A victory over Indiana leaves Minnesota still alive in the Big Ten West. While losses by Wisconsin and/or Iowa would have been helpful, it’s not quite over yet for the Gophers. Here’s what has to happen next weekend if they’re to make the trip to Indianapolis:
- Purdue needs to beat Indiana
- The Gophers have to beat the Badgers
- Iowa, having beaten Illinois, needs to lose to Nebraska
Judging by today’s game, the first thing shouldn’t be a problem. The second one is iffy at best, and the third is a very big ask of the College Football Deities. But you never know. If worse comes to worse, at least there will be leftover pie in which we can drown our sorrows.
On a happier note…
Minnesota 35, Indiana 14
This game wasn’t as close as the score makes it seem. The Hoosiers struck first, with six first downs on their opening drive, culminating in a touchdown. The Gophers then rang up 35 unanswered points and held Indiana without another first down until the second half. Running back Ky Thomas had his second big game in a row, with 26 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Taking over in the fourth quarter, Mar’Keise Irving added 70 yards and a touchdown of his own.
This wasn’t just a ground-and-pound effort, though. The Gophers managed to find a nearly perfect balance of run and pass- literally. They finished with 195 yards passing and 196 yards rushing. Quarterback Tanner Morgan had one of his best games since the 2019 season, completing 14 of 20 passes for 195 yards and two Chris Autman-Bell touchdowns. (It’s hard not to wonder what might have been for this team had Autman-Bell been healthy all season).
And it wasn’t just the offense! In between Indiana’s first drive and their garbage-time score with 22 seconds left, the Gophers absolutely smothered any semblance of offense. Wide receiver Ty Fryfogle, the 2020 Big Ten Receiver of the Year and a first-team All-Big Ten selection, didn’t touch the ball until the third quarter. He finished with one catch (another was negated by a penalty) for 12 yards. A.J. Barner led the team in receiving, catching three balls for 31 yards. The running backs didn’t fare much better; about two-thirds of the ground yardage came from the two quarterbacks.
And granted, the Hoosiers’ quarterback situation was a factor in their lack of offense. There’s been little consistency at the position for Indiana since Michael Penix Jr. was injured in week one. Freshman Donaven McCulley, who got the start, and sophomore Grant Gremel combined for 95 rushing yards and 77 passing. Ironically, some of their most successful plays came when things broke down and they just had to take off running- on the opening drive touchdown, for example, McCulley dropped the snap, picked it up, and scrambled 11 yards to the end zone.
While it was a great all-around effort by the Gopher defense, it was a career day for cornerback Phillip Howard. It started on special teams, as he downed a Minnesota punt at the one. Later, the senior welcomed Gremel into the game by absolutely leveling him (a clean hit, by the way) and finished the third quarter with an interception.
Coming Up
With Minnesota still alive in the Big Ten West, next week’s game against Wisconsin takes on significance beyond Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The Gophers need help to win the division, but first, they need to take care of business and beat the Badgers to live another week.
