Gophers lose 30-7 in black eye for Big Ten – http://t.co/TKKfp1aEuN #UMN #Gophers pic.twitter.com/w7VBRJ9MNN
— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) September 13, 2014
The Minnesota Gophers were hoping they’d get a victory in their non-conference game against a tough opponent in TCU — showing how much progress they’ve made under head coach Jerry Kill. But the Horned Frogs didn’t get the memo, and they trounced Minnesota 30-7 Saturday afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas. It was one of the worst losses in Kill’s four-year tenure at Minnesota.
The Gophers, who didn’t get a first down in their first three drives, were down 24-0 at halftime and committed five turnovers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner’s performance was described as “dismal” by the Pioneer Press. He had four of the team’s turnovers — a fumble and three interceptions. He had two other passes that came close to being picked off, and was sacked twice. Leidner left the game early in the fourth quarter after taking a hard hit, having completed 12 of 26 passes for 151 yards, according to the Star Tribune.
The last time the #Gophers played TCU, Tony Dungy & Marc Trestman were the QBs.
So, Leidner should at least have a good coaching career.
— Keith Leventhal (@KeithLeventhal) September 13, 2014
Redshirt freshman Chris Streveler replaced Leidner and led the Gophers on their only scoring drive, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Maxx Williams.
Streveler finished 2 of 3 for 18 yards, and rushed seven times for 33 yards.
The Gophers’ rushing game wasn’t very strong either. David Cobb, who ran for 220 yards last week against Middle Tennessee State, only gained 41 yards. He lost a fumble in the second quarter on the Gophers’ 39-yard line, and TCU drove down the field and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 24-0 with 9 minutes left in the first half, according to Gopher Sports.com.
The game was billed as a battle between Kill and TCU head coach Gary Patterson, who are close friends. But the Gophers were no match for the Horned Frogs and their new no-huddle spread offense. TCU (2-0) outgained Minnesota 427 yards to 268.
The Gophers (2-1) had a 10-game non-conference winning streak going into the game. This was their most lopsided defeat since they lost 42-13 last year at Michigan, according to the Star Tribune.
Minnesota’s next game is next Saturday against San Jose State, at TCF Bank Stadium. Kickoff is 3 p.m.
