Just when it seemed like the Minnesota Gophers were ready to pull away from San Jose State with a fourth-quarter score Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, quarterback Chris Streveler threw an interception and then the game was suspended because of a thunderstorm.
Minnesota led 17-7 as play was suspended because of an NCAA rule stating a stadium must be cleared for safety reasons if lightning is spotted within 10 miles of the venue.
An hour and three minutes later, Cobb and Streveler carried their team to a 24-7 nonconference victory, becoming the first pair of Gophers players since 2004 to rush for more than 150 yards in the same game.
Cobb had 34 carries for 207 yards and two touchdowns, becoming the seventh player in team history with multiple 200-yard games. Streveler’s 18 carries for 161 yards were the most rushing yards for a Minnesota quarterback since MarQueis Gray’s 167 yards against Illinois in 2011.
A majority of the announced crowd of 47,739 started to exit the stadium in the third quarter as the weather delay began. Fans were able to take shelter in the concourse area or across the street at Mariucci Arena, Williams Arena and the McNamara Alumni Center, according to Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague.
Streveler, who went 1-for-7, completed his first and only pass on a 7-yarder to Drew Wolitarsky on third-and-6 on the final drive of the fourth quarter, capped by a 16-yard touchdown run by Cobb with 3:21 left.
Wisconsin was the last Big Ten team to win a game without a passing attempt against Ohio State in 1989.
In the first half, the Gophers made it simple for Streveler, who made his first career start in place of injured sophomore Mitch Leidner.
Run. Run. Run.
Streveler threw only two passes in the first half but ran nine times for 73 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with four seconds left in the second quarter to give Minnesota a 17-7 halftime lead.
Leidner missed the game because of turf toe. The week before, he also played with a medial collateral sprain in his left knee in a 30-7 loss at Texas Christian.
Cobb bounced back from being slowed by an ankle injury against TCU to rush 22 times for 149 in the first half Saturday.
San Jose State moved the ball well at times, but quarterback Blake Jurich threw two interceptions, including immediately after Cobb fumbled the ball while reaching over the goal line with 26 seconds left before halftime.
San Jose State 7-0-0-0-7
Minnesota 10-7-0-7-24
First Quarter
M - Santoso 38 field goal, 12:31.
M - D.Cobb 9 run (Santoso kick), 3:53.
SJS - T.Winston 27 pass from Jurich (Au.Lopez kick), 0:40.
Second Quarter
M - Streveler 1 run (Santoso kick), 0:00.
Fourth Quarter
M - D.Cobb 16 run (Santoso kick), 3:21.
TEAM STATISTICS
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SJSU MINN
First Downs 17 19
Rushes-Yards 32-68 58-380
Passing 186 7
Sacked-Yds Lost 0-0 3-25
Comp-Att-Int 16-33-2 1-7-1
Return Yards 10 9
Punts 3-32.7 4-44.0
Fumbles-Lost 3-3 2-1
Penalties-Yards 0-0 10-80
Time of Possession 28:42 31:18
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-SJSU, Jr.Lawson 18-56, Jurich 7-12, Ty.Ervin 1-9, Th.Tucker 3-2, Je.Gray 3-(minus 11). MINN, D.Cobb 34-207, Streveler 18-161, Be.Edwards 3-9, D.Kirkwood 2-5.
PASSING-SJSU, Jurich 14-29-2-161, Je.Gray 2-4-0-25. MINN, Streveler 1-7-1-7.
RECEIVING-SJSU, T.Winston 9-94, T.Crawley 3-57, Jr.Lawson 2-31, Bi.Freeman 2-4. MINN, Wolitarsky 1-7.
Wisconsin 68, Bowling Green 17
Running back Melvin Gordon finally hit the ground running for No. 19 Wisconsin.
Gordon rushed for 248 yards on 13 carries and collected a career-best five touchdowns to pace the Badgers to the record-
setting nonconference win Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
The junior’s five touchdowns tied a Wisconsin single-game record, and he joined a list of six players who accomplished the feat. Wisconsin, meanwhile, rumbled for 640 yards, breaking the program record and setting a modern-era Big Ten Conference mark. That total surpassed the former team record of 564 yards against Indiana in 2012.
Gordon, who had 17 carries for 38 yards in the Badgers’ win two weeks ago against Western Illinois, capped his performance with a 69-yard run for a score on the second play of the third quarter that pushed Wisconsin‘s lead to 47-10.
Junior quarterback Tanner McEvoy, a community college transfer in his third career start, rushed for a career-high 158 yards and a touchdown, and was 10-for-17 passing for 85 yards.
Quarterback James Knapke, making his third career start for Bowling Green, was 14-for-30 for 170 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Bowling Green 10-0-0-7-17
Wisconsin 14-27-21-6-68
First Quarter
W - McEvoy 24 run (Gaglianone kick), 13:49.
BG - Coppet 35 run (Ty.Tate kick), 11:33.
W - Me.Gordon 2 run (Gaglianone kick), 6:28.
BG - Ty.Tate 28 yard field goal, 1:01.
Second Quarter
W - S.Arneson 34 pass from McEvoy (Gaglianone kick), 14:27.
W - Me.Gordon 50 run (kick failed), 11:18.
W - Me.Gordon 3 run (Gaglianone kick), 5:18.
W - Me.Gordon 21 run (Gaglianone kick), 0:18.
Third Quarter
WIS - Me.Gordon 69 run (Gaglianone kick), 14:14.
WIS - Clement 13 run (Gaglianone kick), 10:28.
WIS - Clement 1 run (Gaglianone kick), 4:40.
Fourth Quarter
WIS - Gaglianone 28 field goal, 12:54.
BG - A.Givens 60 run (Ty.Tate kick), 11:37.
W - Gaglianone 43 field goal, 3:30.
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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-BG, A.Givens 5-67, Coppet 5-35, Ta.Greene 8-13, C.Callaway 2-(minus 1), Knapke 5-(minus 27). WIS, Me.Gordon 13-253, McEvoy 11-158, C.Clement 16-111, Ogunbowale 14-94, K.Doe 2-22, G.Rushing 2-8.
PASSING-BG, Knapke 13-28-1-163, C.Callaway 2-5-0-15. WIS, McEvoy 9-16-1-112, B.Houston 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING-BG, Rg.Lewis 5-68, Burbrink 3-51, He.Jackson 3-30, Rn.Moore 1-15, J.Klingerman 1-10, Coby 1-5, Ta.Greene 1-(minus 1). WIS, S.Arneson 3-63, Al.Erickson 2-10, Fumagalli 1-22, C.Clement 1-6, Ramesh 1-6, Me.Gordon 1-5.
St. Scholastica 48, Crown 14
St. Scholastica’s Tyler Harper threw for 170 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-14 victory over Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opponent Crown College on Saturday at Public Schools Stadium.
Crown struck first with a 10-play drive that was capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run by Matt Michaud, but the Saints responded with a 12-play drive of their own that ended with a touchdown run by former Moose Lake-Willow River running back Chris Gassert.
Gassert ended the day with two touchdowns and 119 yards rushing, while Andrew Smith caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt 59 yards for a score for St. Scholastica (3-0 overall, 2-0 UMAC).
Michaud had 85 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Crown (0-3, 0-2).
Crown 7-0-0-7-14
St. Scholastica 7-27-14-0-48
C - Matt Michaud 2 run (Chad Anenson kick)
CSS - Chris Gassert 2 run (Mike Theismann kick)
CSS - Mitch O’Neil 9 pass from Tyler Harper (Theismann kick)
CSS - Andrew Smith 59 punt return (kick failed)
CSS - Gassert 30 run (Theismann kick)
CSS - Spencer Specht 9 pass from Harper (Theismann kick)
CSS - Smith 9 pass from Harper (Theismann kick)
CSS - Specht 8 pass from Kyle Stepka (Theismann kick)
C - Michaud 3 run (Anenson kick)
