Coaching clichés usually dictate that any struggles in a previous season are left behind. After all, why discuss what was in the past?

That wasn't the case for Northwestern head coach David Braun on Wednesday. After practice No. 7 for the Wildcats, he was blunt about how last season lingers around the program.

"You can't spray perfume on a 4-8 season, it just stinks," Braun said. "We've all had to evaluate, but ultimately, everything that does or does not happen within this program ultimately comes back to me."

The backstory:

The Wildcats reveled in Braun's 8-5 record in his first season. The interim tag was taken off, and Braun ended his chaotic year with a Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah.

In 2024, Northwestern fell backward with a 4-8 record. Losses to Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinoi

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