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2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football

Guaranteed Rate Bowl champion
Guaranteed Rate Bowl, W 18–6 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	9–4 (6–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	P. J. Fleck (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Sanford Jr. (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Matt Simon (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Joe Rossi (4th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Joe Harasymiak (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Huntington Bank Stadium
Uniform

Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 6 Ohio State x	8	–	1	11	–	2
No. 9 Michigan State	7	–	2	11	–	2
Penn State	4	–	5	7	–	6
Maryland	3	–	6	7	–	6
Rutgers	2	–	7	5	–	8
Indiana	0	–	9	2	–	10
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy	7	–	2	10	–	4
Minnesota	6	–	3	9	–	4
Wisconsin	6	–	3	9	–	4
Purdue	6	–	3	9	–	4
Illinois	4	–	5	5	–	7
Nebraska	1	–	8	3	–	9
Northwestern	1	–	8	3	–	9
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Gophers played their home games at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach P. J. Fleck.

Roster

2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
WR	`0`	Lemeke Brockington	Fr
RB	`1`	Cam Wiley	So
QB	`2`	Tanner Morgan	Sr
RB	`3`	Treyson Potts	So
RB	`4`	Mar'Keise Irving	Fr
QB	`5`	Zack Annexstad	Jr
WR	`6`	Douglas Emilien	Fr
WR	`7`	Chris Autman-Bell	Sr
RB	`8`	Ky Thomas	Fr
WR	`9`	Daniel Jackson	So
QB	`11`	Lonenoa Faoa	Fr
QB	`12`	Cole Kramer	So
WR	`14`	Brady Boyd	Fr
QB	`15`	Jacob Clark	So
WR	`16`	Dylan Wright	So
QB	`17`	Athan Kaliakmanis	Fr
WR	`18`	Clay Geary	Sr
QB	`19`	Samuel Pickerign	Sr
WR	`20`	Larry Wright	So
RB	`21`	Bryce Williams	Jr
WR	`22`	Mike Brown-Stephens	So
WR	`23`	Dylan Hillard-McGill	Fr
RB	`24`	Mohamed Ibrahim	Sr
RB	`25`	Preston Jelen	Jr
WR	`27`	Quentin Redding	Fr
RB	`31`	Kendall Moore	Fr
TE	`42`	Ko Kieft	Sr
TE	`47`	Wyatt Schroeder	Fr
OL	`50`	J. J. Guedet	So
OL	`55`	Karter Shaw	Jr
OL	`56`	Curtis Dunlap Jr.	Jr
OL	`57`	Cameron James	Fr
OL	`58`	Jackson Hunter	Fr
OL	`60`	John Michael Schmitz	Sr
OL	`63`	Austin Beier	Jr
OL	`64`	Conner Olson	Sr
OL	`65`	Axel Ruschmeyer	Sr
OL	`66`	Nathan Boe	Jr
OL	`68`	Jackson Ruschmeyer	Fr
OL	`69`	Aireontae Ersery	Fr
OL	`70`	Sam Schlueter	Sr
OL	`71`	Martes Lewis	Fr
OL	`73`	Tyrell Lawrence	Fr
OL	`75`	Tyler Cooper	So
OL	`76`	Saia Mapakaitolo	Fr
OL	`77`	Blaise Andries	Sr
OL	`78`	Daniel Faalele	Sr
OL	`79`	Logan Purcell	Fr
WR	`80`	Dino Kaliakmanis	Fr
WR	`81`	Brock Annexstad	Sr
WR	`82`	Jonathan Mann	Fr
TE	`83`	Austin Henderson	Fr
WR	`84`	Peter Udoibok	So
TE	`85`	Bryce Witham	Sr
TE	`86`	Jameson Geers	Fr
TE	`87`	Nick Kallerup	So
TE	`88`	Brevyn Spann-Ford	Jr
WR	`89`	Nnamdi Adim-Madumere	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`0`	Justin Walley	Fr
DB	`1`	Calvin Swenson	Sr
DB	`2`	Phillip Howard	Sr
DL	`3`	M. J. Anderson	So
DB	`4`	Terell Smith	Sr
DL	`5`	Nyles Pinckney	GS
DB	`6`	Miles Fleming	Fr
DB	`7`	Solomon Brown	So
DL	`8`	Thomas Rush	Sr
DL	`9`	Esezi Otomewo	Sr
DB	`11`	Michael Dixon	So
DB	`12`	Jalen Glaze	Fr
LB	`13`	James Gordon IV	So
LB	`14`	Braelen Oliver	So
LB	`15`	Jaqwondis Burns	Fr
DB	`16`	Coney Durr	Sr
DL	`17`	Gage Keys	Fr
DL	`18`	Micah Dew-Treadway	GS
LB	`20`	Donald Willis	So
DB	`21`	Justus Harris	GS
DB	`22`	Steven Ortiz Jr.	Fr
DB	`23`	Jordan Howden	Sr
DB	`26`	Victor Pless	Fr
DB	`27`	Tyler Nubin	Jr
DB	`28`	Matt Guggemos	So
LB	`29`	Josh Aune	Jr
DB	`30`	Jordan Nubin	Fr
LB	`33`	Devon Williams	Fr
DL	`34`	Boye Mafe	Sr
LB	`35`	Derik LeCaptian	So
DB	`36`	Bishop McDonald	GS
LB	`41`	Connor Keyes	Fr
LB	`43`	Eli Mau	Fr
DL	`44`	Rashad Cheney Jr.	So
LB	`45`	Cody Lindenberg	So
LB	`46`	Lucas Finnessy	Fr
LB	`47`	Jack Gibbens	GS
LB	`49`	Pete Bercich	So
DL	`52`	Luther McCoy	Fr
LB	`53`	Ben Wileman	Fr
LB	`55`	Mariano Sori-Marin	Sr
DL	`56`	Val Martin	GS
LB	`57`	Jack Kern	Jr
DL	`62`	Jacob Schuster	Fr
DL	`89`	Nate Becker	Fr
DL	`90`	Jah Joyner	Fr
DL	`91`	Deven Eastern	Fr
DL	`92`	Danny Striggow	Fr
DL	`94`	Austin Booker	Fr
DL	`96`	Logan Richter	So
DL	`97`	Jalen Logan-Redding	Fr
DL	`99`	DeAngelo Carter	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`34`	Brock Walker	Jr
LS	`37`	Brady Weeks	Jr
P	`38`	Daniel Sparks	So
LS	`49`	Austin Sullivan	So
K	`91`	Will Mobley	Sr
K	`95`	Matthew Trickett	Sr
P	`96`	Mark Crawford	So
K	`99`	Dragan Kesich	So

Head coach

P. J. Fleck (head coach)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Mike Sanford Jr. (offensive coordinator / quarterbacks)
Joe Rossi (defensive coordinator / linebackers)
Rob Wenger (special teams coordinator / outside linebackers)
Kenni Burns (assistant head coach / running backs)
Paul Haynes (cornerbacks)
Brian Callahan (run game coordinators / offensive line)
Joe Harasymiak (defensive backs / safeties)
Chad Wilt (defensive line)
Clay Patterson (tight ends)
Matt Simon (passing game coordinator / wide receivers)
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: December 28, 2021

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	No. 4 Ohio State		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	FOX	L 31–45	50,805
September 11	11:00 a.m.	Miami (OH)*		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	W 31–26	43,372
September 18	12:00 p.m.	at Colorado*		Folsom Field Boulder, CO	P12N	W 30–0	47,482
September 25	11:00 a.m.	Bowling Green*		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPNU	L 10–14	46,236
October 2	11:00 a.m.	at Purdue		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	BTN	W 20–13	51,111
October 16	11:00 a.m.	Nebraska		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	ESPN2	W 30–23	45,436
October 23	2:30 p.m.	Maryland		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	W 34–16	41,011
October 30	2:30 p.m.	at Northwestern		Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	W 41–14	28,158
November 6	11:00 a.m.	Illinois	No. 20	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN2	L 6–14	46,382
November 13	2:30 p.m.	at No. 20 Iowa		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)	BTN	L 22–27	69,250
November 20	2:30 p.m.	at Indiana		Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	BTN	W 35–14	38,079
November 27	3:00 p.m.	No. 14 Wisconsin		Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	FOX	W 23–13	49,736
December 28	9:15 p.m.	vs. West Virginia*		Chase Field Phoenix, AZ (Guaranteed Rate Bowl)	ESPN	W 18–6	21,220
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

vs No. 4 Ohio State

Ohio State at Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 4 Ohio State	7	3	21	14	45
Minnesota	0	14	7	10	31

Date: September 2, 2021
Location:
Huntington Bank Stadium
Minneapolis, MN
Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST
Elapsed time: 3:32
Game attendance: 50,582
Referee: Reggie Smith
TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (sideline)

The Golden Gophers opens the 2021 season at Huntington Bank Stadium, where they will host the 4th ranked team in the nation the Ohio State Buckeyes. This will be the 51st meeting between the 2 teams, with Ohio State having a winning record against the Gophers at 44-7-0. The Buckeyes have won 10 straight, which is their 2nd longest current Big Ten winning Streak. The teams last met in 2018, with the Buckeyes winning 30–14 at Ohio Stadium.

The TV Broadcast on Fox was the fourth most-watched broadcast television program of the week, averaging 6.295 million viewers.^[2] That is the largest audience for an opening-week college football telecast on Fox.^[3]

Statistics	Ohio State	Minnesota
First downs	17	23
Plays–yards	48-495	75-409
Rushes–yards	26-201	50-203
Passing yards	294	206
Passing: comp–att–int	13-22-1	14-25-0
Time of possession	21:19	38:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ohio State	Passing	C. J. Stroud	13-22, 294 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Miyan Williams	9 car, 125 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Chris Olave	4 receptions, 117 yds, 2 TD
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	14-25, 205 yds, 1 TD
	Rushing	Mohamed Ibrahim	30 car, 153 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Daniel Jackson	3 rec, 58 yds

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Ohio State	Minnesota
1st	7:22	5	92	1:42	OSU	Miyan Williams 71-yard touchdown run, Noah Ruggles kick good	7	0
2nd	12:50	14	74	6:47	OSU	35-yard field goal by Ruggles	10	0
2nd	9:11	6	80	3:39	MINN	Dylan Wright 13-yard touchdown reception from Tanner Morgan, Matthew Trickett kick good	10	7
2nd	3:32	8	37	4:31	MINN	Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard touchdown run, Trickett kick good	10	14
3rd	12:43	7	81	2:17	OSU	Chris Olave 38-yard touchdown reception from C. J. Stroud, Ruggles kick good	17	14
3rd	10:03	5	75	2:40	MINN	Ibrahim 19-yard touchdown run, Trickett kick good	17	21
3rd	5:12	1	56	0:08	OSU	Garrett Wilson 56-yard touchdown reception from Stroud, Ruggles kick good	24	21
3rd	2:18	5	7	2:54	OSU	Fumble recovery returned 32 yards for touchdown by Haskell Garrett, Ruggles kick good	31	21
4th	10:39	12	47	6:39	MINN	46-yard field goal by Trickett	31	24
4th	9:43	3	75	0:56	OSU	TreVeyon Henderson 70-yard touchdown reception from Stroud, Ruggles kick good	38	24
4th	5:31	9	75	4:12	MINN	Bryce Williams 2-yard touchdown run, Trickett kick good	38	31
4th	4:39	2	75	0:52	OSU	Olave 61-yard touchdown reception from Stroud, Ruggles kick good	45	31
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							45	31

vs No. 14 Wisconsin

Wisconsin at Minnesota

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Wisconsin	0	10	3	0	13
• Minnesota	3	3	14	3	23

Date: November 27, 2021
Location:
Huntington Bank Stadium
Minneapolis, MN
Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
Game attendance: 49,736
Game weather: Sunny 38 degrees, Wind NW @ 9 mph
TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play by play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Statistics	Wisconsin	Minnesota
First downs	19	16
Plays–yards	60-203	53-278
Rushes–yards	22-62	35-79
Passing yards	171	199
Passing: comp–att–int	21-38-1	11-16-1
Time of possession	29:53	30:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing	Graham Mertz	21-38, 162 yds, 1 INT
	Rushing	Braelon Allen	17 car, 47 yds
	Receiving	Danny Davis III	5 rec, 60 yds
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	11-16, 199 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ky Thomas	18 car, 55 yds, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brevyn Spann-Ford	3 rec, 62 yds

vs. West Virginia (Guaranteed Rate Bowl)

West Virginia Mountaineers (6–6) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (8–4) (2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
West Virginia	0	6	0	0	6
Minnesota	0	15	3	0	18

at Chase Field • Phoenix, Arizona

Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Game time: 10:15 p.m. EST (8:15 p.m. local MST)
Game attendance: 21,220
TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
Box score

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter 14:19 MIN – Daniel Faalele 2-yard rush, Brock Annexstad conversion rush good. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 4:00. Minnesota 8–0 8:48 WVU – Jarret Doege 1-yard rush, conversion pass incomplete. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:31. Minnesota 8–6 2:14 MIN – Ky Thomas 5-yard rush, Matthew Trickett kick good. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 2:17. Minnesota 15–6 Third quarter 5:53 MIN – Matthew Trickett 49-yard field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 4:58. Minnesota 18–6 Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Game information

First quarter: No scoring plays
Second quarter

14:19 MIN – Daniel Faalele 2-yard rush, Brock Annexstad conversion rush good. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 4:00. Minnesota 8–0
8:48 WVU – Jarret Doege 1-yard rush, conversion pass incomplete. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:31. Minnesota 8–6
2:14 MIN – Ky Thomas 5-yard rush, Matthew Trickett kick good. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 2:17. Minnesota 15–6

Third quarter

5:53 MIN – Matthew Trickett 49-yard field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards, 4:58. Minnesota 18–6

Fourth quarter: No scoring plays

Statistics

Statistics	WVU	MIN
First downs	16	17
Plays–yards	58–206	64–358
Rushes–yards	27–66	51–249
Passing yards	140	109
Passing: comp–att–int	18–31–1	8–13–1
Time of possession	21:31	38:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
West Virginia	Passing	Jarret Doege	18/31, 140 yards, INT
	Rushing	Tony Mathis Jr.	13 carries, 56 yards
	Receiving	Sam James	3 receptions, 40 yards
Minnesota	Passing	Tanner Morgan	8/13, 109 yards, INT
	Rushing	Ky Thomas	21 carries, 144 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dylan Wright	2 receptions, 58 yards

References

^ "2021 Minnesota Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
^ City News Service - College football drives ABC’s victory in Aug. 30-Sept. 5 Nielsen ratings race. Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2021
^ Bauder, David - College football's return boosts television ratings. Associated Press, September 9, 2021

v t e Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Venues	Athletic Park (1892–1898) University of Minnesota Armory (1892–1898) Northrop Field (1899–1923) Memorial Stadium (1924–1981) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982–2008) Huntington Bank Stadium (2009–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa Michigan: Little Brown Jug Nebraska Wisconsin
Culture & lore	Goldy Gopher Marching band Spirit squad "Minnesota Rouser" "Minnesota March" "Go Gopher Victory" "Minnesota Fight" "Our Minnesota" "Hail! Minnesota" "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Minnesota shift T formation Smith of Minnesota
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees Annual awards
Seasons	1882 1883 1884–1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold