Turnovers on the Gophers’ first two possessions handed Michigan State six points.
Kicker Dragan Kesich, usually money, had a 35-yard field-goal attempt blocked.
And a Gophers offense that hadn’t visited the end zone in nearly eight quarters got there only once in the first half.
Still, the Gophers shook off some early struggles and emerged victorious Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. Thanks to a spectacular effort by walk-on safety turned running back Jordan Nubin and a strong defensive performance, the Gophers pulled away in the second half to beat Michigan State 27-12 in front of 47,392.
Nubin, the younger brother of Gophers star safety Tyler Nubin, rushed 40 times for 204 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. He was playing the main role in Minnesota’s backfield because of injuries to three players ahead of him on the depth chart and the struggles of another.
“It was just amazing,” Jordan Nubin said in a postgame radio interview. “I thank the coaching staff for believing in me.”
With the victory, the Gophers (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) ran their win streak to two games, moved within one win of gaining bowl eligibility and stayed in contention in the Big Ten West Division race.
Michigan State (2-6, 0-6) lost its sixth consecutive game as the Gophers held the Spartans to 299 total yards while gaining 400. Freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt gave the Spartans a spark by leading a fourth-quarter TD drive that cut the lead to 17-12, but the Gophers and Nubin had the answer.
Athan Kaliakmanis completed 14 of 22 passes for 200 yards, including a 22-yard TD pass to Daniel Jackson. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble. Jackson caught seven passes for 120 yards and his TD.
The Gophers got the ball first and quickly gave it away. On the second play from scrimmage, Spartans defensive lineman Derrick Harmon forced Sean Tyler to fumble, and defensive back Jaden Mangham recovered at the Minnesota 26. Michigan State settled for Jonathan Kim’s 38-yard field goal after Gophers linebacker Cody Lindenberg, in his first game of the season, made a key, third-down tackle for a 1-yard loss.
On Minnesota’s second possession, Spartans linebacker Jordan Hall sacked Kaliakmanis and forced a fumble that defensive lineman Avery Dunn recovered at the Gophers 33. Again, Minnesota’s defense responded, and the Spartans settled for Kim’s 42-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 9:49 left in the first quarter.
Minnesota’s offense started moving in the second quarter with Kaliakmanis hitting Jackson for a 13-yard gain to the Gophers 40 on third-and-8, and then 31 yards to the Michigan State 29 on a pass that Jackson battled to win. Spartans defensive back Dillon Tatum interfered with Span-Ford on a third-and-8 pass from the MSU 27, giving the Gophers a new set of downs at the 17. The drive stalled with a 1-yard loss on first down, a 1-yard gain on second and an incomplete pass on third down. The Gophers got nothing when Simeon Barrow blocked Kesich’s 35-yard field-goal attempt.
After Minnesota’s defense forced a three-and-out, the offense took over at the 40 and moved the ball again. Kaliakmanis’ 30-yard connection to Spann-Ford put the Gophers at the MSU 28, and a facemask penalty on the play moved it to the 14. The drive stalled with an incomplete pass intended for Spann-Ford on first down, a Nubin run of 6 yards on second and a Nubin carry for one on third-and-4, which had the crowd grumbling. Kesich’s 25-yard field goal cut the Spartans lead to 6-3 with 4:54 left in the second quarter.
With 3:15 left in the first half, the Gophers got the ball at their 5 and drove 95 yards in eight plays to take a 10-6 lead on Kaliakmanis’ 22-yard TD pass to Jackson with 19 seconds left. The third-down play was the Gophers’ first touchdown in eight quarters, dating to late in the second quarter of the 52-10 loss to Michigan on Oct. 7.
Minnesota’s defense picked up where it left off by forcing MSU to go three-and-out on its first possession of the third quarter. The Gophers got the ball at their 33 but quickly punted, with Mark Crawford’s 55-yard kick rolling dead at the Spartans 12.
Michigan State strung together three first down conversions, one by penalty, to reach to Gophers 40, but an offensive holding call pushed the Spartans back, and Kim’s 53-yard field-goal attempt hooked wide left. That ended a streak of 23 consecutive made field-goal attempts against the Gophers.
Starting from their 36, the Gophers reached the MSU 36, but Kaliakmanis threw late along the sideline, intended for Corey Crooms Jr., but Mangham intercepted the pass and returned it to the Spartans 14. Michigan State moved to the Gophers 49 but had to punt.
The Gophers got some breathing room on their next possession, driving 87 yards in nine plays and extending the lead to 17-6 on Nubin’s 18-yard TD run with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter. On the drive, Nubin carried eight times for 69 yards, including a 19-yard run to the MSU 18 on the play before his TD. Kaliakmanis also had an 18-yard option keeper.
The Spartans made a change at quarterback, and freshman Sam Leavitt quickly gave them a spark. Leavitt drove MSU 75 yards in eight plays, hitting Tyrell Henry for a 9-yard TD pass on a slant, cutting the Minnesota lead to 17-12 with 8:37 left. Leavitt’s two-point conversion pass to Mortorie Foster Jr. came up short.
The Gophers followed with Nubin’s second TD run, a 2-yarder with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter. After Jah Joyner’s strip sack/fumble recovery of Leavitt, Kesich kicked a 31-yard field goal to make it 27-12 with 3:25 left.