Northwestern vs. Minnesota: Venric Mark's big game propels Wildcats to victory

Northwestern defeated Minnesota 21-13 on Saturday, and while offensive cohesion was a bit of an issue for the Wildcats, they got a great effort from running back Venric Mark. Mark finished the day with 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries, and that made him a big factor in Northwestern's victory. SB Nation's Sippin' On Purple heaped plenty of praise on Mark after the game was over:

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.

Mark's production paced a Northwestern offense that managed just 67 yards passing and 275 total yards. The Wildcats scored all three of their touchdowns against Minnesota on the ground -- quarterback Kain Colter was responsible for the other.

With the victory, Northwestern improved to 2-1 in Big Ten play and 6-1 overall -- the Wildcats are now bowl eligible, and they are in third place in the Legends Division behind Michigan and Iowa. Both the Wolverines and Hawkeyes are 2-0 in league play.