The Minnesota Gophers Football team eeked out a 21-17 win over the UCLA Bruins in a game in which no style points were given. The penalty-rich game saw the Gophers once again stumble out of the blocks and struggle against a downtrodden UCLA pass defense. Only some late-game heroics pulled the win out for Minnesota, pushing its record to 4-3 with its first road victory.
The small Rose Bowl, crowd, was nonetheless populated by some loyal Gophers fans waiting patiently for Minnesota to pull out a victory. At the end of the game, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck awarded them the game ball.
First Half Futility
A summary of the Gophers’ first-half output could be written on a post-it note. Frustrated by a Bruins defense led by linebacker Carson Schwesinger, Minnesota’s offense could manage just 84 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes with only 47 yards through the air against the #125 nationally ranked UCLA pass defense.
The Bruins would strike first blood when quarterback Ethan Garbers led them on a 10-play, 59-yard drive. Garbers would go 5-6 on the drive for 54 yards, which ended with a Keegan Jones “Wild Cat” one-yard touchdown run, giving UCLA a 7-0 lead.
Second Quarter Frustration
The Gophers’ defense came up big at the beginning of the second quarter when Cody Lindenberg intercepted Garbers’ pass after a tip by defensive tackle Deven Eastern to halt a Bruins drive at the Minnesota 14-yard line. But Minnesota would squander their best scoring opportunity of the half when, after a 10-play drive, Dragan Kesich pushed a 43-yard field goal attempt to the right. The frustration continues for the Lou Groza candidate in the 2024 season.
The Bruins closed out the first half scoring, aided by some missed tackles by the Gophers. With 33 seconds left until halftime, Garbers threw a short pass to Harden, who broke three Minnesota tackles to zig-zag down the field for a 32-yard gain. Three plays later, kicker Mateen Bhaghabi would bang home a 34-yard field goal as time expired, giving UCLA a 10-0 halftime lead.
Gophers’ Second-Half Comeback
The Gophers would finally snap out of it on their first possession of the second half. Aided by a pass interference call on UCLA, Brosmer would find Elijah Spencer along the left sideline and he would walk it in for the Gophers’ first score of the game. Then superstar freshman Koi Perich would give the Gophers the break they were searching for. On a Garbers pass intended for Moliki Matavo, Perich would swoop in and make a diving interception to give Minnesota the ball at the Bruins’ 38-yard line.
Again, aided by a UCLA pass interference call, this time on an endzone pass intended for Daniel Jackson, Darius Taylor moved the pile two yards for a Gophers touchdown and a 14-10 lead. But UCLA wasn’t through with its offensive production for the afternoon.
Wild Fourth Quarter
Both defenses stiffen, but halfway through the final quarter, UCLA would light up the scoreboard and excite their fans with an electrifying play. On first and ten from the Minnesota 42-yard line, Garbers would hit a streaking J. Micheal Sturdivant in stride for a Bruins touchdown and a 17-14 lead.
But much like last week, Brosmer would step up to the challenge and lift his team. With 2:16 left in the game, Brosmer would coolly go 5-7 for 56 yards, including a 27-yarder to Jackson. The last of these was a four-yard flip to Taylor in the left flat for the go-ahead touchdown. And in deja vu all over again, Perich would seal the deal with his second game-closing interception in as many weeks to secure the Gophers’ win.
Followup
After the game, P.J. Fleck said, “It’s one win. It’s 1-0. This isn’t a championship, but it was a one game championship, and if the goal of the week is to win, there are no bad wins. Hard losses, they teach you a lot. This is just a tremendous win for our program. And you’ve got to give UCLA a lot of credit. They’ve got really good football players that played their tail end off, and Coach Foster should be congratulated for that.”
The Gophers have a bye next week and then come home to play Maryland at Huntington Bank Stadium. And UCLA travels to New Jersey to take on the 4-2 Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
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