Jack Olsen’s third field goal of the game, from 33 yards, snapped a tie with 53 seconds left and Northwestern ended a three-game losing streak with a wild 38-35 win over Minnesota on Saturday at Wrigley Field.
Olsen’s boot capped a 14-play, 60-yard drive as Northwestern rallied from a 28-13 third-quarter deficit. Minnesota’s Brady Denaburg’s 40-yard field-goal attempt as time expired went wide left, and the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) held on for their first victory at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs in eight tries dating to 1923.
Preston Stone went 25-for-30 for 305 yards and two touchdowns, Caleb Komolafe ran for 129 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and hauled in his first receiving touchdown this season. Griffin Wilde had 11 catches for 111 yards and a TD, Hayden Eligon II had seven receptions for 127 yards and Joseph Himon II rushed for a score.
Drake Lindsey threw for four touchdowns — three to Javon Tracy — but Minnesota (6-5, 4-4) lost its second straight.
Lindsey, a 20-year-old redshirt freshman, finished with 264 yards on 20-for-30 passing. He started connecting consistently after Northwestern got out to 10-0 and 13-7 leads after it scored on its first three possessions.
Linsdey hit Lemeke Brockington with an 8-yard pass for his fourth TD with 8:20 left in the fourth as Minnesota tied it 35 all on a zippy six-play, 75-yard drive. Komolafe’s second touchdown of the game, on a short pass from Stone, had put Northwestern ahead two minutes earlier.
Northwestern dominated in total yards 525-323 thanks to a 220-59 advantage in rushing in a game that became a shootout after a choppy, penalty-filled first quarter.
Darius Taylor rushed for Minnesota’s first touchdown and 43 yards. Koi Perich had a 93-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.
Tracy, a junior wide receiver, had his first multi-TD game with the Golden Gophers and upped his season total to six. The transfer from Miami (Ohio) became the first Minnesota player with three touchdown receptions in a game since Rashod Bateman, now with the Baltimore Ravens, did it against Northwestern on Nov. 23, 2019.
The takeaway
Northwestern: The Wildcats rebounded from a 24-22 loss to Michigan last week at Wrigley when Dominic Zvada kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired. With their sixth win, Northwestern is bowl-eligible for the second time in coach David Braun’s three seasons.
Minnesota: Lindsey, Tracy and the passing game were impressive, but the Gophers couldn’t protect or build on a 28-13 lead it opened early in the third quarter — and couldn’t bounce back from a 42-13 loss at No. 6 Oregon last week,
Up next
- Northwestern: Plays at Illinois on Saturday in its regular-season finale.
- Minnesota: Faces Wisconsin at home Saturday to concludes its regular season.