The Gophers were the clear favorites for a big win on homecoming over Rutgers. Things didn’t go quite as planned, but Minnesota squeaked out a 34-32 win thanks to an Emmit Carpenter field goal with just seconds remaining.
1 Last-minute, game-winning kick in Emmit Carpenter’s career. Even growing up, the kicker never had the game in his hands at the end, but he delivered with poise on Saturday.
“I knew Emmit was going to hit it,” said Damarius Travis. “He’s saved us a lot this season. We have a lot of confidence in him.”
21 Points in the first quarter for the Gophers. Minnesota has only scored 24 points total in the opening frame heading into the game, but the offense got out to a fast start against Rutgers. After the first quarter, the momentum shifted in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
“All of a sudden we had some three-and-outs and defensively we couldn’t stop the run,” said Tracy Claeys. “You can just tell when you are down there. Kids are kids, if you can ever solve that, you are going to make a lot of money.”
94 Yard kick return for a touchdown by Rodney Smith. Following a Mitch Leidner pick-six, Smith answered quickly with a much-needed kickoff return for a score.
“I’m the type of guy who tries to provide a spark for anybody that needs it with a big play,” said Smith. “Whether that’s on special teams or offense. In the back of my mind I didn’t have to do much, I just ran it.”
257 All-purpose yards for Smith. That’s the first time a Gopher has eclipsed 200 all-purpose yards since David Cobb in 2014.
101 Career receptions for Drew Wolitarsky. He became just the 14th player in Golden Gopher history to record at least 100 catches.
4 Sacks today for Minnesota. Hank Ekpe lead the way with two sacks, while Jonathan Celestin and Steven Richardson each added one. Celestin has sacks in back-to-back games.