Ohio State wears down Gophers

The final score of 30-7 indicated a lopsided contest right where the odds makers picked the spread. How they arrived at that result was not as predictable. Minnesota put up a serious threat in the first half and could have had the lead 17-14 at the break. A 42-yard field goal miss and an interception at the Ohio State goal line protected the Buckeye lead. Ohio State, in fact, made the margin more comfortable by going 98 yards for a touchdown after that interception late in the half.

It was those few Gopher mistakes that kept them from staying with Ohio State. The positive thing coming out of this game was that Minnesota played its best game of the year ““ no horrendous first half and second half recovery like most games this season. There were only two turnovers, two interceptions by Adam Weber. The team had 16 turnovers going into this game.

Defensively, this was a solid effort too. The 52-yard touchdown pass at the end of the second quarter was the one big blow the defense couldn’t afford to give up. Overall, there weren’t the serious breakdowns we have seen in prior games. I was particularly impressed with the pass rush which helped cover up the fact that receivers were still getting wide open. John Shevlin recorded the only sack and there were plenty of opportunities for more.

Unfortunately for the Gophers, OSU’s defense stiffened up to its normal level in the second half, thwarting any chance of a big comeback. Minnesota had -2 yards rushing in the final two periods, 80 yards passing and no points. It was Minnesota native James Laurinatis who did the most damage, leading all defenders with 14 tackles.

The Gophers survived these first two Big Ten games against Purdue and Ohio State with no major injuries and pride that wasn’t bruised too badly. It was about as much as Gopher fans could hope for.

The road ahead gets more manageable with games at Indiana and Northwestern then back home against North Dakota State. The Hoosiers are coming off a big 38-20 upset at Iowa and are looking to take Minnesota’s regular bowl spot. If the Gophers put together a solid effort, like the last one, they could just give Indiana a setback in their quest for a bowl game for the first time in over a decade.

Talk about the game on the Brew’s Crew Message Board.