Minnesota Final Score 24-17 - Beating Northwestern Moves Gophers To 1st In Big Ten West

Well then. First, let's look at this:

Completely Worthless Prediction:

I still think this will be closer. For all the stats nonsense, I do think Northwestern's D is capable of doing so really good things and even with the improvements in the passing game, the Gophers are still capable of going on offensive droughts. The Gopher defense forces a pair of turnovers, Mitch limits the mistakes to one INT, and the Gopher run game gets it done. Minnesota 24 - Northwestern 17.

Quick Thoughts

On Northwestern...

- For all my snark on the Twitters today, I did think Northwestern's run defense did a pretty decent job as the game wore on. Are they as great as NU fans think? Probably not. But I wouldn't trade them away if I was NU.

- Trevor Siemian finished the game very strong. Some great passes into some tight spots on the big drive in the 4th.

On Refs...

- The PI call and the roughing call on that drive were bad. The roughing call was HORRIBLE.  How bad?

Unless there was contact to the head, which I didn't see on the very brief replay, that roughing looked like a terrible call.

— Jon Davis (@NUHighlights) October 11, 2014

I mean...

GIF: "roughing" the passer call on Minnesota http://t.co/sPZOby7FBC

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) October 11, 2014

And The Gophers...

- Good work by the Gopher defense to hold NU without points after the Mitch INT. That was the the sort of TO I thought might cost the Gophers the game. Instead? Nope.

- Overall I was pretty please with the playcalling on offense. PA was used effectively.

- Hats off to Mitch. That was a bad INT, but he shook it off and converted some big PA passes for first downs on the following drive (even though it stalled).

- David Cobb is a Mac Truck and I love it. That 3 yard gain where he SMASHED 3 tacklers off him? /swoon

- Field position game is still on point. Peter Mortell is a rockstar.

- Love this helmet uniform combo. Would rec again.

- Welcome to the forever highlight reel of my football watching days Jalen Myrick.

GO GOPHERS!