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How the Bears can plan for the Steelers pass rush & Aaron Rodgers | Bears Blitz
Bears are coming off another thrilling victory and welcome a familiar foe to Soldier Field. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers visit Chicago on Sunday. Cassie, Lou & Anthony preview the matchup; how the Bears offense can limit the Steelers' lethal pass rush, getting more consistency in the pass game and can the defense overcome missing 3 starting linebackers? The Blitz crew breaks it all down!
There seemed like little hope.
The 'Cats were down 28-13. They were flat as can be.
Then, Northwestern football staged a thrilling comeback with a 25-point second half that ended in a 38-35 win when Minnesota's game-tying field goal attempt went wide right.
Cats were all over Wrigley Field. Pandemonium ensued. Northwestern is going bowling.
Here's what we learned from Northwestern's thrilling win over Minnesota, where the 'Cats clinched bowl eligibility.
Northwestern had an inspired comeback
This was the game to bring it.
The NU coaching staff showed their aggressiveness, going for it on fourth down at their own 42 to start the game. They churned yards in the running game on their first three drives. Stone looked good passing off the play action that stemmed from the running game.
It looked like they WERE going to bring it. With a 10-0 lead, NU was in control.
Then, things went sideways.
Koi Perich returned a kick 93 yards to the NU 5-yard line. That started a 21-3 scoring run for the Gophers. Minnesota got into the end zone from the five, and redshirt-freshman Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey threw two more touchdowns before halftime.
In that first half, Northwestern was flagged eight times. There were 12 total penalties in the first half, too.
To start the third quarter, it got worse. Northwestern forced a punt but Chase Farrell muffed the kick. Minnesota recovered and scored a play later.
Still, NU was not dead.
They scored, got the two-point attempt and got a stop. They were basically zombies at that point. Nevertheless, they were still alive.
A 15-point third quarter tied the game. Of all the miscues and mistakes, Northwestern had a chance to win. It was an impressive response from a team that was virtually dead in the water.
Preston Stone Legacy Game
The Wildcats were running the ball well. That is, until Minnesota adjusted.
In the second half, the ‘Cats had a big gain by Komolafe, but basically bottled the NU rushing attack. The game was in the hands of Preston Stone.
He was dealing in the second half, too. Stone kept completing passes to NU receivers, dealing two 100-yard receivers for the first time since Nov. 30, 2013.
On third and 10 from Minnesota’s 38-yard line, Stone had his moment.
He hit Hunter Welcing for a 15-yard gain to put the pressure on Minnesota’s defense to get a stop and preserve some time for the Gophers’ offense. That set up a go-ahead field goal with 53 seconds left in the game.
Stone completed 15 straight passes to end the game. He finished the game completing 25 of his 30 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Komolafe can’t be denied
His 46-yard gain to the Minnesota 27-yard line was all kinds of wonky. He popped through a gap and was off to the races until he was caught from behind by Perich, who forced Komolafe to fumble.
The ball rolled out of bounds, thanks perhaps to the patented Wrigley Field winds.
Still, it was another game where Komolafe proved he’s the future of the offense in Evanston.
Komolafe is the first Wildcat running back to have an 800+ rushing-yard and 10+ rushing-touchdown season since Justin Jackson had the same season in 2017.
He’s also the first Northwestern running back to have a 100-yard rushing day with a receiving and rushing touchdown since Tyrell Sutton in 2005. That’s good company to keep.
Minnesota has a star in Drake Lindsey
Standing at 6-foot-5, the Gophers have a quarterback who looks the part. Against Northwestern, he played like it.
The Minnesota redshirt-freshman quarterback looked fantastic at Wrigley Field on Saturday. He piloted the Gophers to a 28-13 lead and tied the game with his arm in the fourth quarter. He had two passes that were just sublime.
The first was the 24-yard touchdown thrown to Javon Tracy where Lindsey went right over the middle past two NU defenders for a touchdown. The second was a 52-yard bomb to Malachi Coleman that set up a touchdown pass.
The number of underclassmen who can make that kind of throw is low, and most of those quarterbacks reside in the likes of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Columbus, Ohio, South Bend, Indiana, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.