Struggling for much of the game, the Gophers needed someone to step up. Redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey answered the call with a touchdown in overtime to lead Minnesota to a 23-20 OT win over Michigan State.

The Gophers have routinely bounced back under P.J. Fleck following a loss like we saw against the Hawkeyes. Smith and the Spartans look like a team that could be checked out, and this is a game Minnesota needs to find a way to win.

If the Minnesota Golden Gophers are going to stay perfect this season at Huntington Bank Stadium, they’ll have to do so without star running back Darius Taylor. On Saturday, Minnesota’s availability report was released two hours ahead of Minnesota’s matchup against Michigan State.

No. 14 Wisconsin scored twice on the power play and blanked Minnesota, 4-0, Saturday night at Kohl Center to complete a weekend sweep in the teams’ first Big Ten Conference series of the season.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers did not want to suffer a second consecutive loss. They had been blown out by Iowa last week and they did not want to lose at home to a Michigan State team that had lost five games in a row. It took a last-second comeback to tie it before Minnesota emerged with a 23-17 triumph in overtime.

The nation's longest win streak, an impressive rivalry win streak, and the all-time series lead in the Border Battle are at stake this weekend in Madison.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers begin the season at home against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. Monday's meeting is the first this season between the squads.

Niko Medved's new job at Minnesota of trying to lift a long-languishing program back into the upper level of the Big Ten leaves little time for reflection.