It's officially coming down to the wire for Northwestern as it attempts to guarantee bowl eligibility. The 'Cats are on a poorly timed three-game skid after beating Purdue to get their fifth win of the season. Now, there's just two games left to get a sixth.
This weekend, NU is at Wrigley Field once again, a venue that's been a house of horrors, to take on Minnesota. Many analysts have long had this game circled as Northwestern's best shot to get another win, but now the pressure is on.
Here's three keys for the Wildcats to overcome that pressure and come away with a massive victory over the Golden Gophers:
Win the turnover battle again
The 'Cats forced five turnovers and still lost against Michigan last week, but that was of course a major anomaly in the game of football. It should almost never happen.
It's important that the 'Cats continue to make game-breaking defensive plays because this Gopher team has a positive turnover margin and is better than Northwestern in that category. History also suggests that NU QB Preston Stone is due for an interception soon, and we know that has doomed the 'Cats in previous games.
If he does throw one, though, Northwestern can make up for it by forcing turnovers of its own. The 'Cats defense was flying around and making bone crunching tackles all day last Saturday, and they're going to need a little more of that this weekend.
DOMINATE the line of scrimmage
Part of the reason Minnesota is a good matchup for Northwestern, despite its one-game advantage in the standings at 6-4, is that the 'Cats have an advantage in the trenches. When the 'Cats have an advantage in the trenches, they usually win.
Michigan is a great team both running the football and stopping the run, and it showed. Northwestern finished with just 61 total rushing yards, which is a complete outlier from other games. Normally, the offensive line is stout, and Caleb Komolafe looks electric. That's the Wildcat rushing attack we're all used to.
Look for it to return to form against the Gophers. Their run-D is middle of the pack in the conference, and their running game is last in the Big Ten on offense. Northwestern should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Get Griffin Wilde more involved
The 'Cats will win this game behind their rushing attack, but it isn't 1900. They'll still need to throw the ball to have success.
All season, putting the ball in Wilde's hands has been the way to do that. But, last week, he finished with just two receptions. It's on offensive coordinator Zach Lujan to scheme up better ways to get him open early and often.
Wilde has 644 receiving yards on the year, and he's Stone's clear No. 1 target. There's no reason why he shouldn't finish with four or more receptions on Saturday, and the 'Cats will be better for it if he does.
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