The Minnesota Gophers Football team put on an aerial circus in their dominant 48-23 win against the Maryland Terrapins. Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer had a monster day, hitting seven different receivers and throwing four touchdown passes. They scored early and often, putting the game out of reach by halftime. The win raised their record to 5-3, giving the homecoming crowd at Huntington Bank Stadium plenty to cheer about.
Gophers Start on Fire
The Gophers’ offense wasted no time getting on the scoreboard against the Terrapins. After safety Kerry Brown put a stop to Marylard’s first drive, it only took Minnesota five plays to start their scoring. After a catch by Elijah Spencer brought the Gophers’ offense down to the Maryland 10-yard line, a familiar combination would make its presence known.
On the next play, Brosmer found Daniel Jackson in the left flat for an early Gophers touchdown. This would be the start of a very productive day for this dual. After a Terrapins three and out, Minnesota would march 65 yards in 9 plays, culminating in Spencer’s seven-yard back-of-the-end zone touchdown reception. With less than 10 minutes elapsed on the clock, the Gophers already led 14-0. And they were just getting started.
Three plays later, Terps quarterback Bil Edwards Jr. threw a ball to the right flat, where it was picked off by Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley and returned for a 32-yard pick-six to elevate the Gophers’ lead to 21-0.
It Happened Again
And disaster would visit the Terrapins quarterback again on the next drive. Looking to go deep, the ball headed right to who else, Koi Perich, who promptly returned it 45 yards to the Maryland 23-yard line. This drive would end at the dawn of the second quarter with a 40-yard Dragan Kesich field goal, stretching the Gophers lead to 24-0.
Maryland would finally dent the scoreboard with Jack Howes’s 33-yard field goal, but Minnesota was in a “anything you can do, I can do better” mode. To prove it, Brosmer would find Jackson early and often on an 8-play, 75-yard drive finished by a Jackson four-yard touchdown reception. The Gophers now led by 28. With a three-yard scamper, Edwards would finally get the Terrapins in the end zone. And right before the quarter ended, Kesich would boot a 34-yard field goal, and Minnesota would run to the locker room with a 34-10 halftime lead.
Let’s Try it Again and Maryland’s Last Ditch Effort
And without missing a beat, the Gophers opened the third quarter with a 5-play, 75-yard drive ending with Brosmer connecting with Spencer for a 25-yard pitch and catch to put the Gophers up 41-10. And Darius Taylor would finally get untracked with a 51-yard touchdown sprint around the left side, opening up Minnesota’s lead to 48-10. Once Taylor got in the open, it was just a sprint to the finish, with the Terrapin defenders having no chance to stop him.
Maryland’s backup quarterback, MJ Morris, lit a fire under the Terrapins’ offense, leading them to two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The first was a two-yard toss to DJ Samuels, followed by a 21-yard touchdown reception by Shaleak Knotts. Alas, it was too little, too late for the Terps as Minnesota prevailed 48-23.
Summary and a Look Ahead
Brosmer was fantastic, going 26-33 through the air with 320 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Jackson was on the receiving end of 9 of those throws, racking up 117 receiving yards and the two touchdowns. On defense, middle linebacker Cody Lindenberg was all over the field, tallying 10 total tackles.
Coach P.J. Fleck and his Gophers take it on the road next week against an angry Illinois team that got shellacked in Eugene, Oregon, 38-9 against the #1 ranked Ducks. The Terrapins have a bye next weekend before they travel to Oregon to play those pesky Ducks.
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