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The second half wasn't pretty, but Northwestern came away with a win thanks to Venric Mark's massive game (20 carries for 192 yards and 2 TDs, mostly in the first half) and 3 Minnesota turnovers. Kain Colter went a perfect 10-10 passing, though for only 63 yards and mostly on bubble screens. The defense had a rough day when Marqueis Gray was in the game, but after he left due to injury it tightened up and held the Gophers to only 327 yards.
In the division race, this essentially eliminates Minnesota, as they fall to 0-2 with both losses in the division, while Northwestern will be tied for the division lead for at least this week (EDIT: I wrote this before Michigan State let Iowa send their game to overtime. Iowa leads the division at 2-0, both division wins.). 6 wins also extends the bowl eligibility streak and matches many preseason predictions. The road gets tougher from here on out, with Nebraska coming to Evanston next week and consecutive road games against the Michigan schools near the end of the schedule, but for now Northwestern is decently positioned to contend for a trip to Indianapolis.