Quick hitters

• Despite losing Saturday, Minnesota still leads the all-time series with Northwestern 50-32-5.
• The Gophers outgained an opponent for just the second time this season. Minnesota had 393 yards of offense to Northwestern’s 368.
• MarQueis Gray’s 147 rushing yards is the second highest total of his career.
• The Wildcats, with their sixth win, are now bowl eligible. They’ve played in bowl games the last three seasons.
• Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald called Gray a “great football player” after the game. “How many of those yards were when he had somebody on him and he broke [a tackle]?” Fitzgerald said.
• Gray will enter Saturday’s contest against Illinois with a chance to break the school record for single-season rushing yards by a quarterback.

He has 786 thus far. Billy Cockerham set the record in 1999 with 831. Gray needs 46 yards to set a new school record.

• Safety Kim Royston’s 17 tackles Saturday were a career-high. He has recorded double-digit tackles in seven games this season.

After the game, Royston said he is going to treat Saturday’s game against Illinois “like it is the Super Bowl.” Although he won’t be back for next year, he said it could help channel positivity for his teammates that will return.

• The announced attendance for Saturday’s game was a mere 26,215, the smallest crowd for a Big Ten game this season.
• Jordan Wettstein’s 48-yard field goal was the longest made kick for Minnesota since 2007.