Northwestern University Athletics
Postgame Notes
10/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 2, 2010
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Team Notes
• This was the 87th meeting between the two schools, and the 16th time Northwestern has opened its Big Ten season against Minnesota.
• Northwestern notched its fifth-straight true road victory, its longest such streak since 1995 when NU also won five consecutive road contests. Northwestern, now 10-3 in its last 13 road contests, has won a Big Ten-best 10 road games dating to the start of the 2008 season.
• Northwestern has won eight-straight regular-season contests.
• The Wildcats are now 27-7 in their last 34 games decided by seven points or less. Under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, NU is 17-6 in contests decided by seven points or less.
• Northwestern continued its first-quarter domination this season, outscoring Minnesota 14-7 in the first 15 minutes. The Wildcats have now outscored their opponents 47-16 in the opening frame in 2010.
• Northwestern has now scored in double figures in 39 straight games.
• Minnesota's third touchdown of the game gave the Gophers a 21-14 lead late in the second quarter. That was the first time this season that NU trailed in a game--a stretch of 269 minutes and 1 second.
• Northwestern, which came into the game ranked sixth nationally in turnover margin, had three turnovers compared to Minnesota's one.
• For the seventh time in its last eight games, Northwestern totaled 400 or more yards of total offense. The Wildcats finished with a season-high 486 yards.
• Northwestern extended its string of games with at least one interception to nine.
• Northwestern is now 10-0 since the start of the 2009 season when it outrushes its opponent. The Wildcats outgained the Gophers on the ground Saturday, 177-165.
Individual Notes
• WR Tony Jones, on his first collegiate play at Northwestern, scored a touchdown on a 45-yard pass from QB Dan Persa. Jones just returned to action this week after sitting out nearly seven weeks with a shoulder injury.
• Persa opened the game by completing his first eight pass attempts. Persa, who came into the game leading the nation (FBS) in pass completion percentage at 80.2 percent, finished the game 23-of-30 for 309 yards and two TD's.
• Persa finished as NU's leading rusher with a career-high 99 yards. That gave Persa a career-best 408 yards of total offense for the game. He came into the game ranked 12th nationally in total offense.
• WR Jeremy Ebert caught seven passes for a career-best 105 yards and 1 TD, and now leads NU in receptions (24) and receiving yards (436), along with TD's (five).
• LB Bryce McNaul, who hails from Eden Prairie, Minn., a suburb of Minneapolis, finished with a career-high eight tackles with one TFL.
• NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald improved to 32-23 overall with the win over Minnesota.
