When, where: 11 a.m. Saturday, Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
Up next: Northwestern
September 21, 2009 at 5:37AM
TV, radio: Big Ten Network, 830-AM
Records: Both teams are 2-1.
The skinny: The Gophers won on a walk-off overtime field goal in Syracuse in the season opener. Saturday, the Wildcats lost at Syracuse on an Orange field goal in the final minute. That should make for a pretty good game. This also is the Gophers' chance to obliterate the memory of last year's game, which the Gophers entered 7-1 but lost, thanks to 217 yards of rushing by Northwestern quarteback Mike Kafka.
It will be a much different challenge for the Gophers than Cal was. Against Syracuse the Wildcats netted only 52 rushing yards, in large part because of injuries that kept running backs Shephen Simmons and Jeravin Matthews out of the lineup. But Kafka hit his first 16 passes, and 18 of 19 for a career-best 242 yards in the first half alone. He finished 35-for-42 for 390 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
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Anthony Edwards scored 36, coming up big as his team blew a 20-point lead but ended a three-game losing streak anyway.
