Ohio State pulls away late in a 45-31 scoring fest

The Gophers never led in this game but they stayed in the hunt most of the way in what turned out to be a shootout with Ohio State. In the end, the Buckeye offense was too much as they rolled to a 45-31 win.

Ohio State got off to a quick start as they took the opening drive in the end zone. It took just over two minutes to get the score. The Buckeyes extended the lead to 10-0 with a 31-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Minnesota responded with a touchdown late in the first quarter. However, Ohio State quickly took command again when Ted Ginn returned the kickoff 100 yards for a TD.

The rest of the first half belonged to the Gophers. Jason Giannini hit a 30-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter. Minnesota pulled even with OSU with a TD in the second quarter that was set up by a 42-yard pass by Bryan Cupito to Jared Ellerson. The Gopher defense preserved the tie going into halftime thanks in large part to stopping OSU on a fourth and inches stuff.

Ohio State quickly pulled ahead 31-17 in the third quarter. The Gophers responded with a touchdown on the strength of Cupito’s passing. Bryan had completions of 32 and 44 yards on the scoring drive.

Unfortunately for the Gophers, things unraveled in the final period. The Buckeyes scored 14 unanswered points to make the margin 45-24. The Gophers scored a TD with less than a minute left to make the final 45-31.

You can’t fault the Gopher offense too much in this loss. They were going up against a defense that leads the Big Ten in four categories. Ohio State had the Minnesota running game stopped, except for one long run by Laurence Maroney. Cupito and his receivers really stepped up to keep up with Ohio State’s scoring barrage. Cupito completed 26-of-35 passes for 396 yards, giving him one of his best days as a Gopher. Jared Ellerson led the receivers with 113 yards and a touchdown catch.

The defense was another matter. You simply won’t win many games giving up 45 points. The Buckeyes punished them through the air in the first half and Antonio Pittman added the knockout punch in the second half with his rushing. Pittman ended up with 186 yards rushing. Anthony Montgomery was one of the few standouts with a sack and a total of two tackles for loss.

The special teams didn’t help the Gophers either. They cost Minnesota ten points in the first half alone with a short field goal miss and the OSU kickoff return for a TD. The kickoffs by the Gophers were miserable all day, while the Buckeyes didn’t allow the Gophers to return a single kickoff.

This game and the Penn State one should make it clear that the Gophers are no contender for the Big Ten title this year. Still, all is not lost. The next two games against Indiana and Michigan State are very winnable. The game against Iowa will be tough but rivalry games are always unpredictable. I still think the Gophers have an outside shot at finishing 8-3 with a trip to the Alamo Bowl.