The Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4) make their final road trip of the regular season, paying a visit to the Windy City to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (5-5) at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Wrigley
Field.
Can Northwestern score on offense?
There is nothing that the Wildcats do exceptionally well on the offensive side of the ball, but they like to play physical, run the ball, and chew up clock. They average 169.4 rushing yards per game and rank 20th nationally in time of possession. Northwestern ranks 107th in scoring offense, only averaging 21.9 points per game, but if you allow them to grind their way into the red zone, they have put points on the board 91.4 percent of the time.
The Wildcats have also been careless with the football at times, losing six fumbles and throwing nine interceptions this season. For comparison, Minnesota has lost only one fumble and thrown seven interceptions. But for whatever reason, the Gopher defense has struggled to generate turnovers on the road. Through four road games, Minnesota’s only turnover came on a botched lateral in their loss to Oregon.
The Gophers cannot allow the Northwestern offense to sustain long drives, so that means either stopping the run on first and second down or forcing a turnover to give their own offense the ball.
Since losing top rusher Cam Porter for the season back in September, the Wildcats have turned to redshirt sophomore Caleb Komolafe as their workhorse. He leads the team with 153 carries for 757 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Junior Joseph Simon II has been the No. 2 back in relief of Komolafe.
Quarterback Preston Stone has been hot and cold under center for Northwestern. He is only completing 58.2 percent of his passes and has thrown for 1,706 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Stone has been inconsistent and the Gophers’ pass rush needs to make sure that that remains the case on Saturday. The flaws in his mechanics are magnified under pressure, and he can be forced into making mistakes.
He has a go-to receiver in former South Dakota State wideout Griffin Wilde, who leads the team with 45 receptions for 644 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Please tell me the Gophers will be able to score
Minnesota faces a salty defense that has kept games close for Northwestern in spite of their offense.
The Wildcats rank 73rd in run defense (150.1 rushing yards allowed per game), 31st in pass defense (191 passing yards allowed per game), and 23rd in scoring defense (19.6 points allowed per game).
Their style of play on defense is not dissimilar from their offensive approach: Tough and physical. They are disciplined, tackle well, and rely on their front seven to set the tone. Defensive ends Aidan Hubbard and Michael Kilbane have been disruptive, combining for 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Redshirt senior middle linebacker Mac Uihlein is right behind — literally and figuratively — with 80 total tackles and six tackles for loss.
Their secondary has been vulnerable to explosive plays, especially against more vaunted passing attacks like Oregon, Nebraska, and USC. But Minnesota’s wide receivers have struggled to create separation and find space, so I have a hard time believing quarterback Drake Lindsey will be able to take advantage.
It’s tough to know how offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. will try to attack this defense because the Gophers are so inconsistent from week to week. There seems to be room to run on the ground, but the offensive line has rarely allowed for that. And as I mentioned, even against a secondary vulnerable to explosive plays, Lindsey has often been forced to check down because his receivers aren’t open down the field.
But who will score more points on Saturday?
It’s fitting for this game to be played at Wrigley Field, because the final score might look more like a baseball score than a football score. This is going to be a rock fight between two teams that don’t put up a lot of points. To me, the difference in this game is that Northwestern has a clear identity on offense, and their defense has consistently been a strength. I can’t say the same for the Gophers. Northwestern 14, Minnesota 10.
