The Northwestern Wildcats got back on track with a 21-13 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers this week after suffering their first loss of the season last week against Penn State.
More importantly, though, the Wildcats improved to 6-1, which makes them bowl eligible. Northwestern blog Sippin' on Purple points out running back Venric Mark was the main reason the Wildcats held on:
Hoo boy, that Venric Mark. He only ran for 182 yards because the field has end zones instead of just being endless planes, continuing to the waterfalls that encircle this flat planet we live on. He only broke loose a few times, but when he did, he broke loose in ways no Northwestern running back has in a while. Much credit must be given to the offensive line for opening up holes big enough to four or five Venric Marks, and Minnesota for opting to play without safeties.
Mark got his 182 yards on just 20 carries, helping Northwestern win despite being out-gained by the Minnesota offense.
The Wildcats are 2-1 in the Big Ten Legends Division standings, a half game behind Michigan and Iowa. Northwestern has a big test next week, hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Cornhuskers are currently 1-1 in the Legends Division.