Tearz49ers Presents: The North Remembers

[Captain Canada]

Proper challenge, but I like you run game being leaned on in the rain. Would feel much better if you weren't on the road.

[redsox907]

the Huskies got some speed demons on that roster, hopefully the rain slows them down and you can keep up

[YaBoyRobRoy]

Sheesh that rushing attack went crazy. Hope you can keep it going and pull off the upset

[Baze]

I will say UW’s linebackers are a far strong unit than their cornerbacks. You’ll likely see greater success in the passing game than running if you win this one. Good luck!

[Tearz49ers]

Proper challenge, but I like you run game being leaned on in the rain. Would feel much better if you weren't on the road.

Going on the road is always tough, even more so when realistically we are not playing that well on offense. As always, we will look to Taylor to open up our passing game.

the Huskies got some speed demons on that roster, hopefully the rain slows them down and you can keep up

The speed they have scares me, my defense will have to play well not allow anything deep or in behind, but as always they will make plays we just have to be ready more than we are not!

Sheesh that rushing attack went crazy. Hope you can keep it going and pull off the upset

I am already coming to the conclusion I don't like Lindsey, obviously some of it is my stick skills having not played a single college football game since my last report, but some of it is because it feels like I am dragging a slug who underthrows everything, thus the heavy lean on my rushing attack.

I will say UW’s linebackers are a far strong unit than their cornerbacks. You’ll likely see greater success in the passing game than running if you win this one. Good luck!

I looked at their depth chart as you do, and you are correct and would hope we would be able to attack their corners/safetys, but as we well know, Lindsey is prone to a mistake or four!

[Tearz49ers]

SEATTLE, WA — The forecast had threatened heavy rain in Seattle, the sort of conditions that appeared capable of turning Minnesota’s first Big Ten game of the Russell Warner era into a wet, ugly battle at Husky Stadium. The rain never arrived, but unfortunately for the Gophers, the ugly football did. Minnesota went west believing it had an opportunity to find out exactly where Warner’s rebuilding program stood against one of the conference’s established contenders, and for long stretches, particularly defensively, the answer was encouraging. The Gophers made #14 Washington work for almost everything it got, remained within one possession into the fourth quarter and never looked completely out of place against an unbeaten ranked opponent. What Minnesota couldn’t do was turn that competitiveness into points.

Washington eventually pulled away for a 27–10 victory, dropping Minnesota to 2–2 and handing Warner his second defeat in three games. The final score makes the game look more comfortable than it actually was for the Huskies, because Minnesota led twice during the opening half and entered the fourth quarter trailing by only seven. This wasn’t a game in which Washington simply overwhelmed the Gophers with superior talent. It was a game Minnesota slowly allowed to escape through turnovers, failed conversions and another second-half offensive disappearance.

For the opening quarter, Warner could hardly have asked for much more from his team. Washington entered unbeaten and ranked 14th in the country, playing inside Husky Stadium in Minnesota’s first conference game of the season, but the Gophers showed little intimidation. The defense kept Demond Williams Jr. and the Washington offense scoreless through the opening period, while Kyle Mount connected from 33 yards with 4:33 remaining to give Minnesota a 3–0 lead. It wasn’t spectacular football, but it established exactly the type of game Minnesota needed: keep the score low, prevent Washington from finding explosive plays and force the Huskies to earn everything.

Washington eventually found its first breakthrough early in the second quarter when Williams connected with Dezmen Roebuck for a 23-yard touchdown with 8:26 remaining, putting the Huskies ahead 7–3. Minnesota’s response was one of the most encouraging sequences of the night. Drake Lindsey moved the offense down the field and found Darius Taylor for a 12-yard touchdown with 3:12 remaining, allowing Minnesota to reclaim the lead at 10–7. Against the best opponent Warner’s team had faced so far, the Gophers had taken Washington’s first punch and answered it.

What happened over the final three minutes of the half would prove enormously important, and once again it was a Drake Lindsey interception that handed the opposition exactly the opportunity it needed. Minnesota had fought its way back in front at 10–7 and appeared capable of carrying that advantage into halftime, only for Lindsey to turn the football over and leave Washington with a short field and an immediate chance to punish the mistake. It has quickly become a concerning theme for the sophomore quarterback. Lindsey’s interceptions aren’t simply ending Minnesota possessions; too often they are putting opponents directly into scoring position, forcing a Gophers defense that has already done its job back onto the field with almost no margin for error. Washington took full advantage. With only 19 seconds remaining, Demond Williams Jr. found Decker DeGraaf for a three-yard touchdown, turning Minnesota’s 10–7 lead into a 14–10 halftime deficit. After three interceptions helped Mississippi State pull away two weeks earlier, Lindsey had once again given an opponent a crucial opening, and Washington made sure Minnesota paid for it.

The second half became a test of how long Minnesota’s defense could keep the game within reach while waiting for its offense to produce another answer. Washington never really exploded offensively. Williams finished 18-of-26 for 152 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while the Huskies’ running game was held largely in check. Jayden Limar managed only 48 yards on 16 carries, averaging three yards per attempt, while Jonah Washington added 19 yards on seven carries. Minnesota made Washington grind its way down the field and prevented the sort of explosive rushing performance that could have ended the game much earlier.

The problem was that Washington was perfectly comfortable playing that way. Williams didn’t need to force the football downfield because Minnesota’s offense continually failed to create pressure on the scoreboard. DeGraaf was the perfect example of Washington’s efficiency, catching only four passes for 12 yards, yet turning two of those receptions into touchdowns. The Huskies weren’t producing spectacular numbers, but when opportunities appeared near the goal line they finished them, something Minnesota simply couldn’t match.

Washington extended the lead to 17–10 when Tyler Robles converted from 35 yards with 3:39 remaining in the third quarter, but even then the game remained there for Minnesota. Seven points separated the teams entering the fourth quarter. The defense had done enough, Washington had been prevented from pulling away, and one good Minnesota possession could have completely changed the complexion of the night. Instead, the offensive problems that had haunted the Gophers against Mississippi State returned.

Lindsey finished 19-of-38 for 171 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, completing exactly half his attempts and averaging only 4.5 yards per throw. Washington didn’t destroy Minnesota’s offensive line or spend the evening burying Lindsey in the backfield—the Huskies recorded only one sack—but they took away the explosive passing game and forced the sophomore to remain patient. Minnesota’s longest completion went for only 17 yards, and with Washington sitting on underneath routes, Lindsey was repeatedly asked to string together long drives without making a mistake.

He couldn’t do it consistently enough.

After throwing three interceptions in the 37–10 loss to Mississippi State, Lindsey appeared to have steadied himself during Minnesota’s victory over Akron. Seattle showed that the growing pains haven’t disappeared. The two interceptions against Washington gave him five across Minnesota’s two defeats, and although neither loss can be placed entirely on the quarterback, the pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. Against better opponents, Minnesota simply isn’t good enough offensively to overcome multiple turnovers.

The larger problem was what happened whenever Minnesota reached the downs that decide possessions. The Gophers converted only 2-of-10 third downs and failed on all three fourth-down attempts. That meant Minnesota moved the chains on just two of its 13 third- and fourth-down opportunities, a particularly damaging statistic after the Gophers had already gone 0-for-15 on third down against Mississippi State. Washington, by comparison, converted six of 13 third downs and repeatedly found ways to extend possessions.

That difference gradually wore Minnesota down. The Gophers’ defense continued to fight and even produced one of the biggest plays of the game when Rhyland Kelly intercepted Williams and returned the ball 54 yards. Kelly’s takeaway was exactly the sort of momentum-changing play Minnesota needed from its defense, but once again the offense couldn’t consistently capitalize on the opportunities it was being given.

Washington eventually delivered the decisive blow with 6:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Williams found DeGraaf from two yards out for his third touchdown pass of the night, extending the lead to 24–10 and effectively ending Minnesota’s hopes of an upset. Robles added a 31-yard field goal with 1:07 remaining to complete the scoring, turning what had been a seven-point game entering the fourth quarter into a 27–10 final.

The most frustrating part for Warner will be that Minnesota did have some offensive success. Darius Taylor carried 11 times for 51 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt, while A.J. Turner added 34 yards on only six carries, an average of 5.6. Between them, Minnesota’s two primary backs produced 85 yards on 17 attempts. There was enough success on the ground to suggest the Gophers could move the football, but the inability to stay on the field on third down and the growing deficit eventually forced more responsibility back onto Lindsey.

The passing game never found anyone capable of taking over. Jalen Smith led Minnesota with four receptions for 45 yards, Javon Tracy added four catches for 34, Taylor caught four for 23 and several other receivers contributed smaller numbers. Nobody produced a reception longer than 17 yards. Washington consistently kept the football in front of its secondary, and whenever Lindsey attempted to force something more ambitious, the Huskies were waiting. Dylan Robinson and Jacob Manu each recorded three pass deflections, while Caleb Christian came away with one of Washington’s two interceptions.

Minnesota’s defense deserved considerably more than the final score suggests. Kerry Brown led the Gophers with 10 tackles, while Maverick Baranowski recorded nine tackles and a tackle for loss. Emmanuel Karmo and Aidan Gousby each finished with seven tackles, and Kelly added five tackles alongside his 54-yard interception return. Minnesota didn’t record a sack, but it consistently limited Washington’s running game and prevented Williams from turning the game into a showcase.

That is what makes the defeat feel different from the Mississippi State loss. Against the Bulldogs, Minnesota entered halftime within three points before the entire game collapsed after the break. Washington never produced that same overwhelming stretch. The Gophers were still only four points behind at halftime and only seven behind entering the fourth quarter. They remained close enough for one turnover, one explosive play or one sustained touchdown drive to potentially change everything.

Minnesota simply never produced it.

The Gophers finished with two interceptions, went 2-for-10 on third down, 0-for-3 on fourth down, committed six penalties for 58 yards and failed to score a single point after Taylor’s touchdown with 3:12 remaining in the second quarter. Washington wasn’t dramatically more explosive, but the Huskies were cleaner and considerably more efficient. They converted the downs Minnesota couldn’t, protected the football better and turned their red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.

For Warner, there should still be encouragement in what Minnesota showed defensively. The Gophers went into Husky Stadium against the No. 14 team in the country and made Washington work for four quarters. They led twice, prevented the Huskies from establishing their running game and remained within one possession deep into the second half. Four games into this rebuild, there are already signs that Minnesota has enough defensively to make life uncomfortable for good football teams.

The next step is finding an offense capable of rewarding that defense.

Minnesota is now 2–2, and the opening month of the Warner era has produced two comfortable victories and two revealing defeats. Against Eastern Illinois and Akron, the Gophers were able to impose themselves. Against Mississippi State and Washington, the margin for error disappeared, and Minnesota’s problems on third down and Lindsey’s interceptions became far more costly.

Washington leaves the night unbeaten and with its ranking intact. Minnesota leaves Seattle knowing this was an opportunity that remained within reach far longer than the final score suggests.

The Gophers proved they could compete with the No. 14 team in the country.

They just haven’t learned how to beat one yet.

[YaBoyRobRoy]

Tough loss but nice job battling for the first half before they pulled away. What is your goal for wins this season?

[Tearz49ers]

Tough loss but nice job battling for the first half before they pulled away. What is your goal for wins this season?

This offense just isn't it. I'm wondering if the switch to a spread might by why, something for Warner to work on. Looking at the schedule now I think we're looking at maybe six wins with the hope of an upset over someone for seven, hopefully the hot seat isn't scolding at the end of the season!

[Baze]

Was going to be a tough game no matter the outcome. Let's see if you can figure things out before playing Michigan

[Captain Canada]

That's a tough one but at least Washington's offense didn't really pop off too much on you. That's a half decent score.

Michigan right after? Might be a tough streak you're about to go on.