Run the North | Golden Gophers football

[Captain Canada]

Yeah y'all got this. Let's set the tone for this season.

[ShireNiner]

Bubba Mack ain't walking thru the door

New sliders you gave me almost got me.

Bubba Mack ain't walking thru the door

indeed
easy dub

It should have been easy..

Yall gotta have this one

We got it. Not pretty though.

[ShireNiner]

Yeah y'all got this. Let's set the tone for this season.

The season might be impacted...but maybe not in a good way depending on the injury update we will get later.

[ShireNiner]

Minnesota defense shuts down the Cardinal, 31-19


After losing Brand, the defense stepped up to get the win in week 1(ShireNiner PS5 images)

Stanford Cardinal (0-1, 0-0 ACC) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten, CFP No. 9)
Week 1, Saturday, Sept 2, 2027

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STAN | 3 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 19
#7 MINN | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31

By: Bill Connelly | September 2, 2027
Writer, CFB/Soccer

MINNAPOLIS — For the first half of Saturday, Minnesota looked like the offense we have been hearing about all summer. Quarter AJ Brand (172 yards) was spreading the ball around and showing off the new spread attack.

Freshman Connor Malik had 6 catches for 85 yards, and the running back group of Fame Ijeboi, Xavier Washington, and Jordan Clemons combined for over 100 yards in the half and two rushing touchdowns.

Then AJ Brand made the play of the game. Facing a 4th and 5 from the 29-yard line. Minnesota elected to go for it instead of attempting the long field goal with 1:34 left in the first half and leading 14-6. Brand scrambled to his left, taking the sideline 29 yards for a collision at the goal line.

Brand ended up scoring, but also the guy on the play. Unable to finish the game, Minnesota's offense stuttered with Dylan Wittke suddenly thrown into action. It was time for the defense to step up, and they answered the bell over and over.

Twice, Minnesota fumbled in its own territory, and the defense held Stanford to a field goal. Then in the third quarter, Jaxon Howard put a hit on Sidney Miles, forcing a high throw that linebacker Ethen Stendal intercepted.

On the next play, his first college run, freshman LiAngelo Provo went 14 yards untouched for a touchdown.
“That sequence ended the game.” Mick Smith said after. “The defense had all the momentum, and I knew that was the game when we went up three scores.”

Emmanuel Karmo, last year's leader in sacks, left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. The injuries forced Smith to be conservative, pulling the rest of his key players. Stanford added a late touchdown but never came within two scores in the end.

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Scoring Summary
1st quarter
Fame Ijeboi, 2 yd run, 8:30
Jameson Worthington, 44 yd FG. 6:06

2nd quarter
Jordon Clemons, 36 yd run, 5:07
Jameson Worthington, 35 yd FG. 4:44
AJ Brand, 29 yd run, 1:29
Jameson Worthington, 40 yd FG. 0:00

3rd quarter
LiAngelo Provo 14 yd run, 4:01

4th quarter
Jameson Worthington, 20 yd FG. 11:46
Jerry McClure 3 yd pass from Sydney Miles, 5:36
Manual Valles 39 yd FG, 2:00

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Soapys' Box Score
Passing
AJ Brand, SO, QB - 16/27, 59%, 172 yds, 1 INT, 49 rush yards, 1 rush TD
Dylan Wittke, SR, QB - 4/6, 66%, 38 yds, 1 fumble
Sidney Miles, FR, QB - 24/42, 57%, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing
Fame Ijeboi, JR, RB - 12 atts, 65 yds, 5.4 avg, 1 TD
LiAngelo Provo, FR, RB - 9 atts, 49 yds, 5.4 avg, 1 TD
Chris Davis JR, SR, RB - 11 atts, 55 yds, 5.0 avg

Receiving
Connor Malik, FR, WR - 6 rec, 84 yds
Mac Markway, SR, TE - 4 rec, 45 yds
Ezekiel Avit, JR, WR - 7 rec, 112 yds
Gabriel Simpkins, SR, TE - 6 rec, 58 yds

Defense
Mitch Horan, SO, MIKE - 11 tkls, 1 TFL
Ethan Stendel, SO, SAM - 10 tkls, 1 TFL, 1 INT
Jaxon Howard, SR, REDG - 3 tkls, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Zach Johnson, SR, MIKE - 15 tkls
Tre Williams, SR, SAM - 13 tlks, 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks
Jaylen’Dai Sumlin, SR, FS - 7 tkls, 1 INT

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Bill Connelly is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering post-game news for College Football and Premier League Soccer. He previously worked at ESPN covering College Football, Tennis, and Soccer.

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Comments

[redsox907]

Solid win, but concerning injuries. If Brand is down and Wittke has to carry the load, big trouble in Minny

how'd you like the new sliders?

[ShireNiner]

All hype, no play. Buckeyes lose week 1 against Bowling Green in a year they are title favorites (ShireNiner PS5 images)

Forde Minutes Of Big Ten: Week 1

By: Pat Forde | Sept 4, 2027
Big Ten Senior Writer

Welcome to Week 1 of the 2027 season, a weekend that proved money can buy you a 100,000-seat stadium, a roster of five-star mercenaries, and a private jet for your mascot—but it still can’t buy a win against a bunch of guys from the MAC who spent their summer working out in their parents' garage.

If you heard a loud, collective shattering sound on Saturday evening, it was the ego of every Ohio State fan on the planet. The No. 1-ranked Buckeyes, owners of a roster that costs more to maintain than the entire MAC conference, were upended by Bowling Green, 32-31.

Ryan Day’s group outgained the Falcons by a country mile (451 yards), and freshman sensation George Parker (122 yards) looked every bit the superstar we expected. But while the Buckeyes were busy admiring their own stats, Isiah Marshall and the Falcons were busy scoring 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. It was a classic MAC-tion ambush. For a team with "National Championship or Bust" etched into their helmets, losing to a team that most casual fans have never heard of is downright embarrassing.

While the Buckeyes were busy imploding, Iowa was engaged in its own special brand of torture. The Hawkeyes needed 10 points in the final quarter to escape Ball State with a 24-23 victory.

While the narrow win is nothing new to Iowa fans in the early season, the way they won is shocking. Quarterback Ryan Browne threw for 280 yards and two scores, while not one of Iowa's four running backs had over 50 yards in the game. Browne threw two interceptions that will have Iowa fans screaming to RTDB, but credit to the new staff for trying to bring Iowa to the modern game of football.

In Ann Arbor, the Sarkisian era is officially humming. Bryce Underwood (266 pass yards, 3 total TDs) looked like the best player in the conference, not named Dakorien Moore. Buffalo put up a fight behind Bryce Baker’s 378 yards, but the Wolverines had too much firepower.




In a move that still feels like a fever dream, Dan Lanning stood on the sidelines for Notre Dame and beat Purdue 34-26. It was a professional, if not flashy, win. Notre Dame and Lanning have higher goals than beating mediocre Big Ten teams this season but it was a good showing by the Boilermakers to stay close.

Bear Bachmeier might be the real deal in South Cal. Replacing a legend like Jayden Maiava is no easy feat, but four touchdowns and 278 yards against UNLV is a hell of a way to start. USC is 1-0 and currently looks like a team ready to repeat.

The Wisconsin Badgers are currently under investigation for impersonating a football team. A 40-3 loss to Pitt? In which you fail to record 200 yards of total offense? Jason Candle’s seat isn't just warm; it’s currently being heated by the fires of a thousand angry cheeseheads. After a lucky Week 0 win, the Badgers have officially regressed to the mean, and the mean is "unwatchable."

Other Notes:

Maryland is in the Top 25 after a 21-point fourth-quarter explosion against Washington. The Terps might actually be... good?

Michigan State has officially checked out of the Top 25 after a 17-10 snoozefest loss to Kansas.

Indiana lost a 51-49 overtime thriller to Virginia. Carter Smith threw for 300 yards, but his two interceptions were the difference. In Bloomington, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

What did you think of this story?

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Pat Forde is a senior writer for ShireNiner Network who covers Big Ten Football. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN, and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal.

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Comments

[ShireNiner]

Solid win, but concerning injuries. If Brand is down and Wittke has to carry the load, big trouble in Minny

how'd you like the new sliders?

I liked them. In my first two seasons, I think I had one fumble. There were two in this game. I also do not think I had many injuries previously; this game guys were leaving the game often. Nothing serious, but enough that they had to sit out a bit.

Stanford's offense was pretty easy, the real test will be coming in the next few weeks.

[Soapy]

i thought yall were cooked last year but you turned it around

you'll find your stride

[ShireNiner]

i thought yall were cooked last year but you turned it around

you'll find your stride

New sliders this year though, we will see how the challenge turns out.

[ShireNiner]

Gophers look to get one back on Aggies after loss two seasons ago (ShireNiner PS5 images.)


Week 2 Preview: No. 7 Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) at Texas A&M Aggies (0-1, 0-0 SEC)

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler | September 3, 2027
Minnesota Golden Gopher Reporter

When: Saturday, September 11, 2027
Time: 3:30 pm EST
Broadcast:
Where: Ryan Field


College Station— Almost two seasons ago to the date, Minnesota went to Ryan Field looking to start 3-0 under Mick Smith, but instead were met with the physical attack of the Texas A&M defense. Minnesota ended up leaving College Station with a loss, an injured quarterback, and a rude awakening to how far away they were from competing at the top.

This season, the Gophers go back to Ryan Field as the top ten team, facing an Aggies side that was embarrassed by North Texas in week one.

Minnesota received good news this week: quarterback AJ Brand has been cleared to play, but on the other side of the ball, pass rusher Emmanuel Karmo will be limited in action. Brand had the offense clicking in the first half last week before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Minnesota will look to Brand again to get the offense rolling against a Texas A&M side that gave up 386 passing yards to North Texas a week ago.

On defense, Minnesota will have to contain Michael Hawkins Jr. The Oklahoma transfer was 23/34 last week with 306 yards of total offense and two scores. Girard Pringle Jr, out of the backfield, had 109 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

"The loss in week one does not change our focus. Not only do we know how good they are, we know how tough that stadium is. It's a top ten stadium in the country to play in." Gophers coach Mick Smith said of the game. "That loss, if anything, will motivate them to play harder in this one. We need to be mistake-free and have perfect execution."

What did you think of this story?

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Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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