The fact that Brock Walker missed the extra point that would have sent the Gophers into double overtime at Maryland is, by definition, the reason why his team lost the game.
But there are many other entries below that in this dictionary that give many meanings to the Gophers' collective failure in the 45-44 loss Friday night at Capital One Field.
For the second consecutive game, special teams buckled, the defense buckled, and the offense — minus a dynamic showing from running back Mohamed Ibrahim — plodded. And this time, it caused the Gophers (0-2) to match the number of losses they had all of last season. They were favored by 20 points against a Maryland team that lost its opener 43-3 at Northwestern.
"There is plenty of opportunity. There's plenty of blame to go around and plenty of plays to go around," coach P.J. Fleck said of Walker, who'd made all his kicks this season despite recovering from sports hernia surgery. "That's not the reason why we lost the game."
The defense allowed Maryland 675 total offensive yards, including stout performances from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who threw for 394 yards and three touchdowns on near 75% accuracy, and running back Jake Funk, who ran for 221 yards and a score, plus another receiving touchdown.
In Fleck's own words, the team dug itself a "huge, massive, crater hole" at the start, allowing Maryland to score on its first two drives.
Ibrahim's 207 yards on 41 carries with four touchdowns, while gargantuan, weren't enough to ensure a win. But those first-half touchdowns did match a Gophers record for rushing scores in a game and launched the Gophers into the lead for the first time, part of a stretch of 31 uninterrupted points for the Gophers through the second and third quarters.
