1:32Gophers coach Tracy Claeys on Sunday continued to stress that the third quarter was the team's undoing in the loss at Penn State.
"You can go ahead and take everything out and analyze it all you want," Claeys said one day after a 29-26 overtime loss in Happy Valley. "But we lost the game in the third quarter by getting outscored 17 to nothing."
Every team in the Big Ten West has suffered a conference loss, except Nebraska, but Claeys wasn't ready to talk about the standings.
"It's one game. That's all I'm going to say: It's one game," he said. "We got eight left. We won't be too bad if we win the last eight. It's amazing how everybody thinks the first one is a must-win. Wow. We will be judged on more than one day, which I can live with. To judge us on one day -- I don't understand it. Let's let it play out before we go and throw everything out."
Claeys said he needed to meet with the medical staff before he would have any updates on injuries. Linebacker Cody Poock left the game with a right shoulder injury and didn't return. Safety Duke McGhee limped off toward the end of regulation. Their status for the Iowa game is uncertain.
"We have to get better as a team, and that means players and coaches and everybody," Claeys said. "But the one thing is, we didn't quit. We fought our tails off and on the road, first game of the year. So we'll learn from it, and we'll be better."
