Gopher Gameday Vitals - Northwestern

This is going to be a new, weekly post where we just give the facts about the upcoming Gopher game. No commentary, analysis or any of the other brilliance you have come to expect here, just the facts.

Game Day Vitals

• Opponent: Northwestern Wildcats
  
• Location: TCF Bank Stadium
  
• Gametime: 11:00 AM (CST)
  
• TV: ESPN2
  
• Radio: KFAN and the Gopher Radio Network (100.3 FM in the Twin Cities)
  

Opponent Information

• Official Website
• Blog: Sippin on Purple (SBN) and Lake the Posts
• Record: (5-1)
• All-Time Record: 50-32-5
• Conference: Big Ten
  
• Common Opponents: Syracuse (Won 42-41)
• What you should know: Northwestern is a much more dangerous rushing team than a passing one. This is bit of surprise to me at least, but the Wildcats rank 3rd in the Big Ten for rushing with 231 yards per game and 9th in passing with just 198 yards per game.
  
• One more thing to know: The Gophers do not fare very well against Northwestern at home. We are 2-5 in our own stadium against the Wildcats. But
  
• Yet another thing I feel is worth sharing: We all know that it has been decades since the Gophers have made the Rose Bowl. But did you know that is has been since 1948 since Northwestern has even on A bowl game? They beat Cal in the 1948 Rose Bowl and have gone 0-9 since.
  

Coaches and Players

• Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (7th season) who you probably know played for Northwestern and was a 1st team All-American in 1995 and 1996.
  
• Key Offensive Players: QB-Kain Colter - Colter is a dynamic, rushing quarterback who will often lineup at receiver with Trevor Siemian under center as the more traditional passing QB. Colter's legs concern me.
  
• Key Defensive Players: DL-Tyler Scott - Four sacks, 5.5 TFLs and two forced fumbles. I'd like to see this play-maker neutralized.