A quick look at 2025 winning streaks by Big Ten teams shows No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana at the top, obviously, both 7-0 and among just six undefeated FBS teams.

But the third-best overall winning streak among conference teams belongs to one that hasn’t even sniffed the rankings.

Northwestern has won four straight games after a 1-2 start and is doing things it hasn’t done in years.

In the third game of their streak, the Wildcats beat reeling Penn State for the first time since 2015 after three straight losses to the Nittany Lions. On Saturday at the lakefront Martin Stadium, they beat Purdue 19-0 for their first shutout since 2017 against Minnesota. They beat UCLA and Louisiana-Monroe at home to start the stretch.

The turnaround is thanks in large part to a defense that’s allowing just 15.1 points per game, ranked 11th in the FBS. The Wildcats are holding opponents to 305.3 total yards per game, ranked 22nd.

“Confidence is pretty high right now,” safety Robert Fitzgerald said. “We have kind of proven to ourselves that the stuff we do in practice — the way that we practice, how hard we practice, the intent we practice with — it really translates to the game. As long as we keep on doing that, our confidence will keep getting better and better.”

Norhwestern safety Robert Fitzgerald tackles UCLA’s Jaivian Thomas on Sept. 27, 2025, at Martin Stadium in Evanston. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Reasons for skepticism always can be found.

On Sept. 27, then-winless UCLA was playing its first game since firing coach DeShaun Foster, though the Bruins have gone on a three-game winning streak since their loss in Evanston.

Penn State and Purdue, both now 0-4 in the Big Ten, lost their starting quarterbacks to injuries in the second half of their games against the Wildcats, though Drew Allar’s exit for Penn State was on the second-to-last offensive snap.

But Northwestern (5-2, 3-1) will have plenty of opportunities to prove it’s for real over the season’s final stretch, starting Saturday at Nebraska (11 a.m., FS1).

Four of Northwestern’s five remaining opponents are ranked or have been: No. 23 Illinois and No. 25 Michigan, plus USC and Nebraska, which recently fell out of the AP Top 25. The fifth team is Minnesota, which just beat Nebraska 24-6. All five teams are 5-2.

“It’s a great opportunity, just to show that we can play with anybody,” defensive tackle Carmine Bastone said. “That just comes down to our belief and our preparation every day.”

The Wildcats knew from the start of the season their schedule could be among the toughest in the country. But they’re already past what — in the preseason — looked like their two most difficult tests, Oregon and Penn State, and they went 1-1 in those games.

They don’t have to play either of the teams that now look like the two best in the conference — and perhaps the nation: Ohio State and Indiana.

“The Big Ten is a gauntlet,” Fitzgerald said. “When we look at who we’ve got left on our schedule, none of them are easy games but none of them are impossible to win.”

UCLA’s Anthony Woods runs the ball as Northwestern’s Aidan Hubbard hangs on for the tackle Sept. 27, 2025, at Martin Stadium in Evanston. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Things didn’t look very promising from the outside when Northwestern started the season 1-2 with an opening loss at Tulane and a 34-14 loss to Oregon at home.

Defensive players said the Wildcats recognized they weren’t all on the same page against Oregon, but they used that as proof they can succeed when the communication and accountability are there.

“That was one of the games we probably had our most mental errors, critical errors, where we didn’t have 11 guys on the same page,” defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle said. “So we peeled back a little bit of our defense and gave the guys a little bit more confidence to go out there and execute.

“As coaches at the end of the day, it’s not what we know, it’s what our players know and what they can execute. It’s our job to put them in position to have success. We want to continue to do that and put the right guys in the right position to have success too.”

Northwestern coach David Braun said in his news conference after the Purdue game that he appreciates how McGarigle has found “a balance between the perfect plan and the plan that is most executable from our defensive players.”

“Just leaning into our intelligence as a football program and really allowing our guys to play decisive and play fast,” Braun said.

The Wildcats defense had big goals at the start of the season. It returned 89% of its sack production from 2024, led by defensive ends Aidan Hubbard, Anto Saka and Michael Kilbane, and 57% of its tackles, led by linebacker Mac Uihlein and Fitzgerald.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is tackled by Northwestern defenders Mac Uihlein (37) and Carmine Bastone (1) during the fourth quarter Oct. 11, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

All five of those players are making impacts this season. Fitzgerald has impressed McGarigle with how he has seized a bigger opportunity to total 60 tackles. McGarigle said Uihlein — who leads the team with three interceptions, including one of three takeaways against Purdue — is playing free because of the preparation he puts in every day.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned edge trio, along with captain Bastone, has led the Wildcats front, which had 11 quarterback hits against Purdue, though it wants to capitalize on sack opportunities more. Bastone called the defensive linemen “hungry.”

“I’m really happy with the physicality we played with the last couple of weeks,” McGarigle said. “We want to continue that. Not that we’ve arrived, but when you play physical in the Big Ten, it gives you a chance. And then we want to execute.”

The experienced leaders helped the Wildcats pull off some key late-game feats.

After allowing UCLA to score 11 second-half points, the Wildcats stopped the Bruins on their final two drives.

With Northwestern leading Penn State 22-21, Allar suffered a season-ending broken ankle on the Nittany Lions’ second-to-last offensive play. Backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer entered on fourth-and-3 and was stopped for no gain as the Wildcats held on for the win.

Northwestern coach David Braun celebrates with linebacker Mac Uihlein after their win over Penn State on Oct. 11, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

Even the Purdue game took a finishing mentality to complete the shutout. Northwestern took a 13-0 lead into halftime and was able to control the game with its rushing attack, coming away with a 37:39-22:21 advantage in time of possession. Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.

The Wildcats talk a lot about finishing games and focus on late-game scenarios in practice.

But actually pulling off a couple of late stops helped them stack confidence.

“I’ve been part of teams before where you get in those situations and you lose, and then when you get back in those situations, you’re like, ‘Oh, we’re going to find a way to lose this game,’” Fitzgerald said. “Versus this year when we’re in a tight game, it’s like, ‘All right, we know how to win this game. We’re going to win this game.’ There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that we’re going to win when we get in those situations.”

Braun told reporters at his weekly news conference Monday that he believes in momentum as the Wildcats try to extend their winning streak. But he said they have momentum because they’re intentional about focusing on improvement every day.

“In a day and age when you talk about analytics and numbers, which are all very important things you need to utilize, momentum is real,” Braun said. “But it’s something you can’t take for granted.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/northwestern-football-defense-nebraska/