Koi Perich provides Gophers a big boost with 60-yard punt return

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – Koi Perich, the prized Gophers true freshman safety from Esko, Minn., has the type of athletic abilities and flair for the dramatic that puts people on the edge of their seat, especially when he’s returning punts.

Saturday, Perich made his biggest impact to date with a key return in the Gophers’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 27-24 loss to No. 12 Michigan.

Minnesota had cut the Wolverines’ lead to 24-10 with 14:01 left in the fourth quarter, and the Gophers defense followed up by forcing Michigan to go three-and-out.

Tommy Doman punted, Perich caught it at the Gophers 23-yard line and made a move to his right. He then saw a blocking lane form, cut back to the left at the 40 and sprinted down the sideline, shedding a would-be tackler at the Michigan 45. He made it to the 17 for a 60-yard return before being forced out of bounds.

Three plays later, Darius Taylor’s 1-yard run made it 24-17.

“He did a great job,” Taylor said. “We talked all week about game-changing plays on special teams. That’s something we’re trying to do every week. That really sprung our offense.”

Perich also had a 22-yard punt return and kickoff returns of 17 and 9 yards. He’s averaging 26.4 yards on punt returns and 17.7 on kick returns.

Gophers starting cornerback Justin Walley missed his second consecutive game because of a knee injury, while safety Aidan Gousby returned to play after missing last week’s game against Iowa because of an upper-body injury.

Along with Walley, the Gophers secondary was without safety Darius Green, who missed the Michigan game because of an undisclosed injury. Also listed as out on the Big Ten availability report were defensive lineman Theorin Randle and tight end Pierce Walsh.

New to the availability report was starting tight end Jameson Geers, who was listed as questionable and did not play. Geers has seven receptions for 66 yards this season, including his first career touchdown catch last week against the Hawkeyes.

Walley, a four-year starter, has eight tackles, one interception and one pass breakup this season. He was replaced in the lineup by Za’Quan Bryan, a redshirt freshman.

Gousby played but did not register a statistic.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is running for vice president on the Kamala Harris ticket, attended Saturday’s game. He and his entourage gathered on the field for a few minutes during pregame warmups.

Security was noticeably increased with Walz’s appearance in a game that drew an announced 110,340 at Michigan Stadium.

With its victory, Michigan improved to 78-25-3 against the Gophers. The Wolverines also retained the Little Brown Jug, giving them a 74-23-2 record in the trophy series.

The Gophers have lost their first two trophy games of the season — Saturday’s contest and a 31-14 loss to Iowa for Floyd of Rosedale on Sept. 21. They’ will play Penn State for the Governor’s Victory Bell on Nov. 23 and Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Nov. 29.

“When you play Iowa, they’re just a tough out,” athletic director Mark Coyle said on the KFXN-FM pregame show. “Those are games you’ve got to compete in and have to win. … We’ve got to step up and compete.’’