The Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) closed out their non-conference schedule with a decisive 41-7 win over the Akron Zips (1-2) on Saturday, Sep. 19, at Huntington Bank Stadium.
The Elite
The Gopher defense. Defensive coordinator Danny Collins earned his paycheck this week, as Minnesota pitched a shutout for most of the game, limiting Akron to 142 total yards of offense before the Zips added 75 in their fourth quarter touchdown drive against the second-string defense.
Joey Gerlach. With Matt Kingsbury sidelined
after being banged up against Mississippi State, Gerlach got the start at linebacker and led the team with with eight total tackles, include six solo stops. He also forced a fumble on the Zips’ opening drive of the game, giving the Gophers their first turnover.
Zack Harden. I continue to be impressed with the second-year safety. He has yet to flash Koi Perich’s big play ability, but he has good instincts, tackles well, and can hold his own in coverage down the field.
The return of the RPO. The Run-Pass Option (RPO) was a staple of the Kirk Ciarrocca era but has rarely been used in Greg Harbaugh Jr.’s more pro-style offense. It was used early and often on Saturday, often with great success, to attack the Akron defense. Whether this was specific to the gameplan against the Zips or represents a more significant shift in the offense this season remains to be seen.
Noah Jennings. The Cincinnati transfer wide receiver had his best game in maroon and gold thus far, hauling in five receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Jennings provided a spark from the first play of the game, when his 30-yard catch set the tone for an opening touchdown drive. His six-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was impressive and also saved the Gophers from settling for a field goal after Javon Tracy’s punt return gaffe cost the team a special teams touchdown.
Roman Voss. The highly-touted true freshman tight end out of Jackson hauled in his first career touchdown on Saturday, capping the Gophers’ opening drive with a 16-yard score.
Special teams. Is it too early to sign special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato to a lifetime contract? We’re only three games into his tenure and the difference has been night and day. Kicker Luke Drzewiecki was two-for-two on field goal attempts, including a 43-yarder before halftime. Punter Tom Weston averaged 48.6 yards per punt on five punts, three of which were downed inside the 20-yard line. The return game continues to provide a spark, with Javon Tracy’s 64-yard punt return and Quayd Hendryx’s 42-yard kickoff return. The punt unit also recovered a muffed punt in the third quarter but that was mostly the result of a mind-numbing decision by the Akron punt returner.
The Meh
Drake Lindsey. It’s tough to say how much the weather was a factor, but the Gophers’ second-year signal caller was up and down Saturday. He finished 17-of-31 for 204 passing yards with three touchdowns and one interception. The interception wasn’t necessarily his fault, as it bounced off of Jalen Smith during a contested catch attempt and dropped into the hands of a waiting Akron defender, but trying to fit the ball into such a tight window may not have been the best decision. The touchdown throws to Jennings and Smith were both dimes. It was feast or famine most of the time for Lindsey, as he only completed 54.8 percent of his passes but also completed eight passes of 15+ yards, four of which were 20+.
The Ugly
The Gophers’ ground game. Three years ago, Minnesota was coming off a season-opening win over Nebraska in which they only rushed for 55 yards. The following week against Eastern Michigan, the Gophers attempted only 15 passes and ran the ball 56(!) times, racking up 296 yards on the ground. Establishing the run was a point of emphasis for head coach P.J. Fleck coming into the game. Was that performance a bellwether for the Minnesota ground game? No. The Gophers would finish the year ranked 65th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 157.5 rushing yards per game.
So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m skeptical that Minnesota’s second half performance on offense was a meaningful step forward for a run game that has been stuck in reverse to start the season. The Gophers had only 13 rushing yards at halftime before Fleck and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. committed to a run-the-ball-or-die-trying strategy. Late in the third quarter, Minnesota ran the ball on 11 consecutive plays, rolling up 70 rushing yards, including a four-yard touchdown run by A.J. Turner. On the Gophers’ next possession, Elon transfer T.J. Thomas broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown run.
Unfortunately, I think the burst of life from the Minnesota run game had more to do with the Zips’ defense getting worn down than it did the Gophers figuring anything out offensively. But I hope I’m wrong.
Javon Tracy’s lack of sideline awareness. Tracy was seven yards short of his third punt return for a touchdown this season in the second quarter. With nothing between him and the end zone, Tracy’s return ended at 64 yards when he drifted towards the sideline as he was looking at the defenders in pursuit behind him, inadvertently stepping out of bounds and robbing himself of a score.
