Minnesota Safety Tyler Nubin - Matt Krohn/USA TODAY Sports)
The Minnesota Gophers Football Team hoped to redeem themselves last Saturday after their disappointing loss to Northwestern the previous Saturday. To come away with their eventual 35-24 Homecoming Game win against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, they had to overcome some steep obstacles.
First, they were playing an explosive Louisiana team that had found a spark in freshman quarterback Zeon Chriss. And for a fourth consecutive week, they would be without star linebacker, Cody Lindenberg. And finally, freshman sensation Darius Taylor would miss the game due to a leg injury.
Gophers Get off to a Bad Start
And things did not start well for the Gophers. Louisiana opened the game with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a Chriss 7-yard touchdown strike to Peter LaBlanc to put the visitors up 7-0 early in the first quarter.
Both teams went three and out on their next possessions, setting the stage for the Gophers’ first score of the game. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis engineered a nine-play, 86-yard drive topped off by a seven-yard touchdown toss to Daniel Jackson to tie the score. The drive was highlighted by excellent coordination between Kaliakmanis and Jackson who connected on three pass completions during this sequence.
Also, freshman running back Zach Evans contributed 27 rushing yards to the effort. This was his first game action of the season and he looked impressive.
Gophers Defense Come Up Big
The score stayed deadlocked as the first quarter ended. But the Ragin’ Cajuns were on the move once again. Their offense marched the ball down to the Minnesota nine and they were poised to extend their lead to seven again. But two interior rushes were stuffed by Maverick Baranowski and Louisiana had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Kenneth Almendares to go ahead 10-7.
The Gophers took possession of the ball and proceeded to grind down Louisiana with a tough Big-Ten ground game. They went 75 yards and topped the drive off with a two-yard touchdown sneak by Kaliakmanis. The Gophers regained the lead at 14-10.
Hard to Kepp Louisiana Down
But the upset minded Ragin’ Cajuns made the most of their next opportunity. Chriss chewed up the Gophers both on the ground and through the air taking Louisiana down to the Gophers’ six-yard line. He capped that drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Robert Williams. This put Louisiana up by a score of 17-14 with 1:47 left in the half.
The Gophers attempted to make it a tie ballgame, but this drive ended in disaster. Kaliakmanis dropped back and threw a deep ball intended for Corey Crooms. Unfortunately, the ball was overthrown and was intercepted by Louisiana’s Tyrone Lewis. As the half ended, the Ragin’ Cajuns maintained their seven-point lead.
The Gophers Take the Lead
The Gophers wasted no time getting untracked on their opening drive of the second half. Minnesota marched 80 yards on some hard running and a couple of Crooms’ receptions. This drive ended with Evans running 18 yards through a huge hole in Louisiana’s defense for a Gophers touchdown. The score now stood at 21-17 Minnesota.
Once again, both teams were stymied on the next possessions setting the stage for a key defensive play by the Gophers. Louisiana had a third and seven at their own 23-yard line as Chriss dropped back to pass. He attempted to hit tight end Neal Johnson on a fly pattern in Gophers’ territory. But Minnesota safety Tyler Nubin jumped the route and made a leaping interception to put the Gophers in excellent field position.
Minnesota Widens the Gap
From there, the Minnesota offense took advantage of this opportunity. The Gophers pounded the ball on the ground and marched down to the Louisiana two-yard line. There, Bryce Williams smashed the ball in for a Minnesota touchdown and an 11-point lead.
Both offenses stalled on their next possessions but once again the Gophers defense came up with a big play. On first and 10 at the Louisiana 48-yard line, Chriss threw a pass intended for Charles Robinson on a crossing pattern. Staying in his zone, defensive back Jack Henderson made a diving grab for an interception. The Gophers now embarked on their final scoring drive of the night.
Minnesota would once again grind it down as they tried to put the game away for good. Faced with a third down and nine at the Louisiana 44-yard line, Kaliakmanis completed a seven-yard pass to Crooms to set up a fourth down and two situation.
Kaliakmanis to Jackson for the Score
On the very next snap, Kaliakmanis would hit a streaking Jackson over the middle, and he took it the rest of the way for a Gophers score. Minnesota had now built up their lead to 35-14. The Ragin’ Cajuns would answer with a 52-yard Jacob Kibodi touchdown scamper to cut the lead to eleven, but that was the end of the scoring.
In a telling statistic, the Gophers converted 7-11 third and fourth down attempts in the second half of this game. Last week, their conversion rate for those attempts in that same time period was 1-7.
For the fourth week in a row, the Gophers once again featured the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, with Evans winning the title this time. The Gophers now face second-ranked Michigan at Huntington Bank Stadium this Saturday night. They will need all of the momentum and fan support they can muster to match the formidable Jim-Harbaugh-led Wolverines.
