American college football season
The 2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Golden Gophers were led by P. J. Fleck in his seventh year as head coach. They played their home games at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis . The team was originally ineligible for a bowl game due to a losing record; however, they were awarded a berth due to having the highest Academic Progress Rating among 5–7 teams.[ 1]
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance 7:00 p.m. Nebraska FOX W 13–1053,629 September 9 6:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan * Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN W 25–648,101 September 16 2:30 p.m. at No. 20 North Carolina * ESPN L 13–3145,151 September 23 6:30 p.m. at Northwestern BTN L 34–37 OT 20,148 September 30 11:00 a.m. Louisiana * Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN W 35–2446,843 October 7 6:30 p.m. No. 2 Michigan NBC L 10–5252,179 October 21 2:30 p.m. at No. 24 Iowa NBC W 12–1069,250 October 28 2:30 p.m. Michigan State Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN W 27–1247,392 November 4 2:30 p.m. Illinois Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN L 26–2742,906 November 11 2:30 p.m. at Purdue NBC L 30–4959,049 November 18 3:00 p.m. at No. 2 Ohio State BTN L 3–37104,019 November 25 2:30 p.m. Wisconsin Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry ) FS1 L 14–2848,119 1:00 p.m. vs. Bowling Green * ESPN W 30–2428,521
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP RV RV RV — — — — — — — — — — — — Coaches RV RV RV — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Not released
Nebraska at Minnesota Rivalry 1 2 3 4 Total Cornhuskers 0 0 7 3 10 • Golden Gophers 0 3 0 10 13
Scoring summary 2 12:31 Minn Dragan Kesich 34-yard field goalMinn 3–0 3 14:03 Neb Alex Bullock 34-yard pass from Jeff Sims (Tristan Alvano kick) Neb 7–3 4 12:42 Neb Tristan Alvano 27-yard field goal Neb 10–3 2:32 Minn Daniel Jackson 13-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick) Tied 10–10 0:00 Minn Dragan Kesich 47-yard field goal Minn 13–10
Sunset over a sold-out Huntington Bank Stadium for the season opener. WR Daniel Jackson and QB Athan Kaliakmanis talk about Jackson's game-tying, toe-dragging touchdown catch in the 4th Quarter against Nebraska. [ 3]
Eastern Michigan at Minnesota 1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 6 0 0 6 • Golden Gophers 0 10 10 5 25
Date: September 9Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 6:40 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:05Game attendance: 48,101Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 11 mph (18 km/h)Referee: Mark KluczynskiTV announcers (BTN ): Connor Onion (play-by-play), Tommy Olson (analyst), and Audrey Dahlgren (sideline)
at No. 20 North Carolina [ edit ] Minnesota at No. 20 North Carolina 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 10 3 0 13 • No. 20 Tar Heels 7 14 3 7 31
Scoring summary 1 11:47 UNC Nate McCollum 46 yd. pass from Drake Maye (Noah Burnette kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 3:13) UNC 7–02 13:17 UNC Omarion Hampton 1 yd. rush (Noah Burnette kick)(6 plays, 80 yards, 2:25) UNC 14–0 9:47 MIN Dragan Kesich 23 yd. field goal(7 plays, 11 yards, 2:29) UNC 14–3 2:23 UNC Bryson Nesbit 19 yd. pass from Drake Maye (Noah Burnette kick)(7 plays, 80 yards, 2:29) UNC 21–3 0:30 MIN Darius Taylor 2 yd. rush (Dragan Kesich kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 1:53) UNC 21–10 3 10:22 MIN Dragan Kesich 42 yd. field goal(9 plays, 48 yards, 4:38) UNC 21–13 1:26 UNC Noah Burnette 42 yd. field goal(8 plays, 56 yards, 1:26) UNC 24–13 4 5:00 UNC British Brooks 1 yd. rush (Noah Burnette kick)(11 plays, 76 yards, 5:23) UNC 31–13
Minnesota at Northwestern 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 7 17 7 0 31 Wildcats 0 7 3 21 31
Date: September 23Location: Ryan Field Evanston, IL Game start: 6:40 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:39Game attendance: 20,148Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Clear, Wind E 9 mph (14 km/h)Referee: Tim O'DeyTV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline)
Louisiana at Minnesota 1 2 3 4 Total Ragin' Cajuns 7 10 0 7 24 • Golden Gophers 7 7 7 14 35
Date: September 30Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 11:01 am CDT Elapsed time: 3:06Game attendance: 46,843Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), SunnyReferee: Ron SnodgrassTV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), and Dannie Rogers (sideline) Scoring summary 1 10:36 LA Peter LeBlanc 7-yard pass from Zeon Chriss (Kenneth Almendares kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 4:24) LA 7–0 02:30 MIN Daniel Jackson 10-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick)(9 plays, 86 yards, 5:03) TIE 7–7 2 13:26 LA Kenneth Almendares 28-yard field goal(7 plays, 64 yards, 4:04) LA 10–7 07:21 MIN Athan Kaliakmanis 2-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 6:05) MIN 14–10 01:47 LA Robert Williams 6-yard pass from Zeon Chriss (Kenneth Almendares kick)(11 plays, 75 yards, 5:41) LA 17–14 3 08:48 MIN Zach Evans 18-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick)(11 plays, 80 yards, 6:09) MIN 21–17 4 13:45 MIN Bryce Williams 2-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick)(8 plays, 42 yards, 3:59) MIN 28–17 05:21 MIN Daniel Jackson 37-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick)(7 plays, 56 yards, 4:30) MIN 35–17 03:01 LA Jacob Kibodi 52-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 2:20) MIN 35–24
Michigan at Minnesota Little Brown Jug 1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Wolverines 10 14 21 7 52 Golden Gophers 3 7 0 0 10
Scoring summary 1 14:14 MICH Will Johnson 35-yard interception return (James Turner kick)MICH 7–0 1 7:33 MICH James Turner 31-yard field goal MICH 10–0 1 2:35 MINN Dragan Kesich 54-yard field goalMICH 10–3 2 10:08 MICH Blake Corum 1-yard run (James Turner kick)MICH 17–3 2 5:50 MICH J. J. McCarthy 5-yard run (James Turner kick)MICH 24–3 2 0:06 MINN Daniel Jackson 35-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick) MICH 24–10 3 8:28 MICH J. J. McCarthy 7-yard run (James Turner kick) MICH 31–10 3 3:20 MICH Colston Loveland 24-yard pass from J. J. McCarthy (James Turner kick)MICH 38–10 3 1:43 MICH Keon Sabb 29-yard interception return (James Turner kick) MICH 45–10 4 9:21 MICH Leon Franklin 2-yard run (James Turner kick) MICH 52–10
Minnesota at No. 24 Iowa Floyd of Rosedale 1 2 3 4 Total • Golden Gophers 3 0 6 3 12 No. 24 Hawkeyes 3 7 0 0 10
Date: October 21Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:33 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:38Game attendance: 69,250Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), Sunny, Wind NW 22 mph (35 km/h)Referee: Tim O'DeyTV announcers (NBC): Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Zora Stephenson (sideline) Scoring summary 1 10:35 Iowa Drew Stevens 23-yard field goal Iowa 3–0 0:17 Minn Dragan Kesich 43-yard field goalTied 3–3 2 0:49 Iowa Deacon Hill 1-yard run (Drew Stevens kick)Iowa 10–3 3 8:59 Minn Dragan Kesich 44-yard field goal Iowa 10–6 2:25 Minn Dragan Kesich 28-yard field goal Iowa 10–9 4 8:33 Minn Dragan Kesich 31-yard field goal Minn 12–10
Michigan State at Minnesota 1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 6 0 0 6 12 • Golden Gophers 0 10 0 17 27
Scoring summary 1 13:19 MSU Jonathan Kim 38-yard field goal(4 plays, 5 yards, 1:22) MSU 3–0 9:49 MSU Jonathan Kim 42-yard field goal(4 plays, 9 yards, 0:50) MSU 6–0 2 4:54 UMN Dragan Kesich 22-yard field goal(8 plays, 94 yards, 2:55) MSU 6–3 0:19 UMN Daniel Jackson 22-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick)(8 plays, 94 yards, 2:55) UMN 10–6 4 12:07 UMN Jordan Nubin 18-yard run (Dragan Kesich kick)(9 plays, 87 yards, 5:25) UMN 17–6 8:37 MSU Tyell Henry 9-yard pass from Sam Leavitt (two-point conversion failed)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:30) UMN 17–12 4:11 UMN Jordan Nubin 2-yard run (Dragan Kesich kick)(7 plays, 46 yards, 4:25) UMN 24–12 3:25 UMN Dragan Kesich 31-yard field goal(4 plays, 9 yards, 0:30) UMN 27–12
Illinois at Minnesota 1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Illini 14 0 7 6 27 Golden Gophers 7 10 3 6 26
Date: November 4Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 2:45 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:08Game attendance: 42,906Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Sunny, Wind S 6 mph (9.7 km/h)Referee: Gregory Blum
Minnesota at Purdue 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 10 10 0 10 30 • Boilermakers 14 14 7 14 49
Date: November 11Location: Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN Game start: 3:32 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:29Game attendance: 59,049Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), Sunny, Wind E 4 mph (6.4 km/h)Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
Minnesota at Ohio State 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 0 0 3 3 • Buckeyes 7 6 17 7 37
Scoring summary 1 9:22 OSU TreVeyon Henderson 9-yard run (Jayden Fielding kick)(8 plays, 85 yards, 4:02) OSU 7–0 2 13:05 OSU Jayden Fielding 47-yard field goal(9 plays, 58 yards, 2:46) OSU 10–0 4:51 OSU Jayden Fielding 26-yard field goal(11 plays, 81 yards, 4:24) OSU 13–0 3 14:48 OSU TreVeyon Henderson 75-yard run (Jayden Fielding kick)(1 play, 75 yards, 0:12) OSU 20–0 13:53 OSU Marvin Harrison Jr. 4-yard pass from Kyle McCord (Jayden Fielding kick)(3 plays, 6 yards, 0:43) OSU 27–0 10:17 OSU Jayden Fielding 32-yard field goal(5 plays, 15 yards, 1:13) OSU 30–0 4 13:43 OSU Cade Stover 1-yard pass from Kyle McCord (Jayden Fielding kick)(16 plays, 84 yards, 9:18) OSU 37–0 6:43 MINN Dragan Kesich 54-yard field goal(12 plays, 39 yards, 7:00) OSU 37–3
Wisconsin at Minnesota Paul Bunyan's Axe 1 2 3 4 Total • Badgers 0 14 14 0 28 Golden Gophers 7 7 0 0 14
Scoring summary 1 12:21 MINN Jordan Nubin 1-yard run (Dragan Kesich kick)(6 plays, 72 yards, 2:34) MIN 7–0 2 13:04 WIS Braelon Allen 5-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick)(11 plays, 86 yards, 5:16) TIED 7–7 4:30 MINN Daniel Jackson 7-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick)(11 plays, 71 yards, 5:36) MIN 14–7 2:38 WIS Will Pauling 11-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai (Nathanial Vakos kick)(4 plays, 75 yards, 1:52) TIED 14–14 3 9:24 WIS Braelon Allen 4-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick)(2 plays, 54 yards, 0:25) WIS 21–14 0:10 WIS Riley Nowakowski 5-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai (Nathanial Vakos kick)(10 plays, 86 yards, 4:55) WIS 28–14
Despite the loss giving them an overall 5–7 record, the Golden Gophers would head to a bowl game due to their Academic Progress Rate .
[ edit ] Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota 1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 7 3 0 14 24 • Golden Gophers 6 3 14 7 30
Date: Location: Ford Field Detroit, Michigan Game start: 2:04 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:20Game attendance: 28,521Game weather: IndoorReferee: Tim RichTV announcers (ESPN): Connor Onion (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst), and Tori Petry (sideline) Scoring summary 1 13:47 BGSU Odieu Hiliare 46-yard pass from Connor Bazelak (Alan Anaya kick)(3 plays, 75 yards, 1:13) BGSU 7–0 5:56 MINN Elijah Spencer 4-yard pass from Cole Kramer (two-point run conversion failed)(13 plays, 75 yards, 7:51) BGSU 7–6 2 8:57 MINN Dragan Kesich 31-yard field goal(7 plays, 42 yards, 2:58) MINN 9–7 1:38 BGSU Alan Anaya 33-yard field goal(4 plays, 0 yards, 1:02) BGSU 10–9 3 9:20 MINN Cole Kramer 1-yard run (Dragan Kesich kick)(11 plays, 78 yards, 5:40) MINN 16–10 4:18 MINN Jameson Geers 7-yard pass from Cole Kramer (Dragan Keisch kick)(6 plays, 27 yards, 3:31) MINN 23–10 4 11:10 BGSU PaSean Wimberly 18-yard run (Alan Anaya kick)(7 plays, 80 yards, 3:29) MINN 23–17 8:03 MINN Darius Taylor 17-yard run (Dragan Kesich kick)(5 plays, 48 yards, 3:07) MINN 30–17 2:33 BGSU Connor Bazelak 2-yard run (Alan Anaya kick)(14 plays, 75 yards, 5:30) MINN 30–24
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