EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Gophers were held scoreless and trailed No. 16 Northwestern 10-0 at halftime of the Big Ten opener Saturday at Ryan Field.
The Wildcats defense was third in the nation with 8.8 points allowed per game, and Minnesota's offense totaled 92 yards and six first downs in the first half.
In the second quarter it was even tougher as Minnesota had only 20 yards of offense.
Late in the second quarter, Gophers' punter Peter Mortell booted a low ball 43 yards with a 20-mph wind mostly at his back. Northwestern's Miles Shuler returned it 55 yards to Minnesota's five yard line.