Northwestern tallied 21 first-quarter points and engineered a 99-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to earn a 28-13 victory over visiting Minnesota.

Dan Persa threw two touchdown passes, and Treyvon Green and Jacob Schmidt each added short scoring runs for the surging Wildcats (6-5, 3-4 Big Ten), who won their fourth straight to earn bowl eligibility for a school-record fifth consecutive season.

Persa (22-for-31, 216 yards) picked up right where he left off last week, tossing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kain Colter just 1:26 into the game. The senior threw for four scores and a career-high 372 yards in a 28-6 triumph over Rice last Saturday.

Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray's 5-yard scoring run tied the game at seven but proved to be the lone touchdown for the Gophers (2-9, 1-6 Big Ten). Gray also ran for 147 yards on 26 carries.

Northwestern added two more scores in the first quarter to build a commanding 21-7 advantage, and went to halftime leading 21-10.

The teams traded turnovers to thwart scoring threats in the third. The Wildcats took advantage after Brian Peters picked off a Gray pass at the Northwestern 1, and the team drove the length of the field in 15 plays, capped by Schmidt's 1-yard touchdown with 11:40 to go.

The Wildcats have averaged 35.5 points during their four-game winning streak, which has come after the team dropped five in a row.

Northwestern, which rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Gophers 29-28 last season, improved to 10-4 in November since 2008.