MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotas defense delivered an overpowering performance. Mitch Leidner provided the finishing touch.Leidner threw his first touchdown pass in seven weeks and Blake Cashman and Steven Richardson each had two of Minnesotas season-high seven sacks , leading the Gophers to a 29-12 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.Playing at home for the final time, Leidner found Drew Wolitarsky from 9 yards out with 6:46 left to give the Gophers (8-3, 5-3) a 22-6 lead and then ran in a 12-yard score with 2:31 remaining. The fifth-year senior, who was intercepted once, ended a five-game streak without a touchdown pass.Its been long overdue, Wolitarsky said, smiling.Emmit Carpenter made three field goals and Shannon Brooks totaled 110 yards from scrimmage for the Gophers, whose offense sputtered through most of the afternoon after an 80-yard game-opening march into the end zone and before the late Leidner-led push.Hey, find a way to win this thing, coach Tracy Claeys said. Who cares how anybody has played?Clayton Thorson threw for 276 yards and a late score, but the Wildcats (5-6, 4-4) were denied on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 16 in the second quarter and fourth-and-1 at the Gophers 13 in the third quarter. They lost two fumbles and failed on both 2-point conversion tries.Weve just got to learn how to finish, wide receiver Andrew Scanlan said.CARR CRASHAustin Carr, the Big Tens leading receiver, had five catches for 68 yards for the Wildcats before leaving the field a bit woozy from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Minnesota safety Duke McGhee. The targeting penalty, the seventh time this season a Gophers player has received the automatic ejection including two for McGhee, helped set up Northwesterns first score.He knows better than that, Claeys said.Fitzgerald declined to discuss Carrs condition, beyond he seemed to be doing well after the game. The 4-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson with 2:17 left in the third quarter finished the drive and cut the lead to 15-6, but the Gophers werent deterred.Emotions were pretty high at that point, but were a level-headed team and we didnt let that affect us, said linebacker Jack Lynn, who had 1 1/2 of Minnesotas 12 tackles for loss.TAKE THATRichardson recalled a recruiting visit that Fitzgerald once made to his high school, Chicagos Mount Carmel, that left him feeling snubbed. Richardson, listed at 6 feet and 300 pounds, said Fitzgerald was immediately turned off by his lack of height.I saw that guy come into my high school coachs office and just look me up and down and just look at me like Im way too short to play the game, Richardson said. It was really nice to play one of these types of game in front of him, just because he doubted you.EMPTY SEATSWith a kickoff temperature of 30 degrees, including an 18-degree wind chill factor, the Gophers played in front of their smallest crowd (38,162) in eight seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. Less than half of those fans were still in the seats by the fourth quarter. Minnesotas average attendance this year was 43,814, the lowest since 2002 when the team played at the Metrodome.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern: With the Thorson-to-Carr connection quiet even before the star pass-catcher departed the game, the Wildcats were uncharacteristically unproductive on offense until they entered catch-up mode late and padded their statistics.Minnesota: Eliminated earlier in the day from Big Ten championship game contention, the Gophers can still tie for first place in the West Division by upsetting Wisconsin and having Iowa beat Nebraska. They reached the eight-win mark for the third time in four seasons, a feat not accomplished by the program since 1905.UP NEXTNorthwestern: Hosting in-state rival Illinois on Saturday, the Wildcats need a win for bowl eligibility. Theyve beaten the Illini in three of the last four meetings.Minnesota: Seeking their first victory over Wisconsin since 2003 on Saturday, the Gophers have not won at Camp Randall Stadium since 1994.Itd be a great way to top off the year, no question, Leidner said. I know its really important to a lot of guys on this team.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25Rudy Gay Spurs Jersey . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. LaMarcus Aldridge Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/Dejounte-Murray-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Jakob Poeltl Spurs Jersey .Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Trey Lyles Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville.MIRABEL, Quebec – For the second year in a row, Andrew Ranger gave the hometown crowd at Circuit ICAR something to cheer about as the Quebec native roared to the victory Sunday in the Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-On. The two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 champion from Roxton Pond, Quebec, withstood a late restart to go wire-to-wire for the win - his 17th career series victory and 14th on a road course. Ranger had set a track record on the 2.113-mile airport road course Saturday in winning the pole. He appeared to have his No. 27 La Cite De Mirabel Dodge on cruise control as he held command throughout Sundays 30-lap event. Scott Steckly, who started third on the grid, held off teammate L.P. Dumoulin for second at the finish. J.R. Fitzpatrick and Jeff Lapcevich were fourth and fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were D.J. Kenniington, Kerry Micks, J.ddddddddddddF. Dumoulin, Martin Roy and rookie Alex Guenette. After four of 12 races, Kennington has a two-point lead on L.P. Dumoulin and three over Lapcevich. Fitzpatrick moved up to fourth, and Jason Hathaway dropped to fifth after late mechanical problems Sunday prevented a top-10 finish. Prior to Sunday, Ranger had registered the most recent wire-to-wire win in the series in 2011. The Jiffy Lube 100 presented by Snap-on is slated to be televised on TSN on Friday, July 26, at 11am et/8am pt; on RDS2 on Friday, July 26, at 11pm et/8pm pt; and on RDS on Saturday, July 27, at 10am et/7am pt It marks the first of three Quebec appearances this season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1. Next on tap is the A&W 300 at Motoplex Speedway and Event Park in Vernon, British Columbia on July 13. ' ' '
