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Gophers Game Preview: Minnesota Hosts Red-Hot Wildcats in Big Ten West Showdown
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/434510?referrer_id=388419
Northwestern (3-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) at Minnesota (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten)
Minneapolis, Minnesota – TCF Bank Stadium (52,525)
Saturday 11:00 a.m. CT – BTN
At the start of the season, few would have thought that one of the most intriguing Big Ten matchups this week would be Northwestern at Minnesota. With both teams on winning streaks, Saturdays’ contest will be a battle as two of the tops teams in the Big Ten West square off. Both teams have been improving since early losses this season, something that has kept them competitive in the conference.
“I think the key to it is your approach and you gotta have the approach and you gotta get better every week and if you have a set‑back you got to recover from that, so I think we're all like that to a certain extent,” said Jerry Kill.
PREGAME NOTES
Series History
The Gophers hold a commanding 51-33-5 edge over the Wildcats in the all-time series. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Northwestern feels pretty comfortable in Minneapolis, winning on their last four trips including a perfect 2-0 record at TCF Bank Stadium. The last time the Gophers topped the Wildcats at home was back in 2004 when the Maroon and Gold pounded Northwestern by a score of 43-17.
Last Meeting
Following two straight losses, the Gophers headed to Evanston last season looking to get back on track. It was an emotional game for Minnesota as Jerry Kill had not returned to coaching but, to the surprise of his team, was driven by his wife to watch the game in Illinois. Inspired by seeing their coach at halftime, the Gophers went on to win the game, 20-17. Just like this season, Minnesota’s defense came up big, forcing three turnovers including a pick-six to give the Gophers the lead. In the midst of his breakout year, David Cobb rushed 20 times for 103 yards to lead the Maroon and Gold.
Season to Date
It was a tough start to the season for Northwestern. NU dropped its first two games at home; losing to Cal, 31-24, and a 23-15 loss to Northern Illinois.
“I think teams sometimes early in the year for whatever reason, timing, continuity, injuries, things of that nature, sometimes you get off to a slow start, until everybody comes together,” said Jerry Kill. “I think the key to—the season is long in college football so I think the key is that you keep improving each week, and disregard—everything that happens just get better and get better, you know, as you hit the Big Ten and just keep climbing the mountain.”
The Wildcats got back on track just before the Big Ten season by beating Western Illinois, 24-7. Northwestern opened conference play on the road in Happy Valley and left with a convincing 29-6 win over Penn State. Last week, NU proved it was a legitimate threat in the Big Ten West, by knocking off No. 17 Wisconsin, 20-14. The Wildcat defense stepped up, forcing four interceptions while running back Justin Jackson ate up yards and the clock with his 33-carry, 162-yard performance to seal the victory.
Coaching Preview
In his ninth season as the Northwestern head coach, Pat Fitzgerald has brought stability and continuity to the Wildcat program. At age 39, Fitzgerald is the second-longest tenured coach in the Big Ten and all but one of his assistants has coached at least 5 seasons with the Wildcats. That consistency has produced wins for Northwestern. From 2008-12, Fitzgerald guided the Wildcats to 42 wins and five consecutive bowl berths, highlighted by a 10-win season in 2012. The knowledge, passion, and discipline that made Fitzgerald a Hall-of-Fame linebacker for Northwestern in the mid 1990’s, has carried over to the way he coaches his team.
“They don't make a lot of mistakes, I was a GA in '95, '96 when Pat Fitzgerald was a linebacker there,” Matt Limegrover explained. “He's probably one of the smartest defensive players I've ever been around even though I was GA on the other side of the ball and you see that carry over. They don't beat themselves. They don't have a lot of penalties.”
Matchup to Watch
The Wildcats have not had a ton of success moving the ball this year. Through five games, they have averaged 355.4 yards and 22.4 point per game; good for 11th and 13th in the conference, respectively. The Gophers know that in order to stifle the Wildcats, they will need to completely shut down one aspect of their offense. One way Minnesota will look to do that is by utilizing their talented secondary to limit the Northwestern aerial attack. If the Gophers can employ their usual explosive pass defense early, it will make it much easier to focus on an improving run game for the Wildcats.
“They move their receivers in a bunch of formations and the tight end, they move 'em all over and it makes it hard to get matched up with them and at the same time the last two weeks they've gotten better at running the ball,” said Tracy Claeys. “I think that's why they've been successful, they ran the ball a lot better here the last two weeks so they try to lull you into the fact that they're going to throw the ball but they do an awfully good job of running the football so we will have to make them one‑dimensional or they will be hard to stop.”
The Wildcats know that they are facing a tough, athletic secondary that has been great at forcing turnovers and keeping teams out of the end zone.
“Their secondary’s experienced and they have eight interceptions.” said Fitzgerald. “They’re going to play man. They’re going to get up in your face.”
Player to Watch
No. 16 Godwin Igwebuike – The redshirt freshman earned Big Ten Defensive Player, Big Ten Freshmen, and Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week recognition for his historic performance in the upset against Wisconsin. The 6-foot, 200-pound safety tied a school record with three interceptions. Two of his interceptions occurred in the end zone, including the final one with 16 seconds remaining to ensure a win for the Wildcats. The extraordinary performance didn’t surprise the Gopher head coach.
“We wouldn’t have recruited him if he wasn’t a good player,” said Kill. “He’s an outstanding athlete, he’s got great instincts…He’s in the right place at the right time and he makes plays so he’s a very, very good football player.”
Background
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Enrollment: 8,367
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Wildcats
Colors: White and Purple
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (9th Season)
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/434510?referrer_id=388419
Northwestern (3-2 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) at Minnesota (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten)
Minneapolis, Minnesota – TCF Bank Stadium (52,525)
Saturday 11:00 a.m. CT – BTN
At the start of the season, few would have thought that one of the most intriguing Big Ten matchups this week would be Northwestern at Minnesota. With both teams on winning streaks, Saturdays’ contest will be a battle as two of the tops teams in the Big Ten West square off. Both teams have been improving since early losses this season, something that has kept them competitive in the conference.
“I think the key to it is your approach and you gotta have the approach and you gotta get better every week and if you have a set‑back you got to recover from that, so I think we're all like that to a certain extent,” said Jerry Kill.
PREGAME NOTES
Series History
The Gophers hold a commanding 51-33-5 edge over the Wildcats in the all-time series. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Northwestern feels pretty comfortable in Minneapolis, winning on their last four trips including a perfect 2-0 record at TCF Bank Stadium. The last time the Gophers topped the Wildcats at home was back in 2004 when the Maroon and Gold pounded Northwestern by a score of 43-17.
Last Meeting
Following two straight losses, the Gophers headed to Evanston last season looking to get back on track. It was an emotional game for Minnesota as Jerry Kill had not returned to coaching but, to the surprise of his team, was driven by his wife to watch the game in Illinois. Inspired by seeing their coach at halftime, the Gophers went on to win the game, 20-17. Just like this season, Minnesota’s defense came up big, forcing three turnovers including a pick-six to give the Gophers the lead. In the midst of his breakout year, David Cobb rushed 20 times for 103 yards to lead the Maroon and Gold.
Season to Date
It was a tough start to the season for Northwestern. NU dropped its first two games at home; losing to Cal, 31-24, and a 23-15 loss to Northern Illinois.
“I think teams sometimes early in the year for whatever reason, timing, continuity, injuries, things of that nature, sometimes you get off to a slow start, until everybody comes together,” said Jerry Kill. “I think the key to—the season is long in college football so I think the key is that you keep improving each week, and disregard—everything that happens just get better and get better, you know, as you hit the Big Ten and just keep climbing the mountain.”
The Wildcats got back on track just before the Big Ten season by beating Western Illinois, 24-7. Northwestern opened conference play on the road in Happy Valley and left with a convincing 29-6 win over Penn State. Last week, NU proved it was a legitimate threat in the Big Ten West, by knocking off No. 17 Wisconsin, 20-14. The Wildcat defense stepped up, forcing four interceptions while running back Justin Jackson ate up yards and the clock with his 33-carry, 162-yard performance to seal the victory.
Coaching Preview
In his ninth season as the Northwestern head coach, Pat Fitzgerald has brought stability and continuity to the Wildcat program. At age 39, Fitzgerald is the second-longest tenured coach in the Big Ten and all but one of his assistants has coached at least 5 seasons with the Wildcats. That consistency has produced wins for Northwestern. From 2008-12, Fitzgerald guided the Wildcats to 42 wins and five consecutive bowl berths, highlighted by a 10-win season in 2012. The knowledge, passion, and discipline that made Fitzgerald a Hall-of-Fame linebacker for Northwestern in the mid 1990’s, has carried over to the way he coaches his team.
“They don't make a lot of mistakes, I was a GA in '95, '96 when Pat Fitzgerald was a linebacker there,” Matt Limegrover explained. “He's probably one of the smartest defensive players I've ever been around even though I was GA on the other side of the ball and you see that carry over. They don't beat themselves. They don't have a lot of penalties.”
Matchup to Watch
The Wildcats have not had a ton of success moving the ball this year. Through five games, they have averaged 355.4 yards and 22.4 point per game; good for 11th and 13th in the conference, respectively. The Gophers know that in order to stifle the Wildcats, they will need to completely shut down one aspect of their offense. One way Minnesota will look to do that is by utilizing their talented secondary to limit the Northwestern aerial attack. If the Gophers can employ their usual explosive pass defense early, it will make it much easier to focus on an improving run game for the Wildcats.
“They move their receivers in a bunch of formations and the tight end, they move 'em all over and it makes it hard to get matched up with them and at the same time the last two weeks they've gotten better at running the ball,” said Tracy Claeys. “I think that's why they've been successful, they ran the ball a lot better here the last two weeks so they try to lull you into the fact that they're going to throw the ball but they do an awfully good job of running the football so we will have to make them one‑dimensional or they will be hard to stop.”
The Wildcats know that they are facing a tough, athletic secondary that has been great at forcing turnovers and keeping teams out of the end zone.
“Their secondary’s experienced and they have eight interceptions.” said Fitzgerald. “They’re going to play man. They’re going to get up in your face.”
Player to Watch
No. 16 Godwin Igwebuike – The redshirt freshman earned Big Ten Defensive Player, Big Ten Freshmen, and Jim Thorpe Defensive Back of the Week recognition for his historic performance in the upset against Wisconsin. The 6-foot, 200-pound safety tied a school record with three interceptions. Two of his interceptions occurred in the end zone, including the final one with 16 seconds remaining to ensure a win for the Wildcats. The extraordinary performance didn’t surprise the Gopher head coach.
“We wouldn’t have recruited him if he wasn’t a good player,” said Kill. “He’s an outstanding athlete, he’s got great instincts…He’s in the right place at the right time and he makes plays so he’s a very, very good football player.”
Background
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Enrollment: 8,367
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Wildcats
Colors: White and Purple
Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (9th Season)
