Extreme punt gaffe among 5 things that stood out in Gophers' loss
Minnesota's 37-34 overtime loss to Northwestern is arguably the worst in program history considering they had to blow a 31-10 lead in the fourth quarter to even give the Wildcats a chance to win in OT. So beside the game-tying touchdown with two seconds remaining and the backlash P.J. Fleck is facing, what stood out? Let's dive in...
1. Ben Bryant vs. Athan Kaliakmanis
It's tough to compare the two but at the end of the night Bryant completed 33 of 49 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns while Kaliakmanis was 14 of 19 for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
While Bryant was slinging passes for first downs and touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime, Kaliakmanis was doing almost nothing. The redshirt sophomore was 8 of 8 for 97 yards and two scores in the first half only to go 6 of 11 for 56 yards and no touchdowns the rest of the night.
And while Bryant hit his receiver between the numbers for the game-tying score with two seconds left in the fourth quarter, Kaliakmanis threw high to tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and the Gophers had to settle for a field goal in overtime, opening the door for Bryant to deliver the dagger on a 25-yard walk-off touchdown pass.
One team got a great performance from its QB and the other didn't.
2. Minnesota cannot stop the pass
That's two weeks in a row that Minnesota's passing defense has been shredded. Drake Maye and North Carolina lit up the Gophers 414 pass yards before Northwestern put an even 400 pass yards on the board.
This is the same Minnesota defense that has All-American hopeful Tyler Nubin roaming around at safety, right? Whatever is happening, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi needs to figure it out in a hurry because his defense has allowed a whopping 1,011 yards of offense the last two games and it only gets harder after hosting Louisiana this coming Saturday.
3. Darius Taylor can't be stopped
Sep 23, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
It's too early to say Taylor is the next great Gophers running back, but his numbers after three starts are eye-popping. After getting just one carry in the season opener against Nebraska, Taylor popped Eastern Michigan for 193 yards and then put 158 yards on North Carolina.
His 198 yards against Northwestern give him 532 for the season and a three-game average of 176.3 yards. That puts him on pace to rush for 1,940 yards as a true freshman. That probably won't continue against the likes of Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State, but he still looks like he's going to put up numbers that would make the first year performances of some of the great running backs in program history blush.
Here's how some of the best Gophers running backs did their first year.
- Darrell Thompson: 1,240 yards, 8 touchdowns
- Thomas Hamner: 883 yards, 3 touchdowns
- Marion Barber III: 742 yards, 7 touchdowns
- Laurence Maroney: 1,121 yards, 10 touchdowns
- Rodney Smith: 670 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Mohamed Ibrahim: 1,160 yards, 9 touchdowns
Cause for concern, though? Taylor didn't play in overtime and head coach P.J. Fleck said afterward that the trainer took him out of the game. It's unclear why, so that'll be a story requiring follow-up information.
4. Extreme punt coverage gaffe
Leading 31-24 with just over two minutes to play, the Gophers got a perfect punt from Mark Crawford. It should've been easily downed at the 1-yard line but special-teamer Quentin Redding apparently lost track of where he was and fielded the ball in the end zone. It was quite literally the most bizarre play on a very strange night of football.
5. Offense disappeared in the second half
Minnesota's offense in the first quarter wasn't good. They punted after a running play on 3rd-and-4 was stuffed. They then scored one play after Northwestern coughed up a fumble deep in their own territory. On the third offensive possession, the Gophers went three-and-out after a run on 3rd-and-5 failed.
The offense erupted for 17 points in the second quarter only to come out flat in the second half, punting on five of six possessions over the final two quarters. In fact, the only drive they turned into points in the second half was when Taylor broke a tackle on 4th-and-1 and took it to the house for a 43-yard score.
Minnesota was quite literally one missed tackle by Northwestern from a scoreless second half. They had 119 total yards and three first downs in the second half. Take away that Taylor touchdown run and the Gophers would've had 76 yards of offense in the second half.
