Box Score MINNEAPOLIS – The fast start the Northwestern State football team experienced in their season opener flipped sides in Week 2.
 
The Demons' first trip to face a Big Ten opponent saw homestanding Minnesota score on the first play of scrimmage and use that momentum to deliver a 66-0 victory inside Huntington Bank Stadium in a game that ended with 6:15 remaining because of a combination of a looming weather delay and Northwestern's return trip to Natchitoches.
 
"The score is what it is," second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle said. "You play these games, and sometimes these things get sideways in a hurry, but we didn't do anything to help ourselves. Of all the things you take away from the day, 28 points in the first half came directly from turnovers. Then we have a really selfish penalty that hurt us in the red zone and put them in scoring position.
 
"Yeah, they're bigger, stronger and faster than us – it's Big Ten football – but when you play these games, you have to be clean, and we weren't clean in the first half in those moments. That let the game get away from us maybe a little more than it should."
 
One week after winning the turnover battle with a plus-2 margin, Northwestern (1-1) committed two first-quarter turnovers that resulted in touchdowns for the Golden Gophers (2-0).
 
John Nestor's 29-yard interception return on the first play of the game was the first of two first-quarter defensive touchdowns for Minnesota, which capped its 35-point opening-quarter surge with a 25-yard fumble return score by Matt Kingsbury.
 
Two more turnovers deep inside Northwestern territory helped the Golden Gophers extend the lead to 59-0 at halftime. The Demons were minus-four in the turnover battle in the first half, which tied their worst final-game margin of the 2024 season.
 
After committing four first-half turnovers, the Demons collected their third end-zone interception in the first two games of the season in the third quarter when Troy Santa Marina snagged a Dylan Wittke pass. Dating to the 2024 season, five of the Demons' past six interceptions have come in the end zone.
 
"Our best moments came defensively late in the game," McCorkle said. "Troy had the pick in the end zone, and I'm so happy for him. He's a walk-on who has fought his butt off to do things right and figure things out. Then to have the goal-line stand late showed the character of our team."
 
Northwestern's defense continued to build on the momentum started by Santa Marina's interception, keeping the Golden Gophers off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.
 
Included in the stronger fourth-quarter defensive performance were the first career sack from Natchitoches native Braden Woods and a fourth-down stop at the 2-yard line on the final play of the game before severe weather worked its way into the Twin Cities.
 
"Success is defined by improvement," McCorkle said. "Even with the score today – opponent aside – we're an improved football team. Last year, we played a much lesser FBS team than this and got beat a whole lot worse. The sideline didn't feel like it did today. The energy didn't feel like it did today. We've come a long way from those things last year."
 
The Demons return to action next week when they travel to Cincinnati. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Central at Nippert Stadium.