Northwestern added another accolade to an already impressive season on Monday when Kevin Mims was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Saturday’s game against Illinois. Mims, a defensive end, kept Illinois’s league-leading offense in check with two and a half sacks, seven tackles and credit for a forced fumble. The McCormick senior from Texas led what was a dominant performance by the Wildcats’ defense. NU sacked Illini quarterback Juice Williams five times and held Illinois to a season low of 10 points.

For Mims, this was his first Big Ten Player of the Week award. Other Big Ten winners this past week included quarterback Daryll Clark of Penn State and quarterback Curtis Painter of Purdue.

Northwestern finished the year 9-3 and won back control of the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy on Saturday afternoon with a 27-10 victory over Illinois.

In the game, which all but ensures Northwestern will head either to the Outback or Alamo Bowl, NU took the lead early and never looked back. The ‘Cats drew first blood on a touchdown run by Stephen Simmons with 2:24 left in the first quarter. The score was set up by a twenty yard pass from senior CJ Bacher to fellow senior Eric Peterman. Villarreal missed the extra point but NU still lead 6-0.

Northwestern would continue its momentum with a touchdown pass from Bacher to Ross Lane in the second quarter to enlarge their lead to 13-0. On that touchdown pass, it looked multiple times that Bacher was about to be sacked but he was able to elude several Illini and found a wide-open Lane after Illinois’ defense had collapsed in an effort to get Bacher.

After the Lane touchdown, however, NU’s offense went stagnant and only managed a field goal for the rest of the second and then the third quarter. This allowed Illinois to continue to remain within striking distance. Illini running back Jason Ford scored in the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter the Illini added a field goal to make the score 16-10.

What kept Illinois from ever overtaking NU, however, was the stellar play of the Wildcats’ defense. Illini quarterback Juice Williams did run for 94 yards but that came on 25 carries and he was sacked five times. Apart from Williams, the Illinois running game was completely shut down. Starting Illini running back Daniel Dufrene never got going, finishing with just nine yards. Northwestern also did a great job of containing star Illini product and Washington, DC native Arrelious Benn. Benn had just four receptions, none of which were longer than sixteen yards.

The defense may have prevented Illinois from ever seizing momentum but it was NU’s special teams which allowed the ‘Cats to finally put the game away. With just over eleven minutes left in the game, Northwestern safety returned a punt 45 yards and put the ‘Cats at the Illini twenty yard. A few plays later Bacher found Peterman in the right corner of the end zone for an eighteen yard touchdown pass. NU would then covert a two point conversion to take a two touchdown lead and effectively guarantee the victory.

On Senior Day, it was fitting that the touchdown that really secured the victory was on a Bacher-Peterman connection. Both of the two seniors finished their careers at Ryan Field with very productive days. Bacher would throw for 230 yards and two touchdowns while Peterman had eight receptions for over a hundred yards.

NU would add an insurance field goal with 2:44 to make the score 27-10 and after that NU fans happily chanted “9-3″ and “Let’s go Outback tonight” as they prepared to rush the field and celebrate one of the most successful seasons in recent Northwestern memory.

The women’s fencing team hosted a tournament at Patten Gymnasium Nov. 15 and 16. Northwestern fencers competed against Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, Indiana, Iowa, Lawrence, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Michael Lanning blogged while watching NU’s victory earlier today:

Final: Northwestern 21 Michigan 14

Northwestern improves to 8-3 and gets a great road win they can put on their bowl resume. The credit for today goes to the defense. They only allowed seven points. Yes, they did allow Michigan to convert on fourth down more than they should’ve, but in general the Michigan offense was completely stymied. None of their quarterbacks, whether Sheridan or Threet, even looked comfortable and they contained Brown after the first half. On offense, Bacher remains inconsistent and the running back remains non-existent, but the defense allowed the good aspects of the offense (i.e. the Peterman play) to outweigh the negatives (i.e. the Bacher turnovers). Overall, a great win on Michigan’s Senior Day.

1:18 4Q: Northwestern is going to win. Sheridan’s pass falls incomplete and all NU must do is kneel and they will get win number 8.

1:56 4Q: Unfortunately, NU still can’t put the ball away. The Wildcats take a three and out and although they forced Michigan to burn all their time outs the Wolverines will still get the ball back with just under two minutes to play.

2:19 4Q: And Northwestern takes over on downs. Great defense on fourth down. All the Michigan receivers were covered and the line broke through and forced Sheridan to scramble. A few first downs (maybe even just one) and Northwestern will have beaten Michigan for the first time since 2000 and the first time at the Big House for the first time since 1995.

3:33 4Q: Another fourth down and another successful quarterback keeper keeps the Wolverines alive. NU just can’t seem to put this one away.

4:09 4Q: Threet gets injured and Sheridan steps back in with Michigan at Northwestern midfield and driving.

9:51 4Q: On a crucial fourth and one on the NU 23 Steven Threet, who came in as QB for Sheridan, keeps the ball and converts the first down. The joy in Ann Arbor is short lived, however. Jordan Mabin intercepts a Threet pas in the end zone and ends the Michigan threat. It was a bad pass by Threet. He had the receiver open but just overthrew him.

13:33 4Q: I apologize for jinxing the ‘Cats. Bacher throws his second interception of the game and Michigan will get the ball at the 44. Initially it looked the the Wolverine who intercepted it, Donovan Warren, would score a touchdown, but the officials ruled that he stepped out of bounds on his way to the end zone.

15:00 4Q: The Michigan marching band is playing living on a prayer. That’s about right for the Wolverines. With one quarter to go the ‘Cats look to be in good position to improve to 8-3. Michigan’s offense was unable to generate anything in the third quarter and a NU touchdown here would all but put the game away.

End of third quarter: Northwestern 21 Michigan 14

2:36 3Q: On a fourth and six from the Michigan 36, Fitz purposely takes a delay of game penalty and decides to punt. It works out nicely, as the ‘Cats down the ball on the four. Still, I would have let Bacher go for it. Even if he didn’t get it Michigan still would have had 70 yards to go. And a touchdown would have been huge. I don’t see either team being able to come back two touchdowns in this weather.

9:24 3Q: Northwestern touchdown!! Bacher finds Peterman coming over the middle and he then sprints into the end zone for a 53 yard score. Northwestern leads 21-14. On the run after the catch Peterman used his speed to squeak in between the safeties.
Northwestern 21 Michigan 14

11:36 3Q: And it’s snowing real heavily now. Ever since I watched the famous Dolphins-Cowboys snow game on Thanksgiving I’ve always wanted to go to a game in the snow. It’s just too bad it had to happen when I have to drive home five hours in it.

11:36 3Q: Northwestern converts the short field into a touchdown with a seven yard touchdown pass from Bacher to Ross Lane. Lane had two other catches on the drive. Bacher made a great pass on the third done touchdown pass. By doing so, he atoned for the second down play, where he overthrew a completely wide open Eric Peterman.
Northwestern 14 Michigan 14

13:00 3Q: Northwestern makes a special team play of their own. The ‘Cats partially block a punt and will get the ball at the Michigan 40.

End of first half: Northwestern 7 Michigan 14

All in all, it was a pretty tight first half, as to be expected in bad weather. But, Michigan got the big play (the blocked punt) and that’s why they have a touchdown lead. The other big difference was in the running game. Michigan has 114 net yards of rushing to Northwestern’s 40. Leading the way is Carlos Brown, who has 74 yards on 13 carries.

3:09 2Q: This time Demos gets off the punt and hits it perfectly. The ‘Cats down the ball at the UM one yard line. If NU can force a three and out they should have good field position with about a minute left in the half.

4:31 2Q: Injury update: Quarterback Mike Kafka has been knocked out of the game with a concussion.

6:30 2Q: The Wolverines had been pressuring NU punter Stefan Demos all day and they finally get to him. UM blocks the punt and Ricky Reyes picks it up and takes it in for a 14-7 lead. Cue Hail to the Victors. The Wolverines may be down this year but they are still very talented and are capable of making athletic plays like blocked punts that completely change the complexion of the game. For Michigan it was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown since 2001.
Northwestern 7 Michigan 14

8:27 2Q: Rodriguez goes for it again on fourth down, this time at NU’s 26, but this time the gamble doesn’t pay off. Sheridan’s pass is almost intercepted and the Wildcats take over.

12:56 2Q: Here in Michigan they don’t call it popped corn but popped maize. Get it, cause maize means corn and is one of the colors of Michigan. Pretty cool, huh.

End of 1st Quarter: Northwestern 7 Michigan 7

:23 1Q: Touchdown, Wolverines. Nick Sheridan with the keeper and the game is tied at 7. The key player in the drive was Carlos Brown. Brown not only converted on that big fourth down but also pulled off several long runs, including one for seventeen yards that brought UM into the red zone.
Northwestern 7 Michigan 7

2:39 1Q: Gutsy call by Rich Rodriguez. Michigan goes for it on fourth and one and converts. The Wolverines just gave the ball to running back Carlos Brown and he plowed through the NU line.

5:12 1Q: Ohh look, I got my wish.

5:12 1Q: I really wish they would play Hail to the Victors a few more times.

7:10 1Q: The ‘Cats force the Wolverines to punt. Credit John Gill with a nice tackle on Michigan’s Michael Shaw on second down for a loss of one yard. The play turned around what seemed at first to be a promising drive for UM.

9:40 1Q: Stephen Simmons breaks two tackles and sprints 21 yards into the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Northwestern not only took advantage of the Michigan fumble, but also took advantage of a face mask penalty. That was a big play for NU because it establishes the run. If Simmons can be a factor today the Wolverines can’t just concentrate on Bacher/Kafka and the team should feel feel very good about its chances. Northwestern 7 Michigan 0

11:46 1Q: Ok, maybe this is why the Wolverines are so bad. The Wildcats go three and out but on the punt the ball bounces of the Michigan return man and Northwestern recovers inside Michigan territory. Now we’ll see if the ‘Cats, unlike the Wolverines, can take advantage of a Michigan miscue.

12:45 1Q: Corey Wootton blocks the attempt and Northwestern escapes a turnover without giving up any points. This is obviously a generalization but Michigan usually doesn’t miss opportunities like that so it’s easy to see why the Wolverines have underperformed this year.

12:53 1Q: Bacher gets the start and on the opening drive throws an interception to Stevie Brown. Maybe Kafka should have started? Anyway, a nice pass break up by Jordan Mabin on the ensuing Michigan possession forces the Wolverines to settle for a field goal attempt.

10:41 A.M: The NU marching band is currently forming a star on the Michigan M. Do I sense a TO moment? Take that Michigan, you may have 11 national championships and Michael Phelps but NUMB is dancing on your field while the UM marching band is on the sideline.

Pregame: The big news here for the pregame is of course the weather. It’s damp and raining. Expect a low-scoring game where both teams will try to establish the run. I know this is blasphemy but if I was Fitz I’d start Kafka, regardless of the health of Bacher. The weather is going to neutralize any advantage in terms of passing that Bacher gives NU so why not go with the better runner?

For his performance last Friday in a meet against Purdue, senior Erik Nilsson was named the Big Ten’s Swimmer of the Week for the third time in his college career. Nilsson, who choose NU over Harvard and Michigan (Michael Phelps’ alma mater), swam in three individual races and won them all. The victories came in the 200 freestyle, 200 fly, and 500 freestyle.

Meanwhile, Jake Herbert received Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors. The senior, who is ranked first in the nation for the 184-pound title, won all four of his matches on Sunday at the Michigan State Open. Herbert has not suffered a loss at the collegiate level since 2006. This is the fifth time Herbert has won conference Wrestler of the Week honors.

Everyone in the NHL has now played more than ten games and in the next few weeks we should start to see some separation between the Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders. But as of right now most teams are tightly bunched and 21 of the 30 teams have records of .500 or better. However, that doesn’t mean there has been no trends. Here are some notes about who is moving up and who is striving to be the NHL’s Detroit Lions.

Three Up:

1.San Jose Sharks: The Sharks have been the hottest team in the NHL of late, and have the league lead in points to show for it. Forward Patrick Marleau is playing up to the level he was at two years ago and has 16 points. San Jose’s offense in general has been prolific: 54 goals through Tuesday were tops in the NHL. The only weak link on the team is starting goalie Evegeni Nabokov, who has been injured. Once he gets healthy expect the Sharks to put some distance between themselves and the second place Anaheim Ducks.

2.Chicago Blackhawks: A fellow hockey fan asked me if I would consider Chicago for this week’s article, and I realized that the Hawks had flown beneath my radar the past couple weeks, just like they had for almost everybody else in the league. Whether people realize it or not though, this team has gotten its act together. The Blackhawks demolished Calgary 6-1 on Sunday, and everybody from Patrick Kane (18 points) to defenseman Aaron Johnson (plus 11 on the season) is stepping up. Even perennially underperforming winger Martin Havlat is skating well (at least until he gets injured). If the Hawks continue their success Chicago will turn back into the hockey city it has always been and the United Center will become an extremely tough place to play.

3.Boston Bruins: With the Patriots and Celtics in action, the Bruins get little coverage in the Boston media. That might change soon. After beating a strong Sabres team on Saturday, the Bruins stand tied with Buffalo atop the Eastern Conference’s Northeast Division. The Bruins have been buoyed by the superb play of goalie Tim Thomas, who is making an early case for the Vezina Trophy with a 1.85 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Young Phil Kessel of Madison, Wisconsin is finally coming into his own on the offensive end of the ice, and defenseman Zdeno Chara remains one of the NHL’s toughest defenders. For now at least, it seems that Boston, a low playoff seed last year, has set its sights on a division championship.

Three Down:

1.New York Islanders: The Isles have dropped eight of their last ten games, and now own the worst record in the NHL, having accumulated only ten points to date. Nothing seems to be going right for this team: Franchise goalie Rick DiPietro is out with a knee injury, forward Mike Comrie is not producing points at the level he normally does, and their special teams have been middling. Playing in a tough Atlantic Division does not really help either.

2.Calgary Flames: For a team laden with stars on offense, defense, and in net, the Flames have been unimpressive in a weak Northwest Division. As usual, captain Jarome Iginla has picked up the slack and practically carried the offense by himself, and it is time for the rest of his teammates to start contributing. In the past week Calgary lost to both the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Phoenix Coyotes. This is not to say that Calgary probably won’t make the playoffs, but it needs to start acting like a contender soon. Otherwise, it will be a long cold winter until rodeo season.

3.New York Rangers: The denizens of Madison Square Garden gave up five goals to Toronto in one period last week and have lost four out of their last five, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the rival Islanders. Pittsburgh has closed the Rangers’ division lead to just six points and if the slide continues don’t expect the New York press to cut the team any slack.

Senior running back Omar Conteh, who injured his knee in practice last Wednesday, had surgery on Friday to repair a ligament. Coach Fitzgerald finally confirmed on Monday that Conteh will miss the rest of the season.

To deal with the loss of his second running back this year (the ‘Cats lost starter Tyrell Sutton for at least the regular season on Oct. 25 at Indiana) Fitzgerald is moving freshman receiver Jeravin Matthews to running back. Matthews will back up Stephen Simmons, who also started in the game Saturday against Ohio State. In the OSU game, Simmons ran for just 34 yards on 14 carries and his longest gain was for six yards.

Conteh was not the only Wildcat to be under the scalpel on Friday. Linebacker Malcolm Arrington also had surgery to repair his knee and could return for NU’s bowl game.

This Saturday, Northwestern travels to Michigan Stadium to take on the 3-7 Michigan Wolverines.

Correction: November 11 8:14 a.m. The article originally stated that Omar Conteh injured his wrist. That was Tyrell Sutton. Thanks to Wildcat Fan for the update.

The women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams competed in a home meet against Purdue on Nov. 7th. The men lost to the 16th-ranked Purdue team, 176-122, while the women’s team, ranked 20th, triumphed with a final score of 177-118.

It took three Wildcat defensemen to take down senior wide receiver Brian Robiskie during a late first-quarter Ohio State drive. Katherine Tang / North by Northwestern.

Fans should have known it was not going to be Northwestern’s day after Ohio State University’s opening drive. After stopping Chris Wells for a loss of ten to set up a third and sixteen, Buckeyes receiver Brian Hartline somehow got past the NU secondary. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor found the wide open Hartline for a 44 yard gain, Wells punched the ball in for a touchdown on the next play and OSU had an early 7–0 lead.

The rest of the day was equally frustrating. After the Wells touchdown, Northwestern started a drive of its own and tied up the game on a Mike Kafka rushing touchdown. The two teams played themselves to a standstill for the rest of the quarter and as the clock wound down NU fans gave their team a standing ovation.

But things would quickly unravel. On a first and fifteen from the Ohio State 45 early in the second quarter, Pryor handed off to Chris Wells, who broke several tackles en route to a 55 yard touchdown. Wells’s knees were very close to touching the ground but he was somehow able to maintain his balance. The score gave the Buckeyes the lead for good at 14–7.

Wildcat quarterback Mike Kafka runs the ball in for a Northwestern touchdown. After setting a record for most number of yards run by a quarterback last week (217) Kafka ran for 83 yards on 29 carries. Katherine Tang / North by Northwestern

The Buckeyes kept up the pressure on the ensuing drive. Receiver Erik Peterman fumbled the ball near the NU sideline. The Buckeyes recovered and converted the turnover into a field goal.

As the game wore on the OSU offense began to dominate the game and scored points after long sustained drives that ate away at the clock. To close the half, Pryor led the Bucks on a 80 yard touchdown drive that took more than five minutes. The scoring play came on a fifteen yard pass to Brian Robiskie. OSU converted three separate third downs on the drive, including a twenty one yard run by Pryor and a third and sixteen. Instead of only being down ten points, the ‘Cats entered the locker room down by seventeen and likely demoralized as a result of their inability to stop the OSU quarterback on third and long.

In the second half, Northwestern only seriously threatened once. The ‘Cats did make a field goal to open the third quarter and early in the fourth quarter had a chance to close the OSU lead to just a touchdown. Several Mike Kafka passes — who finished 18/27 for 177 yards — got NU all the way down to the Buckeyes’s twelve yard line. Unfortunately, he was then sacked twice and Fitzgerald was forced to send out the punting unit.

The real gap in the two teams was in the running game. While Chris Wells rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns, Northwestern running back Stephen Simmons, filling in for the injured Omar Conteh, managed just 32 yards on thirteen carries. Unlike last week, Kafka was unable to overcome for the running back’s shortcomings. On a staggering 29 rushing attempts Kafka managed just 83 yards. More times than not, Kafka found himself surrounded by white jerseys even before he reached the line of scrimmage.

Next week the ‘Cats, now 7-3 and 3-3 in Big Ten play, will travel to Ann Arbor to face off against the Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State, 8-2 and 5-1, will return to Illinois and face off against the Illini.

Northwestern’s chances against No. 12 Ohio State on Saturday just got a whole lot gloomier after the team suffered yet another devastating injury: The Wildcats’ injury report confirms that senior running back Omar Conteh will be out against the Buckeyes after injuring his knee during practice on Wednesday. Conteh, who has 235 rushing yards with three touchdowns this year, started last week against Minnesota after NU lost star running back Tyrell Sutton to a season-ending wrist injury in the game against Indiana.

With both Sutton and Conteh injured, it is likely that sophomore Stephen Simmons will get the start. Simmons had three carries in the opening game against Syracuse and ran for a total of 17 yards.

On the bright side, Simmons does have a history of performing well against Ohio State: In last year’s game in Columbus, the Missouri native ran back a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Simmons’s score provided the lone points for NU in a 58-7 loss.

In other injury news, quarterback CJ Bacher will probably be able to play this Saturday.

For this installation of North by Northwestern’s weekly hockey blog, I will be focusing on players, and not teams, that have been making an impact (or lack thereof) on the season so far.

Three Up:
1. Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals: With Washington’s other Russian Alexander in a bit of an early season slump, the third year forward has helped to jumpstart the Capital’s offense. He leads the team in goals, assists, and plus/minus rating. Some questioned Semin’s effectiveness after last season, in which he tallied only 42 points. But, it looks as if the 2007-2008 campaign was only a fluke for this talented winger. If Semin can keep his play at this level, the Capitals will be tough to face.

2. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres: Miller had an up and down season last year, and as a result the Sabres missed the playoffs. This year, the netminder has been nothing short of stellar. He leads the NHL in goals against average, and ranks second in save percentage. Most importantly, he is not letting in the kind of soft goals that last season crippled his confidence and undermined his teams’ efforts. With both Miller and forward Thomas Vanek performing at All-Star levels, Buffalo looks like it will make up for last year’s playoff absence.

3. Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis Blues: What a start to the season for this 17 year veteran. Tkachuk scored in each of his first six games, and has eight goals so far for the surprisingly decent Blues. He, along with players such as Scott Neidermayer of the Ducks and Ray Whitney of the Hurricanes, keeps proving that the NHL is not just a young man’s league. Yet, Tkachuk’s hot start to the season does not really come as a surprise: he netted 27 for the Blues last year.

Three Down:
1. Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild: The Wild’s speedy Czech forward has only played in two games this season. Gaborik has a reputation for being injury prone, but this season has to be particularly frustrating: His contract with Minnesota is set to expire at the end of the end of the year, and so he should be motivated not only to help his team but to make himself look like he’s worth being paid millions of dollars to score goals. At this rate, Gaborik is only slated to play sixteen games, and his skill has taken a back seat to his propensity for being on the injury report.

2. Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks: After being named Vancouver’s captain during the offseason, Luongo, a nominee for the Hart Trophy last season, has underperformed during this year’s campaign. His .899 save percentage is much worse than last year’s mark of .917. He will have to start standing on his head to spark the Canucks, who have started a middling 6-6, to play well enough to keep up in a strong Western Conference.

3. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lighting: Sure, Vinny leads his team in scoring, as any great forward should. The problem is, that team is the Lightning, who have picked up their play of late but are still offensively challenged. Lecavalier was tabbed by some to be a contender for both the Hart and Art Ross trophies, and will have to step back into his accustomed role of offensive juggernaut in order to both meet expectations and help his team to continue to improve (as of Monday, the Lightning had won three straight).

Following their impressive last-minute victory at No. 20 Minnesota, two Northwestern Wildcats were among the Big Ten’s Players of the Week. Junior quarterback Mike Kafka won the co-offensive Player of the Week honor along with Purdue quarterback Justin Siller. Filling in for the injured CJ Bacher, Kafka set the Big Ten record for rushing yards for a quarterback with 217 yards and also threw for two touchdowns.

On the defensive side, junior safety Brendan Smith was named the Big Ten defensive Player of the Week. With twelve seconds left and the game tied at 17, Smith intercepted a pass from Gophers’ quarterback Adam Weber and returned it 48 yards for the winning touchdown. The Massachusetts native also recorded six tackles in the game.

Kafka is also one of the four finalists for the AT&T Player of the Week award along with Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant, Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell, and Central Michigan’s Brian Brunner. Fans can vote for Kafka by texting “VOTE” to 51234. The winner will be announced on Thursday during College Football Primetime on ESPN.

End of Regulation: Northwestern 24 Minnesota 17

What a finish. Just when it looked like the game was heading to overtime the defense came up with a timely interception. The ‘Cats are now 7-2 and are guaranteed to go to a bowl game. The game ball has to go to Mike Kafka. Filling in for Bacher, the junior kept the ‘Cats in the game with his legs. He finished with 218 rushing yards but also threw for two touchdowns. A lot of credit also has to go to the coaching staff. With Kafka as qb this is a completely different team but the coaches came up with a strategy that uses the new team’s, specifically Kafka’s, strengths.

:12 4Q: Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Brendan Smith intercepts Weber and runs it all the way back for a touchdown. The pass hit off Oreduba’s face mask and then was deflected right to Smith. Northwestern 24 Minnesota 17.

1:01 4Q: Not exactly Joe Montanaesque. NU goes three and out and Kafka fumbles the snap on third down. Minny will get the ball back with a timeout and plenty of time to get in field goal position.

1:44 4Q: Minnesota punts and the ‘Cats will take over at the 20 with a chance to win and improve to 7-2. If not, overtime (assuming we don’t turn over the ball extremely quickly). Either way, NU is living up to its cardiac cats nickname.

4:31 3Q: The Gophers defense stops Northwestern on 3rd and short and the ‘Cats have to punt. The Wildcats tried a designed quarterback run, a play they ran successfully earlier on a third and short earlier during the drive. In both plays NU had no one in the backfield, something I disagree with. Why completely give away your hand?

11:36 4Q: Northwestern kicker Ammodo Villarreal misses a 46 yard field goal wide right and the Gophers will take over with good field position. The field goal attempt was set up by yet another great run by Kafka, who seems to have decided to fill in for both Sutton and Bacher.

14:09 4Q: The Gophers try a fake field goal and complete a pass but come up short of the first down. The ‘Cats suspected it all long and stayed in coverage. Fitz is really pumped up on the sideline. Let’s hope it carries over to the rest of the team.

End of third quarter: Northwestern 17 Minnesota 17

33: 3Q: Simmons gets his second interception of the game on a forced throw by Kafka. The ‘Cats faced a second and long after a failed reverse to Peterman. Kafka has played great all day but, as I said before, he can’t win game with his arm and they never should have called a play which asks him to do so. After the Gophers missed that field goal the interception really gets them off the hook.

3:02 3Q: The ‘Cats defense stands tall and stops the Gophers defense on first and goal. Then, Gophers kicker Joel Monroe misses a chip shit field goal. Minnesota just missed a great opportunity to take a lead handing into the fourth quarter. Much like Indiana last week, all NU wanted heading into this game was a chance to win in the fourth quarter and, barring a turnover, it appears they will get just that chance.

5:17 3Q: Ugh, on 3rd and 19 Minnesota converts on a Weber pass and is in the red zone. The receiver was wide open, something that just shouldn’t have happened on 3rd and 19.

6:30 3Q: A pass offense call against Northwestern’s David Oreduba gets the Gophers into NU territory. It was an iffy call but Oreduba was against Decker in single coverage and the refs were probably expecting a pass interference.

End of first half: Northwestern 17 Minnesota 17

:41 2Q: Well, it looks like we’ll enter the second half tied. Minnesota completes a long drive with a field goal to tie the game at 17. You have to give the ‘Cats credit for surviving the injuries so far and staying right with the Gophers on Homecoming. Especial credit needs to go to Kafka. Kafka responded to his interception with a great 53 yard run that completely changed the complexion of the game. The defense has also played well, limiting Eric Decker to just two catches and running back DeLeon Eskridge to nine rushing yards.

5:33 2Q: Holy shit, is that Mike Kafka or Michael Vick (minus the whole animal cruelty thing)? Kafka breaks like two tackles and sprints 53 yards down the sideline to set up a short touchdown pass to Josh Brooks. On the td pass, Kafka really made a great play fake to sell the run. The whole Gophers defense came in, leaving Brooks wide open. NU is back on top 17-14. More importantly, Minny was starting to take control of the game but now its the ‘Cats who have the momentum.

10:07 2Q: Huge momentum changer. Minnesota intercepts a Kafka pass and returns it to the end zone. It’s now 14-10 Gophers. Kafka really wound up and stared at the intended receiver, Ross Lane. The whole word knew who he was going to throw to and the Gophers corner Trey Simmons easily jumped in front of Lane to pick off the pass.

14:56 2Q: Gophers’ quarterback Adam Weber finds star receiver Eric Decker wide open in the end zone to cut the ‘Cats lead to 3 at 10-7. Decker is the Gophers’ best weapon and there’s no excuse for losing track of him, especially on a key third down play.

End of first quarter: Northwestern 10 Minnesota 0
The ‘Cats have dominated the play so far but the Gophers are in the red zone and threatening to score. NU really came out fired up to start the game and obviously felt they had something to prove after the loss last week to Indiana and the constant talk about how without Bacher and Sutton they were no match for Minnesota.

3:44 1Q: Another big run for Kafka gets NU into Gophers’ territory. Unfortunately, the Minnesota defense makes a couple of nice plays and NU is forced to punt. On the punt, the ‘Cats missed a chance to down the ball on the one and instead let the ball bounce into the end zone for a touchback.

6:55 1Q: NU adds a field goal and is now up 10-0. On third and long the ‘Cats decided to settle for the field goal and called a running play for Kafka instead of a risky long place. Good call. Kafka looks good but you still don’t want to force the young quarterback into winning the game by completing long, difficult passes.

11:44 1Q: On the kickoff return, Vince Browne gets caught on the unforgiving Metrodome astro turf and appears to be seriously injured. If he is as hurt as he appears, it would be a major loss for an NU defense that is already playing without starting linebacker Vince Browne.

11:49 1Q: After changing the play at the line of scrimmage, Mike Kafka hits Jeremy Ebert on third down and he sprints into the end zone to give Northwestern a 7-0 lead. Just like Peyton Manning! The pass completed what was an impressive early drive by Kafka. He made a nice pass to Peterman near the sideline and on the first play of the game bursts through a few tackles and ran for a first down.