Minnesota-Rutgers could not have been scripted any better. The Gophers’ 42-7 win means their unbeaten streak is now at nine games, and their 2019 record is 7-0. With Illinois’ upset of Wisconsin, Minnesota now sits alone atop the Big Ten West. We’ll get to the movie of the week part in a minute.
It was a valiant effort by Rutgers, but their defense had no answer for the Gopher offense, in particular Tyler Johnson. The senior wideout caught six passes for 130 yards and a score, and now has the second-most receiving touchdowns (26) in school history. Tanner Morgan completed a mediocre 15 of 28 pass attempts, and still threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The run defense didn’t fare any better, as Rodney Smith rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and Mohamed Ibrahim added another.
The Knights’ offense struggled even more. Freshman quarterback Jeremy Langan completed 9 of 19 pass attempts for 48 yards and no touchdowns. He was intercepted on the opening drive by Antoine Winfield Jr., and in the second quarter by Phillip Howard. Just for good measure, Winfield added a pick-six late in the game. Possibly the only negative from the game (from a Minnesota perspective, that is) is the injury to Kamal Martin. The senior linebacker spent an extended time in the injury tent before returning to the locker room via cart.
(Side note: with Wisconsin’s loss to Illinois, check back here later on for updated Bowl Projections).
More Importantly…
The score and the play on the field were far less important than what happened late in the third quarter of the Minnesota-Rutgers blowout. After a Mohamed Ibrahim touchdown, Casey O’Brien trotted out to hold for the PAT. If you missed College Gameday’s story on O’Brien a few weeks back, here are the things to know:
- He was a promising high school QB in suburban Minneapolis
- He’s a four-time cancer survivor, first diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at 14
- He’s been through 14 surgeries, and round after round of chemotherapy
- He walked on at Minnesota- the only school that would even consider clearing him to play- as a holder
- This was his first game action in college
Here’s the video from the game yesterday. Warning: you may find your environment becoming noticeably dusty.
There’s nothing we’ll see this season to top that. Nothing.
