BleedGopher
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per BTN:
Minnesota’s recent rise has coincided with Northwestern’s slide, as the Golden Gophers have won the last two meetings vs. the Wildcats. Before that, NU had won three in a row and five of six vs. Minnesota. The unbeaten Wildcats are a feel-good story, while the Golden Gophers are feeling their way through a 3-1 start that has them on a three-game winning streak since opening with a loss to TCU.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson. The redshirt freshman will need to make some plays if the Wildcats want to beat Minnesota and remain perfect. Last week vs. Ball State, Thorson threw an interception and fumbled twice. However, he threw for a career-high 256 yards with three touchdowns. Thorson also had his first 300-yard game in terms of total offense. The kid is hitting 53 percent of his passes for 583 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. How far can Northwestern go if Thorson can’t compliment the running game?
BEST COACHING MATCHUP: The battle between Minnesota’s Jerry Kill and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald will fly below the national radar. But, that’s OK. Kill has his Gophers rolling, going 8-5 in each of the last two seasons and finishing second in the West last season. Minnesota keeps getting better and could be the best team in the division, going to its first New Year’s Day bowl in 2014 since the 1961 season. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 this season and may be gaining steam with three triumphs in a row. Fitzgerald and his Wildcats have been a feel-good story thus far, forging a 4-0 mark with two of the Big Ten’s best wins (Stanford and Duke). Expectations were modest coming off consecutive 5-7 marks. Maybe NU can recapture its 10-win glory from the 2012 season. Don’t expect many points in this game in Evanston. How about a 10-9 final?
http://btn.com/2015/10/01/best-of-week-5-all-eyes-will-be-on-two-big-ten-west-tilts/
Go Gophers!!
Minnesota’s recent rise has coincided with Northwestern’s slide, as the Golden Gophers have won the last two meetings vs. the Wildcats. Before that, NU had won three in a row and five of six vs. Minnesota. The unbeaten Wildcats are a feel-good story, while the Golden Gophers are feeling their way through a 3-1 start that has them on a three-game winning streak since opening with a loss to TCU.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson. The redshirt freshman will need to make some plays if the Wildcats want to beat Minnesota and remain perfect. Last week vs. Ball State, Thorson threw an interception and fumbled twice. However, he threw for a career-high 256 yards with three touchdowns. Thorson also had his first 300-yard game in terms of total offense. The kid is hitting 53 percent of his passes for 583 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. How far can Northwestern go if Thorson can’t compliment the running game?
BEST COACHING MATCHUP: The battle between Minnesota’s Jerry Kill and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald will fly below the national radar. But, that’s OK. Kill has his Gophers rolling, going 8-5 in each of the last two seasons and finishing second in the West last season. Minnesota keeps getting better and could be the best team in the division, going to its first New Year’s Day bowl in 2014 since the 1961 season. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 this season and may be gaining steam with three triumphs in a row. Fitzgerald and his Wildcats have been a feel-good story thus far, forging a 4-0 mark with two of the Big Ten’s best wins (Stanford and Duke). Expectations were modest coming off consecutive 5-7 marks. Maybe NU can recapture its 10-win glory from the 2012 season. Don’t expect many points in this game in Evanston. How about a 10-9 final?
http://btn.com/2015/10/01/best-of-week-5-all-eyes-will-be-on-two-big-ten-west-tilts/
Go Gophers!!