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Northwestern Football: 3 takeaways from win over Minnesota in Week 12

By Luke Feliciano

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 17: The Northwestern Wildcats congratulate teammate Jake Collins #49 on a field goal against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game at TCFBank Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Northwestern defeated Minnesota 24-14. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 17: The Northwestern Wildcats congratulate teammate Jake Collins #49 on a field goal against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter of the game at TCFBank Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Northwestern defeated Minnesota 24-14. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Northwestern football did its job and defeated Minnesota, 24-14. The Wildcats still have one game left before the Big Ten title game.

Northwestern is in a prime spot –– with the ability to play with truly nothing to lose. Last week, the Wildcats punched their ticket to the Big Ten Title game. Additionally, Northwestern is also bowl eligible for the fourth straight season.

Despite entering the game as ranked No. 22, the spread didn’t favor Northwestern. However, the Wildcats sunk Minnesota’s boat to improve to 7-4 on the season.

The Wildcats didn’t amass a ton of offense, but the defense made a stand and held Minnesota to just 109 total rushing yards.

Here are three main takeaways from Northwestern’s victory against Minnesota.

3. Clayton Thorson is doing enough, but he still has to play better

Clayton Thorson is a senior leader on this Wildcats’ team with plenty of experience under his belt. Oddly enough, he is on a similar track to his final numbers last year but definitely has the opportunity to collect more passing yards than a season ago.

While Thorson has broken even on touchdowns and interceptions (12 each), he broke even Saturday against Minnesota. He did not manufacture any passing touchdowns, but at the same time, he didn’t throw any interceptions as he threw for a commendable 230 yards with a 71 percent completion percentage.

The production that Thorson is putting out isn’t the most prolific method of operation, but he has still done enough to will the Wildcats through the wild Big Ten West division race.

If Northwestern wants to succeed in the Big Ten title game, Thorson must increase his presence on the stat sheet.

Historically, he hasn’t put up big numbers that fans see in other more pass-heavy offensive schemes, but Thorson has nonetheless been trusted to forge ahead with the offense.

He most likely won’t be able to make such a dramatic shift in a such a short period of time, with the Big Ten Championship Game set for a few weeks out, but Thorson has one regular season game left before he is challenged by either Michigan or Ohio State.

Michigan has one of the top defenses in the country with a talented and experienced group that has continually stifled opposing offenses. Ohio State touts success on defense annually, sending a bevy of players to the pro ranks each year.

Certainly, the Thorson-led Wildcats have defied the odds and claimed the West division title, but its toughest test lies ahead against their East division opponent.

The most touchdown passes Thorson has thrown in a single game this season has been three — in consecutive weeks against Michigan State and Nebraska.

For Northwestern to have a shot at the title, Thorson needs to mirror those touchdown totals, while limiting his turnover rate through interceptions and having a completion percentage north of 60 percent.

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