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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-Top25 Jordan 13 Clearance Canada . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Air Jordan 13 Retro Canada . LOUIS -- St. http://www.cheapairjordan13canada.com/ . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. Air Jordan Retro 13 Cheap .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Jordan Retro 13 For Sale Cheap .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. LeBron James has been ahead of the curve on contract management for most of his career, and a provision he helped position himself for in the new collective bargaining agreement means his latest forward-looking maneuver could be worth almost $100 million.The new deal, which still must be ratified by the owners and players union, alters the over-36 rule to the over-38 rule. Previously, teams could not sign players to four- or five-year contracts if the player turned 36 before Oct. 1 of one of the years of the deal. By moving the rule back two years, James is in position to sign a five-year contract in 2018 when he is 33 years old, sources told ESPN.James health, the overall player market and other factors make it impossible to know what he might sign for in 2018, but projections show he could sign for up to $210 million if he stays with the Cleveland Cavaliers and signs for five years at the maximum number. Before the rule change, he would have been able to sign for only three years and an estimated $90 million to $100 million less at age 33.James said Friday that the rule change wasnt about his earning power.Im too much of a present guy to worry about what can happen in the future. If Im blessed and able and the game continues to bless me, then well cross that path when we get there, he said. But theres guys in our league now that are 34, 35, 36 that have an opportunity to sign a longer-deal contract, so I think its great for our league.The rule change also could benefit Chris Paul, who would be eligible to sign a five-year contract with the LA Clippers for up to $210 million this summer. Paul would have been able to sign for four years under the currrent rules.dddddddddddd It could be worth up to $50 million more to him, depending on how the deal gets put together.Paul is the president of the players union, and James is the vice president.James took his time weighing contract options over the summer and didnt come to terms until August, when he signed a three-year, $100 million deal. He has an opt out after two years, giving him the option to return to the market at age 33.The primary points of the CBA were being negotiated by the players union and the league over the summer.James also shrewdly took one-year deals with the Cavs in 2014 and 2015, allowing him to become just the third player in history to make more than $30 million in a season. James is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season at $30.9 million.In 2006, James set a trend when he turned down a five-year offer and instead took a three-year extension from the Cavs, allowing him to become a free agent in 2010.The change also favors other older stars who are headed to free agency in their mid-30s, such as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who can be a free agent next summer after building an opt-out clause into his deal with the Chicago Bulls.Anthony is also a union vice president.The new CBA also included many provisions that raised salaries of lower-paid players. Minimum salaries, rookie salaries and the midlevel and biannual exceptions all were increased by 45 percent across the board.Retiree benefits were also vastly increased, doubling pensions for players who start taking the benefit after age 50. ' ' '