In the annual battle for the Little Brown Jug, Minnesota trails No. 19 Michigan at halftime after jumping out to an early lead.

The Gophers held the Wolverines scoreless in the first quarter, the first time the Minnesota defense has been able to do so all year.

Junior kicker Joel Monroe hit an early field goal to give the Gophers a 3-0 lead first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, Michigan’s true freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett fumbled a snap which was recovered by senior safety Dominique Barber and returned 46 yards down the sideline for a Minnesota touchdown.

Michigan later added two field goals and a long touchdown drive which eventually resulted in a two-yard touchdown run by Michigan to give the Wolverines a 13-10 halftime lead.

Minnesota’s three true freshman defensive backs that started in today’s game have struggled covering Michigan’s wide receiver combination Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, resulting in 145 passing yards for the Wolverines.

Gophers’ quarterback Adam Weber has been unable to get a flow going in the passing game, as he is 3-13 going into the half.

The “Big House” is packed, the crowd is loud, and the teams are coming back out onto the field. More to come after the game.