Northwestern
2-2 , 1-1
Minnesota
2-2 , 1-1
Cardiac 'Cats Rally Late, Stun Minnesota In Overtime, 37-34
9/23/2023 10:46:00 PM | Football
Kirtz piles up 215 yards receiving, Mangieri hauls in deciding touchdown
EVANSTON, Ill. (Saturday, September 23) - Led by impressive efforts across the board, Northwestern stormed back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter en route to a thrilling 37-34 overtime victory against Minnesota (2-2, 1-1 B1G) this evening at Ryan Field.
Ben Bryant led the Northwestern passing attack, putting up a career-high 396 yards on 33-of-49 passing with four touchdowns, the last of which came on a 25-yard touchdown heave to Charlie Mangieri that sealed the game.
Bryce Kirtz was a frequent target for Bryant, hauling in 10 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Kirtz's 215 receiving yards mark the fourth most by a Wildcat in a single game in program history.
CARDIAC 'CATS. ?? pic.twitter.com/Aw5dnFjKlM
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) September 24, 2023
Tonight's victory sees the Wildcats climb back to the .500 mark at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play.
Cam Porter paced the 'Cats on the ground, finishing his night with 56 yards and one touchdown. A.J. Henning, who accounted for the touchdown in the closing seconds that forced overtime, added 23 yards on the ground, in addition to 29 receiving yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Coco Azema finished with a team-high 10 tackles, while Bryce Gallagher and Xander Mueller added seven stops apiece.
How It Happened
After finding itself in a 21-0 hole in the second quarter, Northwestern got on the board through the combination of Bryant and Kirtz when the ladder hauled in an 80-yard score to make it 21-7 with 2:06 remaining. Minnesota went on to add a field goal with just over a minute remaining, as it took a 24-7 lead into halftime.
Jack Olsen connected from 37 yards out just past the midway point of the third quarter to again make it a two-score game, 24-10. Minnesota looked to gain separation as time wound down in the third frame, with a 43-yard touchdown scamper on fourth down by Darius Taylor pushing the gap to 31-10, a score that would hold entering the fourth quarter.
With just 15 minutes to work with, Northwestern began chipping away, a process that started with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a one-yard plunge by Porter that trimmed the margin to 31-17 with three minutes gone.
The pairing of Bryant and Kirtz engineered a lightning-quick drive to make it one-possession game. Kirtz accounted for all 69 yards on the three-play drive that was culminated by a 17-yard strike from Bryant to pull the 'Cats within seven, 31-24, with 9:06 to go.
After seeing its defense force back-to-back Minnesota punts, Northwestern found itself with one final opportunity to drive for a tying score, starting from its own 20-yard line with 2:07 to play in regulation. The Wildcats converted on a pair of third downs to drive to the Golden Gophers' 11-yard line. With five seconds remaining and facing a 3rd and 10, Bryant found Henning with a strike in the end zone that, following an Olsen extra point, knotted the game up at 31-31 and forced overtime.
Northwestern's defense found itself with its back to the wall in overtime, as Minnesota drove down to the Wildcats' two-yard line. Following consecutive defensive stops, Minnesota settled for a 20-yard Dragan Kesich field goal to put the Golden Gophers back on top, 34-31.
Minnesota's lead lasted all of one play, as Bryant connected with a streaking Mangieri on Northwestern's first play of overtime to set off a wild celebration as the Wildcats completed their largest comeback victory since 2009.
Game Notes
» Northwestern racked up 492 yards of total offense, outgaining Minnesota by a 492-397 margin that included a 400-153 advantage through the air.
» The 'Cats outgained Minnesota 315-150 in the second half and overtime, including a 269-56 edge in passing yardage.
» Northwestern's 492 total yards are its most in a game since a 511-yard effort against Duke on September 10, 2022.
» Tonight's victory, the Wildcats' first in overtime since 2018, sees Northwestern interim head coach David Braun become the first Wildcat head coach to win his first two home games since Dick Hanley during the 1927 season.
» Bryant put up a career-high 396 yards and tied a career-high with four touchdown passes.
» Bryant's four passing touchdowns are tied for the third most in a game in program history. The last Northwestern quarterback to throw for four touchdowns was Trevor Siemian in a win over Illinois on November 30, 2013.
» Kirtz's 215 yards receiving are the most by a Wildcat since Flynn Nagel put up 220 yards against Nebraska on October 13, 2018.
» Kirtz is the first Wildcat with two receiving touchdowns since Trey Pugh caught two touchdowns against Michigan State on September 3, 2021.
» Northwestern converted on eight of its 17 third down attempts, while holding Minnesota to just a 28.6% conversion rate (4-for-14) on third down.
» Azema led the Wildcats with 10 tackles, the fourth double-digit tackle showing of his career.
» Athan Kaliakmanis led the Minnesota passing attack, completing 14 of his 19 attempts for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Up Next
Northwestern returns to Ryan Field on Saturday, September 30 to host No. 7 Penn State in 11 a.m. kickoff that will be televised on Big Ten Network.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
Team Stats
MIN 7, NU 0
MIN - Brockington,Lemeke 9 yd pass from Kaliakmanis,Athan (Kesich,Dragan kick) 1 plays, 9 yards, TOP 00:04
MIN 14, NU 0
MIN - Taylor,Darius 1 yd run (Kesich,Dragan kick), 9 plays, 68 yards, TOP 05:22
MIN 21, NU 0
MIN - Jackson,Daniel 18 yd pass from Kaliakmanis,Athan (Kesich,Dragan kick) 6 plays, 72 yards, TOP 03:21
MIN 21, NU 7
NU - Kirtz,Bryce 80 yd pass from Bryant,Ben (Olsen,Jack kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:44
MIN 24, NU 7
MIN - Kesich,Dragan 50 yd field goal 5 plays, 43 yards, TOP 01:02
MIN 24, NU 10
NU - Olsen,Jack 37 yd field goal 11 plays, 63 yards, TOP 06:06
MIN 31, NU 10
MIN - Taylor,Darius 43 yd run (Kesich,Dragan kick), 4 plays, 52 yards, TOP 02:02
MIN 31, NU 17
NU - Porter,Cam 1 yd run (Olsen,Jack kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:10
MIN 31, NU 24
NU - Kirtz,Bryce 17 yd pass from Bryant,Ben (Olsen,Jack kick) 3 plays, 69 yards, TOP 00:39
MIN 31, NU 31
NU - Henning,A.J. 11 yd pass from Bryant,Ben (Olsen,Jack kick) 12 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:05
MIN 34, NU 31
MIN - Kesich,Dragan 20 yd field goal 6 plays, 23 yards, TOP 00:00
MIN 34, NU 37
NU - Mangieri,Charlie 25 yd pass from Bryant,Ben () 1 plays, 25 yards, TOP 00:00
