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MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesotas defense delivered an overpowering performance. Mitch Leidner provided the finishing touch.Leidner threw his first touchdown pass in seven weeks and Blake Cashman and Steven Richardson each had two of Minnesotas season-high seven sacks , leading the Gophers to a 29-12 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.Playing at home for the final time, Leidner found Drew Wolitarsky from 9 yards out with 6:46 left to give the Gophers (8-3, 5-3) a 22-6 lead and then ran in a 12-yard score with 2:31 remaining. The fifth-year senior, who was intercepted once, ended a five-game streak without a touchdown pass.Its been long overdue, Wolitarsky said, smiling.Emmit Carpenter made three field goals and Shannon Brooks totaled 110 yards from scrimmage for the Gophers, whose offense sputtered through most of the afternoon after an 80-yard game-opening march into the end zone and before the late Leidner-led push.Hey, find a way to win this thing, coach Tracy Claeys said. Who cares how anybody has played?Clayton Thorson threw for 276 yards and a late score, but the Wildcats (5-6, 4-4) were denied on fourth-and-1 at the Minnesota 16 in the second quarter and fourth-and-1 at the Gophers 13 in the third quarter. They lost two fumbles and failed on both 2-point conversion tries.Weve just got to learn how to finish, wide receiver Andrew Scanlan said.CARR CRASHAustin Carr, the Big Tens leading receiver, had five catches for 68 yards for the Wildcats before leaving the field a bit woozy from a helmet-to-helmet hit by Minnesota safety Duke McGhee. The targeting penalty, the seventh time this season a Gophers player has received the automatic ejection including two for McGhee, helped set up Northwesterns first score.He knows better than that, Claeys said.Fitzgerald declined to discuss Carrs condition, beyond he seemed to be doing well after the game. The 4-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson with 2:17 left in the third quarter finished the drive and cut the lead to 15-6, but the Gophers werent deterred.Emotions were pretty high at that point, but were a level-headed team and we didnt let that affect us, said linebacker Jack Lynn, who had 1 1/2 of Minnesotas 12 tackles for loss.TAKE THATRichardson recalled a recruiting visit that Fitzgerald once made to his high school, Chicagos Mount Carmel, that left him feeling snubbed. Richardson, listed at 6 feet and 300 pounds, said Fitzgerald was immediately turned off by his lack of height.I saw that guy come into my high school coachs office and just look me up and down and just look at me like Im way too short to play the game, Richardson said. It was really nice to play one of these types of game in front of him, just because he doubted you.EMPTY SEATSWith a kickoff temperature of 30 degrees, including an 18-degree wind chill factor, the Gophers played in front of their smallest crowd (38,162) in eight seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. Less than half of those fans were still in the seats by the fourth quarter. Minnesotas average attendance this year was 43,814, the lowest since 2002 when the team played at the Metrodome.THE TAKEAWAYNorthwestern: With the Thorson-to-Carr connection quiet even before the star pass-catcher departed the game, the Wildcats were uncharacteristically unproductive on offense until they entered catch-up mode late and padded their statistics.Minnesota: Eliminated earlier in the day from Big Ten championship game contention, the Gophers can still tie for first place in the West Division by upsetting Wisconsin and having Iowa beat Nebraska. They reached the eight-win mark for the third time in four seasons, a feat not accomplished by the program since 1905.UP NEXTNorthwestern: Hosting in-state rival Illinois on Saturday, the Wildcats need a win for bowl eligibility. Theyve beaten the Illini in three of the last four meetings.Minnesota: Seeking their first victory over Wisconsin since 2003 on Saturday, the Gophers have not won at Camp Randall Stadium since 1994.Itd be a great way to top off the year, no question, Leidner said. I know its really important to a lot of guys on this team.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25Joshua Kimmich Bayern Munich Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Felix Gotze Bayern Munich Jersey .com) - Richie Incognito has reportedly been admitted to a psychiatric care unit in Arizona. http://www.soccerfcbayernshop.com/kids-mats-hummels-bayern-munich-jersey/ . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Ron-Thorben Hoffmann Jersey . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Pierre Hojbjerg Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach.For 11 Sprint Cup Series teams, Sundays Michigan race is the calm before the storm. They are the 11 winners, all of which are positioned comfortably for Round 1 of the Chase, which begins in roughly three weeks.Its not as if the weekend is meaningless by any means, but the urgency doesnt exist for these 11 the way it does for Chris Buescher, the 12th winner on the list, and the only one at risk of not making the playoffs if the next three weeks go poorly.Because of this, Im confident Sundays winner comes from this list of previous winners, not because I cant envision Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon or Kyle Larson winning this year.I just cant envision them winning in the next three weeks.Assuming Buescher qualifies -- and I believe he will -- this leaves four Chase spots open. As they stand today Dillon, Elliott, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman control their own destiny and have a comfortable points cushion. I believe all four will qualify for NASCARs postseason.Which leads me back to the 11.Who among them should be considered the favorite?Kyle Busch.This team is, in my opinion, where the 48 team of Jimmie Johnson was a few years back.Busch began the season winning three of the first 11 races and finishing top-four in nine of those events.Its been a volatile summer run, but this team will light it up when it matters most.As defending champs, they have the wind in their sails, confidence to repeat.Top to bottom theres not a team stronger than the 18.Who has the most work to do?Johnson.I truly believe he will win a seventh title in the next four or five years, but its difficult to imagine it happening this year.Its been apparent for quite some time that Johnson has been carrying this car, meaning he works much harder than those that aare finishing ahead of him.dddddddddddd.Their two wins came early in the season while all teams were adjusting and acclimating to the new lower downforce package. The six-time champs talent weighed heavy in the February and March wins, but other teams passed him by in the evaluation of this new model.Talent isnt enough to overcome the deficit, and the risk for any driver experiencing this is the vulnerability of trying too hard, or over drivingWhen that happens, it compromises the ability to deliver productive, concise information of what the car does, or doesnt do.It can be a slippery slope if this happens.Johnson has led only 229 laps this season. We are used to seeing him do this in one race.These are tough times for the 48, but Johnson is a tough customer.No driver I have ever competed against puts the effort in to his job the way Johnson does, so while its obvious there is work to do, this driver will lead them back to glory.Who will be this seasons surprise ?Joey Logano.Not that Logano going into Miami with a shot at the title should surprise anyone, it simply hasnt been the season of authority we witnessed from the driver the second half of last season.Perhaps there was some hangover from last years exchange with Matt Kenseth that may have eaten away at Loganos confidence. If so, its becoming clear that he has regained whatever was missing, I believe he is poised to make a strong run against the Toyotas.The Bottom LineKevin Harvick said to me this week its all about momentum, referring to his win Sunday in Bristol.For roughly a dozen teams this weekend, thats what the Michigan race represents. ' ' '