Rapid Reaction: Minnesota squeaks out another win, improves to 3-0 on the season
Final score: Minnesota 35 Georgia Southern 32
Brief recap: Close calls are becoming the norm in Minneapolis. For a third-straight week, the Gophers allowed a Group of Five opponent to hang around, only to make a big play in the final seconds to squeak out a win. This time, it was Tyler Johnson making the game-winning touchdown catch for the Golden Gophers. The game should’ve been over much earlier, with Minnesota owning a 28-20 lead late in the fourth quarter and possessing the ball, but a block field goal returned for a touchdown and a forced fumble returned for a score gave Georgia Southern a 32-28 advantage in the closing minutes of the game. Give Minnesota credit, for the third-straight week, it found a way to escape with a win.
Key moment: Johnson’s game-winning catch is going to get the attention, but how about back-to-back pass plays on a 3rd-and-30 that Minnesota somehow converted. Morgan hit Demetrius Douglas on two straight passes — the first for 21 yards and the second for 10 yards — to get an improbable first down late in the game. Those two plays set up the game-winning drive.
Key stat: Not sure there’s one key stat here, because this game was just crazy near the end. But, the Gophers did kind of shut down Georgia Southern on third down, allowing them to convert on just 2-of-9 attempts.
Key player: Johnson was the guy for the Gophers today. He hauled in 10 catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner. With Chris Autman-Bell and Rashod Bateman taking over the last two weeks, Johnson was able to step up this Saturday and assert his dominance against Georgia Southern.
What it means: Knock Minnesota all you want, but it has found a way to win games in the closing minutes. That’s tough to do, regardless of opponents. Pulling through in those big moments should pay off when B1G play rolls around. The Gophers do have to play much better, particularly on the offensive line moving forward, though. Otherwise, they won’t have a close game to close the deal on in the future.