Inside NU's Pound the Talk with WNUR Sports: Recent Episodes
Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Inside NU, SB Nation's Northwestern site, has two podcasts! Exciting! We're featuring the hottest Northwestern sports takes on the interwebs. Pound the Talk is a weekly podcast, released every Wednesday, that discusses the most pressing issues in Northwestern athletic news. Wildcat Banter is an interview-based podcast that takes a deep dive into the lives of Northwestern athletes and addresses their craft at hand. Follow us on Twitter @insidenu.
Your three favorite Editors in Chief -- Daniel Olinger, Ben Chasen and Mac Stone -- teamed up to answer all of your mailbag questions, ranging from which head coaching jobs are the best in the Big Ten, to several tangents discussing the merits and potential of the new Welsh-Ryan Arena.
PTT: Recapping Michigan, The Current State Of Northwestern Football And Looking Ahead To Minnesota by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
PTT: Recapping Michigan, The Current State Of Northwestern Football And Looking Ahead To Minnesota by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Pound the Talk: Recapping Rutgers and Looking Ahead to Michigan by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Pound the Talk - Reviewing Duke and Ohio, Previewing Nebraska and Talking (New) Ryan Field by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Ben and Will break down the latest news surrounding Northwestern's football program with Cam Porter being out for the season and Hunter Johnson being named NU's starting QB.
On this week's episode, Ben and Will dive into Northwestern's football schedule by previewing each game and ending with record predictions.
Will and Ben return from their PTT hiatus to break down Northwestern football's 2021 offense!
The wonderful Jenn Hatfield of Her Hoop Stats and The Next joins the show with EIC Daniel Olinger to break down how Northwestern legend Lindsey Pulliam fits with her new team the Atlanta Dream, what areas of improvement could most help her in securing a roster spot and so much more on this special podcast episode for Inside NU.
Pound The Talk- Breaking down Elyjah Williams and his fit in Northwestern's roster by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
It's a brand new show here at Inside NU! Editor-in-Chief Daniel Olinger was joined by football guru and draft expert Benjamain Solak of The Draft Network, the Locked-on NFL Draft Podcast and Bleeding Green Nation to break down how highly the league thinks of Rashawn Slater and Greg Newsome, where the best landing spots for those two might be and which other prospects from Northwestern might have a chance of hearing their names called on draft night.
Pound the Talk: Men's basketball departures and NFL Draft Comparisons by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Today, Matt and Claire dedicate the episode to Northwestern's non-revenue sports that have been playing this spring. The two start off with a quick recap of sports like baseball and field hockey before doing a more in-depth discussion of softball and lacrosse.
Pound The Talk: Recapping Louisville, Men's Transfers And Porter Mosier by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Previewing NU-UCF in first round of NCAAW tournament and a little bit of rev sports talk
Listen to Claire, Matt and Will break down Northwestern men's basketball snapping the 13 game losing streak against Minnesota, the women's basketball team's recent struggles and an update on Northwestern's red hot non-revenue sports teams.
This week, all three hosts sit down to talk about both of Northwestern’s basketball teams — one of which has a much better outlook for the coming month. With just a few games left in the season, Matt, Claire and Will discuss the final stretch and the obstacles each team has in front of them.
We talk about the woman's basketball team's recent hot streak, the men's team nine game losing streak and analyze the updated football schedule.
Today, Matt and Claire sit down to talk about the recent basketball games — a loss to Rutgers for the men's team and two wins for the women’s. They also update their listeners on football recruiting with the addition of a new wide receiver.
This week, Will, Claire and Matt dive into some breaking news regarding football. With a new quarterback and defensive coordinator coming into the mix, there is a lot to catch up on. In the second half of the episode, the trio gets into the most recent men’s basketball losses and what the rest of the season could look like.
Today, Claire, Will and Matt close out the football season by previewing the upcoming bowl game and talking about which players will need to step up for the 'Cats to secure a win. But first, they recap basketball and discuss what the loss to the Hawkeyes actually means.
In this week's episode, Claire and Matt discuss Northwestern's loss in the Big Ten Championship to Ohio State, the recent news of NU transfers and the men's basketball team's latest win over #4 Michigan State.
Today, Matt, Will and Claire celebrate winning the Big Ten West by drafting their favorite seniors, as well as preview the upcoming rivalry game.
Claire and Will break down Northwestern's first loss of the season to Michigan State and delve into where Northwestern currently stands as a program.
Today, Will and Claire are joined by Tyler Hunt of Bucky's 5th Quarter, Wisconsin's SB Nation site, and he fills them in on everything you need to know about this Badgers team.
Today, we discuss Northwestern's 3-0 start to the season and preview the upcoming game against Purdue.
In our first game recapping a Northwestern football victory, the crew breaks down Northwestern's first win of the season, the latest news around the Big Ten and looks ahead to Iowa.
Finally, Matt, Claire and Will get to talk about a real (!) game that is happening. The three talk depth charts and opt-outs before diving into what to expect from this Maryland team.
Matt, Claire and Will dive into what they think the season is going to look like. Who is going to be MVP? Can we win the West? Find out in this episode of Pound the Talk.
Today, Matt, Claire and Will talk about the news we've all been waiting for (and the reason they waited an extra day to record).
Pound The Talk- Big Ten, President Trump, October 10th football return? by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Pound The Talk, Episode 14: Looking for a replacement, know anyone? by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Today we talk about how COVID-19 continues to impact the Big Ten, and college football as a whole, with news from Illinois running back Ra'Von Bonner and other schools.
Matt is back this week, and the trio walks through what the fall is going to look like after the most recent Big Ten announcement to make all fall sports schedules conference-only.
We give game-by-game predictions for the 2020 season and break down what each team in the conference might look like. Then, we finish up talking about basketball, athletic director Jim Phillips’ big news and what his new position might mean for the 2021-22 season.
Apologies for any bad audio — recording a podcast over Zoom is hard.
Our newest episode features conversations about Northwestern's 2020 CFB season without non-conference games, the CBB season being moved up two weeks, the new ICE policy regarding international students losing their visas if classes are online and how Northwestern will proceed with its 2021 recruiting class without Max Christie.
Matt, Will and Claire are here to talk to you about Under Armour deals, getting Justin Jackson the recognition he deserves, and the quickly forming 2021 class.
Today, Matt, Will and Claire are here to talk about recent spikes in coronavirus cases within the football world. They end with a few new commits and some bad news for the wrestling team.
In today's episode of PTT, we discuss the Northwestern athletic department's response to the recent issues pertaining to social justice, reports of systemic racism in the Iowa football program and conclude with a bit of recruiting news.
In our inaugural episode, we chatted with Ryan Young, the starting center for Northwestern’s men’s basketball team. We sat down with Young a couple of weeks ago, and he gave us an inside look into his quarantine workout regimen as well as how the team has stayed connected during isolation. We discuss Young’s ascension from a red-shirt freshman to starting center in year two and take a close look at the team’s young talent and what they have in store.
In episode four of the podcast we discuss basketball news in regards to the current transfer market and an update pertaining to Northwestern's 2021 recruiting class. We also welcome on a guest in one of our managing editors, Daniel Olinger, to dive into the football press conferences that have transpired over the past few days featuring Pat Fitzgerald, Mike Bajakian, Mike Hankwitz and Peyton Ramsey!
Matt, Will and Claire recap The Last Dance, debate Pat Spencer's prospects in the NBA and discuss the possibility of football in the fall.
In today's podcast, Claire, Matt and Will dive into NU's recent announcement of budget cuts and how it may impact Northwestern's athletics. Additionally, we discuss how the 2021 basketball recruiting class is shaping up. Don't forget to tune into Northwestern Day lasting all-day on BTN today!
Matt, Will and Claire talk Gaziano's potential, new commits and Collins coaching trajectory.
In their final episode of Pound the Talk as co-editors-in-chief, Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich wrap up the basketball season, learn about the Aaron Falzon transfer on air, and talk about their favorite moments during their time at InsideNU.
Caleb Friedman and Noah Coffman discuss Aaron Falzon going off against Indiana, where the men's basketball team sits heading into two difficult road games and what the women's basketball team's postseason chances look like.
The podcast makes its glorious return, albeit without a real microphone because Medill hates Pound The Talk. Pardon the audio quality. Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich sit down to assess the 2018 football season, breaking down how each position group fared relative to expectation. They linger on the football team so as to not discuss the men's basketball team too much. Nonetheless, our MBB insights can be found in the last ten minutes of the podcast.
Co-Editor-in-Chief Caleb Friedman and Editor Emeritus Tristan Jung discuss Northwestern's win over Iowa, what winning the Big Ten West means, if Northwestern is #actually good and some basketball.
Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich break down what went wrong in NU's loss to Notre Dame. Then they talk about NU's Big Ten West aspirations and potential bowl destinations, before some takeaways from the re-opening of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
On this edition of Pound The Talk, Davis Rich and Chris Grismer preview the men's basketball season. Chris, our resident basketball expert, tells us what he learned at media day, what to expect from guys like Vic Law and Dererk Pardon, and makes his predictions for the season.
Caleb Friedman, Brett Haensel and Avery Zimmerman discuss Northwestern's 31-17 victory over Wisconsin and look ahead to Saturday's matchup against Notre Dame.
We're back on the air after Medill locked us out of the edit bays for three weeks. Caleb Friedman, Brett Haensel, and Davis Rich talk about what we learned from NU's wins over Nebraska and Rutgers, preview this weekend's huge matchup with Wisconsin, and talk about the wide range of outcomes for NU's season.
History is made as we react live to a 2019 basketball commitment on air. Caleb Friedman, Noah Coffman, and Davis Rich also break down what the offense needs to work on against Michigan State and give our predictions for the game.
The pod is back! After weeks of technical difficulties and general malaise, Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich are back to talk about the major storylines thus far, what to expect from NU heading forward, and which Wildcat position groups can improve and where. We're mostly pessimistic.
Davis Rich and Noah Coffman break down the new Walter Athletics Center and what it means for Northwestern sports. They also talk about Chad Hanaoka, nitpick what should be a good Northwestern defense, and discuss the upcoming women's soccer and field hockey schedules.
Davis Rich and Caleb Friedman break down the offense position group by position group, talking about position battles and identifying key players. Then, they address some of the biggest questions not involving Clayton Thorson facing the 2018 team.
Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich give the freshman basketball players unsolicited advice on their first year in Evanston, talk about Davis's recent story on Paddy Fisher and Travis Whillock, and answer reader questions about Clayton Thorson, offensive breakout candidates, and the 2018-19 basketball rotation.
Will Ragatz and Davis Rich react to the news of Hunter Johnson's transfer to Northwestern. They tell you how excited you should be (very, very excited), what this means for recruiting, and how to set expectations for 2019 and beyond.
In light of the Jordan Lathon news, Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich discuss Northwestern's lack of guard depth in 2018-19 and the future of the basketball program. They also talk about a basketball recruiting update and Northwestern's newest grad transfer, punter Jake Collins.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich discuss Northwestern's disappointing 2018 NFL Draft and what it means in the context of Pat Fitzgerald's recent on-field success. The two also analyze Clayton Thorson's 2019 draft buzz, before talking about NU grad-transfer target Matt Mooney and the potential impact he could have on the basketball team next season.
Ahead of the NFL Draft Caleb Friedman, Davis Rich, and Noah Coffman analyze the pro prospects of Justin Jackson, Godwin Igwebuike, Tyler Lancaster, and Kyle Quiero. Then, they discuss takeaways from spring football and begin speculating (what else is there to do?) about the fall. Finally, the podcast wraps up with a non-rev update from Noah.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, new Editors-in-Chief Caleb Friedman and Davis Rich break down the basketball team's addition of grad transfer Ryan Taylor, the departure of basketball assistant Armon Gates and what we heard and saw at the first-ever football practice at newly-completed Ryan Fieldhouse.
The 2017-18 college basketball season is over, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to talk about regarding Northwestern. We start by breaking down the impact of the recently-announced transfers of Isiah Brown and Rapolas Ivanauskas, then look ahead to next season and what the rotation could look like. Thanks for listening!
Although Northwestern's not in the NCAA Tournament, we got Will Ragatz, Caleb Friedman and Zach Pereles to break down the bracket so you can win your March Madness pool.
Surprise! Henry Bushnell and Josh Rosenblat, former EICs of Inside NU, return to discuss their takes on Northwestern men's basketball. Then we talk about Arsenal, tennis and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tristan Jung and Will Ragatz discussed the loss to Iowa and 2018 Big Ten Tournament (men's and women's). They then got distracted and talked about a bunch of non-revenue sports and No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament.
Caleb and Tristan discuss three very bad losses in the last week before pivoting to utter despair at how this season has gone. Caleb also talks about his rather bad fan experience at Allstate and Senior Night on Thursday.
Tristan Jung and Caleb Friedman discussed Northwestern men's basketball's latest struggles (and stretch of solid play beforehand!) before looking ahead.
Tristan Jung and Noah Coffman discuss the prospects for next year's Northwestern football team before going on an extended rant on the state of the men's basketball team.
Will Ragatz, Tristan Jung, and Caleb Friedman gather to discuss the Music City Bowl vs. Kentucky, and Northwestern men's basketball's last three games. There's been plenty to analyze.
Will Ragatz is joined by Chris Grismer and a special guest, basketball writer Joe Wilkinson from the Daily Northwestern. They start by breaking down what went wrong in the Texas Tech game and the overall problems that have caused Northwestern to start out 3-2 without any blowout wins. Then they hand out early grades to each of the team's five starters (17:00) and discuss reasons for optimism while looking ahead to the rest of the season and NU's tournament chances (32:20).
Tristan Jung and Henrique DaMour recap Northwestern's comfortable win over Purdue before looking at Minnesota and potential bowl locations for the Wildcats.
The Inside NU staff preview Northwestern men's basketball's 2017 season, which tips off Friday. In part 1, we look at the players and the team overall.
In this episode of Pound the Talk, Will Ragatz is joined by Martin Oppegaard and Caleb Friedman to discuss Northwestern football. They break down the Iowa game, preview Michigan State (12:15), and take some Twitter questions (23:05), which leads into a brief discussion on the state of the program today. They wrap up by making some predictions for NU-MSU (33:50).
Caleb Friedman and Tristan Jung examine Northwestern's key win over Maryland. They talk about their season predictions, bowl games, and then digress into a basketball preview.
Will Ragatz and Noah Coffman break down Northwestern's near-comeback against Wisconsin, look at the big picture for the program, and extensively preview the Big Ten home opener against No. 4 Penn State.
On this episode of Pound the Talk, Will Ragatz is joined by Caleb Friedman and Zach Pereles to break down and preview the Northwestern-Wisconsin matchup. They talk players to watch, how the Wildcats can pull off the upset, and much more.
Tristan Jung and Davis Rich break down Northwestern's 49-7 win over Bowling Green. We give an advanced stats update, preview Wisconsin, and talk about what Northwestern can improve over the bye week. We then wrap up with news about Northwestern basketball target Miller Kopp.
Northwestern failed to back up our admittedly overconfident predictions heading into this game. On this episode of Pound the Talk, Caleb Friedman and Tristan Jung lament a terrible performance by every part of the team (except for punter Hunter Niswander) and wonder what needs to change. We have the coaching continuity debate once again, and then look ahead to the rest of the season's expectations. We wrap up with some NFL chatter.
In an all-EIC episode, Tristan Jung and Will Ragatz confer to preview Northwestern's game against the Duke Blue Devils. To start, they discussed Duke's strengths and weaknesses and Northwestern's injury issues. Then, they talked about special teams and defense, all the minute stuff you don't have time to read about. Will Ragatz then became a contestant on "Who Wants to be a Duke Preview Millionaire". Finally, they talked about the importance of this game.
Tristan Jung and Caleb Friedman recap an exciting 31-20 Northwestern win over Nevada. They debate whether the game has affected their perspectives on the season and wonder whether the secondary will be tenable by the Duke game this weekend.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty, and Tristan jung break down the upcoming season, the game against Nevada, and a few fun prop bets. There's also some Touchdown Trevor and Austin Carr chatter.
Martin Oppegaard and Tristan Jung discuss their time talking to Fitz and players at Big Ten Media Days. They also give their takes on recruiting as a whole, Allstate Arena, and Week 1 against Nevada.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, Tristan Jung and Caleb Friedman complain about the Big Ten/ACC Challenge game against Georgia Tech, analyze Northwestern football news and review their favorite moments of the past school year. Of course, they sneak in some Bachelorette discussion at the end.
This edition of Pound the Talk features Henry Bushnell and Josh Rosenblat, both editors emeritus at Inside NU. They are joined by current co-EIC Tristan Jung and discuss the men's basketball NCAA Tournament run, some football, random Twitter questions, tennis, soccer and The Bachelorette. It's very good, I think.
Pound the Talk welcomes two old guests to discuss the latest news surrounding Northwestern sports. Former editor Ben Goren comes on to defend his column on Johnnie Vassar and former guest Travis Henry-Reid joins in later to break down Pat Fitzgerald's coaching extension and the Big Ten West.
Pound the Talk is back and this one is about as action-packed as it gets. Your host, Will Ragatz, is joined by Caleb Friedman to recap a wild couple of days in Northwestern athletics and preview the big event of the weekend. They start out with reaction to and analysis of the long-term contract extensions signed by Chris Collins and Pat Fitzgerald, move on to discuss Boston College basketball transfer A.J. Turner choosing the Wildcats (14:35) and wrap it up with a breakdown on all of Northwestern's NFL Draft prospects before the spectacle kicks off in Philadelphia on Thursday night (25:50).
This week's Pound the Talk is here for your listening pleasure. Will Ragatz is joined by Tristan Jung and Josh Burton to break down the seasons and big picture outlooks of Northwestern's two biggest spring sports, as well as talk some basketball (it's still hard not to). To start, Tristan provides his takes on the lacrosse team's up-and-down season and what the outlook is for the rest of this season and beyond (0:45). Then the guys provide some hard-hitting analysis on Tristan's ridiculous Northwestern coaches Royal Rumble article from yesterday (12:30). After realizing they should talk about some actually substantial things, they move on to a discussion of Northwestern baseball and Josh expains that the team needs to show more signs of improvement this year with a potentially bright future not too far away (15:35). Finally, they wrap things up by discussing Northwestern basketball being ranked in many websites' way-too-early top 25s, where they would rank NU for next year, and what variables will determine whether the Wildcats can live up to that hype (29:45).
Although the metaphorical rock was broken earlier this month, Pound the TALK is back and with plenty to talk about. Will Ragatz is joined by Chris Grismer and Zach Wingrove to break down all things Northwestern basketball. The guys hand out season awards (0:50) and recap Northwestern's NCAA Tournament run by talking about the Vanderbilt game (7:25) and the Wildcats' up and down performance against Gonzaga (11:35). They also analyze the 2017 Big Dance as a whole (20:30), including the Big Ten's solid performance, and give some Final Four predictions. Finally, they wrap it up by looking forwards to next season (28:10), projecting the teams at the top of the Big Ten title race (35:30) and discussing the baseline for success in what will be a much-hyped 2017-18 campaign (40:00).
Jesse Kramer of The Catch and Shoot joins Zach Pereles on the latest edition of Pound the Talk. They're talking the Missouri Valley Conference, the Horizon League and of course Northwestern and the Big Ten. They talk everything March: conference tournaments, mid-major magic, sleeper teams, upset alerts and the Wildcats' chances in D.C. as well as their seeding possibilities and if they are an absolute lock for their first ever NCAA Tournament.
Dererk Pardon hit a buzzer beater to defeat Michigan and secure Northwestern's 21st win of the season and we just had to talk about it as quickly as possible. A couple hours after the game, Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and Josh Burton talk about the buzzer beater, the game overall and what this means for Northwestern as a program.
Northwestern broke our hearts this weekend. The men blew a late eight-point lead in Bloomington on Sunday night, and the women lost on a buzzer beater after Purdue grabbed an airball and stuck it back in. But with great sadness comes great opportunity (that's how the saying goes, right?). The women are headed to Indianapolis on Thursday where they will face Iowa in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament. The men, meanwhile, have two games left, both at home. Up first are the Michigan Wolverines, winners of five of their last six. Can the Wildcats turn things around on Wednesday night? Zach Pereles and Ian McCafferty discuss that and the NCAA Tournament possibilities for both the men and the women and take your Twitter questions as well.
Zach Pereles and Ian McCafferty discuss a disappointing loss to Illinois, look at who is to blame for the offensive struggles and preview Indiana.
Henry and Isaac Bushnell, who were both in Madison, join host Josh Rosenblat to discuss Northwestern's huge win over Wisconsin and talk big-picture.
We tried something a little new on this one. We've got a cold open, movie clips spliced in, and actual editing! It's a new era!
Ian McCafferty, Tristan Jung, and Ben Goren sit down to talk about the debacle against Illinois (2:30), mononucleosis despite not ever having had it (9:31), #BMACCLUTCHGENE (14:35), tournament resume (20:52), the trash fire that is the Big Ten (29:58)and how Joe McKeown went down to the crossroads to make a deal (35:44).
Music credit: Eryn Allen Kane – "Slipping"
We have a guest! Dave Williams, aka whitesoxdave of Barstool Sports, joins us for a thorough discussion of Northwestern basketball and some other topics. Hosted by Zach Pereles and Josh Burton, the trio start with the Indiana game and then move onto Scottie Lindsey's illness and how it may impact the team moving forward, starting with the game at Purdue. They also talk about Barstool Sports and how Dave got there, how it has evolved, and his incredible passion for the White Sox. They then finish up with your questions and Dave answers the all-important question... Is this The Year?
Zach Pereles and Henry DaMour recap Northwestern's 73-61 win over Nebraska, also know as The Dererk Pardon Game 2.0. Pardon posted 19 points and 22 rebounds. Where does he rank among Big Ten centers? They also talk about Vic Law (20 points) and sprkplug Isiah Brown (10 points). The finish up by previewing the Indiana game and giving their predictions.
It's a jam-packed basketball episode hosted by Zach Pereles and Isaac Bushnell. They start off with review of the Ohio State game, the first win the Wildcats have earned in Columbus since 1977. Isaac was there and discusses the crowd and the significance of the win, and then they move on to discussion of Chris Collins' lineups, which they found exceptional against the Buckeyes. They then preview Nebraska and wrap up with your questions.
We bring you a very special edition of Pound the Talk with former Northwestern men's basketball manager Richard Mummolo. Mummolo served one year under Bill Carmody and one year under Chris Collins before transferring to Columbia, where he managed the Lions during their CIT title. Zach Pereles and Richard talk Northwestern's wins over Rutgers and Iowa, analyze the Big Ten as a whole and ponder whether Northwestern has an NBA-level player on their roster. They also discuss Vic Law and Scottie Lindsey's development and look at the NCAA landscape as a whole.
Zach Pereles and Josh Burton are in the studio discussing Northwestern's 74-66 win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena. They highlight the stars and discuss whether Scottie Lindsey is Northwestern's most important player. They then move to football, where they hand out season grades to the offensive contributors.
Zach Pereles and Isaac Bushnell are in the studio for the first Pound the Talk of 2017, talking the Pinstripe Bowl and the basketball team. On the football front, they discuss the impressive NU showing both on the field and in the crowd. On the basketball front, the Wildcats are 1-2 in Big Ten play. The guys break down all three games and wonder how much the missed opportunity against Minnesota will hurt this team.
Zach Pereles and Isaac Bushnell are bringing you Pound the Talk from their hometowns, recapping Northwestern's impressive run of seven straight wins. They review the close wins against Chicago State and Dayton as well as the blowout win over IUPUI. Discussion points include: Why was the first half vs. Dayton so good? Why was the second half so bad? How should Northwestern go about breaking the press? How good is this team's depth? Is NU basketball overtaking NU football? Is this gasp a tournament team?They take your Twitter questions, too.
Caleb Friedman and Zach Pereles breakdown the Wildcats' Pinstripe Bowl matchup with Pittsburgh. The Panthers have a fantastic offense led by quarterback Nathan Peterman and running back James Conner. But Pat Narduzzi's team has struggled on defensive, especially in the secondary. They also talk basketball, including the big win over DePaul and the upcoming schedule sans Dererk Pardon.
It's been a while, friends. With a short week last week, we didn't get to deliver you our weekly Pound the Talk episodes, so we're back with a vengeance reviewing both the Minnesota loss and the Illinois win on the gridiron while also talking Northwestern basketball. The Wildcats put up a solid showing in the Legends Classic but didn't get it done in crunch time once again versus Notre Dame. They did, however, pick up a crucial win over Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Zach Pereles, Josh Rosenblat and Caleb Friedman analyze it all.
Zach Pereles and Caleb Friedman discuss Northwestern's matchup with Minnesota ahead of the Wildcats' trip up to Minneapolis. They talk keys to the game, discuss how the weather could play a big factor and wrap up with their predictions as the Wildcats look to become bowl eligible.
Zach Pereles is on the mic analyzing Northwestern's win over Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium as well as Northwestern basketball's 2-0 start. He analyzes what both teams will need to do moving forward with important matchups at Minnesota and at Butler, respectively. Make sure to stay tuned for Wednesday afternoon's episode analyzing the Johnnie Vassar situation.
Josh Rosenblat and Isaac Bushnell go game-by-game through Northwestern's basketball schedule and reveal their season predictions.
Zach Pereles and Will Ragatz are preparing for the trek down I-90 and I-65 to West Lafayette to take in Northwestern's matchup with Purdue. The Boilermakers have had major struggled this year and fired their coach mid-season, but they possess an explosive offense led by quarterback David Blough. Can Northwestern win comfortably against one of the cellar dwellers? We discuss.
Zach Pereles and Isaac Bushnell discuss Northwestern's basketball roster and what each player provides. They also discuss possible lineups for Chris Collins to use and the importance of the members of his first recruiting class — Bryant McIntosh, Scottie Lindsey, Vic Law and Gavin Skelly — to step up.
Pound the Talk is 100 episodes old! Happy birthday! Zach Pereles, Josh Burton and special guest and longtime Inside NU contributor Ben Goren are on the mic talking the Wisconsin loss, favorite memories from the podcast and much, much more, including the lack of Justin Jackson versus the Badgers and what the defensive strategy should be going forward.
On the 100th episode of Pound the Talk, Ian McCafferty and Tristan Jung break down Northwestern's huge encounter with No. 8 Wisconsin at Ryan Field. 38 minutes of ripping on Joel Stave, making fun of Northwestern's home win streak and discussion on student attendance.
Ian McCafferty, Will Ragatz and Tristan Jung go over Northwestern's loss to Ohio State.
Zach Pereles and Josh Burton are in the studio to recap a sad but successful weekend for Northwestern football. First they address the sad: Senior cornerback Matthew Harris has retired from football due to concussion issues. They talk about his absence and the concussion issue as a whole. How big of a problem is it, and will it ever change? They then focus on the happier things: Northwestern won again! That makes it three in a row for the Wildcats. What went right versus Indiana, and what can be improved ahead of Ohio State?
Inside NU's Zach Pereles and Rob Schaefer join WNUR's Michael Stern to discuss Northwestern's huge win over Michigan State on Saturday. They go in-depth on how the offense has improved, evolved and ultimately become an absolute power. Has it been schematic changes? Personnel? Play calling? A combination? They also talk about the not-so-good part of the game: the defensive secondary and break down how much of an issue it is going forward.
Zach Pereles and Tristan Jung break down what went right in Northwestern's 38-31 victory over the hated Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Clayton Thorson's career day (four total touchdowns) and big performances from Justin Jackson and Austin Carr carried the offense while Ifeadi Odenigbo racked up four sacks on the defensive side of things. Also: How on Earth did NU score 38 points?! We take your questions.
Tristan Jung and WNUR’s Michael Stern recap a disappointing 24-13 loss to Nebraska. They lamented the lack of run defense, consistent offensive execution and consistent kicking. Northwestern football was also analyzed on a statistical basis and compared to a bad sandwich with good bread.
Zach Pereles and Tristan Jung preview the matchup with Nebraska, including some prop bets and some hard-hitting Tommy Armstrong Jr. analysis. He's been really good this year but has struggled versus the Wildcats throughout his career. Is an upset on the horizon?
Zach Pereles Ian McCafferty and Josh Burton break down the Wildcat victory over Duke, discussing who impressed, who didn't (mostly Duke) and what to make of Clayton Thorson's monster yardage total. They also talk about what the win means big-picture and what needs to happen to continue winning.
Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and Tristan Jung preview what could be a very bad football game under the lights between Duke and Northwestern. Both teams have not exactly been impressive thus far, and a win Saturday night could get either back on track. They also talk about what Savion Flagg's commitment to to Texas A&M means and what could be next for Chris Collins.
Former Inside NU contributor Ben Goren joins up with Inside NU founder Kevin Trahan and former EIC Henry Bushnell to talk Northwestern football and give some super hot takes. They battle through technical difficulties to talk about what it means for this program big-picture and perhaps more importantly, if there is any hope left at all.
Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and Tristan Jung are on Pound the Talk to review the debacle that was the Illinois State contest. They discuss the biggest issues: offensive line play, offensive play calling and the offense overall, and discuss which of the five stages of grief they are experiencing. They also give their big picture outlook.
Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and Michael Stern are on the mic, giving you not one but TWO previews in one podcast. First, they talk Trevor Siemian and expectations for the former Wildcat quarterback. Can he and the Denver Broncos open the NFL regular season on a high note? They then preview Northwestern's game versus FCS heavyweights Illinois State. What do the Wildcats need to do to get back on track?
Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and WNUR's Michael Stern review Northwestern's disappointing season-opening loss to Western Michigan, examining essentially every aspect of the game. The defensive line disappointed, but the defensive secondary held up well. Offensively, Clayton Thorson's performance was a positive sign, but the fumble at the end was worrying, as was the play of his offensive line. FInally, they take your Twitter questions.
Zach Pereles, Martin Oppegaard and Ian McCafferty break down the matchup between Northwestern and Western Michigan. The guys discuss key individual matchups, preview the Western Michigan roster and give their predictions for the season-opener.
Zach Pereles and Ian McCafferty finish up the Season Preview podcast with Part II. They discuss big-picture issues, including why the 2016 season is so important following a wildly successful 2015. They also go through the entire schedule and break down Northwestern's prospects and give their season predictions.
Zach Pereles and Ian McCafferty are on the Part I of the 2016 football season preview podcast. The duo goes position-by-position, breaking down strengths and weaknesses across the roster and giving their expectations for the key players in 2016. Part II comes out Sunday, Aug. 28!
Ben Goren comes out of retirement and joins former Inside NU editors-in-chief Henry Bushnell and Josh Rosenblat to give you all the hot takes you could possibly want. They talk Touchdown Trevor, analyze the schedule, give their W-L prediction and discuss Keith Watkins II, Anthony "The Franchise" Walker and much, much more.
Zach Pereles and Martin Oppegaard are back with the final Pound the Talk before everyone's favorite Northwestern tradition: Kenosha! The guys preview the scrimmage as well as discuss some of the biggest stories of the week. Is Trevor Siemian the guy in Denver? Who will replace Keith Watkins II? What uniforms could NU debut in 2016. It's all right here.
Zach Pereles and Martin Oppegaard are back for a special Saturday edition of Pound the Talk. The guys discuss a bevy of topics, including swimmer Jordan Wilimovsky's chances for gold in Rio in the 1500 meters, as well as basketball recruiting. The Wildcats missed out on two more recruits in the past couple weeks; is it time to hit the panic button? They also talk about how training camp is going and make a series of prop bets on the upcoming season. Finally, they make a big time announcement: Inside NU Fantasy Football is back! Find out how to enter by listening!
Zach Pereles and Ian McCafferty review the sights and sounds from a busy couple of days at Big Ten Media Days, including Pat Fitzgerald's comments, the status of Northwestern's Big Ten opponents and the October schedule. They also talk Ryan Field renovations and get ready for Paradise on Earth, aka Kenosha.
Star Northwestern running back Justin Jackson joins Zach Pereles on a special edition of Pound the Talk. They touch on a variety of topics, including Jackson's recruitment to Evanston, his running style and the family atmosphere the team has built. Jackson discusses how he feels about his nickname of "The Ball Carrier" and takes some Twitter questions as well. As always, they wrap up with a lightning round of questions, including "Is hotdog a sandwich?" and "Which NFL player would you like to hang out with most?"
HIGHLIGHTS
1:20 — The recruiting process and the decision to stay close to home
4:06 — The family atmosphere among the players
10:20 — Running style and running backs he tries to emulate
14:42 — Developing into an all-around back at Northwestern, including improving in pass protection
18:52 — Becoming “Justin Jackson the ball carrier”
21:17 — Favorite move to make a guy miss
23:19 — Offseason motivation
29:05 — Signature touchdown celebration
31:25 — Better dancer: Justin Jackson or Anthony Walker?
32:10 — Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and NBA free agency
35:18 — Lightning Round questions
Henry Bushnell joins Pound the Talk from Los Angeles to discuss advanced statistics with Zach Pereles. The Wildcats were exceptionally lucky to win 10 games last year, but when you have a coach as good in crunch time as Pat Fitzgerald is, is it all due to luck? They also discuss expectations for 2016.
Zach Pereles and first-time Pound the Talk participant Martin Oppegaard talk about the defense and special teams and discuss some key questions. Can the new defensive ends hold up in the run game? Is the depth ok? They then discuss 2017 basketball recruiting, which doesn't look all too promising at this point.
Zach Pereles and Ben Goren talk about Randy Walker's passing and discuss his impact on the program, including the memorable 2000 season which ended with the Wildcats as co-champions of the Big Ten. They then discuss the most important players of 2016 and preview the offensive positions and take your questions.
Ben Goren, Zach Pereles and WNUR Sports' Austin Miller sit down to talk about what the new Welsh-Ryan Arena means for Northwestern basketball. How big of a change is it? Can Northwestern now go toe-to-toe with the biggest names in the conference? That and a discussion on Northwestern's non-conference schedule (it's weak, again) on this week's Pound the Talk!
Northwestern head men's basketball coach Chris Collins joins Henry Bushnell and Jason Dorow to discuss everything from his team's 2015-16 season to the NCAA's transfer rules to why he has a piece of shattered glass from one of Darryl Dawkins' broken backboards at his house. Here's a brief rundown of the conversation:
9:30 — The evolution of his team over three seasons 22:00 — The decision to skip the CBI/Vegas 16 23:45 - His connections to Duke 27:30 - His relationship with Fitz 31:00 - His dad’s involvement with the program 35:30 - Transfer rules 40:15 - His recruiting pitch three-years in 44:30 - [En]light[e]ning round, AKA 15 minutes of Chris Collins story time
Ben Goren is joined by WNUR Sports' Austin Miller and Will Greer — both back from calling Northwestern softball's NCAA Tournament regional in Athens, Georgia — to wrap up a busy spring season in Northwestern athletics. Women's lacrosse disappointed, as did baseball in new coach Spencer Allen's first season, but there were plenty of memorable campaigns elsewhere.
Northwestern point guard Bryant McIntosh sat down with Henry Bushnell last Thursday to discuss his sophomore season, the team's accomplishments and shortcomings, his personal development, Steph Curry, and various off-the-court topics such as how recognizable he is around campus. A full rundown is below.
2:15 — Reflections on the 2015-16 season 6:00 — The Big Ten Tournament loss to Michigan 7:35 — The Indiana game 10:45 — How often does he get recognized on campus? 14:05 — Assessing his personal performance 16:55 — Does he like the zone? "No." 21:30 — Trying to balance scoring and distributing 23:45 — Why haven't they played up tempo? 24:45 — Steph Curry and the SC30 Select Camp 27:45 — NBA Playoffs 29:40 — Trash talk 31:20 — Twitter questions 36:45 — Urgency, making the NCAA Tournament 38:20 — Lightning round
Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell sit down with Wildcat Digest's Luke Srodulski to talk Northwestern basketball's 2017 offers, 2016 situation, and how the Collins Era is progressing into year four.
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren sit down with Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald to discuss a wide range of topics. Here's a rundown:
4:20 — Looking back on 2015 season 13:15 — Playing days, evolution of football over 20 years 17:40 — Coaching/watching his kids play sports 19:00 — Blackhawks fandom 20:15 — Balancing football and family 24:55 — Social media, technology, and the insanity of recruiting 31:30 — Gameday routine 36:15 — Lightning Round 38:40 — Favorite game of past 10 years 42:45 — Urging fans to fill Ryan Field
Zach Pereles, Ben Goren, and WNUR's Ari Ross break down what Northwestern fans should expect this NFL Draft Weekend. When will Dean Lowry and Dan Vitale leave the board? Who will find a team in free agency? What is next year's draft class looking like? Could Anthony Walker leave early? All that and more:
Henry Bushnell is joined by Zach Pereles, Josh Burton and Will Greer to continue our discussion of Northwestern fandom as a Northwestern student. Pereles, Burton and Greer all have experience rooting rabidly for other college teams prior to their arrival at Northwestern. A big topic, therefore, is what makes Northwestern different from other schools where the university's sports teams are higher on students' priority lists. Is it about the success of the teams? Or is it about something more fundamental to the school?
We also read some comments from Northwestern fans in reaction to Part 1 of the podcast.
Henry Bushnell, Jason Dorow, Ben Goren and Tristan Jung sit down for Part 1 of a two-part discussion on the experience of rooting for Northwestern's sports teams as a student at the university. We tell our personal stories, discuss how our fandom has spiked and waned over the years, address the common perception that Northwestern students don't care about sports, and try to figure out why that is. We also try to figure out the effect that this lack of a sports culture has had on our fandom and the fandom of others.
Part 2 of the podcast will feature three new unique stories and backgrounds, will discuss the relationship among an incoming Northwestern student, his or her new school's teams, and the teams he or she rooted for growing up. It will also get into the differences between the sports experience at Northwestern and the sports experience at other major schools, and will address the ways in which the athletic department markets sports games to students.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Zach Pereles convene to talk observations and takeaways from Northwestern football practice on Saturday. BUT FIRST... a special friend of the podcast joins the show to open up with some men's tennis talk. The tennis team is the best of Northwestern's 19 varsity teams at the moment, is rolling through the Big Ten, and is led by a really strong core of upperclassmen.
Football talk includes some takes on the offense. Is Solomon Vault going to be a difference maker at wide receiver? Is the offensive line going to be any better? Is the offense trending to a more smash-mouth style?
The highlight of the show, however, is Inside NU's own Sam Brief, who joins the show to discuss his outstanding feature on "The Northwestern basketball walk-on life." We talk about the process of reporting the story, and discuss our takeaways from reading it.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Austin Miller discuss the commitment of four-star defensive end Earnest Brown, who chose Northwestern over Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ole Miss, and a host of others. What do Brown, Trevor Kent and Austin Hiller (two other recent commits) mean for the program?
The majority of the show, however, is dedicated to basketball. How will Dererk Pardon develop in year two? Does this team really have that many 'plus' defenders? How will Bryant McIntosh play without Tre Demps as a complimentary option?
We bet on over/unders for Vic Law's points per game and the team's win total. The win total discussions supplements talk of the schedule next year, which will be tougher than this years.
NCAA Tournament Preview, Holy Cross, Looking Ahead to 2016-17 by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
After a thrilling, heartbreaking loss for Northwestern in Indianapolis, Josh Rosenblat, Henry Bushnell and Josh Burton recap not only the Michigan game but the season as a whole. Of Northwestern's 70 points, 60 were scored by three players. Two of them are gone next year. How scary is that?
Plus, our Tim Miles and Fran McCaffery takes from a day at the Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Zach Pereles, Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren kick off this episode with some spring football talk. The guys discuss Solomon Vault, Marcus McShepard and Steven Reese moving to wide receiver, dissect Inside NU's spring depth chart, and focus in on the running back, defensive end and defensive back positions.
In our basketball section, we laugh at Rutgers, who was the subject of a Northwestern beatdown Saturday. More importantly though, we preview Penn State, Northwestern's next opponent, and the key to a first round bye in the Big Ten tournament next week.
Ben Goren also has women's basketball rants, which are always fun.
Ben Goren, Josh Rosenblat and Henry Bushnell sit down for a Northwestern spring football primer. What will we be looking for over the next few weeks? What are the key storylines? Who needs to step up? We'll have more answers next week, but now is the time to pose the questions.
We also talk basketball. Two of us believe Northwestern has a decent shot at Michigan on Wednesday. Why? What about the matchup with the Wolverines is favorable to the Wildcats?
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren are joined by Kevin Dukovic — who makes his first appearance on Pound The Talk since last year — to talk Northwestern basketball. After a quick review of the Ohio State and Illinois games, the guys talk Scottie Lindsey and lineup fluctuation. Then it's onto a preview of Purdue, whom the Wildcats face Tuesday night. What is the formula for a win?
Then it's on to postseason talk. What does Northwestern need to do to make the NIT? Would it actually be beneficial to finish 11th in the Big Ten rather than 10th? If Northwestern doesn't make the NIT, should it accept a bid to the CBI? There's also this new Tournament, the Vegas 16, that sounds intriguing. Is that a possibility?
We had some technical difficulties with our microphone, so apologies for the sound quality. Hopefully it doesn't take a fire hose to our scorching hot takes.
Zach Pereles, Ian McCafferty and Josh Burton are on this Monday edition of Pound The Talk to discuss Northwestern women's team's double overtime loss to Minnesota on Sunday (Rachel Banham is good at basketball), the Wildcats' lacrosse team's season-opening win at Duke and the men's team beating the Golden Gophers back on Thursday. Plus, they preview the Wildcats' game in Columbus tomorrow night against Ohio State.
Henry Bushnell, Josh Rosenblat and Ben Goren bring the fire on our National Signing Day preview podcast. To begin, the guys take a detailed look at Northwestern's 2016 recruiting class. Josh enthusiastically brings some stats to the table about how good he believes this NU class is, especially given the context in which it came together. Who are we most excited about in the class? Is there help coming on the offensive line and at wide receiver.
We also get into a really interesting discussion comparing Pat Fitzgerald's recruiting philosophy to that of Jim Harbaugh, who has been pulling offers left and right all the way back to his Stanford days. Fitz doesn't do that... but would he if he was at Michigan? What is the relative value of Fitz's set of principles?
Oh, and basketball... The women and the men have combined for 10 losses in a row. There's a wide range of optimism/pessimism when it comes to the men and their five-game losing streak.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Tristan jung recap an 0-4 week for Northwestern's basketball teams. The focus is on the men's game at Indiana, in which the Wildcats were torn apart. What has gone wrong? Is Northwestern's lack of talent and depth being exposed? As for the women... yuck. It's looking more and more like Joe McKeown's team is going to miss out on the Tournament after being ranked for much of the season. Was this team ever good?
Northwestern basketball enters its toughest stretch of the season by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Assessing Northwestern basketball through two weeks of Big Ten play by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren are back from Tampa and are joined by Josh Burton to react to the disaster that was the Outback Bowl. But rather than dwell on the loss to Tennessee, Bushnell, Goren and Burton look ahead to next year. How will Northwestern's depth chart look? Who do the Wildcats lose, and who is back? What is a realistic win expectation for next season?
The guys then move onto basketball. What were the worrying signs from Northwestern's loss to Maryland? What were the positive signs? Is there anything to take from the game against the Terps that can be projected forward to Wednesday's matchup with Ohio State?
A look at Northwestern basketball as it finishes non-conference play by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Henry Bushnell, Ben Goren and Jason Dorow talk... well, everything that has happened since we last recorded, which was 10 days ago. Northwestern football is headed to the Outback Bowl in Tampa against Tennessee... how do the Wildcats match up with the Volunteers?
Northwestern basketball is also 7-1. Can Chris Collins and his team head into Big Ten play at 12-1? And if they do, how many Big Ten wins would they need to reach the NCAA Tournament?
HAT victory, a look back at an improbable season, men's basketball by Inside NU and WNUR Sports
Zach Pereles, Henry Bushnell and Tristan Jung react to Northwestern's heart-jolting win over Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. As Justin Jackson tweeted, "what just happened"? The guys discuss offensive ineptitude and defensive dominance.
Plus, as this will be our only podcast of the week, a look ahead to Illinois.
Zach Pereles, Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell discuss Northwestern's upcoming game against Wisconsin. They break down what NU has to do well to win, how the weather will factor in, and give score predictions, as well as sprinkle in some basketball knowledge.
Ben Goren, Zach Pereles and Josh Burton discuss a Northwestern football team that, somehow, is 8-2. The guys discuss the Wildcats' win over Purdue, the quarterback "controversy" and how Northwestern's defense saved the day, again. Plus, a look forward to the Wisconsin game this weekend.
Also, the season-opening basketball win over UMass Lowell was discussed and whether the troubling first half was a cause for concern or not. The Wildcats host Fairfield on Wednesday as they look to improve to 2-0.
Henry Bushnell is first joined by Josh Rosenblat to discuss the deflating news of Vic Law's injury and season-ending surgery. Where will Law be missed most? How will Chris Collins adjust his rotation in Law's absence? And how many wins was Law worth? How does it affect our season predictions?
Henry is then joined by Ben Goren to preview Northwestern and Purdue. The Boilermakers are not a good football team. But could they give Northwestern some trouble? Henry thinks the line (Northwestern -15.5) is ridiculous. The guys breakdown the matchup, and give their score predictions.
The football portion of the podcast begins EXACTLY half way through the show. Each half is 19 minutes and 18 seconds long.
Henry Bushnell, Ben Goren and Josh Burton discuss a Northwestern football team that is 7-2! The guys discuss the Wildcats' win over Penn State, Justin Jackson's resurgence, Zack Oliver's performance, and James Franklin's coaching ability. Plus, how important was Matt Harris' return? How good was Nate Hall?
There's also a really good discussion of 'luck' in college football and how it pertains to Northwestern. Has this team been lucky? Is its 7-2 record an exaggeration of its true ability?
Non-Northwestern football topics include the dumpster fire that is the University of Illinois, and Northwestern University's announcement that it will break ground on its new lakefront athletic facility on Friday.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Michael Stern break down all the key matchups that will win or lose Northwestern its big game against Penn State. What can the Wildcats do to slow the Nittany Lions' pass rush? How important is the return of Matt Harris? Will he and Nick VanHoose be able to contain Penn State's passing attack?
Plus, a little hoops talk.
Josh Rosenblat, Henry Bushnell and Zach Pereles are back for Part 2 of our season preview podcast. After our player-by-player breakdowns in Part 1, now it's time for big picture talk. This is the most talented team Chris Collins has had yet, but really, how talented is it? What's a reasonable win total expectation for this team? Over or under 19 wins?
Plus, we start things off with a non-conference scheduling argument. Henry think it's ridiculous. Josh is on board with it. And of course, we end with some season predictions.
Josh Rosenblat, Henry Bushnell and Zach Pereles give you part 1 of our two-part Northwestern basketball season preview bonanza. Here, the guys give an in-depth breakdown of Northwestern's roster, going player by player to discuss roles and give minutes per game projections.
There are some big questions that need answering. For example, who starts alongside McIntosh, Demps and Olah? Who is the third guard? How will the front court rotation shake out? Will guys like Sanjay Lumpkin and Nate Taphorn see significant decreases in playing time? Is Vic Law a candidate for a breakout year?
Part 2, which features big picture discussion, non-conference scheduling arguments and season predictions, will be released Tuesday.
Henry Bushnell and Jason Dorow try their very best to get excited about Northwestern's trip to Nebraska. Can Northwestern's passing offense have success against what is statistically one of the very worst pass defenses in the country? Or will Clayton Thorson and the Wildcats make Nebraska's secondary look good? And is there any chance that Northwestern just randomly, stupidly plays really well in this game?
Ben Goren, Jason Dorow and Josh Burton break down Northwestern's loss to Iowa and try to look forward in NU's season. What were the biggest issues for the Wildcats two days ago and can they fix them this Saturday in Nebraska? Is there a reason to worry? Also, Twitter questions about Mick McCall, Pat Fitzgerald and the offense were answered.
Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell recap Northwestern's deflating loss to Michigan. How much was this Northwestern getting hit hard by reality, and how much was it Michigan being really good at football?
Goren and Bushnell break down NU's offensive struggles, bemoan Mick McCall's playcalling, and assess the defense — was it as bad as the 38 points allowed would suggest? Plus, some big-picture talk.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and... wait for it... MICHAEL STERN — HE'S BACK — look ahead to Northwestern's big matchup again Michigan, and discuss the similarities and differences between to two teams. Which Wolverine player are we most worried about? What does Northwestern have to do to win?
Plus, is this game bigger than the Iowa game next week? If you could only pick one game to win, Michigan or Iowa, which would you pick?
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Josh Burton break down Northwestern's win over Minnesota, and the cruelty that was the Gophers' final few possessions. What is the biggest difference between this year's defense and last year's? And on the other side of the ball, how would we grade Clayton Thorson's performance?
Plus, the guys talk about the... College Football Playoff?!?!? Yeah. Seriously.
Henry Bushnell, Josh Rosenblat and Jason Dorow preview Northwestern's first conference game, a matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Are the Gophers really any good, even when healthy?
Plus, we answer your Twitter questions, discuss Justin Jackson's workload, the gothic uniforms, M00N, and quintessential Big Ten football weather.
Ben Goren and Zach Pereles break down the Wildcats' 24-19 victory over Ball State on Saturday night. They talk about Clayton Thorson's performance, wonder how the injuries affect the Minnesota outlook and discuss which injury is most important. They also debate whether Justin Jackson is receiving too many carries and look ahead to the Minnesota game this coming weekend.
Henry Bushnell is joined by Michael Stern, who makes his Pound The Talk debut, to preview Northwestern's matchup with Ball State and make some prop bets.
But first, some general discussion of the season so far. How worrying is Clayton Thorson's start? Stern gives his takes. Plus, a new game! The guys play "Is Northwestern 3-0 if..." to evaluate the impact of some of the team's key players.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Josh Burton discuss Northwestern's Saturday win over the Duke Blue Devils in Durham. The Wildcats moved to 3-0 with the victory, and are in a great position as they head into their final non-conference game of the season. Also, how many wins will NU end up with? That, and more, on this edition of Pound The Talk.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Zach Pereles break down Northwestern's Saturday showdown with Duke. Can the Wildcats shut down Blue Devils QB Thomas Sirk? Will Northwestern open the offense up for its own signal-caller, Clayton Thorson? Which position group will be most important? Plus, a look at all the key matchups that will decide NU's first road game of 2015.
Henry Bushnell, Zach Pereles and Jason Dorow break down Northwestern's 41-0 victory over Eastern Illinois and look ahead to the Wildcats' matchup with Duke.
Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell preview Northwestern-Eastern Illinois... well, to the extent that one can talk about a game against an FCS team without driving themselves insane. More importantly... prop bets! Over/under 16.5 carries for Justin Jackson? Over/under 1.5 tumbles taken by freshmen when they run on the field? Plus, Goren and Bushnell have an ingenious scheduling idea that they plan to propose to the Big Ten.
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren rehash, react to and analyze Northwestern's upset of No. 21 Stanford. How much of this was NU being better than expected and how much of it was NU's opponent underperforming? We look at Saturday's game from all angles, and point out some aspects of the game that you perhaps failed to observe.
Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell discuss... football! A football game! Northwestern takes on Stanford this Saturday, so it's time to look at key matchups, expectations for Northwestern on each side of the ball, and how the Wildcats could get to 1-0. Plus, around the Big Ten, and a game prediction from Henry.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Zach Pereles break down Northwestern's recently released Week 1 depth chart for Saturday's game against Stanford, and explain why Fitz is trolling everybody with the wide receiver two-deep. Plus, how are we feeling about the season as a whole? More optimistic? And, to put it bluntly, we explain how putrid the entire Big Ten West is. And how could we forget... poetry contest winners!
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren are joined by Kevin Trahan to talk about Pat Fitzgerald's decision to anoint Clayton Thorson the starting quarterback. What should we expect from Thorson right away? What does this mean for the offense? Also, Tim Beckman got fired right before we recorded...
Ben Goren and Henry Bushnell go in depth into Northwestern's quarterback battle. Who will start? Who should start? Will we see more than one QB against Stanford? Ben quizzes Henry about what he saw at Saturday's Kenosha scrimmage. Plus, learn how you can get into Inside NU's Fantasy Football League.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell and Josh Rosenblat convene to discuss the state of the football program under Pat Fitzgerald, the excitement surrounding the freshman class, and a little NU hoops. Plus, hot takes on Trevor Siemian and Spain.
Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) and Ben Goren (@BenG412) are joined by Zach Pereles (@zach_pereles) for some Northwestern football prop bets. Over/Under 55 catches for NU's leading receiver? Over/Under 500 yards from scrimmage for Auston Anderson? How many QBs will start at least one game? Over/Under 2.5 games where the student section is more than half full? Over/Under 0.5 Ryan Field sellouts? Over/Under 0.5 fat guy touchdowns?
We also make Tim Beckman jokes, and compare Big Ten teams to English Premier League clubs ahead of the new EPL season — Michigan is definitely Man United, and find out why Rutgers is Cardiff City. And Henry makes Pound The Talk history by forcing us to bleep out a word for the first time.
Henry Bushnell and Ben Goren take a look back at Northwestern's and Pat Fitzgerald's Friday at Big Ten Media Days. They go over some interesting roster tidbits, discuss Fitzgerald's best quotes, and mourn the tragic closing of Wings Over.
Ben Goren, Henry Bushnell, Josh Rosenblat and Michael Odom begin to dissect the major storylines facing Northwestern football in 2015. There's also a basketball matchup with the nation's No. 1 team, some depth chart discussion, and for the first time, we answer YOUR questions.
Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) and Ben Goren (@BenG412) condense the past two months into 40 minutes as we bring back Pound The Talk for the 2015-16 season. We talk football and basketball recruiting, hoops contract extensions and non-conference scheduling, and, of course, WATCH LISTS.
Josh Burton, Josh Rosenblat and Henry Bushnell are joined by Preston Michelson to discuss Inside NU's documentary, "If You Quit Now... | The Kyle Prater Story." The four also recap the NFL Draft from a Northwestern perspective, and give outlooks for all seven former NU players that latched on with NFL teams.
Pound the Talk is back with our Henry Bushnell, Ben Goren, Josh Burton, and Zach Pereles. We're talking QB battles, WR injuries, RB depth, as well as basketball recruiting and even some lax. Plus, we have our new segment "General Observers Of The World." Check it out.
Following a couple weeks off from the podcast, Henry Bushnell, Jason Dorow and Kevin Trahan help Josh Rosenblat through his first episode after a few months in Washington, D.C., dish on how certain Northwestern basketball players can contribute moving forward, evaluate the Wildcats' chances at an NCAA Tournament berth next season and provide updates on spring football, along with much more.
Kevin Trahan, Ben Goren and Jason Dorow run through some Northwestern sports quick hitters and break down the Big Ten Tournament.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, Kevin Trahan and Jason Dorow discuss Northwestern's mind-boggling double overtime victory against Michigan, the future of Northwestern men's basketball and much more.
Ben Goren and Jason Dorow discuss the winning streaks of Northwestern men's and women's basketball, and they run down an early depth chart as spring football gets started.
On this edition of Pound the Talk, Daniel Rapaport, Josh Burton and Jason Dorow discuss Northwestern's big win over Iowa, Chris Collins' 2015 recruiting class and women's basketball run at the NCAA tournament.
Henry Bushnell, Daniel Rapaport and Jason Dorow discuss signing day, Northwestern football and basketball recruiting and recap a tough week in NU hoops.