The pregame story for the Minnesota Gophers on Saturday was the return of star running back, Darius Taylor . After dropping their season opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels, P.J. Fleck needed his team in the win column. To his delight, all of his stars showed up in a 48-0 route over the Rhode Island Rams.
Max Brosmer impressive for Minnesota Gophers
Last Thursday, it took some time for Gophers new quarterback, Max Brosmer, to find a rhythm, in his FBS debut. As he grew more comfortable, P.J. Fleck started to open up the playbook. In the 4th quarter vs UNC, Brosmer gave us a glimpse of what he has to offer. But it was too late, and Minnesota fell in a 19-17 heartbreaker.
On Saturday, there was no slow start to be had for the 5th year grad transfer. In just his second time under center for the Gophers, Brosmer looked like a star. Through three quarters, Brosmer led his team to a 31-0 lead. When it was over, Max completed 24-of-30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns.
At least three of those incompletions were drops, at least one egregious one that would’ve been another TD. Max Brosmer’s first touchdown, as a Gopher, came on a great route concept, where he hit Penn State transfer Cristian Driver (yes, the son of Packers great Donald Driver ) in the flat, for an easy pitch-and-catch score.
It was his touchown pass to Le’Meke Brockington (below) that really opened eyes, though. On 2nd-and-12, from just inside the Rams 30-yard-line, Brosmer dropped an absolute dime down the right sideline, perfectly into the breadbasket of No. 0. Like he could have been running with his eyes closed and still caught it.
Brosmer faced this Rhode Island team a year ago, as the QB at New Hampshire, and threw for more than 400 yards, in a game that went into overtime. Now, with better athletes around him, the Rams didn’t stand a chance.
The Minnesota Gophers offensive line still left plenty to be desired, this afternoon. It didn’t matter, though. By the 4th quarter, freshman QB Drake Lindsey took over . He threw a TD in his debut, too.
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Minnesota Gophers are different with Darius Taylor
Many expected Gophers running back Darius Taylor to remain sidelined until the Iowa game. He was ready to go weeks early and returned to the backfield for an impressive showing on Saturday. Taylor carried the rock 14 times for 64 yards and ripped off a long of 17 yards. He looked explosive, and his ability to keep the defense honest was impressive.
Taylor’s last appearance for Minnesota was the 200-yard performance against Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. He was going to be on something of a touch count Saturday, and the score never being in doubt helped that. Taylor rotated with Marcus Major through three quarters before getting a rest over the final 15 minutes.
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Fleck had a few plays where new teammates Taylor and Brosmer were able to connect as well. The 48 yards through the air gave the returning star over 100 totals yards from scrimmage on the day.
Defense shines for Minnesota Gophers
When you play an FCS opponent you expect to put up a strong result. That was the case for the Gophers as P.J. Fleck improved to 3-0 in such contests. What the “strong result” looks like can have varying degrees of outcomes, but Minnesota was impressive in all facets on Saturday. The defense consistently swarmed Virginia Tech transfer Devin Farrell.
Although Minnesota got home just once for a sack, Cory Hetherman’s group was stingy. The Gophers turned Farrell over twice, including freshman phenom Koi Perich recording his first collegiate interception.
It wasn’t just Farrell though, who went an awful 6-for-18 . Hunter Helms replaced him under center and Jack Henderson welcomed him with a 25-yard-pick six. Minnesota’s defense held Rhode Island to just 18 totals yards on 13 rushing attempts.
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They passed for 117 through the air. The Gophers defense looked stout against the Tar Heels in Week 1 giving up just 19 points. Saturday’s effort was another level entirely.
Next up, Minnesota will host Nevada . That will represent Brosmer’s final non-conference tune-up, before Iowa strolls into Huntington Bank Stadium. A win would make them 2-1, in their non-conference schedule, before they resume Big Ten play.
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