It was a bizarre contest on Saturday as the Gophers took on San Jose State but the Maroon and Gold prevailed with a 24-7 victory. The matchup featured a new starting quarterback in Chris Streveler, a one-hour rain delay, and just one passing completion for the Gophers. Despite the unique nature of the game, the Minnesota players and coaches were happy to finish the non-conference season with a victory and a 3-1 record heading to Ann Arbor.
Streveler Starts
With Mitch Leidner fighting an MCL sprain and a turf toe injury, it was time for redshirt freshman Chris Streveler to make his first start in the Maroon and Gold. While he completed just one pass for seven yards, he was able to rush for 161 yards and a touchdown.
“I was excited to get out there,” said Streveler. “When you get the ‘W,’ it’s always good. You’re always happy with that. Obviously there’s going to be some stuff that we can clean up, that I can clean up, but overall, when you get the ‘W,’ you’re always going to be happy.”
Some fans may be concerned with the lack of passing yards but the Gophers understand that they will continue to do what is working in order to succeed.
“I think you always go into the game with the pass plays you like, expecting to run them,” said Streveler. “But they were giving us the zone read that we were running. So if it’s not broke, why try to fix it? We just kept taking it.”
Cobb Dominates
Streveler wasn’t the only player who had a great day on the ground as David Cobb rushed for 207 yards and two scores on the day.
“The biggest thing was the performance that the offensive line put out there, getting the vertical push,” said Cobb.
Cobb had been slowed recently by an ankle injury but showed no signs of damage on Saturday.
“The ankle is always feeling good when you win,” Cobb joked. “That was not a problem out there.”
Weather Delay
Early in the fourth quarter, the game was suspended for over an hour due to severe weather in the area. With a ten-point lead and SJSU holding the ball, the Gophers were able to come out of the break and finish the game strong.
“In 31 years I think this is the second time I’ve been involved in [a weather delay],” said Jerry Kill. “You come [in the locker room] and start visiting about how you can adjust some things and I go in and talk to the players… We try to create that enthusiasm. I thought our kids came out with great enthusiasm and closed the game out.”
In order to excel after the break, Minnesota stayed relaxed in the locker room.
“When you’re in the locker room, you’re just trying to stay loose,” said Streveler. “You don’t want to be uptight for an hour because you don’t know how long you’re going to be in there. You keep it loose until you have to get ready to go again then you refocus. I think we did a good job.”
Big Plays By Defense
The Gophers defense had a dominant performance on Saturday, allowing just 254 total yards all while forcing five turnovers. One of the biggest plays came as Damien Wilson stripped the ball from the Spartan runner as SJSU was threatening deep in Minnesota territory.
“They sent me on a blitz, they called my number so I hit the gap full speed, we met in the hole, and I felt my hand on the ball so I just ripped it out,” Wilson explained. “I saw it on the ground next to me so I just scooped it.”
The Gophers secondary has been strong all year and continued the trend on Saturday, intercepting two passes that led to Minnesota points.
“We went out with the mentality to dominate everybody,” said safety Damarius Travis who intercepted a pass on the Spartans’ opening drive. “So that is how we feel, and that is what we are going to do. And Coach [Sawvel] holds us to the high standards so we have to meet those standards every game, no matter who we line up against.”
One of the highlights for the defense was a massive hit by Travis that brought the crowd, and the Gopher sideline, to its feet.
“I saw that the running back was running the other way and I just started my pursuit angle,” said Travis. “I saw that Eric Murray had missed a tackle, he spun and I just gave it to him.”
By the Numbers
380 Although the Gophers were only able to muster seven yards through the air, the ground game was impressive; racking up 380 yards on 58 carries.
2 Saturday’s game was David Cobb’s second contest rushing for over 200 yards this season.
63 The game was delayed for a total of 63 minutes as a vicious storm passed through the Twin Cities. With the score still within 10 points, Minnesota’s defense was able to force a punt and maintain the momentum following the break.