Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Northwestern Wildcats Match Player Stats On Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Justin Jackson rushed 31 times for 166 yards and Clayton Thorson threw three touchdowns as No. 23 Northwestern rolled past Minnesota 39-0 in its final home game of the season.

Northwestern (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) rushed 55 times for a total of 277 yards and three touchdowns. After a scoreless first quarter, the Wildcats exploded for 25 points in the second quarter, amassing 124 yards of offense while the Golden Gophers managed only 30. Northwestern nearly doubled Minnesota's yardage total on the day, mustering 363 yards to the Golden Gophers' 182.

Minnesota (5-6, 2-6) was shut out just one week after its season-high scoring output, a 54-21 win over Nebraska. The last time Minnesota was shut out was also at Ryan Field in a 27-0 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 3, 2015.

The Golden Gophers committed five turnovers and never established any sort of offensive rhythm, gaining seven first downs on the day. Demry Croft completed just 2 of 11 pass attempts for 43 yards while tossing three interceptions, two of which led to Northwestern touchdowns.

With 3:46 remaining in the first half, Croft was intercepted deep in Minnesota territory by Montre Hartage, who returned it to the Golden Gophers' 15-yard line. Two plays later, the Wildcats took a 19-0 lead following Jelani Roberts' 12-yard touchdown run, his only carry of the day.

Northwestern closed the half with a seven-play, 51-yard drive that elapsed 2:08 and resulted in an 18-yard touchdown from Thorson to Garrett Dickerson, giving the Wildcats a 25-0 halftime lead.

Minnesota finished one of 11 on third-down attempts, and reached the red zone only once before Croft's third interception essentially sealed the shutout, as Northwestern melted the clock to close the game.

Rodney Smith was Minnesota's lone bright spot on offense, rushing 18 times for 96 yards.

NOTES: Minnesota entered the game tied for second in the conference in sacks allowed (14) but surrendered six sacks to Northwestern. ... Northwestern QB Clayton Thorson had a season low 86 passing yards, yet matched his season high with three touchdown passes. ... Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck is 1-1 against Northwestern as a coach. The Wildcats lost their season opener last year 22-21 to Western Michigan, where Fleck coached from 2013-16. ... Northwestern LB Paddy Fischer recorded his 100th tackle of the season late in the fourth quarter. Fischer is the team's leading tackler, and entered the game ranked second in the Big Ten in total tackles.