Gophers at Northwestern: Keys to game, how to watch, who has edge

MINNESOTA at NORTHWESTERN When a m Saturday Where Wrigley Field Chicago TV Big Ten Configuration Radio KFAN FM Weather degrees partly sunny mph east wind Betting spread Northwestern minus- Records The Gophers fell to - overall - in Big Ten play with a - loss at No Oregon last Friday Northwestern dropped to - - with a - defeat to No on a last-second field goal at Wrigley Field History In the Wildcats staked a -point comeback to beat Minnesota - in overtime at Ryan Field Minnesota had won three in a row before that and lead the all-time series at - - Stat - Northwestern s record at Wrigley Field since The Wildcats are playing a limited games at the Chicago Cubs venue while their new million Ryan Field is being constructed on campus in Evanston Big question Can the Gophers win a single road event this season Minnesota is at this moment - dropping games to California No Ohio State Iowa and No Oregon Key matchup To win Minnesota must stop the run It will be a classic Big Ten competition Gophers DC Danny Collins The Wildcats are rarely stuffed for lost yards plays for loss are eighth fewest in nation and RB Caleb Komolafe is sixth in Big Ten with yards and nine TDs RB Joseph Himon II has yards Who has the edge Gophers offense vs Northwestern defense Under David Braun the Wildcats have kept up the tough defensive identity forged under ex-coach Pat Fitzgerald They are allowing points per meeting which is good for rd in the country Minnesota benefited from an explosive return of all-purpose back Darius Taylor against Oregon He led the U in targets nine and rushes Love having him back OC Greg Harbaugh commented Taylor who has missed largest part of four games this season helps redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey immensely Against Michigan Northwestern won the turnover battle - and still lost That evened their season differential takeaways giveaways SAF Robert Fitzgerald no relation to Pat has caught Harbaugh s attention especially in the run tournament where he had an outstanding grade of according to Pro Football Focus He leads the club with total tackles and will be keyed on in the U gameplan Koi Perich got his first touches on offense since Week at Cal with two rushes for yards in Eugene The sophomore SAF has been slowly rebuilding a role on offense Edge Michael Kilbane has been a surprise pass rusher with total pressures while RT Dylan Ray has allowed a team-high this season EDGE Northwestern Gophers defense vs Northwestern offense The Wildcats were expected to struggle mightily this fall The offensive problems are as bad as ever an anonymous Big Ten assistant was quoted in Athlon s preseason magazine But they have been slightly better scoring points per match th in nation up from th a year ago Transfer QB Preston Stone had a total touchdowns and eight interceptions over four years at Southern Methodist but has TDs and nine picks this fall The Gophers meanwhile haven t picked off a pass in four straight games South Dakota State transfer WR Griffin Wilde is the go-to target with twice as numerous targets as any teammate this season He has grabs targets for yards and five TDs He lines up all over the field Very dynamic Collins declared While CBs Mike Gerald and Za Quan Bryan returned from injuries last week the U still counted on senior Jai Onte McMillan a converted nickel safety and regular CB John Nestor to play most of of the corner reps versus the Ducks Edge Anthony Smith has sacks this season and can be the first U competitor to reach double digits since Willie VanDeSteeg in LT Caleb Tiernan is a top NFL prospect in the nation and has a sterling pass-blocking grade per PFF but RT Martes Lewis who transferred away from the Gophers last spring has been decent at per PFF EDGE Gophers Special teams Northwestern s two kickers have made nearly of field goals while the U s Brady Denaburg is at Perich hasn t had a big kick or punt return since a -yard kick return against Rutgers in late September The Gophers have blocked one field goal this year while Northwestern has had one attempt blocked Denaburg s big leg for touchbacks on kickoffs keeps opponents from trying returns EDGE Gophers Prediction The over-under point total of seems fitting for what is shaping up to be a real slobber knocker The Gophers will find just enough creative and repetitious solutions to get the ball to Taylor in space to earn their first road win Gophers - Related Articles Gophers running back Tre Berry has left the company How Gophers are adjusting their quarterback recruiting Gophers looking forward to playing at Wrigley Field P J Fleck pushed on how Gophers can close gap on Big Ten s elite programs Got to get better Gophers blown out - by No Oregon