Minnesota Dominates Northwestern State in Week 2 Blowout
Minnesota overwhelmed Northwestern State 66-0 in Week 2, delivering a dominant defensive performance that saw the Gophers score touchdowns on multiple possessions. The home team established control immediately, scoring 35 points in the first quarter alone and adding 24 more in the second quarter before pulling back in the second half.
Max Shikenjanski led Minnesota's passing attack with 80 yards, while Darius Taylor led all receivers with 9 catches. Northwestern State managed only 8 rushing yards from Jeremiah James in a lopsided affair that never featured a competitive moment.
Minnesota's defense forced a turnover early, with John Nestor returning an Abram Johnston interception for a touchdown. The Gophers' offensive efficiency was on display throughout, with touchdown passes from Drake Lindsey to Javon Tracy and Shikenjanski to Fame Ijeboi highlighting the first half dominance. The outcome covered the 43-point spread and went over the 50.5-point over/under, though the low excitement index reflected the game's one-sided nature.
AI-generated recap · Aug 21, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northwestern State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Minnesota | 35 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 66 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Northwestern State | Minnesota |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 9-15 | 13-17 |
| Pass Yards | 23 | 226 |
| Rush Yards | 19 | 258 |
| Total Yards | 42 | 484 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 2-10 | 2-6 |
| Penalties | 2-13 | 4-45 |
| Possession | 20:32 | 33:13 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Abram Johnston pass intercepted John Nestor return for 29 yds for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Myion Hicks run for 1 yd to the NWST 26
Abram Johnston pass complete to Myion Hicks for 1 yd to the NWST 27
Abram Johnston sacked for a loss of 1 yard to the NWST 26
Cooper Evans punt for 29 yds, fair catch by Koi Perich at the MINN 45
Cooper Evans punt for 29 yds, fair catch by Koi Perich at the 50 yard line
Darius Taylor run for 7 yds to the NWST 43
Darius Taylor run for a loss of 4 yards to the NWST 47
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Cam Davis for 9 yds to the NWST 38 for a 1ST down
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Darius Taylor for 9 yds to the NWST 29
A.J. Turner run for 11 yds to the NWST 18 for a 1ST down
Darius Taylor run for 17 yds to the NWST 1 for a 1ST down
A.J. Turner run for 1 yd for a TD Northwestern State Penalty, Defensive Offside (Clinton Anokwuru) declined (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Kolbe Burrell run for a loss of 4 yards to the NWST 21
Abram Johnston pass incomplete to Kolbe Burrell
Abram Johnston sacked by Anthony Smith for a loss of 8 yards to the NWST 13
Cooper Evans punt for 31 yds , Koi Perich returns for no gain to the NWST 44
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Drew Biber for 16 yds to the NWST 28 for a 1ST down
A.J. Turner run for 7 yds to the NWST 21
Drake Lindsey pass incomplete to Logan Loya
A.J. Turner run for 2 yds to the NWST 19
Drake Lindsey run for 2 yds to the NWST 17 for a 1ST down
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Cam Davis for 10 yds to the NWST 7 for a 1ST down
Le'Meke Brockington run for 7 yds for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Abram Johnston pass complete to Ben Buisson for no gain to the NWST 25
Myion Hicks run for a loss of 1 yard to the NWST 24
Abram Johnston pass complete to Luke Carter for 2 yds to the NWST 26
Cooper Evans punt for 27 yds , Koi Perich returns for 12 yds to the NWST 41
Fame Ijeboi run for 10 yds to the NWST 31 for a 1ST down
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Koi Perich for 24 yds to the NWST 7 for a 1ST down
Cam Davis run for 6 yds to the NWST 1
Drake Lindsey run for 1 yd for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Myion Hicks run for no gain to the NWST 25
Abram Johnston pass complete to Zay Davis for no gain for a TD Zay Davis fumbled, recovered by NWST Matt Kingsbury for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Kolbe Burrell run for 1 yd to the NWST 26
Kolbe Burrell run for 1 yd to the NWST 27
Abram Johnston pass incomplete to Kolbe Burrell
Zack Stone punt for 40 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the MINN 33 , Koi Perich returns for no gain to the MINN 33
A.J. Turner run for 5 yds to the MINN 38
Fame Ijeboi run for 6 yds to the MINN 44 for a 1ST down
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Cam Davis for 21 yds to the NWST 35 for a 1ST down Minnesota Penalty, Illegal Block (-10 Yards) to the NWST 45 for a 1ST down
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Javon Tracy for 45 yds for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Brady Denaburg kickoff for 65 yds , Zay Davis return for 23 yds to the NWST 23
Abram Johnston pass intercepted
A.J. Turner run for 7 yds to the NWST 24
Drake Lindsey pass complete to Jameson Geers for 5 yds to the NWST 19 for a 1ST down
Northwestern State Penalty, UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (8 Yards) to the NWST 7 for a 1ST down
Cam Davis run for 7 yds for a TD (Brady Denaburg KICK)
Brady Denaburg kickoff for 57 yds , Zay Davis return for 14 yds to the NWST 22
Myion Hicks run for no gain to the NWST 22
Myion Hicks run for no gain to the NWST 22
Myion Hicks run for 7 yds to the NWST 29
Zack Stone punt for 40 yds , Koi Perich returns for 21 yds to the NWST 48
PENALTY MINN False Start (Ray,Dylan) 5 yards from NSU48 to MINN47. NO PLAY.
Fame Ijeboi run for 14 yds to the NWST 39
Fame Ijeboi run for 3 yds to the NWST 36 for a 1ST down
Fame Ijeboi run for 12 yds to the NWST 24 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 2 yds to the NWST 22
Max Shikenjanski pass complete to Fame Ijeboi for 22 yds for a TD (Daniel Jackson KICK)
Daniel Jackson kickoff for 63 yds , Zay Davis return for 2 yds to the NWST 2
Kolbe Burrell run for a loss of 1 yard to the NWST 1
Ryan Tyler run for 5 yds to the NWST 6 Ryan Tyler fumbled, recovered by NWST Matt Kingsbury
Logan Loya run for a loss of 5 yards to the NWST 11
Fame Ijeboi run for 2 yds to the NWST 9
Max Shikenjanski pass complete to Fame Ijeboi for no gain to the NWST 9
Brady Denaburg 27 yd FG GOOD
Daniel Jackson kickoff for 49 yds , Pierre Goree return for 2 yds to the NWST 18
Jeremiah James run for no gain to the NWST 18
Abram Johnston pass complete to Kolbe Burrell for 4 yds to the NWST 22
Jeremiah James run for 8 yds to the NWST 30 for a 1ST down
Abram Johnston pass complete to Kody Finley for 3 yds to the NWST 33
End of 2nd Quarter
Max Shikenjanski pass complete to Malachi Coleman for 6 yds to the MINN 31
Grant Washington run for 7 yds to the MINN 38 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 2 yds to the MINN 40
Max Shikenjanski pass complete to Kenric Lanier II for 52 yds to the NWST 8 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for no gain to the NWST 8
Max Shikenjanski run for 8 yds for a TD (Daniel Jackson KICK)
Kolbe Burrell run for 5 yds to the NWST 40
Kolbe Burrell run for 1 yd to the NWST 41
Abram Johnston pass incomplete to Brendan Webb
Zack Stone punt for 30 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the MINN 29
Dylan Wittke pass complete to Kenric Lanier II for 7 yds to the MINN 36
Grant Washington run for 5 yds to the MINN 41 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 8 yds to the MINN 49
Xavier Ford run for 5 yds to the NWST 46 for a 1ST down
Xavier Ford run for 5 yds to the NWST 41
Dylan Wittke pass incomplete to Jacob Simpson
Minnesota Penalty, Personal Foul (-15 Yards) to the NWST 40
Grant Washington run for 8 yds to the NWST 32 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 6 yds to the NWST 26
Grant Washington run for 13 yds to the NWST 13 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for a loss of 1 yard to the NWST 14
(03:51) Wittke,Dylan pass complete short left to Lanier II,Kenric caught at NSU16, for 14 yards to the NSU00 TOUCHDOWN nullified by penalty, clock 03:43 PENALTY MINN Personal Foul (Tafai,Kahlee) 15 yards from NSU14 to NSU29. NO PLAY.
Dylan Wittke pass intercepted, touchback.
Eli Anderson pass complete to Tyler Siddons for 4 yds to the NWST 24
Eli Anderson pass incomplete to Dane Wallace
Eli Anderson pass complete to Myion Hicks for 9 yds to the NWST 33 for a 1ST down
Jeremiah James run for no gain to the NWST 33
Eli Anderson pass complete to Kolbe Burrell for no gain to the NWST 33
Eli Anderson run for no gain to the NWST 33
Zack Stone punt for 8 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the NWST 41
Max Shikenjanski sacked by Braden Woods for a loss of 8 yards to the NWST 49
Grant Washington run for 9 yds to the NWST 40
Max Shikenjanski pass incomplete to Kenric Lanier II
Tom Weston punt for 40 yds for a touchback
Zay Davis run for 2 yds to the NWST 22
Zay Davis run for a loss of 1 yard to the NWST 21
Eli Anderson run for 4 yds to the NWST 25
Zack Stone punt for 30 yds , Quentin Redding returns for 2 yds to the MINN 47
Grant Washington run for 7 yds to the NWST 46
Grant Washington run for 9 yds to the NWST 37 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 10 yds to the NWST 27 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 16 yds to the NWST 11 for a 1ST down
Grant Washington run for 6 yds to the NWST 5
Grant Washington run for 1 yd to the NWST 4
Grant Washington run for 2 yds to the NWST 2
Grant Washington run for no gain to the NWST 2