Ben Bryant threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Mangieri in overtime, Bryce Kirtz set a career high with 215 yards receiving and caught two TDs and Northwestern rallied from 21 down to beat Minnesota 37-34 on Saturday night.
Bryant found Mangieri in the left side of the end zone for the winning score on the first play after Minnesota’s Dragan Kesich kicked a 20-yard field goal. Fans in the student section poured onto the field, celebrating a rare win for a program that has also been engulfed in a hazing and abuse scandal.
A.J. Henning caught a tying touchdown in the closing seconds of regulation. The Wildcats overcame another dazzling performance by Minnesota’s Darius Taylor, who ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns, and pulled out the win after they looked like they were headed for a lopsided loss.
Northwestern (2-2, 1-1 Big Ten) scored two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter to pull within seven. The Wildcats tied it in the closing seconds of regulation when Henning caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bryant and came away with their second win in three games after losing 12 in a row.
Bryant threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns after struggling through three games. The Cincinnati transfer completed 33 of 49 passes.
Kirtz caught 10 passes, including an 80-yard touchdown. Cam Porter ran for a score, and the Wildcats bounced back from a loss at Duke. They also won their second straight game at Ryan Field — something they hadn’t done since 2021 — after beating UTEP two weeks ago.
Taylor was at it again for Minnesota (2-2, 1-1) after capturing back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
He scored from the 1 early in the second quarter and set up a field goal near the end of the half with a 41-yard run. He wasn’t finished, breaking off a 43-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 late in the third to bump the lead to 31-10.
Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 191 yards and two scores. But after losing at North Carolina last week, the Gophers let this one slip away.
Minnesota: The Gophers host Louisiana on Saturday.
Northwestern: No. 7 Penn State visits Saturday.