Matchup: Northwestern Wildcats (3-2, 2-0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-1, 1-0)
Date: Saturday, October 11th, 11:00 am CDT
TV: BTN
Line: Gophers (-4) o/u 43
Outlook:
Alright true believers, welcome to another edition of Northwestern
Wildcat Football and the Lowes Line. What a roller coaster it has
been this season to be a Northwestern fan. It is very hard to
believe how this season has played out so far, but I believe that most
people had this team at 3-2 after five games. An opening loss to
Cal shook the collective faith of the fan base, but an even more
disappointing loss to the Huskies from directional Illinois was
completely disheartening. Suddenly, a bowl season seemed in doubt
and many were questioning more than 3 wins this season. Fitz
began to feel some heat and a lackluster effort against Western and it
felt even warmer. Then something happened. Was it the
up/downs in the rain? Was it Fitz calling out his players?
Who knows, but something did happen. A convincing win in Happy
Valley (when does a NU alum EVER get to write that phrase) brought some
hope, and then Wisky came to town. Wisconsin had not won in
Evanston since 1999 but this year’s team is led by Heisman hopeful,
Melvin Gordon. Gordon did not disappoint and rushed for 259 yards
and a touchdown. READ THAT AGAIN. Gordon rushed for 259 and
a touchdown. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY NU WINS GIVEN THAT
STATISTIC!!!!
Well, something happened, and the rest of the Wisconsin’s team did not
have their best game. Critical red zone turnovers and a stout NU
defense (most of Gordon’s damage came on 3 runs) and NU proved
victorious. Final score 20-14. Siemian did enough to win,
throwing for 182 without a turnover. Freshman Justin Jackson went
33-162, and Kyle Prater was the leading receiver. Godwin
Igwebuike (redshirt freshman) had three interceptions, earning himself
star of the game honors in this writer’s eyes. The ‘Cats are 2-0
in conference and sit atop the West Division of the B1G.
This week, the ‘Cats travel to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers who
are pulling out fresh new “golden helmets” rather than their standard
helmets. The Gophers are coming off a bye week after an
impressive win at Michigan where they completely dismantled the
Wolverines 30-14. TCU (who is ranked as high as 9th in the AP) is
the Gophers’ only loss this season as they destroyed the rest of their
competition. Similar to Wisconsin, the Gophers rely heavily on a
running game led by senior David Cobb. He gashed the Wolverines
for 183 yds on 32 carries. He is averaging 5.8 yds/carry so far
this season. Their QB play has been up and down secondary
to their starter Mitch Leidner who has been battling injuries this
season. Their defense has been stout and is the mainstay of their team
alongside excellent special teams play. The Gophers D has
only allowed one score this season if the opponent starts within their
own 25. On the other hand, if the opponent can start on the
Gophers side of the film, they score 7 of 8 times. Hence, field
position will be key.
PICK: I’ve gone back and forth several times.
Which Wildcat team shows up this weekend?? The ‘Cats have the
potential to be a better team than the Gophers, but are very young in
several positions. The starting lineup is littered with So and Fr with
names such as Walker, Igwebuike, Odenigbo, Harris and Jackson.
Road games are tough in the B1G. If in doubt, take the home
team. 23-21, Gophers. Cats lose on a late field goal but
cover the spread.
Lowes Line Season Record: Straight up, 1-4 (2-3 ATS)