Darius Taylor and the Gopher defense came to play
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1) suffocated the Nevada Wolf Pack (1-3) on Saturday, securing their second win of the season with a 27-0 non-conference victory.
The Elite
The Gopher defense. You can discount the quality of the opponents all you want, but Corey Hetherman’s defense has been elite through the first three games of the season. They’ve faced a Power 4 program, an FCS program, and a Group of 5 program, and have only allowed one touchdown through 12 quarters of play. Saturday’s shutout of Nevada secured the program’s first consecutive shutouts since 1962. Wolf Pack quarterback Brendon Lewis had yet to throw an interception this season and this defense intercepted him three times, giving them seven total interceptions this season. They’ve taken care of business and I’m looking forward to seeing how this defense stacks up against Big Ten competition.
Kerry Brown. The redshirt freshman safety had himself a game, recording four tackles and snagged a pair of interceptions to set up scoring opportunities for the offense.
Darius Taylor. The Gophers’ ground game (or lack thereof) remains a concern — more on that later — but Taylor continues to make plays, in spite of his offensive line. Against Nevada, he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns, on top of five receptions for 37 yards and one receiving touchdown. The highlight was of course his 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, which would be the only points Minnesota would score in the second half.
Koi Perich as the Gophers’ new punt returner. I don’t love that Quentin Redding is out for the season with an injury. But I do love that Koi Perich is getting the opportunity to be a special teams playmaker. He is Minnesota’s most dangerous punt returner since Antoine Winfield Jr.
The full banana. The full banana is always elite. ALWAYS.
All in ✊#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/M8kuHer2Qs
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 14, 2024
The Meh
Dragan Kesich. Inconsistency is the story of the Serbian Hammer’s season so far. Against Nevada, he nailed a 52-yard field goal attempt on the opening drive, but then badly missed a 50-yard attempt in the third quarter. It’s clear P.J. Fleck has not lost confidence in Kesich, but he missed four attempts all of last year and already has four misses through three games this year.
The Ugly
The offensive line. I’m very concerned at this point. Historically, Minnesota offensive lines under P.J. Fleck have had slow starts to the season, but this feels worse than years past. Ashton Beers made his first career start at right guard after subbing in for Martes Lewis last week, but the right side of the offensive line continues to have trouble getting push up front. Not even future NFL offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery has been immune, as he has been flagged for more than his fair share of penalties through these first three games. I’ve never seen a Fleck team struggle to run the ball to this degree — and the level of competition is about to go way up.