0-for-Big Ten Wildcats outclassed
Northwestern had another Saturday afternoon to forget, while Minnesota added another chapter to its dazzling season.
The No. 10 Gophers nearly doubled the offensive production of the Wildcats in a 38-22 victory in front of 30,246 at Ryan Field.
Minnesota (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) had 423 yards of offense. Northwestern (2-9, 0-8) sputtered early and finished with 222 yards.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
1. Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan was locked in.
Morgan spent a portion of the week going through the concussion protocol. He was cleared to play and looked sharp, particularly early.
Morgan completed 15 of 23 passes for 211 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
“He is one of the hardest workers we have on the team,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “He’s one of the toughest individuals I’ve ever been around.”
Receiver Rashod Bateman had seven catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns for the Gophers. Teammate Tyler Johnson had seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Morgan completed nine of his first 10 pass attempts, helping the Gophers build a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.
He has 26 touchdowns this season, a single-single school record.
“There’s been a lot of great quarterbacks and a lot of great teams that have come through this university,” Morgan said. “It’s really cool, but that’s not why I’m playing. There are a lot of aspects that go into that. It’s not just not an individual thing at all.”
2. Andrew Marty provided a spark for the Wildcats.
Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson exited after being sacked by Antoine Winfield Jr. early in the second quarter. Andrew Marty entered and was impressive in spurts, bringing the Wildcats within 28-16 entering the fourth quarter.
“Hunter and Andrew took the majority of the reps in practice this week, (and) when Hunter went down, it was Andrew’s opportunity,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “So proud of Andrew stepping up and getting his first real experience. He was pretty efficient. I’m just happy for him. He’s worked really hard. He’s a great young man.
“My hope is he gains confidence through the experience and it’s great fuel and motivation for him.”
Marty completed 8 of 10 passes for 95 yards and one touchdown. He was the team’s leading rusher with 52 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
It was his fourth appearance this season.
“It feels really good, it felt great,” Marty said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had to hit a hole and see a linebacker running at me. It’s been awhile since you step back and you got guys in your face and you deliver the throw. There are some bright days ahead.”
3. Minnesota maintained its focus ahead of its clash with Wisconsin.
With rival Wisconsin waiting next week, Minnesota easily could have overlooked Northwestern. It didn’t.
That says a lot about the makeup of the team. The Gophers have 10 regularseason victories for the first time since 1905. The seven Big Ten victories are the most in program history.
“Northwestern is a tough football team,” Fleck said. “If you want to be a Big Ten West champ, you’ve got to beat a Big Ten West champ. No matter what, it had to go through Northwestern. That’s how we treated it all week.”
The Gophers bounced back from last week’s lost at Iowa in a big way.
“I’m really proud of our team responding,” Fleck said.
Minnesota next faces Wisconsin (9-2, 6-2), with the winner earning a trip to the Big Ten championship game.
“Starting back in January, it’s what we worked for,” Bateman said. “Now we have a chance to go do it. The work that we’ve put in is starting to pay off and it just needs to pay off one more time.”