2021 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

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.

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

2021 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
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

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

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)

See also: 2021 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

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. That is the largest audience for an opening-week college football telecast on Fox.

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 Plays Yards TOP 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

See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team and Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry

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)

See also: 2021 West Virginia Mountaineers football team and 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl

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

Quarter	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

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