Two Big Ten teams had to sweat out super football games Saturday afternoon. While neither Northwestern nor Minnesota are expected to contend for the Big Ten crown, their ability to pull out wins does help a beleagured conference save some face.(In fact, the Big Ten is 5-0 so far today. Choke on that, Michigan. On second thought, don't choke on that. Win, for crying out loud.)
Both games were dramatic, and both featured super comebacks. In Northwestern's case, it was Northwestern's comeback. In Minnesota's, it was opponent Miami (Ohio) who pulled off the great comeback.
Minnesota led all day against Miami. They scored on their opening drive, opened a 14-3 lead in the second quarter, and then responded to nine straight Miami points with two touchdowns in a row to take a 28-12 lead in the fourth quarter. Game over, right?
Nope.
Miami rallied behind backup quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh, scoring 16 straight points to force overtime, then scoring first in overtime. The RedHawks wouldn't score again, as they missed a potential game-winning field goal in the second overtime, and Raudabaugh was intercepted in the end zone in the third overtime.
After a missed field goal of their own in the second OT, Amir Pinnix scored in the third extra session to give the Gophers a 41-35 win. It's the first win of the season for the Gophers, and the first win of Tim Brewster's head coaching career.
Meanwhile, Northwestern trailed almost all day against Nevada. The Wildcats were down 24-10 at halftime. To make matters worse, star RB Tyrell Sutton had to leave the game with an ankle injury. His replacement, Brandon Roberson, ran for a short touchdown in the third quarter, then C.J. Bacher threw a touchdown pass early in the fourth to give Northwestern a 27-24 lead.
Nevada had an answer, as Luke Lippincott ran for a touchdown to give them the lead back at 31-27. When Northwestern was stopped on a fourth-and-short with just over 2:00 left, this game looked over. Nope.
A penalty slowed Nevada's drive, and they went three-and-out. Northwestern got the ball back at their own 20 with 1:21 left. Bacher then led one of the best drives of his Wildcat career, taking the team 80 yards in six plays. Bacher was three for four passing for 45 yards on the drive, and also chipped in two runs for 35 yards. He hit Ross Lane for the go-ahead touchdown. The Wildcats tacked on a safety on the game's final play to provide them with the final 36-31 margin.
The Wildcats were outgained 541-431, allowed 30 Nevada first downs while getting just 18 of their own, had the ball for only 25:00 and change, but won thanks in part to two Nevada turnovers and a great second-half comeback.
