Minnesota entered its matchup with Oregon having lost its first three road games of the season by an averaging of 30.0 points. It was much of the same story on Friday night with a 42-13 beatdown loss. Here’s what we learned.
After it took Oregon only nine plays and 4:13 to score a touchdown on the first drive of the game, Minnesota responded with one of the most baffling offensive drives you’ll ever see. After a false start on the first play, they went into wildcat formation, Darius Taylor pitched it to Drake Lindsey, who proceeded to complete a four-yard pass. They proceeded to fail a screen attempt, and then Lindsey was sacked for seven yards. It felt like it set the tone for the whole game.
Gophers’ opening drive sequence / Picture via: Statbroadcast
When Minnesota returned Koi Perich and Kerry Brown at the safety position, it seemed like they would lead one of the better secondaries in the Big Ten. But the Gophers had to replace Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson at the cornerback position, and it has not gone well. Oregon QB Dante Moore was 18 of 20 for 200 yards and one touchdown in the first half, and it looked like the Ducks’ offense could get whatever they wanted.
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Minnesota’s best offensive drive in the first half resulted in a 26-yard field goal from Brady Denaburg. P.J. Fleck opted to settle for three points on a 4th and eight with 2:25 left in the first half, and a 21-3 deficit. That decision exemplifies his strategy in these games perfectly. Anyone who watches this team and watches college football, knew the Gophers weren’t going to have many trips in the red zone. If they wanted to play to win this game, that was an opportunity to make things interesting with a touchdown. Fleck opted to make the scoreboard look better, rather than try to win a football game.
After suffering a 27-14 nonconference loss at California, Minnesota failed to score a single touchdown in back-to-back blowout losses at Ohio State and Iowa. The Gophers settled for two field goals in the second half, but Lindsey found Javon Tracy in the third quarter to break a streak of 10 straight quarters without a touchdown.
You don’t have to be a sports betting expert, but point spreads often provide context for games like we saw on Friday night in Eugene. With another blowout loss, the Gophers move to 2-7-1 against the spread this season, which is tied for the second-worst mark in all of FBS. Fleck might point towards Minnesota’s touchdown, but they were not competitive in this game, and they weren’t competitive against Iowa and Ohio State. The Gophers obviously face a lot of challenges in terms of remaining competitive against programs like the Buckeyes and Ducks, but they aren’t even close.
