Minnesota came out firing in its win over Temple on Saturday.

As a result, the Gophers picked up defensive milestones that the school has not seen in decades.

With the 62-0 victory, Minnesota’s defense locked up its second shutout of the season. The Gophers have not seen two shutouts in one season since 1977.

That season, Minnesota blanked No. 1 Michigan 16-0 at home before defeating Illinois 21-0 on the road.

The 62-point differential marks a milestone, too. It is the largest margin of victory for the Gophers since defeating Arizona by that same score on Sept. 30, 1939.

The overall effort against the Owls was witnessed by an announced attendance of 45,612. It was the largest home-opener crowd since the Gophers drew 55,943 against Iowa State in 1997.

Strong kicking game

Minnesota has enjoyed a solid kicking game through its first three games of the season.

Sophomore Jason Gianinni came into the year with questions surrounding his accuracy. Gianinni made 13 of 18 field goals last season while also missing eight extra point attempts.

This season has been a different story.

Gianinni is 15-of-16 on point after touchdown tries this season, with his lone miss coming from a blocked attempt against Kent State.

He has also converted each of his four field goal attempts, including two Saturday against the Owls, one from 33 and another from 41 yards.

“I think that we’ve witnessed great improvements in our kicking game,” coach Glen Mason said. “Gianinni’s kicking the ball well.”

Spreading the wealth

Minnesota is known for using a dual-running back game plan, but it rarely goes to the extremes it saw against the Owls.

The Gophers recorded 282 rushing yards in the contest and they came from nine different sources.

Junior running back Amir Pinnix and sophomore Alex Daniels carried the bulk of the load in the first half.

“I think we did some pretty good things up front,” Pinnix said. “The offensive line did a great job making some holes for the backs to run through.”

Pinnix rushed seven times for 83 yards and a touchdown in the contest, while Daniels finished with 44 yards and one score.

Freshman running back Terrence Sherrer highlighted the second half running attack by compiling a game-high 89 yards.

Four Gophers reached at least 30 yards rushing in the contest.

Penalties subside

After being penalized nine times for 100 yards against California, Minnesota had a more disciplined approach to its game against Temple.

The Gophers had five penalties for 30 yards against the Owls, but none were committed by the first string offense or defense.

That fact speaks volumes for a team that lost its composure on several occasions against the Bears, resulting in three personal foul penalties that kept the Gophers from reaching an offensive or defensive rhythm.

“We were down a little bit after Cal, obviously we thought we could play better,” senior wide receiver Logan Payne said. “We came out and approached this game like any other – came out and played hard.”