Northwestern had one job: show up and make it look competitive. Instead, they got steamrolled on national television. The Michigan Wolverines, led by Sherrone Moore, delivered a 50-6 Beatdown in Week 13, leaving Wildcats looking like a high-school practice squad. Northwestern head coach David Braun didn’t sugarcoat or played a blame-game. He man’ed up and addressed the disaster in his post-game presser, admitting it was an all- out domination. But as the Wildcats lick their wounds, questions about the program’s future grow louder with every crushing loss.

After the game, Braun tipped his hat to Michigan for the rout. “Credit to Coach Moore in Michigan football on an absolutely dominant performance today,” Braun said. “Told the team, I was poor, it was embarrassing. You know, got dominated in all three phases of the game.” When your own coach calls the performance embarrassing, you know it’s down bad. Michigan didn’t just win; they exposed every crack in Northwestern’s armor.

Braun didn’t stop there. He acknowledged the harsh reality of the loss. “We’re going to have to sit in it. We’re going to have to own it. There’s nothing to sugarcoat here. Got to get back to work on Monday and find a way to perform at a much higher level next Saturday.” In other words; this isn’t a quick fix. Northwestern’s issues run deep here, and time is running out to salvage the season. Potential harassment waiting for the Northwestern Wildcats and David Braun on Week 14 against No. 24 ranked arch-rival Illinois football.

Going into this game, there weren’t any expectation for both teams, it was more like battle of mediocrity. Both teams have had unforgettable seasons, but Michigan had a week of their season. They bagged Bryce Underwood and folded the Wildcats, all within 3 days’ span. The Wildcats offense screams average, they are one of the least efficient offense in the nation, and their once-stout run defence completely vanished like Houdini in this blowout. Allowing quarterback-less Wolverines to dominate on the ground felt like a slap in the face for the defense that prides itself on stopping the run.

Now at 4-7, the Wildcats are staring at a grim matchup next week against their home-state rival, Illinois, at Wrigley field. The Fighting Illini are having times of their lives, with a record of 9-3. With the Illini rolling and the Wildcats reeling, things look bleak for Braun’s crew.

David Braun post-game analysis

Despite of blowout, David Braun gave Michigan their flowers while reflecting on his team’s collapse. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Michigan, uh, Coach Moore, their program. Uh, won a national championship last year,” Braun said. “But truly felt coming into this game based on the matchup, based on an offense that runs the football…. Felt like if we could win the turnover battle, value field position, this is a game not that we were hoping to win, but like we should win.”

That’s the kicker—Braun genuinely believed his squad would get this job done. On paper, fair enough, considering how funny Michigan was looking a week ago against Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan’s game leans on their run game, and Northwestern’s run defense had been a bright spot, but the Wildcats got schooled and out-boxed in all 4 quarters. The irony is, defense crumbled under zero pressure, and the offense looked like they didn’t even want to be there.

What’s done is done. As Northwestern heads into finale game, Braun’s focus will be on salvaging what’s left of the season. A win against Illinois might not erase the might erase this humiliation, but could probably soothe things a bit. For now, though, they’ll have to sit with the reality of this defeat—a brutal reminder that they’re miles away from competing with the big dogs.