Golden effort goes for naught

Saturday night was meant to be a festive occasion for the Gophers football team and its fans.

It was a prime-time, nationally televised game against a top-10 opponent with all the trappings. Members of Minnesota's 1967 Big Ten championship team returned for a reunion and were honored. Also on hand were 10 high school recruits, including a handful of blue-chippers whom the Gophers really covet (See: Floyd, Michael). The Gophers even broke out snazzy all-gold uniforms for the first time.

It was all good, except for one tiny detail.

The eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes went and spoiled the party.

On a weekend of huge upsets in college football, the Gophers gave a valiant effort, especially on defense, but Ohio State used its talent advantage to post a ho-hum 30-7 victory before an announced crowd of 51,611 at the Metrodome.

A nip-and-tuck first half changed dramatically after a critical turnover by Minnesota and a home run play by Ohio State in the final minutes before halftime and left the Gophers wondering, What if?

"This one hurts just a little bit more than some of the other ones because I really felt like we were in this game to win it," Gophers coach Tim Brewster said. "We went toe-to-toe with the eighth-ranked team in the country. I told our kids in the locker room, 'Hey, feel proud of your effort.' "

Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) extended its regular-season winning streak to 23 games, a school record. The Gophers (1-4, 0-2) lost their third consecutive game and are off to their worst start since 2001.

Even so, the Gophers felt encouraged by their performance against one of college football's most talented teams.

"We're making progress," freshman quarterback Adam Weber said. "You hate to say there's moral victories. But if you look at the season as a whole, I think we're doing pretty well and it's coming along. But it's hard to find anything good when you lose."

Here's something: The Gophers played their best game defensively by far, even if Ohio State finished with 459 total yards and 24 first downs.

The Buckeyes are nowhere near as dangerous offensively as they were last season, when they had a collection of stars, including Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. It doesn't matter.

Ohio State's defense is in a completely different league than most teams. The Buckeyes are fast and physical and rarely miss tackles.

Ohio State held the Gophers to 78 yards -- including minus-2 rushing yards on 13 carries -- and five first downs in the second half. The Buckeyes were so relentless on defense that they held Minnesota out of the end zone after Chris Wells fumbled at his own 7 late in the fourth quarter.

"They were everything I expected," said Gophers freshman tailback Duane Bennett, who rushed for 34 yards on 16 carries in his first career start. "They were hard-nosed, fast, hungry for the ball. They gang-tackle really well."

Once again, turnovers cost the Gophers and helped Ohio State take a 20-7 halftime lead.

Trailing 14-7, the Gophers moved into scoring range late in the half and had Ohio State's defense on the run. But Weber threw behind Eric Decker near the goal line, and Malcolm Jenkins intercepted it. It was Weber's ninth interception of the season.

"It was open," Weber said. "There was a touchdown there. It could have changed the game. Who knows what could have happened?"

Instead, things became worse. On the ensuing possession, the Buckeyes faced a third-and-6 from their own 6. But Wells broke free over the left side and ran 27 yards. Gophers cornerback Jamal Harris was called for a late hit, moving the ball to the OSU 48.

On the next play, Ohio State's Todd Boeckman launched a pass toward the end zone and Brian Robiskie made a sensational, leaping 52-yard touchdown catch over Harris, who was stumbling.

Ohio State went 98 yards on four plays in 57 seconds, changing the momentum and the game.

Brewster called it a "deflating" sequence, but he said his players handled their emotions well.

"We really have been a good second-half team so there was no panic," he said. "We felt good about where we were at. We felt like we would go win the game in the second half."

But unlike their previous opponents, Ohio State is too good to blow a comfortable lead. The Buckeyes simply tightened the screws defensively and kept the Gophers at a safe distance.

"All in all, we did what we had to do to get a Big Ten road win," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.

And spoiled the Gophers' party in the process.

Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com