The Gophers woke to this college football utopia on Sept. 25: They had just throttled Michigan State 34-7 in their Big Ten opener, improving to 4-0 after outscoring opponents 183-24. By that Sunday afternoon, they'd enter the AP Top 25 at No. 21.
It wasn't just that they were dominant, it was how the Gophers were winning. Sure, their three nonconference opponents — New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado — were overmatched, but the Gophers toyed with the Spartans, a preseason top 15 team.
And quarterback Tanner Morgan, reunited and feeling so good with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, awoke the echoes of his magical 2019 by torching Michigan State on 23-for-26 passing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. With star wideout Chris Autman-Bell sidelined for the season a week earlier, Morgan made up for the absence by completing passes to 10 different pass-catchers.
Two months later, that win in East Lansing is a distant memory and the hope for a Big Ten West Division title is gone. The Gophers head to the regular-season finale at Wisconsin on Saturday aiming to secure one last trophy and avoid the indignity of possibly spending bowl season in Detroit after their fanbase dreamed of Pasadena.
What the heck happened?
A combination of factors turned what was looking to be a great season into "meh'' — aside from the brilliant season of running back Mohamed Ibrahim. The 4-0 start was fool's gold, especially with Michigan State, now 5-6, proving more fraudulent than formidable. The Gophers offense became one-dimensional, as Autman-Bell's absence became a bigger factor than it initially appeared. Minnesota's defense, mostly stout, faltered at key times. The kicking game had a couple of bad moments. And some important coaching decisions backfired.
It's added up to a 7-4 overall record and 4-4 Big Ten mark entering Saturday's game at Camp Randall Stadium, where Minnesota will try to retain Paul Bunyan's Axe against Wisconsin (6-5, 4-4).
"There are some things that when we look back, and you're always gonna circle one or two plays,'' Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said, dissecting last week's 13-10 loss to Iowa. "But none of us wanted it to happen the way it happened.''