The Gophers were underdogs the last time Tracy Claeys took over for Jerry Kill. A look back at the first four games after Claeys became acting head coach in 2013:
Oct. 19 at Northwestern
Line: Northwestern by 12½
Final: Gophers 20, Wildcats 17
Note: Minnesota won the turnover battle 3-0, and James Manuel's interception return was the difference.
Oct. 26 vs. Nebraska
Line: Nebraska by 10
Final: Gophers 34, Cornhuskers 23
Notable: Minnesota won the turnover battle 2-0 and outgained Nebraska 430-328.
Nov. 2 at Indiana
Line: Indiana by 9
Final: Gophers 42, Hoosiers 39
Notable: Indiana drove late to the Minnesota 9-yard line but fumbled on a backward pass, recovered by Aaron Hill.
Nov. 9 vs. Penn State
Line: Gophers by 2-1/2
Final: Gophers 24, Penn State 10
Notable: All the scoring was done by halftime, as the Gophers defense held Christian Hackenberg to 163 yards passing.
JOE CHRISTENSEN
The Gophers played with more urgency, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from another conference sweep, and they lost LJ Mooney to injury in the process.
