CHICAGO — Pin down your holiday travel plans, Northwestern is going bowling.
From the first quarter against Minnesota, the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) looked well on their way to picking up their sixth win of the season to clinch a chance to play postseason football.
They scored on their first two possessions to jump out to a 10-0 lead, including an opening drive capped with a 46-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore running back Caleb Komolafe.
But as the game went on and the Golden Gophers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) obtained a lead by halftime, what would ultimately become a 38-35 NU win was in jeopardy for most of the contest until the visitors missed a field goal in the game’s final seconds.
Following a strong start, the ‘Cats conceded a first-quarter touchdown, which cut their lead to 10-7, but responded by marching down the field into the red zone for the third consecutive drive. Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone and the passing game leaned on junior wide receiver Griffin Wilde and sophomore wide receiver Hayden Eligon II, who combined for 18 catches and 238 yards. Once again, the ’Cats settled for a short Jack Olsen field goal to take a 13-7 lead.
For the rest of the second quarter, things were all Minnesota. Golden Gopher quarterback Drake Lindsey and wide receiver Javon Tracy combined for two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the first half, putting the visitors ahead 21-13 at halftime.
The ’Cats opened the second half with a stop on defense, but redshirt freshman wide receiver Chase Farrell muffed the punt return to give Minnesota the ball back at NU’s 28-yard line. One play later, Lindsey found Tracy for his third touchdown of the game.
Stone found a groove on the next possession, completing five-of-five passes for 85 yards, including a four-yard touchdown to Wilde. Freshman running back Robby Preckel converted a two-point conversion to cut the deficit to seven points.
Minnesota stormed down the field to NU’s 30-yard line, but junior defensive end Michael Kilbane tipped Lindsey’s pass on third down to set up a field goal attempt. Minnesota Kicker Brady Denaburg missed from 48 yards, and Stone wasted little time flipping the field, finding redshirt sophomore Ricky Ahumaraeze for a 30-yard gain on the next play.
Facing a fourth-and-one at Minnesota’s 28-yard line, Komolafe picked up three yards to keep the drive alive. NU’s backfield continued to shine, as redshirt junior running back Joseph Himon II raced down the sideline for a 20-yard touchdown run two plays later.
Early in the fourth quarter, the ’Cats rallied defensively to force a three-and-out. Komolafe dashed for a 43-yard run to put NU in striking distance. Later in the drive, Stone found Komolafe for a two-yard touchdown reception to retake the lead 35-28.
Lindsey put on a clinic on the following drive, leading the Golden Gophers 75 yards down the field on six plays. He closed out the possession with his fourth passing touchdown of the day to tie the game 35-35.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, Stone and NU’s offense took the field with two tasks: score, and drain the clock doing it. The ’Cats were successful on both ends/with the latter, pulling off a 13-play, 60-yard drive that elapsed over six minutes of game time.
Olsen nailed his 33-yard field goal attempt to give NU a 38-35 lead with 53 seconds remaining.
Minnesota safety Koi Perich, who had a 93-yard return late in the first quarter, provided more kickoff return heroics to put the Golden Gophers near midfield. Lindsey led the offense to the NU 22-yard line, but Denaburg could not convert his 40-yard field goal attempt, cementing the ’Cats’ victory.
Here are five takeaways from NU’s win over Minnesota:
1. The ’Cats are going bowling
For the second time in Braun’s three years at the helm, NU will participate in postseason football.
Seven games into the season — when the ’Cats had tallied five wins and just two losses — this reality seemed all but certain. But following consecutive defeats to Nebraska, then-No. 20 USC and then-No. 18 Michigan, it took them until their penultimate contest to cross the six-win threshold necessary for a bowl game bid.
NU will play one more regular season contest at Illinois next weekend, where it will look to reclaim the Land of Lincoln trophy it last won in 2023.
2. The Wrigley curse is over
In the seventh and possibly final iteration of NU football at Wrigley Field, it finally pulled off a victory.
Ever since they first ventured to the corner of Addison and Clark streets in 2010, the ’Cats have suffered what seems like a grueling curse preventing them from victory at Wrigley Field. Saturday’s win over Minnesota reversed that trend as NU secured its first win at the ballpark across seven games played there.
Following the completion of Ryan Field reconstruction ahead of the 2026 season, the ’Cats are unlikely to play home games outside of Evanston for the foreseeable future.
3. Offense firing on all cylinders
Offensive coordinator Zach Lujan’s unit has had its ups and downs this year, but put together its most complete performance when it needed it most against Minnesota. The ’Cats finished with 525 yards of offense, the second-most in the Braun era. Stone had season highs in completions, passing yards and completion percentage.
Yes, he leaned on Wilde, but the rest of the receiver room also got involved. Eligon II had his first career 100-plus yard game. With starting sophomore wide receiver Drew Wagner out, Ahumaraeze stepped up with two catches for 39 yards, including a big 30-yard play in the second half.
The ’Cats also dominated the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 40:48 minutes compared to Minnesota’s 19:12. Komolafe and Himon’s success on the ground was a huge factor, as NU rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 30 total attempts.
Short yardage situations were also a strength, as the ’Cats were successful on 2-of-2 fourth down conversions and were 7-for-12 on third down.
4. When in doubt, ask: ‘Where’s Wilde?’
Stone made it clear from the get-go who his favorite target would be. Wilde had both of NU’s receptions on the opening drive, and continued his fast start with six catches for 74 yards in the first half.
The ’Cats leaned on their play-action passing game to move the chains, and Wilde was almost always Stone’s first read. Their connection was automatic, picking up five first downs and two third-down conversions in the first half.
Wilde, NU’s season-long receiving leader and the Big Ten’s ninth-leading receiver entering Saturday, finished the game with a career-high 11 catches for a season-high 111 yards. He was crucial to Stone’s season-best 25-for-30, 305-yard performance.
Eligon II was also essential to the passing game, finishing with a career-high seven catches and 127 yards. Stone was able to rely on both of his top receivers, preventing Minnesota from focusing on just taking Wilde out of the game.
5. ’Cats overcome early special teams struggles
The ’Cats were cruising early in the game, off to a 10-0 lead with a minute left in the first quarter. Perich then broke the game open with his 93-yard kickoff return to set up a short Minnesota scoring drive. Perich had 242 combined kick and punt return yards on seven returns.
To start the second half, NU forced Minnesota to punt, but disaster struck as Farrell muffed the punt while calling for a fair catch. Lindsey then found Tracy for a 28-yard score, their third touchdown connection of the game, on the very next play.
With less than a minute left in the game, Perich lined up for a kickoff return, trailing 38-35. He navigated behind blockers for a 44-yard return to get near midfield, setting up Minnesota’s offense to reach field goal range.
Those special teams miscues cost the ’Cats a 14-point swing and put the defense in very compromising situations. NU out-gained Minnesota 525-323 on offense, but special teams closed the gap for most of the contest.
In the end, though, Minnesota’s two missed field goals played a decisive role in the ‘Cats’ winning result.
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