Northwestern football didn’t carry lofty expectations into 2025, but even with that in mind, Saturday’s showing was hard to stomach. Tulane cruised to a 23-3 win that felt far more lopsided than the score, piling up 421 total yards to NU’s 237 and gashing the defense for 269 on the ground.
The one silver lining came in the secondary, where the Wildcats held quarterback Jake Retzlaff to just 152 passing yards despite being without Damon Walters and Ore Adeyi. That glimmer didn’t last long, though, as Retzlaff’s 69-yard run immediately after a Preston Stone interception swung momentum for good and turned a tough day into a deflating one.
Perhaps the most discouraging part of the day for Northwestern was Stone’s performance. The much-hyped SMU transfer arrived with plenty of reason for optimism. In 2023, he posted a 90.9 passing grade, the best among Group of Five quarterbacks, and led the Mustangs to an AAC championship. That track record made Saturday’s struggles all the more surprising. Stone threw four interceptions after tossing just eight across his entire SMU career, repeatedly forcing the ball into tight windows.
Stone’s supporting cast did him few favors. Outside of Griffin Wilde, who hauled in six passes for 64 yards, the receivers failed to provide much help. Frank Covey IV had multiple drops, Ricky Ahumaraeze was quiet and the passing game never found rhythm. Stone also lost a fumble on a strip sack and rarely looked comfortable in the pocket, especially once Tulane built a big lead and could key on obvious passing situations.
Even so, calls from fans to bench the starting quarterback feel premature. Stone is still the most talented quarterback on the roster, and one rough debut does not erase his ceiling. Head coach David Braun echoed that sentiment afterward.
“Preston Stone didn’t play his best football,” Braun said postgame. “But I said boldly, I believe in that guy.”
In other words, it would not be surprising if Stone rebounds quickly and grows into the role as the season progresses.
There were also a few questionable decisions from Braun and the coaching staff. On Northwestern’s only goal-to-go possession of the day, the Wildcats elected to run the ball on third down, gaining four yards to the three-yard line. If Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan were committed to running in that spot, it made little sense not to go for it on fourth down, especially that deep in Tulane territory.
That was not even the most puzzling call. With NU trailing 10-3 late in the first half, Anto Saka drew a holding penalty that would have pushed Tulane back to the 38-yard line and created a third-and-29. Instead, Braun declined the penalty, allowing a five-yard gain that set up a manageable field goal attempt. Patrick Durbin converted from 41 yards, stretching the lead to 13-3.
It is hard to believe the Green Wave would have picked up a first down in that situation and forcing a punt could have changed momentum. Instead, Northwestern immediately threw an interception on its next drive, and Retzlaff punched in a touchdown soon after, effectively putting the game out of reach before halftime.
The loss was an incredibly disappointing way to begin the season and one that exposed Northwestern’s shortcomings in execution, decision-making and poise under pressure. Tulane was the better team in every phase and the Wildcats never recovered once momentum shifted midway through the first half. Saturday’s opener raised the uncomfortable question of how far away real progress might be.
The reality is that the Big Ten will not get any easier. Programs like Michigan, Penn State and Oregon await on the schedule and each will punish turnovers and missed opportunities more ruthlessly than Tulane. That puts even greater pressure on Northwestern to sharpen its execution and steady its quarterback play before conference competition begins. Stone has the pedigree to rebound, but if he cannot, the Wildcats risk falling behind quickly in a league where margin for error is thin.
At the same time, it is only one game. Northwestern has been written off before and Braun’s group showed flashes of resilience last fall, even when few expected much.
Friday night against Western Illinois will not provide a Big Ten-level measuring stick, but it will give the Wildcats a chance to regroup, fix obvious mistakes and restore confidence before the heart of the schedule arrives. A strong response would not erase the frustration of New Orleans, but it would show that the team is capable of learning and adapting rather than letting one bad day linger into something larger.
