Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Michigan Wolverines Match Player Stats On Oct 05, 2013

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 5, 2013

No. 17 Michigan 42, Minnesota 13: Devin Gardner threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the host Wolverines to victory in their Big Ten opener against the Golden Gophers, who were playing without head coach Jerry Kill after he suffered a seizure earlier in the day.

Gardner was 13-of-17 for 235 yards for Michigan (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which has won 18 games in a row at home - the longest active streak among BCS schools. More importantly, Gardner didn't give the ball away after throwing five interceptions over the previous two games.

Mitch Leidner passed for 145 yards and ran for 66 more as Minnesota (4-2, 0-2) lost its second conference game in a row after a 4-0 start. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys filled in for Kill, who had his fifth seizure-related episode since taking over the Gophers in 2011.

The Wolverines took a 14-7 lead into the break despite Minnesota holding nearly an eight-minute edge in time of possession thanks to a 16-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 9:44 and ended with Leidner's 7-yard touchdown pass to Maxx Williams. Fitzgerald Toussaint had an 8-yard scoring run to help Michigan capitalize on a Golden Gophers' fumble, and Gardner put the Wolverines ahead with a 24-yard strike to Devin Funchess.

Michigan had its own extended drive to open the second half, with Derrick Green capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring run 4:52 into the third quarter. Toussant, who rushed for 78 yards, added his second touchdown to put the Wolverines up 28-10, and Gardner added a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter before Blake Countess closed out the scoring by returning an interception 72 yards for a touchdown with 1:19 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kill did not travel with the team after not feeling well on Friday night and had been planning on rejoining the Gophers on Saturday. … The Wolverines retained the Little Brown Jug for the sixth time in a row and for the 22nd time in the past 23 meetings. … Jeremy Gallon, Michigan's leading receiver, only had two catches for 39 yards but extended his streak of games with a reception to 31 in a row.