SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 27, 2014
Minnesota 30, Michigan 14: David Cobb ran for 183 yards as the visiting Golden Gophers snapped a six-game losing streak in the 102nd edition of the battle for the Little Brown Jug.
Mitch Leidner, who missed last week's win over San Jose State with turf toe, was 14-of-22 for 167 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten), which had dropped 22 of the last 23 in the series. The Gophers held the Wolverines to 171 total yards.
Shane Morris, who started over an ineffective Devin Gardner, was 7-of-19 for 49 yards and an interception for Michigan (2-3, 0-1), which has lost five of its last six conference games. De'Veon Smith opened the scoring with a 10-yard TD run in the second quarter, but the Wolverines were cascaded with boos from the home crowd after consecutive third-quarter turnovers resulted in 14 points.
Cobb accounted for 161 yards in the first half as the Gophers outgained the Wolverines 229-106 and led 10-7 on a 10-yard run by Leidner and a 24-yard field goal by Ryan Santoso. Midway through the third quarter Morris had a ball tipped and picked off by De'Vondre Campbell, who ran untouched 30 yards down the left sideline for a 20-7 lead.
Morris was then stripped in the backfield and Leidner capitalized with a 1-yard shuffle pass to Maxx Williams for a 27-7 lead late in the third. Gardner, who entered in the fourth quarter after Morris left with an ankle injury, scored on a 3-yard run and completed 3-of-6 passes for 39 yards.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Cobb has rushed for 100 yards in six of his last seven Big Ten games. … Smith's TD in the second quarter was the first TD and first trip inside the red zone for Michigan in three games versus Power Five Conference schools. … Michigan, which entered yielding just 80.3 rushing yards – ninth in FBS - surrendered 206 yards.