he stands with 137 yards and a touchdown. Even though, on September 6, Northwestern went home with a 42-7 win over Western Illinois, Porter’s injury came off as an unexpected surprise gift for Braun and co.

He has been running for Northwestern since 2020 and missed the 2021 season. Till now, Porter has rushed for 1,908 yards and 18 TDs over 45 games across the last five seasons. He led the Wildcats in rushing yards each of the last two seasons, finishing with 651 yards in 2023 and 501 yards last season. Now, what’s Braun’s Plan B for now?

The Wildcats will have to rely on Caleb Komolafe, who has rushed 20 times for 97 yards so far this season. Braun might also count on Joseph Himon II to take reigns of the Northwestern backfield. And what about Oregon? One concern came just before halftime against Oklahoma State when quarterback Dante Moore was seen with a towel over his head. But the quarterback confirmed that he was feeling good after the game.  

Meanwhile, even though David Braun refused to mess with Dan Lanning, the Oregon Alum, George Wrighster had set out his clear demands. “I don’t even care what they do in the regular season. I don’t care whether they go undefeated. I don’t care whether they lose two games. Just make it to the playoff and then win games,” said the former Ducks’ tight end. Do Braun and his crew gain ground by playing it safe, or will the Ducks floor the gas to satisfy their alum’s call?

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