Jordan Nubin breaks out, Gophers overcome mistakes to beat Michigan State
Jordan Nubin had a breakout performance and the Minnesota Gophers overcame several mistakes in the first half to pick up a 27-12 win over the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon.
Nubin was the star of the game as the former walk-on carried the ball 40 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns with Darrius Taylor and Zach Evans sidelined due to injury.
It took a while for the Gophers to get going, however as they fumbled on their first two drives. After Sean Tyler put the ball on the turf on the second play of the game, the Minnesota defense held the Spartans to a 38-yard field goal from Jonathan Kim.
Athan Kaliakmanis fumbled on a sack on the following drive but the Minnesota defense held firm again, holding Michigan State to a 42-yard field goal to take a 6-0 lead.
The Gophers continued to struggle as the Spartans blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Dragan Kesich in the second quarter but after Kesich knocked down a 25-yarder to put the Gophers on the board with 4:54 left in the first half, Kaliakmanis hit Daniel Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown just before halftime to give Minnesota a 10-6 lead.
Minnesota pounded the rock from there and trusted Nubin to carry them to victory. The sophomore scored on an 18-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put the Gophers up 17-6 and after Sam Leavitt cut into the lead with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Henry to make it a 17-12 game, Nubin responded with a two-yard touchdown run to effectively put the Spartans away.
Kesich added a 31-yard field goal with 3:26 left in the game to cap the scoring for Minnesota.
Kaliakmanis completed 14-of-22 passes for 200 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jackson caught seven passes for 120 yards while Brevyn Spann-Ford caught two passes for 43 yards. Corey Crooms Jr. also caught two passes for 42 yards.
Danny Striggow led Minnesota with nine total tackles while Cody Lindenberg had four total tackles with a tackle for loss in his season debut.
The Gophers improved to 5-3 overall and are tied with Iowa for second place in the Big Ten West with a 3-2 record in conference play. Minnesota will look for its third straight win when it hosts Illinois next Saturday.
