The P.J. Fleck era opened on a positive – but boring – note for the Gopher football team, who defeated the University of Buffalo 17-7 on Thursday.
As advertised, both quarterbacks Conor Rhoda and Demry Croft saw action with Rhoda leading out the first-team offense.
The former standout at Cretin-Derham Hall hit Tyler Johnson for a 61-yard touchdown in the first quarter, getting the Gophers on the board.
Last year's longest @GopherFootball TD pass: 22 yards.
This year's: Let's just say it's much longer. https://t.co/lCNhQ8ERYE
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) August 31, 2017
Johnson, who played his high school football at Minneapolis North, had six grabs for 141 yards.
After Buffalo tied it up, the Gophers responded with another touchdown, this time it was Demry Croft who led the offense for a 10-play drive ending with a Shannon Brooks touchdown.
Here’s the final lines on both signal callers after the win.
- Rhoda: 12-21, 176 yards, one touchdown, one interception.
- Croft: 7-11, 63 yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions.
As a whole, the U of M’s offense put up 408 yards while the defense allowed 262 yards.
The Gophers’ special teams also came to play, as they blocked two potential field goals.
With the win the Gophers are 1-0 on the season and will hit the road next week when they play the Oregon State Beavers.
