Gophers rout Middle Tennessee State 34-3

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MINNEAPOLIS – Three games into the season, the University of Minnesota football program under the direction of P.J. Fleck continues to make some early season history.

With a 34-3 dismantling of Middle Tennessee State, the Gophers head into the much needed bye week with a perfect 3-0 record. The blowout win marks the first time since 1954 that a coach in their debut season for Minnesota started perfectly.

“I’m very proud of our players resolve tonight,” commented Coach Fleck. “It didn’t start exactly fast on offense in the first half; our defense created a lot of energy, purpose. They were flying around.”

There were a few glaring factors from Saturday afternoon’s game that really propel the Gophers to the win.

Offensive line improvement

It’s been a work in progress, but the Gophers’ offensive line appeared to finally found its presence up front. Despite that fact that the team’s starting center Jared Weyler did not dress due to being in a boot. In 13 drives that spanned 70 plays, the offensive line allowed just four plays that recorded a loss of yards. Even better, is that starting quarterback Conor Rhoda was sacked just one time.

The biggest improvement was the unit’s ability to quickly get to the second level in the running game. Prior to leaving the game with an undisclosed injury, running back Rodney Smith didn’t need much time to set the tempo for the run game. Averaging nearly seven (6.7) yards a carry, he carried the ball 16 times for 107 yards. In fact, with a 10-yard carry early in the game, he would go over 2,000 career yards.

He would never return to the lineup after halftime. With Shannon Brooks also held out despite being dressed due to a minor injury according to Fleck, the success of the Gophers’ offense relied on an unlikely source.

Runnin’ McCrary

After toting the ball just one time in the last two games, McCrary couldn’t be stopped. Carrying the ball 23 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior recorded his first 100-yard game of the season. It also marked the first time this season that the Gophers had a running back record three rushing touchdowns in consecutive games. Brooks recorded a trio of scores against Oregon State last week.

Toss your virtual ????s onto the TL, and tip them to Kobe McCrary.

That’s a hat trick for the @GopherFootball RB on his third TD of the day: pic.twitter.com/l3FvTCjXSF

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) September 16, 2017

With McCrary and Smith eclipsing the 100-yard mark, it marked the first time since 2016 that the Gophers had a pair of running backs each record 100 yards. The last time Minnesota had two 100-yard rushers was when Smith and Brooks rushed for over 100 yards against Penn State.

Dominating defense

The Gophers defense has simply been dominant in the first three games. Saturday against the Blue Raiders, it was a nearly perfect performance. There were rumblings that MTSU starting quarterback Brent Stockstill could be inactive due to an injury in the Raiders’ win over Syracuse the week before. With Stockstill out, the Gophers faced sophomore John Urzua.

They were able to set the tone early.

Aside from a 22-yard run from Richie James – a player highlighted in this week’s Scouting Focus that could be a factor – the offense simply couldn’t get into a rhythm. Despite not giving up a sack, the Gophers’ front four harassed the young quarterback all day. To make matters worse, after taking a hit from Duke McGhee to jar the ball loose, James appeared hobbled but managed to leave the field under his own power. He would not return. Fleck noted earlier in his presser that the defense provided the energy, which could also be in part to their defensive coordinator.

“Robb Smith is a phenomenal coordinator, phenomenal teacher,” commented Coach Fleck. “He’s very, very emotional and very passionate about his players and his people. That’s special.”

The Golden Gophers defense also managed to get in on the scoring with a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Jacob Huff to give Minnesota a 20-3 lead with 1:56 left in the first half.

Jacob Huff’s 67-yd interception return touchdown was the 10th longest in #Gophers program history. pic.twitter.com/NsrIV7X52o

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 17, 2017

Thomas Barber, who led the team in tackles with 9 total stops, also recorded an interception. For the game, the Gophers allowed 230 yards of total offense while forcing a pair of turnovers. The lone field goal was the lowest points allowed total at TCF Bank Stadium in program history. An even more impressive feat is that the Gophers have yet to allowed a second half point this season.

Limping into the bye week

While there were a few players that were already inactive, the Gophers couldn’t have better timing in terms of a bye week hitting the schedule. With key players missing due to injury at positions that are light in depth, Fleck noted that there is a chance that some redshirts could be pulled for players.

Luckily, The Gophers have a nearly two full weeks to recover and regroup before the Big Ten opener against Maryland.

Josh Zimmer is the Big Ten analyst for NGSC Sports.