Prepare For a Thriller

Northwestern's loss to Syracuse was heartbreaking, but in the end, it was merely a non-conference game. Northwestern's goal is simple: win the Big Ten title. 

Please don't laugh. They could do it. They don't have to play Michigan and Ohio State. They get Penn State at home. I can dream, right?

But I won't be able to dream if NU loses their conference opener to Minnesota on Saturday. Quite frankly, I have no idea who will win this game. But what I do know is that it's going to be another extremely entertaining get-together between the two squads.

The last two games between the Gophers and the Wildcats were classics.

In 2007, I was a sophomore at NU and I was stuck in the WNUR studio running the sound board for the Wildcats' homecoming game against Minnesota. I didn't get to see the game, but believe me, I've watched the Youtube highlights more times than I'm willing to admit.

My buddy Kyle was calling the game and I listened in shock as the 'Cats fell behind by a seemingly insurmountable 21 points with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

But a Malcolm Arrington interception turned the game around. NU got touchdowns from Ross Lane, CJ Bacher (on a beautiful run up the gut), and, the most dramatic play of them all, a last-second TD catch by Eric Peterman.

Peterman's fourth-down TD catch with eight seconds to go sent the game into overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the first and second overtimes. But in the second extra period, Tim Brewster's Gophers decided they wanted to win it right then and there.

Adam Weber (who seemingly has been in the Big Ten for my entire life) took the snap on the two-point conversion attempt and rolled to his right. The 'Cats were able to get some pressure on him and his throw fell harmlessly to the Ryan Field grass, giving NU a huge homecoming victory.

Last year, I watched the game on ESPN in my apartment...by myself. You have to understand something about me. When I'm watching a game on TV I care passionately about, I MUCH prefer to watch the game alone. I get so fired up, I'd rather not hurt anyone if something goes wrong.

I'll never forget what I witnessed on that television set. The way Mike Kafka runs, it's unbelievable. He doesn't look that fast until you realize the other players can't keep up with him. His stride is so long, it's like he's floating across the field.

Well, he floated his way to a Big Ten quarterback rushing record of 217 yards. But the dynamic duo of Adam Weber and Eric Decker kept the Gophers in the game, down to the very end.

Perhaps remembering what happened the previous season when the game went into OT, Tim Brewster's Gophers were surprisingly aggressive with only 26 seconds to go and the ball deep in their own territory.

Adam Weber threw a ball over the middle to near the 50-yard line, where Decker had it slip through his hands and into the awaiting hands of Brendan Smith. It actually bounced off David Oredugba first, which just goes to show how thin the line between fame and anonymity is in sports. 

Smitty took it to the house and my entire apartment complex started shaking as my fellow NU students in other units jumped up and down. I was just yelling incomprehensible words at the top of my lungs, some of which were probably: "OH MY GOD, SMITTTTTTY, TOUCHDOWN, TOUCHDOWN, TOUCHDOWN!!!!"

That's why I'm looking forward to the 2009 edition of NU-Minnesota so much. First of all, I finally get to attend the game, but more importantly, the teams remain extremely even on the playing field. You better believe the Gophers are going to be out for revenge.

It's going to be a lot of fun no matter what the result, but if NU can pull off the win, they will be in good position to make a run at the ultimate dream: The Rose Bowl.