Michigan football obliterated the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a humiliating prime time experience for P.J. Fleck’s men.
Jim Harbaugh’s team demolished Fleck’s charges at Huntington Bank Stadium, with the No. 2 ranked Wolverines running out 52-10 winners on NBC Saturday evening.
Athan Kaliakmanis had the worst possible start, throwing a pick-six on just the second play of the game, with Michigan’s Will Johnson running the interception in for a touchdown.
And Michigan struck twice more in the first half, with Blake Corum and quarterback J.J. McCarthy scoring rushing touchdowns to take the score to 24-3.
The Gophers got hope right on the stroke of half time thanks to a stunning, 35-yard catch by Daniel Jackson from Kaliakmanis’, reducing the deficit to 24-10.
Unfortunately, that would be the high point for the game, with the Gophers experiencing an utter catastrophe of a third quarter in which they shipped 21 points.
The Gophers just couldn’t stop the Michigan offense, with McCarthy running in for another touchdown after making some clutch passes as the Wolverines drove down the field.
The Gophers struggled to make a first down – often opting for run plays despite the hefty deficit – and eventually regained possession and embarked on another drive that ended with McCarthy finding Colston Loveland for a 24-yard touchdown.
It got worse, with a second pick-6 from Kaliakmanis stretching the visitors’ lead to 45-10 with two minutes still left in the disastrous third quarter.
The Wolverines brought in their second string and it made no difference to the onslaught. Backup QB Jack Tuttle led the team down the field – almost scoring a rushing touchdown – before backup running back Leon Franklin ran over from two yards.
The Gophers are on a break next weekend before making the trip to play Iowa on Oct. 21.
