![Minnesota's wide receiver Tyler Johnson ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown despite defensive pressure by Purdue's cornerback Da'Wan Hunte during the first quarter the Gophers took on Purdue at Ross'Ade Stadium, Saturday, October 7, 2017 in West Lafayette, IN. ] ELIZABETH FLORES ' liz.flores@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/Q4JZENIEACCIEJYYZY5SLZ5MDE.jpg?&w=1080)
Good morning from a rainy, windy and chilly Ryan Field, where the Gophers will battle Northwestern in an 11 a.m. game. Temperatures are expected to be around 40, with rain continuing and a north wind of 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts up to 40.
Gophers sophomore Tyler Johnson, the team's leading receiver, is not among the dressed receivers in pregame drills. KSTP and GopherIllustrated reported that Johnson broke his left wrist during last week's game against Nebraska and will miss the final two games of the regular season.
Johnson, a former Minneapolis North standout, leads the Gophers with 35 receptions for 677 yards and seven touchdowns. His 19.3 yards per reception leads the Big Ten and ranks 17th nationally. He has three 100-yard receiving games this season, and his 67.7 receiving yards per game ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
With Johnson out, the Gophers could rely on redshirt freshman Phillip Howard, the team's third-leading receiver with 11 catches for 132 yards, along with senior Eric Carter, redshirt freshman Mark Williams and junior Rashad Still, who is listed as Johnson's backup. Still was lined up with the first team in pregame drills, as was redshirt freshman Drew Hmielewski.
