EVANSTON, Ill. -- Leading 10-0, Northwestern's offense exerted its will on the Gophers defense with consecutive scoring drives in the third quarter. The drives spanned 25 plays, 137 yards, munched more than 11 minutes off the clock and resulted a 20-0 lead.
"They had the ball forever," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "Six minutes to go in the third quarter, we hadn't touched the ball yet."
The Gophers defense allowed 20 points in the Wildcats' 27-0 win, with Northwestern's final touchdown coming on a 13-yard fumble return by linebacker Anthony Walker in the fourth quarter.
On that 19-play drive to start the third, Minnesota forced Northwestern to kick a 23-yard field goal.