If you believe there is any such thing as a moral victory, the Gophers defined it in the team’s 30-14 loss to No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. A team most predicted to lose by 30 or more points, Minnesota came out and showed that when firing on all cylinders, they can compete with some of the best teams in the nation. The defense played incredible against an explosive offense and Annexstad and Co. were a couple plays away from making the game close at the end. While the game will still show up in the loss column, many Gophers fans will be happy with how the team performed, at least for the first three quarters.
2: Missed field goals for Emmit Carpenter, a rare stat line for the fifth year senior. Carpenter missed from 32-yards and 49-yards in the loss.
10: Points off turnovers for the Buckeyes. Minnesota turned the ball over three times (2 interceptions, 1 fumble).
187: Receiving yards by KJ Hill on 9 catches. The Ohio State superstar caught two touchdown passes in the Buckeyes win, averaging over 20 yards per reception.
92: The Gophers defense held the Buckeyes to under 100-yards rushing in the loss. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins carried Ohio State, throwing for 412 yards and three touchdowns.
119: Yards for Tyler Johnson on eight receptions. It’s the seventh time in his career that he has gone over 100-yards in a game.
157: Rushing yards for Mohamed Ibrahim on 23 carries. Ibrahim carried the Gophers in the first half, pounding in two touchdowns and averaging 6.8 yards per carry.
218: Passing yards for Zack Annexstad in the loss on 13 completions. Annexstad threw two interceptions and didn’t have a passing touchdown. His quarterback rating was 118.7 on the day.
13: Total tackles for both Antonio Shenault and Blake Cashman. Shenault had one tackle for loss while Cashman added two more. The Gophers had 9 tackles for loss as a defensive unit.
2: Sacks for Carter Coughlin to go along with 7 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Coughlin also forced a fumble in the game.