THE ESSENTIALS
Date: Nov. 23, 2019
Time: 11 a.m. CT
Site: Evanston, Ill.
Stadium: Ryan Field
Surface: Natural grass
Capacity: 47,130
Series: Minnesota 53-36-5
Streak: Northwestern W2
Last: Northwestern won 24-14 on Oct. 17, 2018 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis
AUTMAN-BELL RETURNS HOME
Minnesota News Network Sports Director Mike Grimm caught up with Gopher WR Chris Autman-Bell of Kankakee, Illinois. He will be returning to his home area to play against the Wildcats:
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. No. 11 Minnesota plays its final road game of the regular season at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Northwestern on ABC. The game will be the third straight on network television for the Gophers, as it played Penn State on ABC two weeks ago and played at Iowa on FOX last week. This season will be the second ever (also 2005) that Minnesota will have three games on network television. The Gophers played Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State on ABC in 2005.
2. Minnesota had its 11-game winning streak snapped last week at Iowa. The Gophers had not lost in 364 days before falling by four last Saturday. Despite the loss, Minnesota is 9-1 overall and 13-3 in its last 16 games (12 B1G games, 1 ACC game and 3 nonconference games). Minnesota is 6-1 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967 and has six Big Ten wins for the sixth time ever (2019, 1973, 1967, 1961, 1960, 1940). Minnesota has never won seven B1G games. Minnesota has a winning record in the B1G for the 47th time, but for only the eighth time since 1970. The Gophers are 9-3 in their last 12 B1G games, which leads the West and is second to 11-2 Ohio State (Penn State also 10-2). The Gophers are also 21-14 under head coach P.J. Fleck. Coach Fleck’s win percentage of 60% ranks fourth in school history for anyone who coached more than 30 games and is the best since Bernie Bierman, who last coached at Minnesota in 1950.
3. The Gophers are 9-1 and have now won nine games in a season nine times in school history (2019, 2016, 2003, 1905, 1904, 1903, 1902, 1901 and 1900). Minnesota was 9-4 in 2016 and 10-3 in 2003. Minnesota was 10-1 in 1905; 13-0 in 1904; 14-0-1 in 1903; 9-2-1 in 1902; 9-1-1 in 1901 and 10-0-2 in 1900. Minnesota has won 10 or more games in a season only five times and those years were 2003 (10-3), 1905 (10-1), 1904 (13-0), 1903 (14-0-1) and 1900 (10-0-2). Henry Williams, who is the namesake of Williams Arena where both Minnesota’s basketball teams play (1905, 1904, 1903, 1900), and Glen Mason (2003) are the only coaches ever to lead Minnesota to 10 wins. Williams is the only coach in school history to win 10 regular season games, as Mason’s tenth win in 2003 was against Oregon in the Sun Bowl.
4. Tanner Morgan, who is one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, has thrown for 707 yards (339 vs. Penn State, 368 at Iowa) in the last two games and now has four 300-yard games in his career (1 in 2018, 3 in 2019), which is tied for the fourth most in school history. His 707 yards are the third most in consecutive games in school history and rank behind Tim Schade who threw for 823 yards in two games in 1993 and 759 yards in two games in 1994.
5. Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson are each nearing 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Bateman, who is one of 12 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, is at 945 (sixth most in a season by a Gopher), while Johnson is at 900 (10th most in a season by a Gopher). Johnson set the school record with 1,169 yards in 2018. Only five Minnesota receivers ever have had more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)