Upon Further Review: Gophers vs. Indiana State
The Minnesota Gophers have traditionally been a better running than passing team, but they proved equally adept at both Saturday.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner passed for 295 yards and four touchdowns and the Gophers rushed for 292 yards as they defeated the Indiana State Sycamores 58-28 at TCF Bank Stadium.
Minnesota (2-0) was especially dominant offensively in the first half, taking a 38-7 lead behind three Leidner touchdown passes. Drew Wolitarsky caught eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns and Kobe McCrary rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
The Gophers were not perfect on offense, however. Minnesota dropped two passes and took three procedural penalties on its first drive alone, but Leidner made up for that with his success in the passing game.
A recap of Saturday's game:
-- You would not think the Gophers were on pace to score a TCF Bank Stadium-record 58 points given their first couple plays, which included two false starts and a dropped pass. But Leidner found Wolitarsky for a 21-yard gain on third-and-long and subsequently found him again for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Leidner was 4 of 7, passing for 72 yards on the drive.
-- Indiana State's only first-half points came late in the first quarter, in large part because of a tipped pass that receiver Clayton Smith caught for a 58-yard gain. Indiana State scored seven plays later on a Robert Tonyan touchdown reception.
-- The Sycamores subsequently tried an onside kick but botched it, leading to a Rodney Smith rushing touchdown four plays later. Indiana State struggled on special teams for much of the first half, allowing the Gophers to start several drives near or past midfield.
-- Minnesota cashed in on the field position, scoring 31 unanswered points to end the half, including 24 second-quarter points. Wolitarsky caught his second touchdown early in the second quarter, and freshman Tyler Johnson, a Minneapolis native, caught his first career score. Leidner finished the first half 15 of 22, passing for 232 yards -- statistics that could have been even better if not for four drops.
-- The defense clamped down after the Indiana State touchdown, keeping the Sycamores scoreless for the rest of the first half. Freshman Kamal Martin, a Burnsville native, combined with Jack Lynn on a third-down sack in the second quarter, and Damarius Travis recovered an Indiana State fumble in the quarter, the only turnover by either team on the day.
-- The Gophers continued their offensive success early in the third quarter, as Brian Smith gave them a 48-14 lead with a 22-yard touchdown reception. Minnesota's final touchdown came on a 50-yard run by McCrary in the fourth quarter.
-- Smith finished with 74 rushing yards on 17 carries, a 4.4 yards per carry average. The redshirt sophomore showed good quickness and an ability to break tackles, notably on a 15-yard run in the third quarter.
-- McCrary appeared to be more of a straight-ahead runner, often running into defenders instead of around them. His 176-yard outing came in just his second game for the Gophers, after transferring to Minnesota this offseason from Butler Community College. He accrued 93 of his yards on two rushes late in the fourth quarter, when Smith and the first-team offense were on the bench.
-- New kicker Emmit Carpenter was 3 for 3 on field-goal attempts, all of which came from at least 42 yards. He will need to work on his kickoffs, however, as three of his 10 went out of bounds. Ryan Santoso had one punt for 46 yards.
-- Minnesota's defense was not as strong in the second half, yielding three Indiana State touchdown passes. The first came on a reverse, as wide receiver Bob Pugh hit quarterback Isaac Harker for a 10-yard score. Harker then hit receiver Tonyan for two more touchdown passes. He finished the day 20 of 36 for 237 yards and three touchdown passes.
-- Curiously, the Gophers left their starters in the game until about 11:30 remained, a sign that depth could be an issue for this year's team. Top tight end Brandon Lingen appeared to injury his shoulder in the third quarter. The Wayzata native had already been nursing a shoulder injury that kept him out for the opener vs. Oregon State.
-- Head coach Tracy Claeys improved to 4-4 since taking over head coaching duties eight games into last year.
-- Minnesota's 58 points was the team's most since a 2006 win over Indiana during which it scored 63. Its 31 first downs were its most since 2004.
-- The Gophers were 5 for 5 in the red zone Saturday after going 4 for 4 vs. Oregon State. The team has scored a touchdown in all nine of its red-zone trips this year.
-- Mitch Leidner finished with a quarterback rating of 193.3 on 20-of-30 passing. His four touchdown passes matched a career high.
-- Freshman linebacker Carter Coughlin, an Eden Prairie native, made his college debut in the second quarter and finished the game with one tackle.
Minnesota demonstrated an ability to move the ball successfully through the air, something it has not always been able to do. That could bode well for the team during Big Ten play, as opposing defenses potentially focus on Smith, McCrary and injured running back Shannon Brooks.
Leidner. The redshirt senior quarterback was 3 for 3 passing on third down on the Gophers' first drive and continued his strong passing throughout three-plus quarters, sitting most of the fourth quarter.
Lynn, a senior linebacker, finished with a team-high nine tackles. He is part of a strong Gophers linebacking corps that includes senior Cody Poock, Martin, Couglhin and Jonathan Celestin, among others.
Indiana State tried an onside kick after scoring a touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter, but it backfired. The attempt went just three yards, and Minnesota drove 38 yards for its first of four straight touchdowns.
593 -- Net yards for Minnesota, its most since finishing with 573 at Indiana in 2013.
"I think it's pretty big for us offensively because we had a bad taste in our mouth after last week. You know we just felt like we could have done some things better, and to come out this week and practice and prepare extremely hard, I thought was huge and it really carried over into the game." -- Leidner
"No doubt I am ready. I have been working this whole offseason to be this guy. I can't say it was easy, but you know, here I am, and I'm ready." -- Wolitarsky on being the No. 1 receiver
"When I came I knew Rodney (Smith) and Shannon (Brooks), they played very good, so I just came. I feel like I can bring some depth with all three of us . . . the three-headed monster." -- McCrary
Minnesota has a bye next Saturday and will face Colorado State on Sept. 24 at TCF Bank Stadium. Game time has not yet been announced.
