Minnesota Improves to 9-0 After Beating Penn State

While much of the attention in college football was focused on the game between unbeaten SEC heavyweights Alabama and LSU, another battle of unbeaten teams was happening 900 or so miles north of Tuscaloosa. Thirteenth (in the AP Poll) ranked Minnesota hosted #5 Penn State in a matchup of two Big Ten teams with 8-0 records. While Penn State is used to being in the top 25, the same cannot be said of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers haven’t finished a season ranked in the Top 25 since 2003, when they finished at #20 and had a 10-3 record. Since then, Minnesota’s best season was in 2016, when the Gophers finished the season 9-4 and had a win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl.

Minnesota had been not only winning, but since the beginning of October, winning big, such as its 52-10 win over Maryland in the game immediately before the Penn State game. But Minnesota had not played a ranked team all season. Penn State, on the other hand, had victories this season over then #17 Iowa and #16 Michigan.

Minnesota was up for the challenge. QB Tanner Morgan passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted Penn State QB Sean Clifford three times, including one in the end zone with 61 seconds left in the game to preserve a 31-26 Gopher win.

Minnesota improved to 6-0 in the Big Ten, 9-0 overall, and leads the West Division over second place Wisconsin (4-2, 7-2). The Gophers are in the tough part of their schedule; they are at #23 Iowa on November 16th, followed by a home game against unranked Northwestern. They will close out the regular season at home against #13 Wisconsin. Minnesota moved up to #7 in the AP Poll.

If Minnesota wins the West, it will most likely play top ranked and currently undefeated Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. If OSU runs the table and wins the championship, the Buckeyes will almost certainly be in the College Football Playoff. Minnesota would likely go to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1961.