The Minnesota Golden Gophers will look for win No. 7 of the season this upcoming Saturday when they take on the 1-8 Northwestern Wildcats.
Entering the week, the Gophers are a big favorite over the Wildcats, with the line opening on Sunday afternoon at -16.5. The line has already moved up to -17.5 in favor of the Gophers.
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Minnesota this past weekend, used a strong second half scoring 20 points in the third and fourth quarters to defeat Nebraska 20-13. The Gophers found themselves 10-0 at halftime before Athan Kaliakmanis was able to help facilitate a 20-point second half alongside Mohamed Ibrahim and his 128 rushing yards.
Northwestern, on the other hand, gave No. 2 Ohio State, all it could handle. While it ultimately resulted in a 21-7 loss, the Wildcats had a chance to beat the Buckeyes for most of the day thanks to a tremendous defensive effort though the weather certainly played in their favor as well. The Wildcats in the game ended up outgaining the Buckeyes 285 to 283 but were unable to take advantage of the few opportunities they had to score when they were in Ohio State territory.
Nonetheless, the Wildcats are 1-8 and haven't won on American soil since October 16, 2021, making this last loss to Ohio State, their 14th consecutive loss while playing on American soil. The Wildcats, of course, did defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers to start their year but that game took place in Dublin, Ireland.
Last season, Minnesota dominated Northwestern at home 41-14. All-time, the Gophers lead the series between the two programs with a 55-36-5 record and have won three of the last five matchups. If the Gophers can defeat Northwestern on Saturday, it will be the first thee game win streak against the Wildcats since the 2002 through 2004 seasons.
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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