We bring you the 3-2-1 on Northwestern's 38-22 loss to No. 10 Minnesota and hand out the hardware.

Andrew Marty looks like your No. 1 quarterback heading into the offseason: After starting quarterback Hunter Johnson got injured on a strip sack early in the second quarter, Marty came in relief and, right from the get-go, had a confident aura about him. Though he didn’t make the right read on a zone-read play on his first snap, he quickly got into a semi-groove and on his next drive -- right after Northwestern forced a safety -- he led them on a 14-play touchdown march that he capped with a nine-yard TD pass to Jace James, the first of Marty’s career.

But it’s what’ doesn't turn up on the stat sheet that gives Marty a leg up next week and some serious votes of confidence going into 2020. On the zone-read plays where he gave the ball to the running back, he either carried out his fakes or blocked the next man downfield to help his backs gain extra yardage. When he did keep the ball, he attacked the defense with the heart of a running back, not the hesitancy of a fourth-string quarterback.

This Minnesota team is really good and extremely balanced, especially on offense: Much can be appreciated about the Wildcats’ 16-point loss to the 10th-ranked team in the country. The Gophers’ “elite” offense racked up 423 yards -- 212 rushing and 211 passing. They earned 11 first downs by way of the run and another 11 through the air. They scored five total touchdowns, gained over five yards per-rush and completed 65 percent of their throws for an average of 14 yards per completion. Their O-line averages 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds -- nearly 25 pounds heavier than the average NFL O-lineman. They were 9-of-11 on third-down conversions and six-for-six in the red zone. This crew was about as efficient as an offense can be and showed why they legitimately deserve some consideration for a New Year’s Six invite if they are at least Big Ten runners up. Like NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald said, they didn’t do anything that the Wildcats weren’t expecting, they just ran their plays really well. It showed.

Northwestern actually won the turnover battle and did not turn the ball over once: This is big because it’s only the second time this season they’ve bested their opponent in turnover margin, and the first time they did not commit a turnover. Marty only threw two incomplete passes and both were “smart” incompletions, where they were either thrown away or well defended, rather than just inaccurate -- which has been the story of the Northwestern passing game nearly all season long. And even though the Wildcats fumbled the ball once, it was on a play where Johnson was blitzed and stripped by Nagurski Award finalist Antoine Winfield -- but, luckily, the heady Wildcat offense was able to recover it 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

What was the fix for the offensive line that enabled them to provide better protection after the first quarter? We’re going to surmise that part of it comes down to the man playing quarterback, but while Johnson got sacked three times in the first quarter and a half, while Marty wasn't sacked once the rest of the game. It's been a trend all season. Johnson has played fewer snaps than Aidan Smith but has lost almost double the yards that Smith has. Marty has about half the rushing “attempts” that Johnson does and has only lost two yards all season. Smith and Marty are clearly more elusive and athletic than Johnson, but also seem like they know their skill-set and use it to their advantage. So is it a mindset that the offensive linemen have depending on who’s back there, or were there technical adjustments that provided better protection?

Why is the secondary cursed with injuries? The backfield has the least contact among defensive position groups, yet the Wildcats seem to suffer an inordinate number of injuries there every year. Last year, three-quarters of the secondary was out during the stretch drive. This year, starting CB and rising star Greg Newsome is out for the year and Trae Williams, a captain and the other starting CB, missed three games. Williams was no match for Rashod Bateman (7 rec., 78 yds., 3 TDs) on Saturday, and Cameron Ruiz just couldn't stick with Tyler Johnson (7, 125, 1) -- though, in fairness to them, very few DBs have been able to cover those talented wideouts this season. S Travis Whillock struggles in pass coverage, while JR Pace hasn't made many of the big plays he's made over the last couple years. The secondary plays fundamentally sound for the most part, but they haven't made the kind of plays that turn momentum. It's telling that OLB Blake Gallager leads the team with three interceptions, more than the secondary as a whole has picked off (two, one each by Ruiz and Pace).

This team has to bring its A game in the finale against Illinois. Not since 1998, in Gary Barnett's final season in Evanston and just two years removed from a Big Ten title, have the Wildcats gone winless in Big Ten play. That’s 21 seasons. Most of these players weren’t even born the last time that happened to “Chicago’s Big Ten Team.” And that moniker is important because, for the last two decades, the Wildcats are 13-7 against their in-state rival.

Northwestern is now 2-9, and must go on the road to Champaign, where they’re 5-4 over the last 20 years, to play a dangerous Illinois team that could very well be 8-3, as two of their losses have come by a total of seven points. The Illini played tough against a good Iowa squad on Saturday and, even though they lost 19-10, they will be gunning to put down the wounded Wildcats and not only boast a bowl berth, but hoist the Hat in the process. Northwestern needs their best performance of the season to go out with a victory.

Offensive game ball: QB Andrew Marty

Marty’s performance looked even better than the stat sheet showed. The third-year sophomore from Cincinnati (Ohio) Wyoming came off the bench to go 8-of-10 for 95 yards and a TD passing. And, like we said earlier, those two incompletions didn’t look bad at all, something Wildcat fans haven’t been able to say about their quarterback in any game this year. In his eight connections, he spread the ball to six different receivers, making good use of his limited but hard-working weapons.

The most impressive stat was that Marty led the recently improving Cats' offense on three scoring drives of eight plays or more. He was also the team’s leading rusher with 52 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. There were a few third-down plays where Marty had to get to the sticks, and he did so with a self-sacrificing scheme. Despite being third-in-line in the offensive game plan at the start of the week, Marty delivered a game-ball performance for his team and a wave of momentum going into the battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy.

Defensive game ball: DE Joe Gaziano

In addition to getting his historic sack (more on that in a minute), Gaziano went out with a monstrous effort on Senior Day. He collected six tackles (four of them solo), 1.5 sacks, a safety, 2.5 TFLs and two PBUs on passes he batted down at the line. It was about as complete a stat sheet as No. 97 could have (short of any fumble plays), and it was a fitting performance for the last time he'll play on the emerald grass of Ryan Field. The great and powerful “Gaz” proved to be a wizard.

Special Teams game ball: ST Coco Azema

Azema has battled his way onto the kickoff coverage team for the second half of the season, and on Saturday he opened eyes with his hustle and havoc. He registered one tackle but also forced a fumble on a great, effort-play to lunge at the return man from behind and punch the ball out. Even though his Wildcat brethren couldn’t pounce on the ball, his effort deserves an salute.

Wildcat Warrior: RB Jesse Brown

Brown has been up and down with injury this year and has never really had a chance to get any kind of momentum going. And with freshman Evan Hull’s breakout performance that’s led to hopes of him becoming a bright young back of the future, it wouldn’t seem that Brown figured too much into Saturday’s game plan. Still, the junior from Lilburn, Ga., delivered four carries for 31 yards. He averaged 7.8 yards per tote and, if you take away his long, third-down run of 14 yards, he still clipped just over five yards per-carry -- not bad for a third-team back who really isn’t 100% going against a pretty tough run defense. It just continues to prove that, though the wins won’t exceed the fingers on one hand, the number of Wildcat Warriors on this team are countless.

Though Fitzgerald firmly asserts that Gaziano should have had the all-time sack record record last week, Gaziano got it, and then some, on Saturday. After Andrew David’s booming, 66-yard punt was downed at the Gophers’ 6-yard line, Gaziano bull rushed Minnesota’s veteran left tackle and nearly brought down quarterback Tanner Morgan on his own. Still, he created enough havoc to force the Gopher QB to throw the ball aimlessly away, illegally. According to the rules, that credited Gaziano with a sack, which resulted in a safety -- the third of his career. It was pretty cool to see nearly all of his teammates with their hands over their heads to demonstrate the officials’ signal for a safety. Even coach Fitzgerald got in on the celebration. Upon completion of the referee’s confirmation, the NU PA announcer validated Gaziano’s new place at the top for most sacks in Wildcat history. That's when the crowd gave No. 97 a standing ovation that he acknowledged with appreciation. It was not only the best moment of this game, but maybe of the season, and it will certainly stand the test of time.

Tim Chapman is a teacher and former Michigan high school football coach who is currently working on a book titled "ChampioN Underdog" about the 1995 Northwestern Rose Bowl team. Follow him via Twitter: @Champion_Lit. Email him at nufbhistorian@gmail.com.