EVANSTON, ILL. – One of the goals for the Gophers football team this season is winning the Big Ten West championship and earning a spot in the conference's title game in Indianapolis.
Gophers run over Northwestern 41-14, take sole possession of Big Ten West lead
Minnesota's running game overpowered Northwestern as the Gophers took a one-game lead over three pursuers in the Western, including upcoming opponents Iowa and Wisconsin.
October 31, 2021 at 1:54PM
On Saturday, they remained in control of their destiny in that aim by rolling past Northwestern 41-14 on the strength of a run game that produced more than 300 yards for the second consecutive week and hogged the ball for more than 40 minutes.
In the process, they took full advantage of what transpired in Madison, Wis., earlier in the day, when Wisconsin beat Iowa 27-7. That means the Gophers (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) sit alone atop the West standings, a game ahead of both the Badgers and Hawkeyes, teams that Minnesota will play in November.
Problem is, the Gophers are quickly running out of running backs.
Bryce Williams, part of the team's remaining three-back committee, left the game and was taken by cart to the locker room after suffering an injury to his lower left leg during the first quarter. Coach P.J. Fleck did not have an update on the redshirt junior after the game.
"We've got four weeks left in the regular season, we've got a lot of football to play and a lot to get better at,'' Fleck said. "And we have a lot of people to find out who can play running back.''
Even as they continue to lose running backs to injury — Mohamed Ibrahim was lost to a torn Achilles' tendon in the season opener and Trey Potts (undisclosed) was lost for the season Oct. 2 at Purdue — the Gophers continue to produce on the ground.
This time it was true freshman Mar'Keise Irving, who had 110 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and redshirt freshman Ky Thomas, who had 106 yards on 21 rushes, getting the bulk of the team's 53 carries. Each surpassed 100 yards for the second consecutive game.
"Our 'O' line is special right now,'' said Gophers center John Michael Schmitz, a Flossmoor, Ill., native who had 22 family members or friends in attendance. "We're seeing the game through one set of eyes. It's not 'me' but 'we.' ''
Quarterback Tanner Morgan got in the act, too, running 18 yards untouched on the first play of the fourth quarter for a TD that boosted the Gophers lead to 27-7.
"That's the most green grass I've seen in my career,'' said Morgan, who also completed 12 of 17 passes for 134 yards.
The Gophers punctuated the triumph with a 24-yard touchdown run by Derik LeCaptain, a special teams ace and linebacker who's suddenly the next man up in the backfield.
"He's not a running back, he's a running 'backer,'' linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin quipped. "That's the little thing we've trademarked for him.
Evan Hull, a sophomore from Maple Grove rushed 15 times for 107 yards and caught a 6-yard TD pass for the Wildcats (3-5, 1-4), the reigning Big Ten West champions.
Early on, the Gophers weren't operating at peak offensive efficiency. Twice settling for field goals of 26 and 30 yards by Matthew Trickett.
Minnesota's defense reached the end zone before its offense, when it forced a turnover for a touchdown and a 10-0 lead. On Northwestern's first play from scrimmage, wide receiver Malik Washington caught a swing pass and was stretching for extra yards. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin knocked the ball loose, and defensive back Justin Walley scooped up the ball and returned it 25 yards for a TD.
"Our defense did a tremendous job of getting more opportunities back for us and giving us short fields,'' Fleck said. "Justin Walley's touchdown really gave us a spark.''
After Hull's second-quarter TD on a 6-yard screen pass cut the lead to 13-7, Minnesota responded with an 11-play, 75-yard drive lasting 7:04 that was capped by Irving's 3-yard TD run with 4:47 left in the second quarter.
The Gophers stretched their lead to 27-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter on Morgan's 18-yard run on an option that fooled the Wildcats defense. It finished a 11-play, 71-yard drive that took 6:21.
Of the Gophers' eight possessions in the game, one lasted 13 plays, three were 11 plays and two were nine plays. Mark Crawford punted only once.
It all added up to their largest scoring output of the season and a result that secured bowl eligibility and put them a step closer to a bigger goal.
"We told them, 'Listen, if you ever want to be a Big Ten West champ, you've got to beat the Big Ten West champs,' '' Fleck said.
Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.
