The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2) return home with their tail between their legs after getting embarrassed by the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) in a 42-3 loss at Ohio Stadium.
The Elite
Tom Weston. The
Minnesota punter had plenty of opportunities to shine Saturday night and he made the most of it. Weston averaged 50.9 yards per punt on seven punts, with two downed inside the 20-yard line.
The Meh
Drake Lindsey. He was not the problem. He started the night 7-of-7 for 64 yards, leading the Gophers’ only scoring drive of the game. But he was 8-of-19 for 30 yards the rest of the way as his offensive line flailed in pass protection and his pass catchers struggled to find separation against the Ohio State defense.
The Ugly
Minnesota cornerbacks vs. Ohio State wide receivers. It was a tough night for John Nestor, Za’Quan Bryan, and Mike Gerald. But to be honest, I’m not going to be too hard on them. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are a nightmare matchup for any cornerback. But the Gophers simply looked overmatched, allowing explosive pass plays of 48, 31, 49, 44, and 29 yards. Tate led the team with nine receptions for 183 receiving yards and one touchdown, and Smith hauled in seven receptions for 67 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
First-team Minnesota defense vs. second-string Ohio State offense. The Buckeyes pulled their starters while leading 35-3 in the first quarter and proceeded to run roughshod over the Gophers’ defense with their third-string running back and second-string offensive line. They reeled off a 9-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in which running back James Peoples averaged 9.3 yards per carry on six carries. Show some pride, defense.
The Gophers’ ground game is stuck in the mud. Not even the return of Darius Taylor could breathe life into the run game. Taylor finished with eight carries for 12 rushing yards. Fame Ijeboi found some running room in the fourth quarter, but against Ohio State’s second-string defense. We’re nearly halfway through the season and Minnesota has yet to run the ball with any consistency. That’s a problem for P.J. Fleck.
The offensive line. I’m not a college football coach, but I question the decision to shake up the offensive line ahead of a matchup with an elite defense in a loud and hostile environment. The Gophers have been struggling to get push up front and evidently decided the solution was a game of musical chairs, moving Greg Johnson from LG to LT, Marcellus Marshall from RG to LG, Dylan Ray from RT to RG, and Nathan Roy from LT to RT. It didn’t help much, at least against Ohio State. One of the most egregious issues was communication (or lack thereof) between the center and the quarterback. Minnesota opted to use a silent count, which relies on Marshall to communicate to Ashton Beers when to snap the ball. It seemed like a struggle at times in the first half.
Brady Denaburg. I am begging Fleck to give another kicker a shot.
The officiating crew. Ohio State didn’t need the help, but the refs decided to pitch in anyway. Obvious defensive holding penalties went uncalled, and a slight shove by Za’Quan Bryan on a punt return evidently warranted an illegal block in the back penalty that pushed the Gophers deeper into their own territory. On the Buckeyes’ next punt return, a similar block by an Ohio State player went uncalled.
