This is it- the final Northwestern Wildcats football game at Wrigley Field. The series at the Friendly Confines will not continue once the Cats move into the new digs. At least not for any time in the foreseeable future.
They’ve lost all six here in recent years, so NU will be extra motivated to finally break the streak, and leave the Friendly Confines with a chance to Fly the W.
Also, Northwestern badly needs to get that all-important sixth win here, as it’s their best chance to do so.
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Northwestern Wildcats
Kickoff: Saturday November 22, 11 am CT, Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
TV: Big Ten Network (Jack Kizer, Matt Millen, Sydney Supple)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, Ted Albrecht, Jake Saunders)
Spread: Northwestern -3.5, -105, -185 ML, O/U 40.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor: 64.9% Northwestern wins
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4, 4-3) Preview
Anyone with a basic knowledge of zoology is aware that Gophers are creatures that make their living in the ground. Hence these Golden Gophers live up to their namesake, as they are a ground-oriented team. Running back Darius Taylor is the player to watch, as he leads the team with 411 yards rushing.
He’s also a day three level NFL Draft prospect.
Sharing the ground attack workload with Taylor is Fame Ijebol, who has just five carries and 18 yards fewer than Taylor.
He also matches Taylor’s yards-per-carry average of 4.6. DL Anthony Smith has the highest draft stock of anybody on Minnesota, as he’s a top 150 prospect overall. With 9.5 sack
Other players to watch are safeties Aidan Gousby and Kerry Brown. ‘Sota is much better than they looked against Oregon, but this nowhere near P.J. Fleck’s best team.
Northwestern Wildcats (5-5, 3-4) Preview
David Braun made it absolutely clear– moral victories don’t cut it. There is no pride in keeping it close. They need to get win #6 in order to become bowl eligible. They’re favored to do so, in what might be the Rate Bowl play-in game. Minnesota went to that bowl game, when it was called the Insight Bowl, three out of four years in the late 2000s.
The loser of this one might be bound for the Detroit bowl game, whatever they’re calling it these days.
What’s going to be the difference here- probably the play of quarterback Preston Stone.
Northwestern will get their ground game going, you can feel pretty confident in that. However, will Stone make enough plays, with an air attack that has been ailing, in order to get the job done?
Yes.
Prediction: Northwestern Wildcats 23, Minnesota Golden Gophers 20
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.