Bleav in Northwestern

Northwestern improved to a shocking 5–2 by dominating Purdue in the final game at the lakeside stadium this past weekend, setting up a showdown with Nebraska in Lincoln. Zach begins by lauding the defense for its effort in the shutout of the Boilermakers, particularly pointing to the defensive line’s dominance (1:44). He then explains why this was Preston Stone’s worst game since Oregon, but why t...

Anything is possible! Northwestern went on the road and downed a reeling Penn State team with a complete team performance on Saturday for one of the program’s most shocking wins of the past decade. Zach breaks down the game, lauding Preston Stone for his best game as a Wildcat and Zach Lujan for his masterful game plan (1:15). He then emphasizes NU’s resiliency and how David Braun rallied his guys...

Northwestern dominated its homecoming opponent, Louisiana-Monroe, last weekend and Zach was boots on the ground to witness another stride forward the Wildcats. Andrew Bowen and Henry Ettinger, former WNUR Sports broadcasters who were at the game alongside Zach, join the show to discuss their thoughts on the penultimate game at the lakeside stadium (2:15) before emphasizing what they liked about th...

Northwestern escaped a second-half scare against UCLA to nab its second win of the season and first against an FBS opponent. Zach breaks down what he liked about the Wildcats, starting with the offense’s ball control and Caleb Komolafe’s career day (1:30). He then pivots to discuss what allowed the Bruins to climb back into the game, laying the blame on the coaches for their confounding approach t...

Coming out of the bye week, Northwestern is back at home against UCLA—a program navigating significant upheaval and off to an even worse start than the Wildcats. USA Today reporter and Bleav in UCLA Football podcast host James H. Williams joins Zach on the show to break down the Bruins, beginning with the recent firing of head coach Deshaun Foster and why the program has struggled to adjust to the...

The first quarter of the 2025 season is in the books and Northwestern finds itself at 1–2 going into the bye with two major losses against College Football Playoff hopefuls Tulane and Oregon. Wildcat Report’s Matt Shelton joins Zach on the show to discuss whether it’s time to panic about the Wildcats and what fans can reasonably expect over the final nine games. The pair focuses in on the biggest...

Northwestern flipped the script from an unsavory opener to dominate Western Illinois back at home in Evanston in Week 2. But unfortunately, the Wildcats lost Cam Porter for the season with an injury in the win and Adam Beck of WNUR Sports joins Zach to discuss the impact of the news (2:23). Then, they turn to the good news, discussing what they liked about Preston Stone’s rebound from the Tulane d...

Northwestern got off to a horrid start to the 2025 football season on Saturday, losing 23–3 on the road to Tulane. Zach breaks down what went wrong, beginning with Preston Stone’s five-turnover day in his first start as a Wildcat (2:10). He also goes over the expected struggles from the pass-catchers and the unexpected ones of the defense (16:33). Finally, he addresses the uniform drama that emerg...

Let’s play some football. Northwestern goes on the road to face Tulane in the 2025 season opener and Zach is joined by Green Wave sideline reporter Maddy Hudak to talk about the Week 1 matchup. The pair begins by taking a look back at Tulane’s 2024 season before breaking down the Green Wave’s ongoing quarterback competition (2:08). Then, they discuss how Tulane reloaded in the transfer portal in o...

College football has arrived! Northwestern is set to play Tulane to kick off the 2025 season, so it’s time to make some predictions. Gavin Dorsey, lead writer for Northwestern Wildcats on SI, joins Zach on the show to make a number of projections about the upcoming year, beginning with how much pressure head coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan should feel coming into Week 1 (2:4...

Zach opens up the mailbag for a series of questions about Northwestern football’s outlook during the 2025 season, from the hope Preston Stone brings to the offense to the biggest pain point for the roster. He also projects which men’s basketball player will take the biggest leap and gives a rundown of how a trio of ex-Wildcats did in NBA Summer League. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See...

Northwestern took center stage at Big Ten media days in Las Vegas on Wednesday and head coach David Braun named SMU transfer Preston Stone the starting quarterback, well ahead of Week 1. Wildcat Report’s Matt Shelton, who was on hand in Vegas, joins Zach on the show to give insight into how the decision came to be and why Braun felt compelled to announce this so early (4:15). The two also discuss...

The summer may be just getting started but the Northwestern sports news cycle is still spinning. Zach begins by celebrating Brooks Barnhizer being the first Wildcat since 1999 to be selected in the NBA draft, talking about the achievement for both player and program and how Barnhizer might carve out a role with the defending NBA champs (2:59). He then talks about the sudden transfer addition of Ga...

From buzzer beaters to NCAA records to national championships, Zach and Northwestern Wildcats On SI lead writer Gavin Dorsey debate the five best moments of the year in Northwestern sports. Contact info—Twitter/X: @ZachKoons, Email: zach.koons@si.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For the fifth straight year, Northwestern lacrosse is headed back to the Final Four after getting past Michigan and Penn in the team's opening NCAA tournament matchups. Broadcaster Noah Coffman joins Zach on the show to discuss Madison Taylor breaking the single-season goals record and what went well in the second-round game against Michigan (3:40). Then, they pivot to talking about the third-quar...

We're back! Northwestern women's lacrosse is set to begin play in the NCAA tournament and Noah Coffman joins Zach to talk about this year's team. They begin by talking about how head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller was able to rebuild the roster after the departure of Izzy Scane and others (2:08). Then, they discuss the leap Madison Taylor has taken to put together one of the best statistical seasons in...

With the news that Chris Collins is close to reaching a deal on an extension to stay at Northwestern, Zach is joined by Gavin Dorsey of Northwestern Wildcats On SI to discuss the rumors surrounding the men's basketball head coach. The pair give their thoughts on the legitimacy of the idea that Collins would have left NU after this year (4:21) before dissecting how important a commitment to NIL res...

Northwestern's heroic comeback attempt at home against UCLA came up just short as a major missed call in the closing seconds didn't go the 'Cats way... again. Wildcat Report's Matt Shelton joins the show to talk about the grit of the senior class, particularly Ty Berry and Matt Nicholson, even with UCLA amassing a double-digit advantage (1:45). Then, they dive into the the end-of-game sequence tha...

After wins by Northwestern men's basketball and Northwestern lacrosse on Tuesday, Zach welcomes on Noah Coffman for a closer look at both programs. They begin by talking about the resilient basketball team, going over the recent two-game win streak on the road and the job Chris Collins has done in keeping the team engaged and playing hard (:52). The pair also goes over the improvement from players...

After two losses out on the West Coast, Northwestern basketball's hopes of an NCAA tournament have essentially been dashed and Zach returns to lay out how it all went wrong this season. He begins by talking about the Jalen Leach season-ending injury and it’s impact on the game against Washington (2:28). He also explains his frustration with Chris Collins getting ejected based on the situation the...

Chris Collins announced that Brooks Barnhizer will not play for the remainder of the 2024–25 season after missing Saturday's game against Wisconsin and Zach reflects on the jarring news. He begins by discussing how the injury was revealed and how it wasn't entirely surprising, but it was abrupt (3:35). Then, he does his best to sum up the impact that Barnhizer made on Northwestern basketball durin...

Northwestern basketball had another opportunity to win on the road against a top opponent pass by this weekend against Michigan. Zach dives into how the game didn't go in the Wildcats' favor (1:47), before dissecting Jalen Leach's controversial ejection and subsequently disjointed explanation from the Big Ten (11:05). Then, he goes over the difficult afternoons for Brooks Barnhizer and Nick Martin...

The Bleav in Northwestern podcast returns for the first time in 2025 and Zach is joined by Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated to break down NU basketball's lackluster return to Big Ten play. They begin by discussing how Purdue managed to stifle the 'Cats offense and if the blueprint is now out on how to defend this roster (1:27). Then, they go over the disappointing recent showings from Ty Berry...

Zach is back for the final time in 2024—just in time to talk about Northwestern landing a transfer commitment from former SMU quarterback Preston Stone! He begins by discussing the high-caliber player the Wildcats are getting in the move (1:05), before talking about what the program must do to support a player like Stone (9:30). Next, he gives his thoughts on NU's reliance on the portal for starti...

The Bleav in Northwestern podcast is back and there's plenty of news to talk about. Zach begins by discussing the On3 prediction that the Wildcats will land SMU quarterback Preston Stone in the transfer portal (2:13). Then, he welcomes on Wildcat Report's Matt Shelton to reflect on the end of the 2024 football season and talk about how NU has approached the early transfer portal window (8:05). The...