Gophers hold off Wildcats to go 2-0 in Big Ten

Jerry Kill had just slammed his headset to the ground, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on top of the roughing-the-passer flag that extended Northwestern's tying touchdown drive.

The Wildcats had driven 97 yards for that tying score, midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, and the announced crowd of 49,051 at TCF Bank Stadium was ornery. This seemed like the letdown every Gophers fan feared after that big victory at Michigan two weeks earlier.

Jalen Myrick didn't care. He had been rehearsing this moment in his head for days. The sophomore from Bloomingdale, Ga., caught the ensuing kickoff two steps behind the goal line and delivered one of those plays that can define a season.

Myrick veered diagonally through the big hole he had always imagined, made a cut, got a block and sprinted down the sideline for a 100-yard touchdown, electrifying the crowd. The Gophers held on for a 24-17 victory, and their first 2-0 Big Ten start since 2004.

"We could have just gone in the tank," Kill said. "This team right now is finding a way to win. We've got a lot of things to clean up, but we're going to enjoy the moment and get back to work [Sunday]."

The Gophers (5-1) should be heavy favorites going into their next two games against Purdue and Illinois, meaning they could be approaching their first 4-0 Big Ten start since 1967, when Murray Warmath led them to their last conference title.

Northwestern (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) was coming off victories over Penn State and Wisconsin, but the Gophers defeated the Wildcats for the second consecutive season. This time, the Gophers had to wait through a bye week after reclaiming the Little Brown Jug from Michigan for the first time since 2005.

The Gophers never trailed Northwestern, but it was a back-and-forth game that felt like it could go either way.

Coming off a big performance against Michigan, Mitch Leidner had another strong game, rushing for two first-half touchdowns and completing 10 of 15 passes for 153 yards with one interception. It was 14-10 at halftime, as the Gophers forced Northwestern to kick a field goal right before the teams headed to the locker room. The Wildcats drove to the 2 before the Gophers made a key third-down stop.

That was a big moment, considering the Gophers are 19-0 under Kill when leading at halftime and 0-22 when trailing.

After a scoreless third quarter, Ryan Santoso's 25-yard field goal stretched the lead to 17-10 with 12:14 remaining.

The Gophers caught a break on the kickoff, when Solomon Vault bobbled it out of bounds at the Northwestern 3. But the Wildcats marched right down the field for the tying score.

The blitzing Boddy-Calhoun jumped and kept his hands in the air, trying to pull back. But his momentum knocked Siemian to the ground.

Asked about the call, Kill said: "I'll get in a lot of trouble [for answering]. It's one of those things where there's a big emphasis on protecting the quarterback; I understand that. But I know I threw my headset down, so I'll leave it at that."

The two personal foul penalties gave Northwestern first-and-goal from the 2, and Siemian rushed it in from there, tying the score.

That set the stage for Myrick, a cornerback who is filling in on kickoff returns with senior Marcus Jones out with a broken hand. This was just the second kickoff return of Myrick's career, but the Gophers used a blocking scheme they had been practicing for days.

"I knew once we got that [play] call, and it was kicked to me, I had a chance to go," Myrick said. "I wish they had kicked to me in the first quarter to open the game, but they didn't. They kicked it deep the next time — another touchback. This time, no matter if it was 3 yards deep, I was taking it out."