Minnesota hosted Mississippi State on September 12 in the season's marquee nonconference game, a 2:30 PM kickoff against an SEC opponent. It went badly from the start. The Bulldogs scored on their opening drive and won 38-13, dropping the Gophers to 1-1 while Mississippi State moved to 2-0.
It came 9 days after Minnesota's 59-7 rout of Eastern Illinois in the opener, and this one never felt close. Mississippi State went up 14-3, then 21-3, and took a 28-6 lead into halftime. The Gophers' only touchdown came on a fumble recovery in the end zone, which got them within 15 at one point, but they never put together a real comeback.
Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor did damage with his arm and his legs. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Running back Fluff Bothwell carried 18 times for 113 yards and 2 scores, and receiver Anthony Evans III caught 7 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. As a team, Mississippi State ran 46 times for 252 yards, 5.5 per carry.
Minnesota's offense ended up depending on Drake Lindsey. He went 31 of 48 for 279 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Noah Jennings was his top target, catching 7 balls for 88 yards. The running game had nothing. Darius Taylor led the team with 15 yards on 6 carries, and the Gophers finished with 13 rushing yards on 15 attempts, 0.9 per carry.
On paper the two teams were close in some ways. Time of possession was nearly even, 30:15 for Mississippi State to 29:45 for Minnesota, and the Gophers didn't turn the ball over while the Bulldogs lost 1. The difference was efficiency. Mississippi State put up 479 total yards on 68 plays, 7.0 per snap. Minnesota managed 292 yards on 63 plays, 4.6 per snap. Taylor also ran for 86 yards, and receiver Zion Ragins added 3 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
The numbers make the problem clear. Minnesota's offense had to pass on almost every down because it couldn't run at all, and the defense couldn't keep an SEC rushing attack from getting outside. Lindsey kept the ball safe and spread it around, but 13 yards on the ground won't beat anyone, never mind a team like this one.
