Minnesota’s potent passing attack downs Northwestern.
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The Gophers continue to impress.
EVANSTON, Ill. — There’s no trophy to distinguish the Northwestern-Minnesota series. If there was one, what would it be, a mitten? A mini-snowblower? An icicle?
In the absence of an official trophy, there was one that appeared to unofficially change hands between the two teams after the conclusion of Saturday’s game: the Big Ten West crown.
The Wildcats, coming off a nine-win season that took them to the Big Ten Championship Game, have taken a significant step backward this year, and have failed to win a single conference game this season. While Northwestern has been mired in the basement of the West, the Golden Gophers have stood atop it, soaring to unprecedented heights in P.J. Fleck’s third season at the helm of the program.
Undefeated for nine weeks, Minnesota fell at Iowa last week, a loss that has likely doomed their outside bid at a College Football Playoff berth. But their postseason ambitions aren’t completely dead in the water, as a two-loss Wisconsin team has made it increasingly likely that Minnesota will represent the West Division in the Big Ten title game.
Powered by an excellent performance from quarterback Tanner Morgan, and a near-perfect day from receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, the No. 11 ranked Gophers (9-1, 7-1 Big Ten) never trailed in a commanding 38-22 win over Northwestern (2-9, 0-8 Big Ten), and are one win closer to Indianapolis, a capstone to a once-in-a-generation season.
Morgan, whose status for Saturday’s game was in question heading into the week, was cleared to play in the days leading up to the contest after entering concussion protocol, assuaging concerns that Minnesota would have to start a redshirt-freshman quarterback in his place.
Morgan, who has been first-rate all season, threw for four touchdowns and 211 yards, tying his season-high in touchdown passes in a game. The sophomore led a torrid passing attack that evenly targeted Johnson and Bateman with seven receptions apiece.
The Gophers blitzed out to a quick 21-0 lead in the first half, and with Northwestern’s offense generating just 88 yards of total offense, it looked like the rout was on.
Bateman jump-started the Minnesota offense on their first drive, snagging a perfectly-placed throw over safety Travis Whillock on a post route for a 19-yard score. The redshirt-senior topped that impressive catch in the second quarter with an arguably even better play, beating Trae Williams on a double move before extending his arms to make a toe drag catch near the front left pylon.
Running back Shannon Brooks practically walked-in a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Minnesota is now 19-1 under Fleck when they lead after the first quarter.
To their credit, Northwestern finished the first half strong, denying the Gophers any more points. A 67-yard boot off the leg of punter Andrew David pinned Minnesota inside their five-yard line with nine minutes to play in the half. On the first play of the Minnesota drive, senior defensive lineman Joe Gaziano scored a safety by pressuring Morgan in the end zone, forcing a throw out-of-bounds that sailed short of the first-down marker. After it was ruled a sack, Gaziano became Northwestern’s all-time leader in the category with 28.5, a proud moment for the senior.
“It was a big momentum play, because our offense gets the ball back and we scored a nine-point swing in the game,” said Gaziano. “I was really excited for the guys to be able to grasp momentum like that.”
The safety ignited a 14-play, 69-yard drive that ended with an Andrew Marty connection with sophomore Jace James in the endzone to make it 21-9.
While Morgan was predictably reliable, Northwestern’s quarterback carousel continued to be unpredictable heading into Saturday’s game.
After sustaining an injury in last week’s game against UMass, Aidan Smith was listed as doubtful in Thursday’s injury report, leading many to make the assumption that Andrew Marty would make the start for the ‘Cats.
Except, he didn’t. ESPN’s Rece Davis revealed a couple hours before kickoff on College Gameday that Johnson would be the starter.
Oh, Pat Fitzgerald and his depth chart shenanigans.
Johnson, who had not played since the team’s Nov. 2 loss at Indiana, has battled a myriad of injuries and off-the-field issues this season. To say the least, this year has not gone as planned for Johnson. Unfortunately, his misfortunes continued in Saturday’s game.
Johnson was rendered unable to complete a single pass and subject to relentless pressure thanks to poor offensive line play. The redshirt sophomore was sacked three times, the third of which knocked him out of the game with concussion-like symptoms as characterized by the ABC broadcast.
That meant the quarterbacking duties fell to Marty.
Despite the short notice, Marty played the most complete game by a Northwestern quarterback all season, throwing for 95 yards and one touchdown on 8-of-10 passing, while punching into two rushing touchdowns at the goal line.
“I was proud of Andrew for stepping up and getting his first real experience,” said Fitzgerald of Marty’s performance. “I’m just happy for him. He’s worked really hard and he’s a great young man. My hope is that he gains confidence through the experience and it’s great fuel and motivation for him as he moves forward in his career.”
Any momentum the ‘Cats had from the end of the first half failed to carry over in the second half, as Minnesota continued to keep pace with Northwestern, despite Marty’s best efforts.
Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson each caught a touchdown pass, and Michael Lantz contributed a 37-yard field goal to end a clock-killing fourth-quarter drive.
Bateman’s three touchdown receptions were the most in one game in his career.
The Gophers’ endless depth on both sides of the ball choked a banged-up, inexperienced Northwestern team. The Gophers split 217 rushing yards on 39 carries among three running backs
Northwestern, on the other hand, was forced to rely on two freshmen running backs against a top-30 rushing defense.
To say Northwestern never had a chance to upset Minnesota would be an overstatement. But without a deluge of unforced errors, it’s hard to see how the Wildcats could have ever overcome such a severe talent disparity.
As the sun sets on Northwestern’s reign as Big Ten West champions, a new insurgent team stands in the wings, ready to assume the title.
“If you want to be a Big Ten West champ, you got to beat the Big Ten West champ,” said Fleck.
What’s Next:
Northwestern at Illinois (Saturday, Nov. 30 @ TBD)
Minnesota at #12 Wisconsin (Saturday, November 30 @ 2:30 p.m. on ABC)
