Minnesota held a 31-10 lead in the third quarter, but Northwestern showed plenty of grit by forcing overtime and claiming a 37-34 win as Ben Bryant connected with Charlie Mangieri for a 25-yard game-winning touchdown.
While Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had an efficient day, going 14-of-19 for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
However, his final throw of the game was costly as he rolled right, zipped a pass intended for Brevyn Spann-Ford that flailed off his fingertips and landed in the end zone on 3rd-and-2.
The Gophers settled for a 20-yard field goal from Dragon Kesich that put Minnesota up 34-31 in overtime, but that only lasted for one play.
Freshman running back Darius Taylor had another stellar game, rushing for 198 yards on 31 carries with two scores.
On the flip side, Minnesota's pass defense was horrendous, as Northwestern carved the Gophers up for 400 total passing yards on the afternoon, highlighted by Ben Bryant who went 34-49 for 396 yards
Bryce Kirtz had a monster day receiving for the Wildcats, hauling in 10 receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
It was the largest comeback by Northwestern since 2009.
With the loss, Minnesota drops to 2-2 on the season. They will dip out-of-conference next week, hosting Louisiana on Sept. 30th.
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