EVANSTON, ILL. - Duane Bennett's worst moments have the odd effect of bringing out his best.
The Gophers running back lost a fumble for the second time this season Saturday, and the result was the same as last time: He took out his anger on himself for a moment, then let the defense have a taste of it, too.
Bennett ran for a season-high 127 yards on 23 carries, bouncing outside for double-digit gains five different times, a performance his coach said provided more than just yardage.
"I told everybody in the locker room, that kid showed a tremendous amount of courage," Jerry Kill said after the Gophers lost 28-13 to Northwestern at Ryan Field. "He fumbled, he's frustrated as heck, and then he came back and ran like a man possessed. To be honest, we need more kids to learn to fight back through adversity."
Of course, Bennett has done it before. His only other 100-yard game of the season came against Nebraska -- which, perhaps not so coincidentally, is when his only other fumble of the season came, too.
"I really beat myself up on the sideline, and then Coach Kill came over to me [and] said, 'You need to come back because we need you,' " Bennett said. "My mindset changed right away to, 'What can I do to help?' "
Bennett's first carry after his fumble was a 12-yard gain, and two plays later, he rushed for another 11.
"He didn't pout. He took the challenge," Kill said. "Sometimes we have youngsters make a mistake and they can't get over it. They make another one and another one. Duane taught us something today -- he messed up, goes back in and plays as hard as he can play. That's what growing up's all about."