Gophers at Northwestern, seeking fourth win in a row

Good afternoon from Ryan Field, where the Gophers will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on Northwestern (2:30 p.m., BTN). Coming off a dominant effort in which they rushed for 326 yards in a 34-16 win over Maryland, the Gophers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) have a chance to sit alone atop the West Division standings with a victory after Wisconsin beat Iowa 27-7, dropping the Hawkeyes to 3-2 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota's backfield committee of Bryce Williams, Ky Thomas and Mar'Keise Irving has a favorable matchup today against Northwestern's defense, which is allowing 218.7 yards per game, last in the Big Ten and 122^nd out of 130 FBS teams nationally. Last week, Thomas (139 yards) and Irving (105) carried the bulk of the load, while the week before in a 30-23 win over Nebraska, Williams (127) had the big day. The Gophers relied heavily on their offensive line to push Maryland around last week, finishing the game with 23 consecutive rushes and passing the ball only 12 times.

While quarterback Tanner Morgan hasn't been called on to pass a lot – his 18 passes per game rank 12^th in the conference – he has been efficient with 8.3 yards per attempt, good for fourth in the Big Ten. Morgan's top target, Chris Autman-Bell, has 22 catches for 226 yards, with a career-high 11 catches against Nebraska. Mike Brown-Stephens averages 29 yards on his eight receptions. Daniel Jackson, who missed the past two games because of an undisclosed injury, participated in pregame warmups and is expected to play. His 14 catches rank second on the team.

The Gophers defense has been strong against the run this season, ranking fifth nationally and second in the Big Ten with 85.7 yards allowed per game. The pass rush has been solid, too, with 16 sacks over the past five games after getting none in the first two. The Gophers will be without defensive lineman Trill Carter because of an undisclosed injury.