After an impressive 3-0 start to the season, P.J. Fleck and Co. were woken up quickly after a 42-13 loss to Maryland on Saturday afternoon. Zack Annexstad threw his first two interceptions in a Gophers uniform and Antoine Winfield Jr. went down early, remaining sidelined the rest of the game. Missed tackles and dropped passes were abundant and showed Minnesota’s coaching staff of the work that needs to be done heading into the bye week. The Gophers return back to TCF Bank Stadium on Oct. 6 for their homecoming game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
5.3: Yards per throw for freshman walk-on Zack Annexstad in his first road game for the Gophers. Annexstad completed just 14 of his 32 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. He also threw his first two interceptions of the season in the second half, including one that was returned for a touchdown early in the half.
2: Catches for Tyler Johnson who was easily the best Gophers receiver up to this point of the season. Johnson’s catches both came once the Gophers were well behind Maryland. Rashod Bateman led the Gophers with 7 catches while Chris Autman-Bell had 70 yards on four catches.
235: Yards punting for Jacob Herbers today on five punts, an average of 47.0 yards per punt. Herbers long punt of the day went 52 yards while four of his five punts pinned Maryland within their own 20-yard line.
315: Rushing yards allowed by the Gophers in the loss. Ty Johnson led the Terrapins with 123 yards while Anthony McFarland was right behind Johnson with 112 yards of his own. Maryland averaged 8.5 yards per carry on their 37 rushing attempts and four of the team’s six touchdowns came on the ground.
33:29: Time of Possession for the Gophers in Saturday’s loss compared to 26:31 for Maryland. The two teams combined to go just 9/26 in third down conversions, leading to 10 total punts in the game.
26: Carries for Mohamed Ibrahim in his first action since week one. Ibrahim averaged 3.7 yards per carry, totaling 95 yards on the ground to lead the Gophers. Bryce Williams ran just seven times for 24 yards.
22: Age of former Gophers player Nick Connelly who passed away on Sept. 19 after being diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma. Connelly played in 14 career games for the Gophers between 2015-2017 before injuries forced him to retire. Both teams wore patches on their helmets for Connelly on Saturday.
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Nick Connelly,” said Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck in a statement earlier this week. “He was an amazing young man who took exceptional pride in playing for his hometown Gophers and loved wearing the maroon and gold. Nick’s family and friends are in our thoughts and we will honor him this Saturday at Maryland.”