What We Learned About the Minnesota Gophers in Heartbreaking Loss vs Penn State

By Ted Schwerzler |

Updated: Nov 23, 2024

It should’ve been a game between ranked teams. The Minnesota Gophers thwarted that opportunity when they dropped their week 12 matchup against Rutgers, two Saturdays ago. Still, the Penn State Nittany Lions came to Dinkytown as the #4 ranked team in the nation, giving PJ Fleck & Co a prime bounceback opportunity.

The pregame flyover and paratrooper drop in was fitting for the moment. The student section showed out (though no one else did), and the stage was set. Penn State lost last time they were at Huntington Bank Stadium, and Minnesota was looking for some 2019 deja vu this afternoon. Those who tuned in were treated to a good one, too.

Minnesota Gophers offense returned to form early

There isn’t a way for the Minnesota Gophers to have played a better first quarter than they did. Despite Penn State coming in with the national backing an being big favorites, it was P.J. Fleck’s team that looked like the juggernaut. Corey Hetherman’s defense forced Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions into a pair of punts on their first two possessions.

Darius Taylor with some TOUGH running for @gopherfootball. pic.twitter.com/jGeloKeANa
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024

Darius Taylor set the tone with a dominant run on the first Minnesota possession. Max Brosmer had to work around a pair of drops, but Marcus Major capped off the opening drive with a 20-yard touchdown run. The Gophers stopped Penn State on 4th down during their third drive of the game and turned the opportunity into three points.

Ten points was never going to wing the football game on Saturday, but it was an impressive start against the most difficult opponent Minnesota has seen all year. In total, the Golden Gophers outgained the Nittany Lions 97 yards to 34 yards in the first quarter, including a touchdown.

Gophers were able to weather the Penn State storm

James Franklin’s team is 4th in the country because they are very good. Allar was far from perfect, but after an underwhelming 1st quarter, he found his footing, throwing two touchdowns, to go with his 159 yards through the air, on 14-of-18 passing.

A lot of those yards came on one broken-coverage Penn State touchdown that suddenly halted all of Minnesota’s momentum. The Nittany Lions were down at the break because of Minnesota’s resolve… and some impressive special teams plays? That’s right.

Punter Mark Crawford pinned Penn State back and the Gophers blocked a punt to set up a gorgeous Max Brosmer to Jameson Geers touchdown. Minnesota also blocked an extra point right before halftime that changed the outlook of the game, entering halftime.

SOME MINNESOTA MAGIC! pic.twitter.com/awgGlRhdRS
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 23, 2024

TWO POINTS THE OTHER WAY!! pic.twitter.com/eZKC0VdZOx
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024

At the break, Minnesota owned an 84-10 rushing advantage, which has not been their strength in 2024. Allar had a solid showing in the box score, but you’d be hard-pressed to see what he did well between the lines.

Minnesota came out of half and grabbed an early field goal. 11 minutes in Penn State took their first lead of the game. Down just one heading to the final quarter though, they remained in striking distance.

When facing a tough opponent you can’t allow mistakes to compound, and you can’t get down when things go awry. Fleck did a great job of keeping his team engaged and that paid dividends on multiple occasions.

Unforced errors create an uphill battle for Minnesota

A five-play, 57-yard drive, allowed the Nittany Lions to take a 23-22 lead with just minutes left in the third quarter. Minnesota’s stout early defense looked to be nowhere in sight, and Penn State made the drive look entirely too easy.

Down by just a single point, Minnesota had their turn to answer. Unfortunate quarterback Max Brosmer simply dropped the football after a fake handoff and gave it away on the Gophers 41 yard line.

A fumble to start the 4th quarter and Penn State has it! pic.twitter.com/H3PMkDZV3C
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024

The turnover was Brosmer’s second of the day. Both times appeared to be mental lapses. The interception he threw earlier in the game was a byproduct of pressure and cause him to get jumpy in the pocket. He tried to force a throw and put it behind the intended target. Similarly to that drive, Penn State capped off the good fortune with another field goal.

Fleck needed his quarterback to pick himself back up, and he answered with a 23-yard strike to Daniel Jackson. The senior took a huge hit and held on. Elijah Spencer picked up another 23-yards on a pass from Brosmer and the Gophers found themselves just eight yards shy of retaking the lead.

Penn State made a shoestring tackle on the play and that was enough to keep Minnesota out of the end zone. Another Kesich field goal was all Minnesota got and they had just under six minutes to make up the one-point deficit.

WHAT A CALL!
Penn State fakes it and picks up the first down. pic.twitter.com/n2t8kHrG4T
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024

Minnesota needed a stop to get the ball back. The defense show up with a second down tackle for loss and held strong to bring up 4th and 1. Unfortunately they weren’t prepared for the fake punt and the Nittany Lions ripped off a 32-yard gain. It was the spot they wanted, and the execution they couldn’t have.

A game of inches does Gophers in

That shoelace tackle on Spencer kept Minnesota out of the end zone. Then a pair of 4th and 1 conversions by Penn State put the nail in the coffin. With only one timeout left after the two minute warning, there wasn’t a miracle coming in Dinkytown on Saturday.

Fleck will be second-guessed in deciding to kick the field goal from the eight yard line. It was a defensible decision, but it required the defense to get a stop they had not proven consistently capable of during the second half. It’s a tough way to lose a game, and a spot where Minnesota played for an opportunity rather than a the desire to win.

The head coach could have put his team in a better position late as well. Marcus Major rushed for a loss of one on first and goal before the playcall was a Brosmer pass to…Aireontae Ersery…yes. It was basically a waste of the first two downs.

Clutch. @pennstatefb goes for it on 4th down again and picks it up again. pic.twitter.com/zu9jQMBWaR
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024

I still cannot believe Fleck signed off on a throwback pass to his left tackle on second and goal from the 8 with a chance to upset Penn State within grasp. There is no justifying that call.
— Chip Scoggins (@chipscoggins) November 23, 2024

Penn State was always going to be a formidable opponent. There wasn’t a great reason to let them dictate how the final few minutes of the game was going to go. Had the Gophers executed on fourth down, they would have had one of the best team’s in the nation down by three in the final minutes on the road.

Minnesota will look to close out their regular season with a win against Wisconsin next weekend on the road. From there, it becomes bowl season.