2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Quick Lane Bowl champion
Quick Lane Bowl, W 34–10 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	West Division
Record	7–6 (3–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	P. J. Fleck (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Kirk Ciarrocca (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Robb Smith (2nd season; fired Nov. 4) ; Joe Rossi
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	TCF Bank Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$	8	–	1	13	–	1
No. 14 Michigan x	8	–	1	10	–	3
No. 17 Penn State	6	–	3	9	–	4
Michigan State	5	–	4	7	–	6
Maryland	3	–	6	5	–	7
Indiana	2	–	7	5	–	7
Rutgers	0	–	9	1	–	11
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy	8	–	1	9	–	5
Wisconsin	5	–	4	8	–	5
No. 25 Iowa	5	–	4	9	–	4
Purdue	5	–	4	6	–	7
Minnesota	3	–	6	7	–	6
Nebraska	3	–	6	4	–	8
Illinois	2	–	7	4	–	8
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by second-year head coach P. J. Fleck.

Minnesota began the year by sweeping its non-conference slate against New Mexico State, Fresno State, and Miami (OH); but opened Big Ten Conference play with four straight losses. The team secured wins against Indiana and Purdue, and then secured bowl eligibility by defeating rival Wisconsin for the first time since 2003, and the first time on the road since 1994. The team finished the regular season tied for fifth in the Big Ten West Division with a conference record of 3–6. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl where they defeated Georgia Tech to end the year with an overall record of 7–6.

The team's starting quarterback was true freshman Zack Annexstad before he suffered an internal midsection injury in the game against Nebraska on October 20.^[1] He did not return for the rest of the season, and redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan took his place under center. Both Annexstad and Morgan finished with nine touchdowns on the year.^[2] The team's leading rusher was Mohamed Ibrahim, with 1,160 rushing yards; and the team's leading receiver was Tyler Johnson with 1,169 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, which tied for the conference lead.^[2]^[3] Johnson was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media voters.^[4] Defensive lineman Carter Coughlin and linebacker Blake Cashman each finished with 15 tackles for loss and were both named second-team All-Big Ten.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Rimington Trophy^[5]	Jared Weyler	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[6]	Thomas Barber	LB	JR
Maxwell Award^[7]	Rodney Smith	RB	SR
Doak Walker Award^[8]	Rodney Smith	RB	SR
Butkus Award^[9]	Thomas Barber	LB	JR
Lou Groza Award^[10]	Emmit Carpenter	K	SR
Paul Hornung Award^[11]	Rodney Smith	RB/KR	JR
Wuerffel Trophy^[12]	Emmit Carpenter	K	SR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:00 p.m.	New Mexico State*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 48–10	41,291
September 8	6:30 p.m.	Fresno State*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	FS1	W 21–14	38,280
September 15	2:30 p.m.	Miami (OH)*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 26–3	41,162
September 22	11:00 a.m.	at Maryland	Maryland Stadium College Park, MD	BTN	L 13–42	36,211
October 6	2:30 p.m.	Iowa	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Floyd of Rosedale)	BTN	L 31–48	48,199
October 13	11:00 a.m.	at No. 3 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	FS1	L 14–30	100,042
October 20	2:30 p.m.	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	BTN	L 28–53	89,272
October 26	7:00 p.m.	Indiana	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	FS1	W 38–31	33,273
November 3	2:30 p.m.	at Illinois	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	BTN	L 31–55	35,774
November 10	2:30 p.m.	Purdue	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	W 41–10	31,068
November 17	11:00 a.m.	Northwestern	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 14–24	32,134
November 24	2:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	ESPN2	W 37–15	74,038
December 26	4:15 p.m.	vs. Georgia Tech*	Ford Field Detroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl)	ESPN	W 34–10	27,228
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Source:^[13]

Roster

2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`1`	Rodney Smith	Sr
QB	`2`	Tanner Morgan	Fr
WR	`3`	Chris Autman-Bell	Fr
RB	`4`	Shannon Brooks	Sr
QB	`5`	Zack Annexstad	Fr
WR	`6`	Tyler Johnson	Jr
RB	`8`	Nolan Edmonds	Fr
WR	`11`	Jornell Manns	Fr
WR	`13`	Rashod Bateman	Fr
QB	`11`	Jon Santaga	Fr
WR	`17`	Seth Green	So
WR	`18`	Clay Geary	So
QB	`19`	Samuel Pickerign	Fr
RB	`21`	Bryce Williams	Fr
RB	`24`	Mohamed Ibrahim	Fr
WR	`25`	Phillip Howard	So
WR	`26`	True Thompson	So
WR	`27`	Paul Gossage	Jr
RB	`28`	Jonathan Femi-Cole	Jr
RB	`31`	Domink London	Fr
RB	`38`	Preston Jelen	Fr
TE	`42`	Ko Kieft	So
TE	`44`	Colton Beebe	Jr
OL	`51`	Carlos Dunlap Jr.	Fr
OL	`58`	Quinn Oseland	Jr
OL	`60`	John Michael Schmitz	Fr
OL	`61`	Bronson Dovich	Jr
OL	`62`	Jared Weyler	Sr
OL	`63`	Austin Beier	Fr
OL	`64`	Conner Olson	So
OL	`65`	Axel Ruschmeyer	Fr
OL	`66`	Nathan Boe	Fr
OL	`70`	Sam Schlueter	So
OL	`71`	Ben Davis	So
OL	`73`	Donnell Greene	Sr
OL	`74`	Grant Norton	Fr
OL	`75`	Kyle Sassack	Fr
OL	`76`	Jack York	Fr
OL	`77`	Blaise Andries	Fr
OL	`78`	Daniel Faalele	Fr
OL	`79`	Jason Dickson	Jr
TE	`80`	Jake Paulson	Fr
WR	`81`	Brock Annexstad	Fr
WR	`82`	Demetrius Douglas	Fr
WR	`83`	Harry Van Dyne	Fr
WR	`84`	Erik Gibson	Fr
TE	`85`	Bryce Witham	Jr
TE	`86`	Clayton Witherspoon	Fr
WR	`87`	Yale Van Dyne	So
TE	`88`	Brevyn Spann-Ford	Fr
WR	`89`	Matt Morse	Jr
TE	`96`	Nathan Bursch	Fr
TE	`98`	Max Jones	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`2`	Jacob Huff	Sr
DL	`3`	Jerry Gibson	Sr
DB	`4`	Terell Smith	Fr
LB	`5`	Trenton Guthrie	Fr
DB	`6`	Chris Williamson	Jr
DB	`7`	Ray Estes	Fr
LB	`8`	Thomas Rush	Fr
DL	`9`	Esezi Otomewo	Fr
DB	`11`	Antoine Winfield Jr.	So
DL	`12`	Tai'yon Devers	Jr
DB	`14`	Braelen Oliver	Fr
LB	`15`	C. J. Smith	Fr
DB	`16`	Coney Durr	Jr
DL	`19`	Gary Moore	Sr
LB	`20`	Julian Huff	Sr
LB	`21`	Kamal Martin	Jr
DB	`22`	Benny Sapp III	Fr
DB	`23`	Jordan Howden	Fr
DB	`24`	Bishop McDonald (I)	Jr
DB	`26`	Justus Harris	So
DB	`27`	Calvin Swenson	So
DB	`29`	Jack Leius	So
DL	`30`	Alex Reigelsperger	Fr
DB	`31`	Kiondre Thomas	So
LB	`32`	Joe Russell	Fr
DB	`34`	Antonio Shenault	Sr
LB	`35`	Danny Anderson	Fr
LB	`36`	Blake Cashman	Sr
DB	`40`	Alex Strazzanti	Fr
LB	`41`	Thomas Barber	Jr
LB	`43`	Bailey Schoenfelder	So
LB	`45`	Carter Coughlin	Jr
DL	`46`	Winston DeLattiboudere	Jr
DB	`49`	Josh Aune	Fr
DL	`52`	Jamaal Teague	Fr
LB	`53`	Owen Piche	Fr
LB	`55`	Mariano Sori-Marin	Fr
LB	`56`	Ty Barron	Fr
DL	`59`	Michael Roane	Fr
DL	`67`	Jack Kern	Fr
DL	`69`	Boye Mafe	Fr
DL	`75`	Malcolm Robinson	Fr
DL	`87`	Nate Umlor	So
DL	`90`	Sam Renner	Jr
DL	`91`	Noah Hickcox	Fr
DL	`92`	Mayan Ahanotu	Fr
DL	`93`	Connor Novak-Goar	So
DL	`94`	Abi N-Okonji	Fr
DL	`95`	Victor White (I)	So
DL	`97`	Royal Silver	Jr
DL	`99`	O.J. Smith	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
H	`14`	Casey O'Brien	Fr
LS	`25`	Payton Jordahl	Sr
K, P	`33`	Grant Ryerse	Fr
K	`34`	Brock Walker	Fr
K	`37`	John Mack	So
K	`38`	Emmit Carpenter	Sr
LS	`39`	Michael Vojvodich	Fr
P	`46`	Alex Melvin	Jr
P	`47`	Jacob Herbers	Jr
K	`48`	Anders Gelecinskyj (I)	So

Head coach

P. J. Fleck (Head Coach)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Kirk Ciarrocca (Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks)
Robb Smith (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
Rob Wenger (Special Teams Coordinator / Outside Linebackers)
Jahmile Addae (Defensive Backs)
Kenni Burns (Running Backs)
Brian Callahan (Offensive Line)
Clay Patterson (Tight Ends)
Joe Rossi (Defensive Line)
Matt Simon (Wide Receivers)
Marcus West (Defensive Line Pass Rush Specialist)
Gerrit Chernoff (General Manager)
Dan Nichol (Head Strength & Conditioning)
Norries Wilson (Director of Player Development)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 29, 2018

Game summaries

New Mexico State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	7	3	0	0	10
Golden Gophers	7	28	3	10	48

Fresno State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	0	7	7	14
Golden Gophers	7	3	0	11	21

Miami (OH)

	1	2	3	4	Total
RedHawks	0	3	0	0	3
Golden Gophers	7	12	7	0	26

At Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	0	10	3	0	13
Terrapins	14	7	14	7	42

Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	14	14	10	10	48
Golden Gophers	7	10	7	7	31

At Ohio State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	7	7	0	0	14
No. 3 Buckeyes	10	7	3	10	30

At Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	0	8	14	6	28
Cornhuskers	14	14	8	17	53

Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers (4–4) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (3–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoosiers	6	3	0	22	31
Golden Gophers	7	14	10	7	38

at TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 26, 2018
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: Rainy, 46 °F (8 °C)
Game attendance: 33,273
Referee: Mark Kluczynski
TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Evan Moore (analyst)
Sources:

Game information

First quarter

(9:27) IU – Logan Justus 33-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 4:45; Indiana 3–0)
(6:20) MINN – Seth Green 1-yard run, Emmit Carpenter kick (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:08; Minnesota 7–3)
(1:13) IU – Logan Justus 24-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 4:59; Minnesota 7–6)

Second quarter

(14:05) IU – Logan Justus 41-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 11 yards, 0:33; Indiana 9–7)
(6:19) MINN – Tyler Johnson 8-yard pass from Tanner Morgan, Emmit Carpenter kick (Drive: 15 plays, 65 yards, 7:44; Minnesota 14–9)
(0:35) MINN – Tyler Johnson 18-yard pass from Tanner Morgan, Emmit Carpenter kick (Drive: 8 plays, 99 yards, 2:34; Minnesota 21–9)

Third quarter

(7:56) MINN – Emmit Carpenter 37-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 6:22; Minnesota 24–9)
(5:33) MINN – Shannon Brooks 17-yard run, Emmit Carpenter kick (Drive: 3 plays, 28 yards, 1:36; Minnesota 31–9)

Fourth quarter

(13:24) IU – Donavan Hale 43-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey (Drive: 2 plays, 47 yards, 0:32; Minnesota 31–15)
(10:04) IU – Ty Fryfogle 37-yard pass from Peyton Ramsey, Peyton Ramsey two-point pass to Ty Fryfogle (Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 1:50; Minnesota 31–23)
(3:57) IU – Stevie Scott III 3-yard run, Peyton Ramsey two-point pass to Donavan Hale (Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 3:14; Tied 31–31)
(1:34) MINN – Rashod Bateman 67-yard pass from Tanner Morgan, Emmit Carpenter kick (Drive: 1 play, 67 yards, 0:11; Minnesota 38–31)

Statistics	IU	MINN
First downs	20	22
Total yards	385	482
Rushes/yards	30–153	40–180
Passing yards	232	302
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	29–44–2	17–24–1
Time of possession	29:37	30:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana	Passing	Peyton Ramsey	29/44, 232 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Stevie Scott III	18 carries, 96 yards, TD
	Receiving	Donavan Hale	4 receptions, 51 yards, TD
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	17/24, 302 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Shannon Brooks	22 carries, 154 yards, TD
	Receiving	Rashod Bateman	4 receptions, 108 yards, TD

At Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	7	10	0	14	31
Fighting Illini	14	10	21	10	55

Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	3	0	0	7	10
Golden Gophers	3	10	21	7	41

Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	6	0	11	24
Golden Gophers	0	7	0	7	14

At Wisconsin

Paul Bunyon's Axe: Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–6) at Wisconsin Badgers (7–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Minnesota	3	14	6	14	37
Wisconsin	0	7	0	8	15

at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin

Date: November 24
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy • 42 °F (6 °C) • Wind W 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
Game attendance: 74,038
Referee: R. Snodgrass
Box Score

Game information

Minnesota

Tanner Morgan
9/16, 124 Yds
Mohamed Ibrahim
26 Rush, 121 Yds, TD
Tyler Johnson
4 Rec, 76 Yds

Wisconsin

Alex Hornibrook
22/33, 189 Yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Jonathan Taylor
19 Rush, 120 Yds
Danny Davis
10 Rec, 93 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MINN	WIS
1	2:37	10	65	5:04	Minnesota	34-yard field goal by Emmit Carpenter	3	0
2	2:21	9	59	5:46	Minnesota	Mohamed Ibrahim 10-yard touchdown run, Emmit Carpenter kick good	10	0
2	1:05				Minnesota	Punt returned 69 yards for touchdown by Demetrius Douglas, Emmit Carpenter kick good	17	0
2	0:01	8	76	0:59	Wisconsin	Jake Ferguson 7-yard touchdown reception from Alex Hornibrook, Rafael Gaglianone kick good	17	7
3	7:47	8	51	4:01	Minnesota	23-yard field goal by Emmit Carpenter	20	7
3	1:02	9	31	4:52	Minnesota	42-yard field goal by Emmit Carpenter	23	7
4	4:56	1	23	0:07	Minnesota	Bryce Williams 23-yard touchdown run, Emmit Carpenter kick good	30	7
4	2:31	6	29	2:12	Minnesota	Bryce Williams 16-yard touchdown run, Emmit Carpenter kick good	37	7
4	1:12	7	75	1:19	Wisconsin	Danny Davis 13-yard touchdown reception from Alex Hornibrook, kick good	37	15
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							37	15

Vs. Georgia Tech (Quick Lane Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Yellow Jackets	0	3	7	0	10
Golden Gophers	10	3	7	14	34

Awards and honors

All-Big Ten
Player	Position	Coaches	Media
Tyler Johnson	WR	2	1
Carter Coughlin	DL	2	2
Blake Cashman	LB	3	2
Jacob Huff	DB	HM	HM
Donnell Greene	OT	HM	HM
Jacob Herbers	P	HM	HM
Emmit Carpenter	K	HM	HM
Demetrius Douglas	PR/KR	–	HM
Blaise Andries	OG	–	HM
Daniel Faalele	OT	–	HM
Mohamed Ibrahim	RB	–	HM
Conner Olson	OG	–	HM
Jared Weyler	C	–	HM
HM = Honorable mention. Reference:^[4]

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
5	157	Blake Cashman	LB	New York Jets

References

^ Johnson, Randy (October 23, 2018). "Availability of Gophers quarterback Zack Annexstad still uncertain for Indiana game". Star Tribune.
^ ^a ^b "2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
^ "2018 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "2018 All-Big Ten Football Teams and Individual Award Recipients" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
^ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
^ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
^ "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "2018 Minnesota Football Schedule".

[1] Johnson, Randy (October 23, 2018). "Availability of Gophers quarterback Zack Annexstad still uncertain for Indiana game". Star Tribune.

[team_stats-2] "2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.

[3] "2018 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2019.

[big_ten_awards-4] "2018 All-Big Ten Football Teams and Individual Award Recipients" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.

[5] "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

[6] "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List - Maxwell Football Club". Maxwell Football Club. July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[7] "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[8] "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

[9] "Butkus Award - 2018 Collegiate Watchlist". The Butkus Award. July 23, 2018. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2018.

[10] "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[11] "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[12] "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[13] "2018 Minnesota Football Schedule".

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