Minnesota made themselves feel at home in their long-awaited return to East Lansing. In their first conference game of the season, Minnesota played a near-perfect game, beating Michigan State 34-7.
P.J. Fleck entered Saturday’s game with a 1-4 record in conference openers as Minnesota’s head coach. The Spartans were set to be a tough matchup for Fleck as they were previously ranked before losing to Washington. However, the game proved to be anything but a challenge for Fleck and the Gophers.
The Gophers showed off their versatility during their first offensive drive with six players involved in ten plays. The drive ended in Mohamed Ibrahim’s 41st rushing touchdown, breaking former Gopher running back Darrell Thompson’s record for most touchdowns in program history.
Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin and defensive end Thomas Rush were immediate contributors on defense for the Gophers. The duo helped force a three-and-out and put the ball back into the hands of quarterback Tanner Morgan.
Morgan capitalized on the opportunity for an early lead by high-pointing a 23-yard pass to Daniel Jackson, who made an impressive catch for the Gophers’ second touchdown in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, the Spartans gained a measly one yard on offense and zero first downs.
The second quarter kicked off with an 11-play drive orchestrated by Morgan and topped with a 26-yard field goal from kicker Matthew Trickett.
The Spartans responded with their first 1st down of the day. Moments later, the Spartans were faced with a fourth down. In an attempt to convert, quarterback Payton Thorne threw his first interception of the day to cornerback Justin Walley.
Morgan started off the following drive on his own 33-yard line. He was able to march down the field quickly thanks to a 26-yard catch by wide receiver Dylan Wright. But while in opposing territory, Ibrahim would return the favor by fumbling the ball away to Michigan.
Later, near the second quarter, receiver Michael Brown-Stephens ran out of bounds as the clock hit zero. Referees reviewed the play and discovered a clock management error. Teams were required to re-enter the game and witnessed Morgan take a knee to close out the first half.
Michigan State received the ball in the second half and displayed a newly-found confidence on offense. Thorne completed seven of his eight attempts and had 62 yards passing before reaching Minnesota’s six-yard line.
Spartans would run a keeper with Thorne to the left side, but he met Rush head on. Rush forced the ball out of his hands and Walley recovered it, putting Minnesota’s offense at their own 10.
On one of the first plays of the drive, Ibrahim went up the right side and twisted his ankle on the tackle. At that moment, Gophers fans held their breaths as memories of last year’s home opener replayed through their heads.
Luckily, Ibrahim stood up under his own power, went into the medical tent and returned to the game. His first carry back was a reassuring 11-yard gain supported by a couple of offensive linemen pushing him past the first down marker.
The return inspired the offense enough to maintain their momentum down field. The drive ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Nick Kallerup, the first of his career.
In the third quarter, the Gophers were up 24-0 and had 400 total yards on offense. But the terrorizing didn’t stop there.
Michigan State’s next drive ended in another interception thrown by Thorne, this time to defensive end Danny Striggow. Gophers gave Ibrahim the rock again to put him over 100 yards rushing, his 13th consecutive game hitting that mark.
At the top of the fourth quarter, Morgan found Jackson in the end zone for the second time. This time, it was in the red zone from four yards away.
The seemingly ever-increasing point deficit made Michigan State look hopeless. Their starting offense attempted to make strides, only for players to commit mental errors. They would not score until the final minutes of the game with their second stringers on the field.
To pick one player to be named MVP would be a daunting task. All sides and positional units played in unison. As a result, it produced one of Fleck’s most sound wins at Minnesota.
Next week, the Gophers will host the Purdue Boilermakers for their homecoming game on Saturday at 11 a.m. Fans are asked to wear colors according to their assigned section in an attempt to “Stripe the Bank.”
