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News, Notes, Tid-Bits and Quotes: Gophers, Myrick Speed Past Northwestern, 24-17
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/435223?referrer_id=388419
When a surging Northwestern squad met a confident Minnesota team on Saturday, fans knew that this Big Ten matchup could be special. The back-and-fourth affair certainly lived up to the billing as the Gophers held off the persistent Wildcats; winning 24-17 thanks to a go-ahead kick return for a touchdown by Jalen Myrick. Following the game, Jerry Kill and the Gophers knew they had just beat one of the best in the Big Ten West.
“You have to understand that we played a good football team,” said Kill. “That football team beat Penn State, Wisconsin, and they were on a roll coming in here. It’s a good football team and you’re not going to play as clean as always and you have to find a way to win.”
Myrick Provides Spark
Easily the highlight of the win was a 100-yard kick return touchdown by Jalen Myrick just after Northwestern had marched 97 yards to tie the score in the fourth quarter.
“We felt that we had a good shot but they kicked it out of the end zone so we never got one for a while but Jalen caught that ball and that’s when people found out how fast that kid is,” said Kill. “He had great blocks and great execution and then he finished.”
The return was something that the Gophers have been testing out in practice.
“We’ve been working on that return for a long time,” said Myrick. “We felt like that was the one to break. I give a lot of the credit to my blockers. In the huddle, before we went out there, a couple of the guys were like, take it back, trust my speed and everything was going to be fine. Them boys held up well and once I got past the first two levels I just had to outrun the kicker and I did that.”
Fans can see the speed that Myrick possesses, but it’s his positive attitude that had his coach smiling after the game.
“He’s a piece of work,” joked Kill. “He enjoys life. He’s loosey-goosey. Sometimes you want to say, hey pay attention. He’s a good football player.”
Myrick showcased that personality at the postgame press conference, essentially daring other teams to kick him the ball.
“Some teams are always going to try to try you,” said Myrick. “If they come at me again, I’m going to have to make them pay.”
Bouncing Back
Along with the kick return for a touchdown after a lengthy Northwestern drive, Minnesota found itself having to fight back a number of times in the game. A key sequence in the second quarter saw the Wildcats tie the game at 7-7. Mitch Leidner and the offense responded with an amazing drive, highlighted by a 52-yard strike to Maxx Williams down the sideline.
“I felt that [the drive] was really big for us,” said Leidner. “It was something that we did last week against Michigan. And this week, the same kind of feeling was there, that yeah, we have to go out and answer again. [We have] got to keep answering every time they score, and keep moving football well down the field.”
In the fourth quarter, Northwestern was able to march 97 yards to tie the game. Even after the Myrick touchdown, the Gophers defense had to stay composed if they wanted to maintain the lead.
“We had a lot of adversity on that drive, but the 98-yard drive touchdown for anyone was inexcusable, [and] we have to work on that,” said Damien Wilson. “But we definitely felt that we could stop them on the next drive. There were no heads down, and we were still confident in ourselves.”
Leidner and Cobb Show
The duo of Leidner and Cobb propelled the Gophers on Saturday. Leidner completed 10 of 15 passes and had some beautiful throws to the outside.
“He played good,” said Kill when asked about Leidner. “[We had the] confidence level that, if we had to come back and drive it down, we felt like we were going to do it. I think he’s playing with a high level of confidence. Once you get that confidence, and start spreading the ball around a little bit, you get better.”
Cobb finished the day with 97 yards and could have had two touchdowns but fell inches short, leaving Leidner to finish both drives. The Gophers were able to utilize play-action, creating chances in the passing game and opening holes for Cobb.
“It makes us more balanced,” said Cobb of running play-action. “It makes us two-dimensional so you can’t really stack the box anymore.”
Going Forward
The Gophers are now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten heading into their Homecoming matchup against Purdue. Kickoff is set for 11:00 next Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.
By the Numbers
15 Damien Wilson had a game-high 15 tackles against Northwestern. He leads the Gophers with 66 tackles on the season.
1 Saturday’s kickoff return for a touchdown marked the first of Jalen Myrick’s career. Not just his collegiate career, but his entire career. He noted after the game that he didn’t even have a return touchdown in high school.
14 David Cobb became the 14th player in Gopher history to amass over 2,000 career rushing yards. Hats off to you, David Cobb.
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/435223?referrer_id=388419
When a surging Northwestern squad met a confident Minnesota team on Saturday, fans knew that this Big Ten matchup could be special. The back-and-fourth affair certainly lived up to the billing as the Gophers held off the persistent Wildcats; winning 24-17 thanks to a go-ahead kick return for a touchdown by Jalen Myrick. Following the game, Jerry Kill and the Gophers knew they had just beat one of the best in the Big Ten West.
“You have to understand that we played a good football team,” said Kill. “That football team beat Penn State, Wisconsin, and they were on a roll coming in here. It’s a good football team and you’re not going to play as clean as always and you have to find a way to win.”
Myrick Provides Spark
Easily the highlight of the win was a 100-yard kick return touchdown by Jalen Myrick just after Northwestern had marched 97 yards to tie the score in the fourth quarter.
“We felt that we had a good shot but they kicked it out of the end zone so we never got one for a while but Jalen caught that ball and that’s when people found out how fast that kid is,” said Kill. “He had great blocks and great execution and then he finished.”
The return was something that the Gophers have been testing out in practice.
“We’ve been working on that return for a long time,” said Myrick. “We felt like that was the one to break. I give a lot of the credit to my blockers. In the huddle, before we went out there, a couple of the guys were like, take it back, trust my speed and everything was going to be fine. Them boys held up well and once I got past the first two levels I just had to outrun the kicker and I did that.”
Fans can see the speed that Myrick possesses, but it’s his positive attitude that had his coach smiling after the game.
“He’s a piece of work,” joked Kill. “He enjoys life. He’s loosey-goosey. Sometimes you want to say, hey pay attention. He’s a good football player.”
Myrick showcased that personality at the postgame press conference, essentially daring other teams to kick him the ball.
“Some teams are always going to try to try you,” said Myrick. “If they come at me again, I’m going to have to make them pay.”
Bouncing Back
Along with the kick return for a touchdown after a lengthy Northwestern drive, Minnesota found itself having to fight back a number of times in the game. A key sequence in the second quarter saw the Wildcats tie the game at 7-7. Mitch Leidner and the offense responded with an amazing drive, highlighted by a 52-yard strike to Maxx Williams down the sideline.
“I felt that [the drive] was really big for us,” said Leidner. “It was something that we did last week against Michigan. And this week, the same kind of feeling was there, that yeah, we have to go out and answer again. [We have] got to keep answering every time they score, and keep moving football well down the field.”
In the fourth quarter, Northwestern was able to march 97 yards to tie the game. Even after the Myrick touchdown, the Gophers defense had to stay composed if they wanted to maintain the lead.
“We had a lot of adversity on that drive, but the 98-yard drive touchdown for anyone was inexcusable, [and] we have to work on that,” said Damien Wilson. “But we definitely felt that we could stop them on the next drive. There were no heads down, and we were still confident in ourselves.”
Leidner and Cobb Show
The duo of Leidner and Cobb propelled the Gophers on Saturday. Leidner completed 10 of 15 passes and had some beautiful throws to the outside.
“He played good,” said Kill when asked about Leidner. “[We had the] confidence level that, if we had to come back and drive it down, we felt like we were going to do it. I think he’s playing with a high level of confidence. Once you get that confidence, and start spreading the ball around a little bit, you get better.”
Cobb finished the day with 97 yards and could have had two touchdowns but fell inches short, leaving Leidner to finish both drives. The Gophers were able to utilize play-action, creating chances in the passing game and opening holes for Cobb.
“It makes us more balanced,” said Cobb of running play-action. “It makes us two-dimensional so you can’t really stack the box anymore.”
Going Forward
The Gophers are now 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten heading into their Homecoming matchup against Purdue. Kickoff is set for 11:00 next Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.
By the Numbers
15 Damien Wilson had a game-high 15 tackles against Northwestern. He leads the Gophers with 66 tackles on the season.
1 Saturday’s kickoff return for a touchdown marked the first of Jalen Myrick’s career. Not just his collegiate career, but his entire career. He noted after the game that he didn’t even have a return touchdown in high school.
14 David Cobb became the 14th player in Gopher history to amass over 2,000 career rushing yards. Hats off to you, David Cobb.
