Upon Further Review: Gophers vs. South Dakota State

If Minnesota thought it was facing a pushover in its opener or that momentum from a good ending to the 2018 season would carry over to 2019, well … it didn’t quite turn out that way.

South Dakota State, an FCS team but ranked No. 3 in the STATS poll for that division, gave the Gophers all it could handle, but Minnesota was able to take advantage of mistakes by the Jackrabbits, which included a penalty wiping out a kick return for a touchdown, to squeak out a 28-21 win at TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday.

The game began like it was the preseason with the first four combined possessions resulting in three punts from plus-territory and an interception before settling down into at least a halfway decent spectacle of college football.

It looked like Minnesota was finally in control after taking a 20-7 lead early in the third quarter, but South Dakota State had a knack for big plays (12 chunk plays compared to seven for Minnesota) – and started stifling the Gophers’ offense – eventually taking a 21-20 lead late in the third.

However, it was a key mistake by the Jackrabbits, a fumble in their own territory, which gave the Gophers a golden opportunity and they cashed in for the go-ahead points.

This wasn’t one for the time capsule, but it was a win. Clearly, Minnesota is going to need to improve as there’s no more FCS teams on the schedule.

Here’s a recap of Thursday night’s game (Story | Photos):

Jesse Johnson Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports