Gopher Football
Later in the first quarter, Laurence Maroney broke free for a big gain that was stopped at around the PSU 20 by a shoestring tackle. Minnesota then made another gutsy call by going for it on fourth down on the one yard line. Maroney finally got his touchdown as he punched it in. Minnesota extended the lead to 16-0 when the Gophers’ other superstar running back Marion Barber III dragged tacklers into the end zone on a 19-yard run. Rhys Lloyd missed the extra point and went on to miss two more field goals to keep the Nittany Lions in it. Penn State closed the gap to 16-7 late in the 3rd quarter but could come no closer. John Pawielski pretty much sealed the victory with a nifty interception in the end zone with about four minutes left in the game.
The Gophers have now opened the season 5-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1940-41 season and have evened the series against Penn State at four apiece. The Gophers are one of just four teams to beat the Lions four or more times in a row with the others being Michigan, Iowa and Alabama.
I can’t praise the Gopher defense enough for their effort in this game. They were the key to this win. Penn State quarterback Zack Mills sure didn’t look like a guy with a bad shoulder on his throwing arm and with the Gopher defense holding them to only 21 net yards rushing (less than one yard a carry) Mills had to throw. Sure the Nittany Lions made plenty of mistakes of their own like holding penalties to stymie promising drives. However, Minnesota defense did its part in holding the Lions to just one touchdown. I thought Ukee Dozier was particularly effective in the backfield. Dozier came close to making at least two interceptions — one looked like offensive interference. Thanks in large part to Darrell Reid the pass rush was more effective than normal. Reid had two sacks for a net loss of 21 yards.
Outside of Laurence Maroney ,this was an atypical day for the Minnesota offense. Maroney ran for 144 yards (right around his average) thanks in large part to the 64-yard run that was stopped by a driving defender who tripped him up. Marion Barber III wasn’t too shabby either with his 88 yards running and the relentless TD run. You know we’re getting spoiled when there is disappointment over both of these backs not getting over 100 yards. Bryan Cupito and his receivers were not in sync much of the time. Too often the ball was thrown to an empty spot on the field. Ernie Wheelwright did make a great catch along the sideline for a key first down.
This game definitely revealed more about the 2004 Gophers. First, they can win a defensive battle. Really, the score of this game should be no surprise. PSU has an excellent defense and there is no shortage of talent on this team. A proud and talented team like this will not go down easy. The Gopher defense rose to the occasion when the offense had met their match and the special teams again had major breakdowns.
And it’s the special teams play that has me concerned about the Gophers surviving close games that are sure to come. Last week we had missed extra points and a kickoff return for a TD that kept Northwestern in the game for a while. This week it was another missed extra point and two missed field goals that kept Penn State in it the whole way.
This week the Gophers secured the first of four traveling trophies (the Governors’ Victory Bell which has been around for 11 years). Next week it will be for that trophy (the Little Brown Jug) that has been around for 101 years. This will be the biggest game for the Gophers since, well, last year’s Michigan game in which they entered the game 6-0. The score will probably look a lot like this one, so the Gopher defense will have to be up to the task and the special teams cannot afford any major mistakes. The Gophers need to win at least one of the next two games on the road, with the other being Michigan State, to have a realistic shot at a Big Ten title.