Congratulations to head coach P.J. Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers! Saturday’s 37-34 overtime loss to the interim coach-led Northwestern Wildcats is one of the worst losses of the Fleck era, bested only by 2021’s humiliating loss at home to Bowling Green.
The Ugly
Let's start with the nuclear meltdown on defense.
Northwestern came into the game averaging 19.7 points per game. They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Wildcats had previously scored 21 points combined in their two previous games against Power 5 opponents this season.
Northwestern came into the game averaging 186.