Ohio State piles more misery on Gophers in Columbus hammering
The Minnesota Golden Gophers were on the receiving end of another Big 10 hammering as they fell 37-3 at No. 2 ranked Ohio State.
The Buckeyes came into the game overwhelming favorites, and while the Gophers were able to keep the game tight in the first half, the home side opened the floodgates in the second as they scored on the Gophers with ease.
The Gophers' offense laid an egg, mustering only six first downs in the first three quarters alone, while head coach P.J. Fleck has faced criticism for twice deciding to punt at 4th-and-5 near the OSU 40 in the first half, when the game was still in the balance.
After going in at half time down by 13, having given up only two field goals and a touchdown to Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson, the game was lost less than 60 seconds after the restart.
Henderson scored a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half, before Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis fumbled on the very next play, with Marvin Harrison Jr.'s 4-yard touchdown reception following a few moments later to put the home side 27-0 ahead.
With the visitors unable to muster any semblance of consistent offense, plagued by the dropped catches that has stymied the offense all season, OSU continued to run up the score.
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) is run out of bounds by Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Coleman Bryson (16) during the first half of their game on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 at Ohio Stadium.
© Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
At one point as it looked as though the Gophers would come away with no points at all, but Dragan Kesich's 54-yard field goal finally got them on the board with 6:43 to go.
Minnesota will attempt to salvage their season when they host the Wisconsin Badgers at Huntington Bank Stadium next Saturday, while Ohio State go on to the mouthwatering showdown against Jim Harbaugh's Michigan in Ann Arbor.
