Northwestern got off to a dream start when it recovered a Minnesota fumble on the opening kickoff, with C.J. Bryant falling on the loose ball to give the Wildcats the ball on the Gopher 26-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, Mark took a handoff and darted untouched through the left side of the line, going 26 yards for the score just 11 seconds into the contest.
Minnesota regrouped in time to kick a 31-yard field goal on its ensuing drive, but the Wildcats offense kept humming on the next series. Mark provided the spark with a 47-yard carry down the left sideline, and four plays later Colter punched it in on a keeper from two yards out for his eighth rushing score of the season.
The hosts countered on their ensuing series with a 10-play drive that culminated in a 25-yard touchdown run up the middle by MarQueis Gray on the first play of the second quarter.
After a three-and-out by the Wildcats, Northwestern’s defense came up big on Minnesota’s ensuing first-down play when senior DL Quentin Williams batted down a pass that was then intercepted by David Nwabuisi, Nwabuisi’s second career pick. Two plays later, Mark went straight up the middle untouched for a career-long run of 48 yards and his second touchdown of the afternoon, putting the Wildcats in front by a 21-10 count.
Mark finished the game with a career-best 181 yards on the ground, giving him 791 for the season, good for a 113.0 yards per game average.
The score remained the same when Northwestern received the kickoff at the start of the second half, but the Wildcats were forced to punt and saw their lead shrink to eight following Jordan Wettstein’s second field goal of the day for the Gophers. It was the only score by either team in the third quarter, as the steady rain kept the ball on the ground and the clock running with few interruptions.
The teams continued to trade punts in the early going of the fourth quarter, with the driving rain hindering both offenses. When Minnesota got the ball back at midfield for one final drive with 1:17 left on the clock, Tyler Scott stepped up with a huge sack and forced fumble to finish off the victory. The sack was Scott’s team-best fifth of the season; he entered the game ranked fourth in the Big Ten.
Next week, Northwestern returns to Evanston to host another Legends Division foe, Nebraska, Saturday at Ryan Field. Official start time and television provider will be announced by the Big Ten Conference and posted to NUsports.com on Monday morning.
Site: Minneapolis, Minn. (TCF Bank Stadium)
Score: Northwestern 21, Minnesota 13
Records: NU (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten), Minnesota (4-2, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Nebraska • Time TBA • Evanston, Ill
Source: nusports.com
Photo: Coach Pat Fitzgerald (Author – Jacek Urbanczyk/PN)