Gophers Notebook: Michigan State 12-27 Minnesota

Fifth-string walk-on tailback Jordan Nubin stole the show. Nubin isn't as explosive as Darius Taylor or as shifty as Zach Evans, and he's no comparison to Mohamed Ibrahim when it comes to breaking tackles. But even though he joined the program as a safety two years ago, he sure looks like a Gopher running back. While Nubin scored a couple touchdowns, this carry feels more representative of his style than either:

Minnesota relies heavily on zone runs, which requires tailbacks who are patient, balanced, and physical. Nubin showed each of those qualities against Michigan State. He waited for his line to open up lanes (including cutbacks), kept his pads low so he could change direction and cut through the hole, and pushed through contact. He did such a good job of it that the Gophers just kept giving him the ball until he had 204 yards.

This performance deserves additional context. According to the Minnesota media guide, this was the 33rd 200-rushing-yard performance in program history. The list of players who have done this is surprisingly exclusive. Before Nubin, only 17 pulled it off, and many are program legends. The only one whose career rushing yardage doesn't rank in Minnesota's top 30 all-time is Clarence Schutte. Schutte famously ran for 282 yards against Illinois in 1924, but that was his only season as a Gopher.

Notably, a player's 200-yard game did not make up more than a sixth of his career rushing totals unless he ran for 200 yards multiple times. Nubin is a different story.

The U of M media guide only ranks players with 1,000 career rushing yards.

Obviously, Nubin is a redshirt sophomore who is in line to move up on the depth chart next season. Even if he never plays a role as prominent as the one he had on Saturday, he is already a quarter of the way to 1,000 career yards. By the time he leaves Minnesota, four-fifths of Nubin's career total coming in one game will likely end up a small-sample oddity.

At the same time, it remains an absurd achievement. Nubin was not supposed to play outside of blowouts this year. He may go his entire college career as a backup. He isn't on scholarship. He is, in the most unfair and reductive terms possible, the less famous brother of a future NFL player. And he ran for 204 yards. Whether or not Nubin can keep up a high level of play, or even need to do so again this season, no one can take this moment away from him or from his family.

For Minnesota's offensive line, it was a generally positive but somewhat mixed day. One cannot criticize too harshly the unit's run blocking. Just two of the team's rushing attempts failed to gain yards. At points, the Gophers moved the whole Spartans front, and Nubin saw wide open running lanes.

The Gophers did, however, end up with just a 44-percent rushing success rate — more efficient than average, but not by much — and didn't generate many big runs on the ground. That speaks in part to Nubin's limitations but, when combined with the successes of Michigan State's pass rush, belies some inconsistencies up front.

Quinn Carroll and Aireontae Ersery each gave solid if imperfect performances, but the situation between the tackles was more up and down. Left guard Greg Johnson played start-to-finish for the first time in college due to Tyler Cooper's absence. Johnson had far more stalemates than outright wins against the MSU line — which doesn't kill plays but limits their potential. He was often guilty of leaning as well, losing his balance and leverage against quicker and stronger defenders even if his first step was good.

Minnesota's coaches have publicly been high on Johnson's prospects (so have I), and he has acquitted himself well for a true freshman in the Big Ten. He still sometimes looks like a true freshman in the Big Ten. For a while, the Gophers have to accept that even a talented young player is not a complete one.

At right guard, Martes Lewis had trouble with rushers coming across his face. Here, Lewis didn't keep his feet moving against Derrick Harmon. Center Nathan Boe did not offer much help, and Athan Kaliakmanis couldn't escape.

Jordan Hill's strip-sack in the first quarter came on a blitz that attacked the Gophers' interior. Both defensive ends dropped into coverage after initially stepping up as if to rush, which was meant to bait the Gophers' tackles. Defensive tackle Avery Dunn went outside to take on Carroll. Lewis did not recognize in time that he should hand off Dunn to pick up Hill's blitz. Hill made it to Athan Kaliakmanis unimpeded.

The Spartans pressured him nine times, according to Pro Football Focus, and sacked him thrice. Kaliakmanis nevertheless had one of his better games of the season in the face of that pressure. On the very next snap after the first sack shown above, Lewis again let through an interior rusher when Khris Bogle twisted from defensive end into the B-gap. However, Nubin got just enough of Bogle to let Kaliakmanis step up in the pocket. His throw to Brevyn Spann-Ford needed to be perfect with a defender on the tight end's hip and two more in the area. The throw was, and Spann-Ford made an impressive catch through contact.

Here is Kaliakmanis picking up a big 3rd down conversion while getting hit:

And here is Kaliakmanis scrambling for another 3rd down conversion after another Spartan arrived in the pocket:

It obviously helped that he was facing this opponent, for sure. Michigan State's pass defense has been a longtime trouble spot, and multiple underclassmen now start in an effort to reboot the secondary. True sophomore Dillon Tatum, for one, could not keep up after Daniel Jackson gave a subtle feint and darted into the seam for this touchdown:

Also, while Kaliakmanis limited the inaccurate passes that made the Iowa game closer than it should have been, he was not perfect. He threw a bad interception in the third quarter, trying to lead his man to come back when he should've gone long. Kaliakmanis still impressed, playing a more consistent, complete game than he had previously. Averaging 9.1 yards per attempt counts as a strong performance any week.

Minnesota's defense, meanwhile, did a fine job against an opponent not equipped to inflict serious damage. Michigan State's offense has mostly relied on running back Nathan Carter this season, but he gained just a dozen yards on his first six carries. MSU subsequently moved to the passing game.

They had similar results. Katin Houser's biggest successes came on jump balls downfield. Two catches accounted for 64 of Houser's 117 passing yards, and a couple of defensive penalties (one ticky-tack) gave him a free first down. Otherwise, he averaged 5.3 yards per completion. The Gophers didn't bring that much pressure, betting on their ability to take away deep options and and make tackles in front of the sticks when Houser went short. They were right.

The Spartans' first two drives started in the red zone due to fumbles, and they ended in field goals. They made just two trips inside the Minnesota 40-yard line before the fourth quarter, and they didn't score either time. MSU's first touchdown came after they pulled Houser, giving true freshman Sam Leavitt a run at quarterback. Leavitt's speed did give them a spark, but he took a few hits and committed two turnovers when the Gophers implemented a spy to keep him in the pocket. The fourth quarter proved again that mobile quarterbacks are a weakness for this defense, but it was too late to matter.

As things stand, Minnesota is somehow in a four-way tie for 1st in the Big Ten West, technically in control of their own destiny with four games to go. However, with a trip to Ohio State, no chance of making a marquee bowl, and plenty of opportunity for every flawed team in the West to stumble, no one can claim to be in control of the division race. Plenty can (and will) happen in November. With one more win, the Gophers go bowling. Beyond the fulfillment of that goal, it is best to just wait and see what happens.