Penn State News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/penn-state/ Minnesota sports, but different Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:19:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Penn State News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/penn-state/ 32 32 Gopher Football Recruiting Momentum Takes a Hit https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/2026-recruiting-pierce-petersohn-commits-penn-state/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 21:19:54 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=64310 The Minnesota Gophers football program has been on a recruiting heater this month, landing over a dozen commitments for the class of 2026, including some of the most talented high schoolers to ever verbally promise to put on a maroon and gold helmet.

Earlier this week, momentum on the 2026 recruiting trail reached fever pitch when (4-star 91 OVR) athlete out of Jackson County, MN, Roman Voss, chose his hometown Gophers over the Alabama Crimson Tide, marking the third straight year PJ Fleck has received a commitment from the No. 1 overall recruit in the state of Minnesota.

But the week wasn’t over for Fleck and the boys, following the Voss’ commitment on Monday. There was another composite 4-star (.8984) Minnesotan — 6’5″, 195 lb (ATH) Pierce Petersohn, out of Triton High School — set to make his college decision this week too.

Pierce Petersohn stiff arms hometown Minnesota Gophers

Recently, Petersohn narrowed his list down to the Golden Gophers and Penn State Nittany Lions. He also held offers from Duke, Iowa, Iowa State and Kansas State.

Unfortunately, after starting the week off hot, Wednesday’s homegrown 4-star announcement halted Minnesota’s momentum a bit, when the teenager stiff-armed his hometown University in favor of taking his talents to State College, PA.

Related: PJ Fleck, Minnesota Gophers Land No. 1 In-State Recruit (Again)

247Sports has Petersohn (ATH) — who stands at 6’5″, 195 lbs and played QB/FS at Triton — ranked as the 4th best high school football player in the state. Other recruiting sites like him even more. Of note, Penn State recruited the Dodge Center, MN product as a tight end.

Why Petersohn chose Penn State over Minnesota

And according to Andy Greder (Pioneer Press), that was a major factor in Pierce’s decision. In high school, Petersohn and the aforementioned Roman Voss both played quarterback for their respective smaller town schools. And it just so happens that both athletes project at the same offensive position in college, too.

In fact, the Minnesota Gophers also have another highly-rated tight end committed for 2026 — 6’5″, 220 lb 3-star, Gabe Weaver, out of the St. Louis area. Thus, Fleck & Co told Petersohn that, if he committed to the Gophers, come to campus as a OLB/EDGE defender first, and tight end second.

After promising Voss the tight end position, as part of his commitment earlier in the week, Petersohn didn’t want to give up on his tight end dreams, something you certainly cannot blame him for. Thus, he’s off to College Station.

]]> Wed, 25 Jun 2025 16:19:57 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football What We Learned About the Minnesota Gophers in Heartbreaking Loss vs Penn State https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-football-news/learned-near-upset-penn-state/ Sat, 23 Nov 2024 23:56:35 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=57584 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 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.

Related: Two Minnesota Gophers Seniors Accept Hula Bowl Invitations

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.

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.

Related: Former Gophers Head Coach Tim Brewster Finally Gets His 2nd Chance

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.

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.

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.

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.

Related: 2024 Minnesota Gophers Bowl Projections

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.

]]> Sat, 23 Nov 2024 18:15:11 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football News Minnesota Gophers Football Minnesota Gophers are HUGE Underdogs This Weekend https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-football-news/penn-state-underdogs-implications/ Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:30:00 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=57430 There was a time that the Minnesota Gophers were looking at their game vs the Penn State Nittany Lions as one that could launch them toward a chance at the College Football Playoff. Of course, that was before they were embarrassed by Rutgers last Saturday.

Instead, they need a win vs a top 5 team, just to have a chance at 8 regular season wins. James Franklin brings the Penn State Nittany Lions to Huntington Bank Stadium as the fourth-best team in the country. Their only loss, thus far, was by a seven points against Ohio State.

They will be the best team Minnesota has played against this season. Pulling an upset would change everything about their postseason dreams. What are the chances that happens? Not good, if you ask oddsmakers.

Can the Minnesota Gophers pull an upset against Penn State?

As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel has Minnesota at 12.5 point underdogs. Over at DraftKings, you get them at an even 12 points. If you peep the money lines, you’ll see DK likes the Gophers the most, ESPN Bet, the least (for now).

SportsbookSpreadMoneylineOver/Under
DraftKingsPSU -12PSU -44045
FanDuelPSU -12.5PSU -49045.5
ESPN BetPSU -12PSU -50044.5

Related: Minnesota Gophers are Music City Bound in New CFB Bowl Projections

Penn State QB Drew Allar has hardly been a superstar this season, but he is a legitimate draft prospect and he takes care of the football. The Gophers will need to keep the Nittany Lions’ junior — who has thrown for 2,253 yards, on 71.9% passing, for 16 TDs and 5 INTs — under wraps.

It’s hard to find fault with the early betting lines, given how terrible Fleck had his team prepared for a lackluster Scarlet Knights team. This is the Gophers’ toughest task of the season. But PJ calls these moments “opportunities”. This weekend, it’s an opportunity for Minnesota’s Top 20 defense to show it can slow down any offense and any QB in the country.

Gophers need a big day from the defense

Minnesota’s pass defense is ranked 17th in the nation, and they’re forcing two turnovers per game, good for 12th. If the Golden Gophers are going to have any chance at beating the No. 4 ranked team in the country, the defense will have to keep Allar in check, force a couple turnovers, and maybe even score themselves a touchdown or two.

  • 12th – Points Allowed (17.7)
  • 11th – Total Yards Allowed (296.4)
  • 17th – Pass Yards Allowed (176.6)
  • 35th – Rush Yards Allowed (119.8)
  • 12th – Turnovers Forced (2.0)

Related: Where Do Minnesota Gophers Rank in CFB Top 134?

The Minnesota Gophers beat Penn State at home, back in 2019. Those Nittany Lions were ranked fifth in the nation, at the time. This would be a win of a similar caliber, and definitely bolster Minnesota’s bowl projections heading into Rivalry Week @ Wisconsin. It’ll be cold, too. So bundle up.

]]> Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:05:41 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football News Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Complete 23-Point Comeback to Beat Penn State, Keep Tourney Hopes Alive https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-basketball/minnesota-gophers-23-point-comeback-penn-state/ Sat, 02 Mar 2024 22:48:32 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=48435 The Minnesota Gophers had a chance to plop themselves directly into NCAA Tournament conversations two games ago, when they were teetering on the bubble with two-straight quad-one game on the horizon @ Nebraska and @ Illinois.

They were blown out in Nebraska and bested by Illinois in Champaign, even though they played one of the best offensive games of their season. So when Penn State came to The Barn on Saturday, the Gophers needed a win just to keep any hopes of dancing later this month alive.

And it didn’t look good in the first half when the Nittany Lions led, at one point, by 23. The first 15 minutes of the first half was probably the worst stretch of basketball the Gophers have played all season. And that’s saying something for a team that has blown multiple 2nd half leads of 15 or more.

Hawkins, Christie and Fox lead Minnesota Gophers comeback

But Minnesota went on a 9-1 run to end the first half, cutting the Nittany Lions lead to 12 before halftime. And the Gopher surge continued in the 2nd half, where they outscored Penn State 45-28 and somehow found a way to victory in a game they had to have.

Elijah Hawkins led the comeback, scoring 18 points and assisting on 8 more baskets. He also grabbed the school record for assists in a season when he hit 208, a record that has at least three games to stretch out even further.

The Howard transfer continues to be the 2nd best thing that head coach Ben Johnson did this offseason, behind only Cam Christie, the true freshman who led Minnesota in scoring on Saturday, posting 19 points and adding a block and steal on defense.

If Ben Johnson is going to continue his ascend in year four of his program, he and Dinkytown Athletes have to find a way to keep that kid around next season. Parker Fox was a big part of the comeback too.

Related: Minnesota Gophers #1 Team in Nation Against the Spread and Oddsmakers are Dumbfounded

No matter how things are going, Fox is going to give you energy and focus off the bench and the Gophers needed that attitude in the first half of this contest. Minnesota was a much better team with Parker on the floor today. He was a +19, the only Gopher who was plus double digits on the day. Cam Christie was closest at +9.

Next up for the Gophers is on Wednesday, their regular season home finale vs (15-13) Indiana. If they want any chance at the NCAA Tournament, they need to beat the Hoosiers and follow that up with a win in Northwestern in the last game of the season. That would set them up for a nerve racking Selection Sunday, should they be able to snag one or two wins in the Big Ten Tournament next week at Target Center.

]]> Sun, 03 Mar 2024 05:55:28 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Basketball Golden Gophers Keep Tourney Hopes Alive with Win at Penn State https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-basketball/golden-gophers-men-win-at-penn-state-2024/ Sun, 28 Jan 2024 02:21:14 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=47174 The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team arrived at University Park this weekend desperately needing a win vs a middling-to bad Penn State team, after they blew a late lead at The Barn last week vs #15 Wisconsin.

Related: Elijah Hawkins Tweets “lol” Over No-Call that Cost Gophers vs Badgers

On Friday, Ben Johnson met with reporters and told them that he and his team remained optimistic about where their season was heading, that they were so close to being a good team, “it’s scary”. Well, their play at the end of the first half Saturday vs the Nittany Lions was legitimately terrifying too, which is why the Gophers entered the 2nd half down 14 points.

Minnesota Golden Gophers shine in 2nd half @ Penn State

A different team came out of the Bryce Jordan Arena locker room following the halftime intermission, though. And whatever “secret stuff” Ben Johnson had them drink kicked in immediately. Penn State scored the first two points out of the break, temporarily pushing their lead to 16.

Then, the Gophers rattled off 10 points in two minutes and cut the lead to six, before the home team needed a timeout. Cam Christie, Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell and Elijah Hawkins took the game over and never gave it back.

It was like they suddenly realized in the locker room, ‘hey, we three are better than just about everyone on their roster minus maybe one dude (Kanye Clark)’, who didn’t have a very good game. Once that happened, the Nittany Lions never really stood a chance.

Minnesota outscored Penn State by a whopping 23 points and struggled to even keep it close, late. In the end, the whistle blew with Ben Johnson’s squad up a rather comfortable nine points, 83-74. Reminder: the Gophers were down 16 points with slightly over 19 minutes remaining in this contest.

When the dust settled, Dawson Garcia led the way with 20 points and 4 rebounds; Cam Christie ended two rebounds away from a double-double with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists to boot.

PlayerFG3PTFTOREBDREBREBASTSTLBLKTOPFPTS
J. Ola-Joseph4-70-16-62350001114
D. Garcia7-131-25-52243003220
E. Hawkins2-32-32-2156510258
M. Mitchell Jr.4-70-12-30334003310
C. Christie7-111-54-51785201319
P. Fox4-50-03-41230040111
I. Ihnen0-10-00-0011100010
J. Wilson0-00-00-0011000000
B. Carrington0-40-20-0000000100
Total28-524-1423-26825331834121683
]]> Sat, 27 Jan 2024 20:23:15 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Basketball PJ Fleck Happy with Gophers’ Defense vs Penn State https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/pj-fleck-happy-with-minnesota-gophers-defense-vs-penn-state/ Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:44:21 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=40913 The Minnesota Gophers went to Happy Valley on Saturday where they were engulfed by Penn State’s 100,000+ annual “white out” crowd for 60 chaotic minutes of football. When the dust settled late, PJ Fleck’s squad limped back to the bus licking their 45-17 wounds and facing an uphill climb in the Big Ten West.

Complete system failure, right? Not really, said the University of Minnesota football coach on Monday morning. According to Fleck, the Gopher defense played great vs the Nittany Lions. He pointed to five explosive plays that wreaked havoc on the final score. (04:30 mark — Transcript Below)

“Defensively, we played really well. We gave up five explosive plays. But other than that, we played really well. That’s what’s hard over the last few weeks. You want to turn on the film and you want to be like ‘ugh, we busted this’; ‘ugh, we busted that’; ‘oh this was the wrong call or a bad call’… We just let up some explosive plays and we’re not built that way.” — PJ Fleck

What the numbers say

I appreciate PJ Fleck’s optimism and explosive plays did hurt the Minnesota Gophers over the weekend. But the defensive flaws went far beyond five explosive plays. Even after throwing an interception to Justin Walley on Penn State’s first drive, Sean Clifford completed 74% of his passes, threw for four touchdowns and collected a QB Rating of 129.7.

And not only did the Gopher defense struggle to keep Clifford off-balance all night, failing to create much pressure without blitzing; but when they did have opportunities to get off the field, they failed. The Nittany Lions went 5 of 11 on 3rd down, but 4 of 5 on 4th down.

That’s a failure to get off the field 9 of 11 times, when given opportunities. Add all of those defensive failures together, and that’s how you surrender 45 points to a good opponent.

Dylan Wright to Return vs Rutgers

There was some positive news during PJ Fleck’s presser on Monday. Dylan Wright, who did not travel with the team to Happy Valley because of disciplinary reasons, will play on Saturday vs Rutgers. When locked in, Wright is the best and most talented option remaining in the Minnesota passing game, and it’s not close.

Hopefully his time off can help him put everything together because the talent is clear for #16.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 24 Oct 2022 11:44:26 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Morgan, Bateman, Others Watching/Recounting Penn State Victory Will Give You Chills https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/morgan-bateman-others-watching-recounting-penn-state-victory-will-give-you-chills/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/morgan-bateman-others-watching-recounting-penn-state-victory-will-give-you-chills/#respond Fri, 27 Mar 2020 19:27:19 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=23030

via GIPHY

I don’t know if this makes our current situation void of sports, any better than what it is right now. There is a strong argument to be had, that this Emmy-deserving video actually makes our mandated-isolation even worse.

Sure, I like thinking back to the good old days, where 50,000 rabid fans storming, hugging each other and crowding TCF Bank Stadium field didn’t make me cringe and tap the hand sanitizer…. but it also makes me sad (and hand sanitizer is hard to come by nowadays, if you haven’t heard).

You can read my postgame blog from TCF Bank Stadium immediately after that game. It was the biggest Gopher football victory of my lifetime… the type of game that Gopher football has lost for my entire lifetime. But, this is a new age. PJ Fleck’s postgame press conference was fire, as always.

This video is part of a series Gopher Football is doing, where they have players watch, react, and recount big moments from last year’s historic season. Find a link to the others, and more videos for Gopher football fans, below.

All we can do now, is stay away from each other so we can get sports back before this epidemic bleeds into football season. Oh yeah, in case you aren’t a football fan, keeping distance will save lives too.

In case you need more Gopher football:

  • Rest of Gopher Football Moments series, HERE
  • PJ Fleck will make you feel better HERE.
  • Darren Wolfson interviewed Mark Coyle for Channel 5 HERE.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/morgan-bateman-others-watching-recounting-penn-state-victory-will-give-you-chills/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:25:29 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Win Another QUAD-1 Barn-Burner vs Penn State https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/uncategorized/gophers-win-another-quad-1-barn-burner-vs-penn-state/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/uncategorized/gophers-win-another-quad-1-barn-burner-vs-penn-state/#respond Thu, 16 Jan 2020 04:34:32 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=20699 [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.1″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.1″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.1″ hover_enabled=”0″]

It’s been nearly impossible to win games on the road this season in the Big Ten. That has proven true for the Gophers too, who have been almost unbeatable at home so far in 2019-20, losing only to DePaul. In total so far this year (as of right after this game ended) Big Ten home teams are 110-19…. which is almost impossible. One has to wonder how much of that has to do with how young these kids are now. The Big Ten has some crazy places to play and there is a lot of parody throughout this league.

Anyway, this was a fun one to watch. It started slow, just like the win vs Michigan but you could feel the Gopher momentum start to pickup by halftime, where they trailed by just 2. Everyone was hitting in the first half, on both sides of the floor…. except Gabe Kalscheur, who has really struggled all season long. The only thing uglier than Gabe’s shooting in that first half, was the Gopher defense, which allowed Penn State to shoot 60% from the floor with a total of ZERO turnovers. But again, the Gophers only trailed by two points, entering the half.

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Just like in the first half (and throughout much of the season), the Gophers started the 2nd half slow too. But, it quickly evolved into the Marcus Carr and Dan Oturu show, which — I don’t know about you — but is one of my favorites. Dan Oturu continues to surprise me as he gains confidence. Things got a little bit petty tonight (especially at the end in the handshake line), which I also like, and Oturu was talking shit and staring people down like he was a Senior who landed on campus with a bad attitude 4 years ago…. not the quiet Sophomore from Cretin-Derham Hall.

Dan would finish the game with another monster stat-line of 26 points and 14 rebounds, not to mention what he brings to this team on every single possession, on both sides of the floor. On offense, the defenders really struggle with all of the motion in Pitino’s offense and it’s because it’s really hard to run around all of those actions, while still keeping extra tabs on Dan. You are just one mistake away from an open 3-pointer or a Dan Oturu 1v1 down-low… which you DO NOT WANT.

Meanwhile, Marcus Carr is one of the most talented guards in the Big Ten and I said it on Twitter toward the end of this game… he might be the most talented guard to step foot on campus since Bobby Jackson left. The kid has a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do, but the talent is through the ceiling of the Barn. He just has that swag and that extra gear, when needed, that sets him apart from the others on the court. Marcus finished with an absurd boxscore too…. 27 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds.

That’s right after a game vs Michigan where he scored 21 and sprinkled 12 dimes while helping Dan Oturu will the Gophers to victory.

The Gophers would win another close one at home tonight too, vs a good team, 75-69.

If the wings could start to hit more regularly from the outside (especially Gabe Kalscheur, who was 0/7 from deep tonight after going 1/6 vs Michigan)… there is no telling the ceiling of this Gophers team, especially in a WIDE OPEN Big Ten. One thing is for sure though… if you keep on piling up quad-1 wins at home, you’re going to be dancing in March.

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/uncategorized/gophers-win-another-quad-1-barn-burner-vs-penn-state/feed/ 0 Wed, 15 Jan 2020 22:57:38 +0000 Uncategorized Gopher Fans Answer Call | Pack The Bank | Get Rewarded | Storm Field | Now Party https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-fans-answer-call-pack-the-bank-get-rewarded-storm-field-now-party/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-fans-answer-call-pack-the-bank-get-rewarded-storm-field-now-party/#respond Sun, 10 Nov 2019 00:12:19 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=19190

Student section brought their A+ game today! @GopherFootball #Gophers #RTB pic.twitter.com/wYylAe8Gbf

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 9, 2019 [/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.6″ hover_enabled=”0″]

Two weeks ago, I called upon the TCF Bank Stadium student section to change their best. I wasn’t mad. I was disappointed. I know how many kids on that campus love football and love the Gophers. Today, the student section along with all of Gopher Nation, showed the world why Minnesota is the greatest place on this entire fucking planet.

 

I have goosebumps typing this. My heart is so full, just thinking about the way fans showed up today.

 

I wasn’t the only one who called out the fan base I belong to, 2 weeks ago. Media all over the place got in on it and all of the “blue blood” bases around the country were sitting in their cornfields, calling out Gopher fans, while wishing they had a quarter of the entertainment options we do in the Twin Cities and around the state of Minnesota. For those opposing fans who are reading this, get your cousins’ panties out of your mouth because Gopher Nation didn’t show up because of you. They showed up for this football team, that is taking its highly infectious energy, and injecting it directly into the carotid artery of this entire state. The fans were there early, stood all game, and fucking rocked the place.

 

Again, I expected fans to show up… but I did not expect what PJ Fleck called “the best college football environment I have ever played in as a head coach.” It was absolutely intense inside of those brick walls.

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The Nittany Lions may have played in some hostile environments this season but they definitely struggled at times, to get plays in and out on offense over the TCF crowd. James Franklin could be seen multiple times absolutely losing his shit. The noise forced a delay of game on a huge 3rd and short, in the first half, and that’s when you knew the crowd was giving Penn State all they could handle.

The student section, especially deserves a ton of credit. They were the first ones there, the first ones to fill both the lower and upper bowls, and led the entire stadium all game. They were the heartbeat of the environment. They were intense for all 60 minutes.

I wrote about the victory already so I won’t touch on that here. This one is about the fans. The team rewarded their show out with a victory and fans celebrated with them after the game, with a field storm that was absolutely worthy of the biggest victory in over a half-century for one of the most historic football teams in the entire country.

Soak it in.

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Carter Coughlin lauded the fans after the game for changing their best, but he also reminded them that “changing your best” is something that’s reoccurring. That means being even better in a few weeks when the Gophers get back from a two-game road trip, where they will visit first Iowa and then Northwestern…

… but let’s be real. Showing up and changing your best to help defend The Axe vs Wisconsin, won’t be a problem. Especially given the Big Ten Championship and even CFP implications…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-fans-answer-call-pack-the-bank-get-rewarded-storm-field-now-party/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:26:41 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Take Down Penn State; Who Wants to Talk Schedules Now??? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-take-down-penn-state-who-wants-to-talk-schedules-now/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-take-down-penn-state-who-wants-to-talk-schedules-now/#respond Sat, 09 Nov 2019 20:34:13 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=19179 “Just wait. The Gophers haven’t played anybody.”

– everyone else before Saturday

The Gopher Football team entered Saturday’s game vs. Penn State as 6.5 point underdogs at home. It was clearly difficult even, for Gopher fans to envision a victory. That narrative was palpable for two weeks. It’s not surprising. This is Minnesota. We don’t get nice things here. History has proven that to us time and time again.

But, we are now living in PJ Fleck’s Minnesota… and PJ Fleck isn’t about a losing culture. Just days after signing a big contract extension, he and his Gophers were out to prove he’s already underpaid.

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Let’s take a moment to talk about Antoine Winfield Jr… This fucking guy almost left amidst the sexual assault scandal that rocked this University as PJ Fleck was rolling into town… After one more pick in the half, he is tied for the most INT’s in the NCAA with 7. That’s also a number good enough for a share of the team record for a season… with 3 games left to play before the postseason gets underway. I have no idea how we are going to hold this guy from the NFL for another year. That’s an absolute positive, though. The guy deserves everything that comes his way.

Gophers were showing up in every facet of this game. The defense had big time holds when they were needed, created turnovers, and held down an unbelievably good Penn State offense. Tanner Morgan and Rashad Bateman deserve their own paragraph though… holy shit, have a day. Those two continued to punch Penn State in the face all game long. Drive after drive after drive… they just kept coming. That connection is one that will be special while both are on campus. Bateman ended the day with 203 yards and a TD on 7 catches. He’s cementing himself as one of the best WR’s in the country. Tanner did most of his damage in the first half but he came up biggest in the season’s biggest game… which is not surprising if you hang around him and have watched him play all season. The kid is a fucking gamer. And the time/space he got in the pocket… might have been the best of the season… against BY FAR the best D-Line they have played. The 24 points the Gophers put up in the first half were the most Penn State had given up all year… for an entire game.

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The second half was a 30-minute butt-hole clencher. Penn State started their charge back right away, with a couple of scoring drives that got them within 5. Franklin tried to go for 2 late in the 3rd quarter, to pull it within a FG, but the Gophers stopped them in one of their many huge stops on the day. No defense is going to hold that much talent down all day but the Gopher defense held when they needed to… especially on the last drive of the game.

That’s what it came down to. The Gophers were the better team all game but it wasn’t going to come easy. Penn State drove all the way down the field and looked bound to score the go-ahead TD until they were flagged for offensive pass interference 5 yards from the end zone. That would lead to this game-ending interception.

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The Minnesota Gophers are for real and there won’t be anyone who says differently this week. PJ Fleck has saved this program and who the fuck knows where we are going next… all I know, is we are now 9-0 with just 3 games remaining, and a Big Ten Championship game that has our names written all over it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES

1. PJ Fleck

2. Carter Coughlin and Antoine Winfield Jr.

3. Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.6″ hover_enabled=”0″] [/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-take-down-penn-state-who-wants-to-talk-schedules-now/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:26:41 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football