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Tanner Morgan makes strong case to be No. 1 QB after leading Gophers past Indiana
Tanner Morgan looks nothing like a redshirt freshman. When he takes off his helmet, his appearance might lead you to believe you’re tuned into an NFL game.
The way he played on Friday night might have had you believing that, too.
Morgan had no resemblance of a first-time starter in Minnesota’s 38-31 victory over Indiana on Friday night. Filling in for injured true freshman Zack Annexstad, Morgan led the Gophers to their first B1G win of the season, snapping a four-game losing streak in 2018 and a six-game conference skid that dates back to last fall.
He did it by making one of the most clutch passes of the season.
After leading 31-9 in the second half, Indiana rattled off 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to tie the game with just over 90 seconds to play. Minnesota’s offense had one more chance to try and notch its first league win of the season and get back to the .500 mark (4-4).
On the first play of the drive, Morgan delivered a perfect strike to Rashod Bateman, who left Hoosiers defensive back Juwan Burgess in the dust. The result was a 67-yard touchdown pass which ended up being the game-winning play.
That freshman 👉 freshman connection!
Indiana scored 22 unanswered to tie it up, but @Tanner_Morg2 finds @R_bateman2 to give @GopherFootball a very late lead: pic.twitter.com/ngLIovYgOi
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 27, 2018
That throw came from a freshman making his first start after Minnesota blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead. Talk about unfazed.
“It’s not the route. I mean, [Bateman] burns [Burgess] on the route,” P.J. Fleck said of that play after the game. “It’s the throw that keeps him in motion to continue to score. He didn’t have to come back, stop on an underthrow. Great poise, great protection.”
Morgan finished the game completing 17-of-24 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception.
The game-winning touchdown pass wasn’t the only time Morgan looked like a seasoned veteran. He went 3-of-3 for 65 yards on Minnesota’s first drive of the game, leading to an early touchdown. The freshman capped an eight-play, 99-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Johnson before the end of the first half. Through the first two quarters of the game, he was 12-0f-14 for 203 yards and two scores.
Morgan got a little bit of help, too. Playing in his first game of the 2018 season, running back Shannon Brooks rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Johnson and Bateman came up with some big catches, combining for 210 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions.
Early in the game, the defense was stellar, holding the Hoosiers to just three field goals through the first three quarters.
It was Morgan’s performance that stole the show, though. The backup who had thrown just six college passes until last week’s game against Nebraska became a star overnight, at least in Minnesota.
No. 6 goes for 6. @T_muhneyy10 has some of the best hands west of the Mississippi, and the @GopherFootball WR puts Minnesota back on top: pic.twitter.com/ZfwX1wk21c
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 27, 2018
“Tanner proved why he’s here,” Fleck said. “He’s what ‘Row the Boat’ is all about. That’s what ‘Row the Boat’ is all about tonight. That whole performance, from what he did to the whole team.”
Morgan’s big day didn’t just keep the Gophers’ bowl hopes alive — they need two wins in their next four games — he also created a quarterback controversy in Dinkytown headed into the final month of the season. Fleck may not be so quick to steal the keys away from Friday night’s hero even when Annexstad is healthy enough to return.
That reluctance might be a good thing.
At certain points throughout the season, Annexstad has looked like a newcomer under center. While he got off to a pretty hot start at the beginning of the season, some of those freshman weaknesses have surfaced. It puts Fleck and Minnesota in an interesting position moving forward, because Morgan looked nothing like a freshman in Friday night’s win.
With or without the helmet.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB