Takeaways: Gophers pounded by top-ranked Ohio State 42-3

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, during his pregame radio interview before Saturday night’s game at No. 1 Ohio State, stressed the need for his team to be aggressive against the defending national champions.

From the start, Fleck took an aggressive approach, opting to receive the opening kickoff rather than deferring the choice to the second half, which the Gophers usually do. The move helped lead to an early 3-0 lead.

Problem is, an aggressive strategy doesn’t work well when the opponent is ripping off plays of 48, 31, 49 and 44 yards in the first half alone. Those big plays sent the Buckeyes to a 42-3 victory on Homecoming night in front of 105,114 at Ohio Stadium.

“I told our team that some nights you just get your butt kicked, and we got our butts kicked,” Fleck said. “Give credit where credit’s due: [Ohio State] dominated all three phases and the won the line of scrimmage.|

Carnell Tate caught seven passes for 163 yards in the first half alone, including a 48-yarder that got Ohio State going, a 49-yarder that led to their second touchdown and a 44-yarder that scored the Buckeyes’ third TD for a 21-3 halftime lead.

Julian Sayin completed 23 of 27 passes for 326 yards and three TDs for Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten). Jeremiah Smith caught seven passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

Ohio State outgained the Gophers 474-162.

Minnesota took a 3-0 lead on Brady Denaburg’s 27-yard field goal that capped a 13-play, 66-yard drive that ate 6:55 off the clock. Lindsey was 8-for-10 for 65 yards on the drive, with a 25-yard gain to tight end Jameson Geers to the Ohio State 29 and a 10-yarder to Jalen Smith to the 10. A 1-yard completion and two incomplete passes forced the Gophers to opt for the field goal.

The Gophers needed drives like those — preferably ending in touchdowns — to have a chance to upset the Buckeyes. Instead, Ohio State forced two three-and-outs and followed up with touchdowns for a 14-3 second-quarter lead.

“There were a ton of different looks [from Ohio State’s defense],” Lindsey said. “That’s why they’re very hard to score on. They’re giving you so many different fronts, so many different packages with players. It’s a challenge. We just have to keep getting better.”

With his team trailing by 11 points, Fleck made an aggressive call, going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 44. Taylor was stopped for no gain, and Ohio State immediately cashed that in for a 21-3 lead. Tate got behind cornerback Za’Quan Bryan, who bit on a play-action fake, and hauled in a 44-yard TD pass from Sayin. From there, the Buckeyes had the game in cruise control.

“It’s 14-3 and it’s a huge call in the game, but it’s the right call,” Fleck said. “Because if we punt it … they might go 90 [yards], and they showed that they could do that in five, six plays anyway. So, I had to give something to our football team."

“I told [the players], ‘You played a really good football team, and we’ve got to learn from this. We’ve got to grow, and we’ve got to move on,’ ” Fleck said.

Ohio State delivered the dagger in the first half on Sayin’s 44-yard TD pass to Tate.

Down 3-0 in the first quarter, Ohio State got a 48-yard connection from Sayin to Tate, who got behind the defense. Two plays later, C.J. Donaldson scored from the 1 for a 7-3 lead.

7-for-7, 65 yards The passing line for Gophers quarterback Drake Linsdey on his first seven passes. After that, Ohio State adjusted and held him to 8-for-19 for 29 yards.

Carnell Tate, Ohio State The junior wide receiver put his stamp on this game in the first half, catching seven passes for 163 yards in the first 30 minutes. He finished with nine receptions for 183 yards and a TD.

Gophers linebacker Maverick Baranowski left the game in the first quarter but quickly returned.

Gophers vs. Purdue, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Huntington Bank Stadium, BTN, 100.3-FM