GOPHERS REPLAY
Gophers 34, Rutgers 32
The recap: Minnesota led 21-3 after the first quarter, but Rutgers rallied behind Gio Rescigno (220 passing yards) and Justin Goodwin (179 all-purpose yards). Minnesota needed a 28-yard field goal from Emmit Carpenter with six seconds remaining to avoid a devastating loss.
What was learned: Rodney Smith can do it all. He had a 34-yard pass reception. He had 22 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown, spinning away from countless tackles. And right after Mitch Leidner threw a pick-six, Smith delivered a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
• Leidner returned from his concussion and completed his first seven passes for 136 yards. But after that, Leidner went just 4-for-11 for 20 yards. With the Gophers relying heavily on the run, he fell out of rhythm and missed several throws.
• The Gophers receivers had trouble getting open after the first quarter, especially with Rutgers giving Drew Wolitarsky double coverage. He still finished with five catches for 50 yards, but it wasn't a great day overall for the receivers, with some dropped passes.
• The clock showed just eight seconds remaining as the Gophers readied to line up Carpenter's winning kick. On the previous play, right guard Vincent Calhoun got hurt, and the officials called an injury timeout. The rule calls for up to a 10-second runoff in that situation, with a late-game injury that halts play. The rule is designed to keep teams from feigning injury to stop the clock. Coach Tracy Claeys was smart to save his final timeout. If he hadn't, the 10-second runoff would have used the remaining time, and it would have been game over.
UP NEXT: at Illinois
11 a.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium
TV: BTN. Radio: 100.3-FM
Records: Gophers 5-2, 2-2 Big Ten; Illinois 2-5, 1-3
The skinny: Illinois lost starting quarterback Wes Lunt to an unspecified injury in its 34-31 overtime loss to Purdue three weeks ago. Backup Chayce Crouch led the Illini to a 24-7 win over Rutgers the next week, but both he and Lunt were out with injuries Saturday against Michigan. Illinois turned to third stringer Jeff George Jr., the son of former Vikings quarterback Jeff George. The son went 0-for-7 in the first half, as Michigan rolled to a 31-0 lead in an eventual 41-8 win. Illinois also lost running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn to an unspecified injury in that game.
JOE CHRISTENSEN
