Once again, Minnesota has their defense to thank for keeping them in the game throughout a lackluster first half. The Gophers caught some breaks, including a missed PAT on Purdue’s first score of the day, an ill-advised challenge by coach Darrell Hazell in the first quarter, and some strange clock management by the Boilermakers on their last drive of the half. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, but the Gophers didn’t need luck in the second half. While they actually started to turn things around before the break, with a Jalen Myrick interception leading to some big runs by Shannon Brooks and finally a one-yard touchdown sneak for Mitch Leidner, it was in the third quarter that Minnesota went from winning to dominating. Final score: 41-13.
The Positive:
-Freshman Shannon Brooks is a stud. He’s not especially big (6′, 205), but he was breaking tackles out there like nobody’s business and averaging just over 10 yards per carry. I’m looking forward to another few years of this kid in maroon and gold.
-It was nice to see backup QB Demry Croft get to play a bit in garbage time.
-Eight starters were out, with the secondary and offensive line especially hard-hit, but you wouldn’t have known it.
-Two picks, including one returned for a touchdown. Good day for Jalen Myrick, and a nice job by him stepping up with Boddy-Calhoun not playing.
-It looks like the Gophers may have found an identity at last: that of an old-school Big Ten three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust team. Whether it works against stronger conference opponents remains to be seen.
The Negative:
-The Gophers have got to start a little faster. Getting down even 14-0 could be too much to overcome against several upcoming opponents.
-The injury bug is getting ridiculous. It didn’t show against Purdue, but again, it could be a big problem in the coming weeks.
The Bottom Line:
Great effort and a nice result, but it only gets harder from here.
Up Next: Nebraska
The Huskers are 2-4, their only wins coming against South Alabama and Southern Miss. It would be a mistake to take them lightly, however; they’ve been outscored by a total of just 11 points in their four losses combined. They had a decent chance to win each and every one of those games in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong is completing just over half of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and six picks. Alonzo Moore and Jordan Westerkamp have each accounted for four of those touchdowns and will require the majority of the secondary’s attention. Armstrong is the second-leading rusher on the team as well, so he needs to be bottled up, kept in the pocket, and forced to rush some throws. The Huskers are minus-5 in turnover margin, so this could be another big day for Eric Murray and company.
The Minnesota offense could be in for another tough day. Despite their record, Nebraska’s run defense ranks eighth in the country; only Miami and Wisconsin have had a 100-yard rusher against the Huskers this season. Getting some of their more experienced offensive linemen back this week would obviously be helpful to the Gophers in that department, but whether that will happen remains to be seen. One thing I think Minnesota has going for them, on both offense and defense, is the mental factor. Nebraska’s confidence late in close games has to be pretty much shot at this point, whereas Minnesota has played noticeably better in the second half of a few games this season. If the Gophers come out flat again, this game could be over at halftime. If they can keep it close, this might be one to flip as it gets late in the 3:30 EST games.
Main Image
