Gophers blank Nevada 27-0 for first back-to-back shutouts since 1962

For Lewis, facing the Gophers is the stuff of nightmares. In 2021, he was Colorado’s starting quarterback when the Gophers beat the Buffaloes 30-0 in Boulder.

With the victory, the Gophers finished nonconference play with a 2-1 record, a mark that could’ve been 3-0 had they made fewer mistakes in the opener against North Carolina. Instead, the Gophers enter Big Ten play needing four wins to reach bowl eligibility. Of course, they are hoping for more. They will face an immediate challenge against rival Iowa on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium before traveling to defending national champion Michigan on Sept. 28. A difficult three-game stretch finishes Oct. 5 with a home against No. 11 USC before the Gophers hit the road to play UCLA on Oct. 12 in the Rose Bowl stadium.

The redshirt freshman defensive back intercepted two passes, and the Gophers cashed them in for 10 points. The first came when Jalen Logan-Redding hit Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis, forcing a short throw that Brown intercepted at the Gophers 45. Brown’s second pick came in the second quarter, shortly after Brosmer threw an end zone interception. Brown returned the pick 17 yards to the Nevada 16. Two plays later, Brosmer hit Taylor out of the backfield, and the sophomore kept his balance after taking a hit and reached the end zone for a 13-0 lead with 4:03 left in the second quarter.

Brown gets this one, too, on his second interception and return. From that point, the Gophers were in complete control of the game.

80 Yards in Taylor’s touchdown run with 8:58 left in the third quarter that boosted the Gophers’ lead to 27-0. The sophomore from Detroit broke loose down the right sideline, then cut back late to take away the angle that the defender had on him and cross the goal line on the left side. The TD run was the sixth longest in Gophers history.

With nonconference play in their rear-view mirror, the Gophers begin their Big Ten slate with a super-charged rivalry game against Iowa on Saturday (6:30 p.m., NBC). Last year, Minnesota ended an eight-game losing streak against the Hawkeyes, securing the Floyd of Rosedale trophy with a 12-10 victory in Iowa City. The Gophers’ victory was controversial to those on the Iowa side because Hawkeyes cornerback Cooper DeJean appeared to return a punt 54 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:21 left to play. Officials, however, ruled that DeJean had given an invalid fair catch signal, negating the return.