Oregon · L 26-34
6 tackles, 2 for loss
The other 7 games average 9 tackles. This one was 3 below.
“they better review that, looked like brus might have stripped before he was down”
Braydon Brus
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Four seasons in the Northwestern linebacker corps to date. A game that shows it: 15 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Michigan State — Week 7, 2026.
68 tackles · 4 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
68 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 12.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Northwestern | 68 | 35 | 12.5 | 4.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Northwestern | 81 | 41 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Northwestern | 12 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Northwestern | 4 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| Career | 165 | 87 | 18.5 | 6.5 | 6 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-18vs South Dakota State | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | W 41-7vs Colorado | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 23-29@ No. 5 Indiana | 5 | 4 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 34-13vs Penn State | 9 | 3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 45-14vs Ball State | 8 | 6 | 4.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 4.0 TFL |
| Wk 7 | W 24-21@ Michigan State | 15 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 8 | W 42-14vs Rutgers | 10 | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 26-34@ Oregon | 6 | 4 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 68 | 35 | 12.5 | 4.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 31 · L 26-34 at Oregon, play by play
6 tackles, including 2 more for loss. The fumble he forced on 3rd and 7 ended Oregon’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
Forced a fumble on 3rd and 7. Third quarter, up 20-13. Ended Oregon’s drive (fumble).
Against his own season: tied for his 2nd-most backfield disruption game of 8 this season.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 12 tackles for loss, 4 of them sacks, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Northwestern’s defense played that day
Oregon’s 10 drives: 4 stopped (1 takeaway) · 6 scored. While the game was within a score they held 4 of 6. His forced fumble came with Northwestern up 7.
10 tackles, including 1 sack. He hurried the quarterback 3 times.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss. Second quarter, up 21-3.
A big game: 15 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 8 tackles, including 4 more for loss, tied for the most tackles for loss in FBS that week. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception ended Penn State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
Sacked the quarterback for a 7-yard loss on 3rd and 8. Second quarter, up 10-0.
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 31-7. Ended Penn State’s drive (int).
5 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 sack.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 8. Third quarter, down 12-0.
8 tackles, including 1 more for loss. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 9 for him; the box score credits 8.
7 tackles, including 1 sack, 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 1-yard loss on 3rd and 6. First quarter, tied 0-0.
Week 5 · 2026
W 34-13
vs Penn State
1 interception · 1 sack · 1 tackle for loss
Dominant 21-point win at home against Penn State.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -20 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
68tackles this seasonTFL rate
18%12 TFLSack rate
6%4 sacksPD rate
3%2 pass breakups68 tackles · 12.5 for loss · 4 sacks · 1 interception.
4 seasons under David Braun — 25-21 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 8.4 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Road3g | 8.7 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 8.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
David Braun
Pass share
40.2%
204 pass / 303 run
Plays / game
63.4
8 games
Team sack rate
7.4%
231 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
68 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than most FBS linebackers who play every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #8 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #24 of 72 Big Ten LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 32 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Pat Fitzgerald → David Braun. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
