5 takeaways from a strange day at Wrigley Field, including Northwestern coach David Braun’s emotions and repairing the world’s biggest divot

An extra hour of sleep Sunday thanks to the time change gave us more time to process Saturday’s Wildcats Classic at Wrigley Field.

There certainly was a lot to digest in Iowa’s 10-7 victory, from Northwestern coach David Braun’s emotional display on a missed Iowa field goal to the unending fourth-quarter delays to repair the world’s biggest divot.

Here are five takeaways from a not-so-classic day at the Friendly Confines.

1. David Braun needs to dial it down.

I’ve never seen a coach react to an opponent’s missed field goal in the first quarter like Braun did on Drew Stevens’ 53-yard miss with three minutes left in a scoreless quarter. The fist-pumping celebration might have been appropriate in the final seconds of a game that was on the line. It was way over the top with so much time left.

Braun’s emotions were on display all day. His refusal to concede that the ballpark was predominantly full of Iowa fans was downright Sean Spicer-like. He also got quite emotional in the postgame news conference, with his voice cracking as he talked about playing at Wrigley.

“To be honest, there are a lot of emotions pumping through me right now,” he said in the Chicago Cubs interview room. “Shoot, my dad was at the game today. There are a lot of guys on this team that grew up in the Chicagoland area, grew up as Cubs fans, got a chance to play a game in this venue. You can’t take that for granted. This is really special. This is college football at its finest.”

When two teams combine for 339 yards and 17 points, perhaps “finest” isn’t the correct term. The Washington-USC 52-42 shootout Saturday night was why people love the game. Braun is living in the wrong century.

Braun’s “feelies” were perhaps understandable. As the interim coach, he’s auditioning for the job and the game was huge for him, with much more media attention and a chance to position his team for a bowl game.

Curiously, athletic director Derrick Gragg — who will make the decision on whether the Wildcats should stick with Braun or look for a veteran coach with experience turning around a program — sat in the back of the room as Braun spoke and left immediately afterward.

Maybe Gragg can hire a focus group to help with this vital decision for the program’s future.

2. Turf and surf.

Social media had a good time making fun of the field issue in the west end zone during the final five minutes of the game, which caused the groundskeepers to work overtime to make the spot presentable.

The giant chunk of grass that came loose was so large, it resembled the blown-up golf course in the final scenes of “Caddyshack.” Multiple delays while groundskeepers tamped the dirt with their tools gave both teams a breather from the dreary punt-a-thon while taking away any momentum for late-game drama. By the time Stevens hit the winning field goal, it seemed like an hour had passed.

After the inaugural Northwestern game at Wrigley in 2010 was marred by the Big Ten’s late decision to use only the west end of the field for safety reasons, one has to ask whether this Northwestern-Cubs marriage is cursed. The Wildcats are 0-3 at Wrigley against Illinois (2010), Purdue (2021) and Iowa.

3. Is Iowa the worst 7-2 team in the nation?

There’s little doubt the Hawkeyes have the worst offense of any 7-2 team and perhaps the worst offensive coordinator in Brian Ferentz, who called three running plays after having 1st-and-20 with a 7-0 lead in the fourth quarter. It’s nice to work for your dad.

Even Iowa die-hards concede the Hawkeyes have been fortunate to be as successful as they’ve been with such a lackluster game plan and execution. After the game, some exiting Iowa fans sarcastically chanted, “Hi-re Bri-an,” referring to last week’s announcement by interim AD Beth Goetz that Ferentz won’t return next season.

As the Big Ten West leader, Iowa has a clear path to the conference championship game in Indianapolis. It won’t be pretty, whether it’s Michigan or Ohio State on the other sideline.

4. Football doesn’t need a seventh-inning stretch

What was sillier? Asking football fans to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” before the fourth quarter or ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, an NU alumnus and trustee, performing it and singing “root, root, root for the Wildcats” while wearing a Northwestern jersey?

I’ll hang up and listen for the answer.

5. Wrigleyville bars were the true winners.

After Halloween, Wrigleyville bars typically go into winter mode, hunkering down for smaller crowds of regulars until opening day rolls around in five months.

The Northwestern game gave them a reprieve, and the invasion of Iowa fans had the neighborhood hopping Saturday like a Cubs playoff game. One of the best scenes came after the game when Iowa fans exited and noticed the end of the Minnesota-Illinois game was televised on the big screen in Gallagher Way.

It became an impromptu gathering, like a postgame tailgate party without the grilling. Kudos to whoever had the Gallagher Way clicker.

Unlike the game itself, the event was an unbridled success. An annual college football game at Wrigley would be a smart move, though perhaps Notre Dame or Illinois would be a better partner for the Cubs.