Five things we learned from the Gophers' 31-3 win over Northwestern

1. Mohamed Ibrahim is a special player

I'm usually not someone who tells people how to spend their money, so consider this a public service announcement: You have one last chance to watch Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim in person, and that's Saturday against Iowa. The sixth-year senior put on a show against Northwestern, rushing 36 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns. In the process, he extended his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 18, the most in FBS since 1990; tied the school single-season rushing TD record of 18, set by Gary Russell in 2005; and moved into second place on Minnesota's career rushing list with 4,264 yards. Ibrahim needs 391 yards to break Darrell Thompson's career record of 4,654 and needs to average 130.3 yards over his final three games (including bowl) to do so.

2. Ditto for John Michael Schmitz

Schmitz, a sixth-year senior center, continued his dominant season Saturday by helping pave the way for the Gophers to rush for 302 yards on 58 carries. The 6-4, 320-pounder received a grade of 90.4 from Pro Football Focus College, his best of the season. Schmitz is not only the nation's top-graded center by PFF College, he's also the top-graded offensive lineman overall, earning a 92.1 from the group that evaluates every game. The Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's top center, could be in Schmitz's future.

3. Athan Kaliakmanis is a redshirt freshman

Making his second career start and first at home, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis wasn't as sharp as he was last week in leading the Gophers' comeback at Nebraska. He completed seven of 13 passes for 64 yards and struggled with his accuracy, throwing behind receivers at times. His performance was a reminder that he still needs experience. On a positive note, his 10-yard scramble to the Northwestern 1-yard line in the second quarter set up a touchdown.

4. Safeties came to play

Gophers safeties Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden were outstanding Saturday, with Nubin making five tackles and intercepting his fourth pass of the season and Howden also making five tackles, including a combined fourth-down stop with cornerback Terell Smith. "Nubin and Howden set the tone of physicality,'' coach P.J. Fleck said.

5. Complementary football was on display

The Gophers had the ball for 40:22 of the 60 minutes of play, and that was a product of the punishing run game and a defense that got off the field quickly. Minnesota's defense limited Northwestern to 3-for-12 on third-down conversions, 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversions and intercepted two passes.