For much of the game, it appeared that the Minnesota Gophers Football team would suffer another double-digit loss to the Michigan Wolverines. But a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback brought them back into the game. Unfortunately, a heavily disputed referee call and a couple of first-half turnovers resulted in a 27-24 Minnesota defeat and the Little Brown Jug staying in Ann Arbor.
Not a Great First Half
The Gophers started the game behind the eight ball. After a Minnesota punt, Michigan stormed down the field, going 79 yards in a 10-play drive that ended with a Kalel Mullings 27-yard dash through a gaping hole in the middle to put the Wolverines up by seven.
On the ensuing drive, the Gophers wasted an 8-play 43-yard drive when kicker Dragan Kesich missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. It got worse. In the waning moments of the first quarter, Minnesota suffered a costly turnover. Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer hit Daniel Jackson for a 7-yard gain. But Jackson, struggling for more yardage, had the ball stripped from his possession by Zeke Berry, who was stopped at the Minnesota 16-yard line. Three plays later, Mullings crashed it in from one yard out to put Michigan up 14-0.
Gophers Dig a Deeper Hole
Things did not improve for the Gophers in the second quarter. After the Michigan front four sacked Brosmer on consecutive plays, Minnesota punter Mark Crawford had his punt blocked by Kechaun Bennett. One play later, Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji hit Tyler Morris for an 11-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0 Michigan.
The Gophers took possession of the ball, and Brosmer threw a deep ball intended for Jackson that the Wolverines’ Jyaire Hill intercepted at the Michigan 40-yard line. But Michigan went three and out due to a Jah Joyner sack, and the Gophers got the ball back with 1:51 left before halftime.
A roughing the passer penalty on Michigan’s Jaishawn Barham and four Gopher receptions, including a 44-yard grab by tight end Nick Kallerup, brought the ball down to the Wolverines’ one-yard line. But with just seconds left in the half, Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck decided to play it safe, and Kesich came in and converted a 20-yard field goal to make it 21-3 Wolverines at halftime.
Worm Starts to Turn
And it didn’t help that after halftime, the Wolverines marched down the field on 13 plays in a 7:24 minute drive that resulted in a 53-yard Dominic Zvada field goal. Game status: with a quarter and a half left to play in the game, Michigan led by a score of 24-3
The Gophers went three and out on their next series, but the game’s momentum shifts on the very next play. On first and ten from their own 45, Orji throws a deep pass down the field to tight end Colston Loveland that Gophers cornerback Ethan Robinson intercepts.
Gophers on the Comeback
The Gophers proceeded to march down the field on a 14-play drive, which witnessed some tough Taylor runs and two clutch catches by Elijah Spencer. They would punch it in from the three-yard line as Taylor ran it off left tackle after a great block by Kallerup for Minnesota’s first touchdown of the afternoon.
Minnesota’s defense held, and on the fourth-down punt, Gophers freshman punt returner Koi Perich returned the ball down the left sideline on a 60-yard sprint to the Michigan 17-yard line. Three plays later, Taylor smashed it into the end zone from four yards out, and suddenly, the Gophers were back in the game, with Michigan’s lead down to seven points.
Heartbreaking Finish
Next, Michigan would go on an extended drive, eating up over six minutes before Zvada kicked his second field goal of the day (35-yarder) to push the Wolverine’s lead to 27-17 with four and a half minutes left on the clock.
But the Gophers refused to go down without a fight. Brosmer found Spencer three times on the following drive, and the Gophers went 75 yards in under three minutes. This culminated in a 10-yard one-handed touchdown reception by Daniel Jackson that will be on the season’s highlight reel. The Gophers were down by three.
With 1.37 left in the game, Kesich launched a perfect onside kick that Gophers linebacker Matt Kingsbury recovered at the Michigan 37-yard line. But he was ruled offsides on the play. Michigan would cleanly handle the follow-up kick and run out the clock to preserve their 27-24 victory.
Aftermath
After the game, Fleck would say this about the disputed play. “I haven’t seen the last play, nor does one play win or lose you the game. Everybody is going to focus on that, I’m not going to sit here and get fined and do all those other things. I have more respect for my boss and the University of Minnesota and the Big Ten. That’s one play.”
Next week, the Gophers come home to play USC at Huntington Bank Stadium. And Michigan travels to Seattle, Washington, to take on the always-tough Washington Huskies.
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