EVANSTON, Ill. – David Braun didn’t exactly derail an answer to a question about his two-headed running back system. He just had more to get off his chest.

I asked Braun about the trust he has in his two backs – Caleb Komolafe and Joseph Himon II – and he talked about the confidence he has in the two, the offensive line and quarterback Preston Stone’s mistake-free play. His answer shifted to a different tone.

“There are so many things to look back at and say, these are things we need to improve upon,” Braun said. “It shouldn’t have been as close to a game as it was.”

First, he’s correct. Northwestern was up 17-6 in the fourth quarter and sat at UCLA’s 3-yard line with a chance to punch in a touchdown. Northwestern still found itself sweating

Second, it’s better for Northwestern to face this reality after a win, rather than after a fourth-quarter collapse.

Lastly, and most importantly, Braun’s trust in his players wasn’t misplaced.

The backstory:

UCLA is not a good football team. The program is reeling from its consecutive losses to Mountain West schools, leading to the firing of DeShaun Foster.

Northwestern displayed this with a 17-3 halftime lead. The ‘Cats were in firm control. The Wildcats were utilizing a two-back system with Komolafe and Himon, which ended up gaining 177 rushing yards between the two of them.

Braun’s team was controlling the trenches in the first half, and through the third quarter. Stone was an efficient 12 of 18 passing for 115 yards and a score, plus he tucked and ran for key first downs.

“There’s a certain level of confidence in that backfield right now about who they’re running behind, and that’s just something that we have to continue to build off of,” Braun said. “Really proud of the way that Preston played today behind that offense. There’s a couple of like just decisions that you see where he tucks the ball, runs, makes positive yards, or picks up a first down.”

It was specifically a great day for Komolafe, who recorded his first-career 100-yard rushing day and carried the rock 27 times.

“They’re calling him Caleb ‘The Beast’ Komolafe,” NU receiver Griffin Wilde said. 

“Ultimately, when you have a mentality and identity with the offensive line and running back, that’s something that we should be competent in doing,” Braun said. 

Still, Northwestern had to squeak out a win.

Good games all around from plenty of players translated to a win for Northwestern. Braun is still unsatisfied with what could have been.

Big picture view:

Braun had a crucial moment in the fourth quarter. He opted for a field goal up 11 points with 7:50 to go in the game on fourth and goal from the 3-yard line.

The decision backfired.

The kick was blocked and resulted in a touchback. Even if NU went for it on fourth down and missed, it would’ve meant UCLA had to drive the entire length of the field to get back in the game. Braun said he made that decision based on trust, while up 11 in a game that had limited possessions in the second half.

“The opportunity to go up 14 with the way our defense was playing, we felt it was wise and the best decision,” Braun said.

A touchdown there would have iced the game at 24-6. A three-score lead with under eight minutes left was something UCLA was probably not capable of overcoming.

Still, that gave UCLA a door. The Bruins nearly walked through it. 

“Credit to Tim Skipper and their staff and their team for staying together and making it a game in the fourth quarter, but we got to be honest with ourselves,” Braun said. “That shouldn’t have been this tight of a football game as it was. We’ve got to learn how to put our opponents away in the fourth quarter.”

Northwestern did put UCLA away. Key stops, a sack and sound tackling wound the clock to zero before the Bruins even reached midfield.

The introspective honesty that Northwestern has about a 17-14 win over a hapless UCLA program is warranted. But, Braun trusted his players to win a Big Ten game. 

His players delivered.

It was the most important development Saturday in Evanston.