Game Balls: Who were Minnesota football's top peformers in win over Northwestern State?
The Minnesota Golden Gophers improved to 2-0 on the season with an absolute rout of FCS opponent Northwestern State by a final score of 66-0. The win is the second-largest margin of victory for the program in the last 100 years, only behind an 81-0 win over Butler in 1926.
With the game now in the books, Gophers Nation hands out game balls to a handful of top performers.
Offensive Game Balls
QB Drake Lindsey: This week, our main talking point was for the Gophers to be efficient on offense, especially Drake Lindsey. He did just that in the win. The Arkansas native was 8-for-9 for 139 yards and one touchdown. He also had one touchdown run.
QB Max Shikenjanski: The walk-on and Lindsey’s primary backup was super impressive in his time on the field Saturday, including a tremendous throw to Kenric Lanier in the third quarter. He finished the game 4-for-5 for 80 yards and one touchdown. He also had one rushing touchdown.
RB Fame Ijeboi / RB Grant Washington: The pair of depth running backs were very impressive when on the field. Redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi, who the Gophers believe is a future starter in the backfield, was impressive with seven carries for 51 yards, an average of 7.3 yards per carry. He also had two receptions for 22 yards and one touchdown in the win.
Washington, a true freshman, had the most carries for any Minnesota running back, totaling 20 carries for 126 yards.
Defensive Game Balls
DE Anthony Smith: The Gophers’ dominant edge rusher didn’t play a ton but was strong when on the field with three tackles and 1.5 sacks. He’s up to 2.5 sacks on the season in two games. It brings his career total up to nine.
LB Matt Kingsbury: The redshirt sophomore had a big game himself with two tackles but also a scoop-and-score touchdown in the first half. The Illinois native will be a key depth piece in the linebacker room throughout this season.
CB John Nestor: The Iowa transfer cornerback started the game right away with a bang, as he intercepted an Abram Johnston pass on the first play from scrimmage for a pick-six. He also had an additional interception and one pass breakup on the afternoon.
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