It didn't come easy, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers outlasted the UNLV Rebels 30-27 in triple overtime to begin the season 1-0.
While the win was nice, many fans were expecting big things out of the Gophers and were disappointed with the play of some including quarterback MarQueis Gray. The folks over at The Daily Gopher broke down the play of the signal-caller that had a less-than-stellar day.
"Everybody was unhappy with Q's overall performance, but he didn't back down from the challenge and in the end made the plays we needed to win in OT. But early in the game he was inaccurate and jumpy. He didn't look like the Senior leader her is supposed to be."
As for positives, they give kudos to the wide receiving unit, that showed up in a big way in the win.
"Even with the unfortunate injury of Jamel Harbison there are a lot of weapons and depth in this group. 8 different (non-RB) receivers had at least 1 catch, led by DCT with 4. AJ Barker? That's an exciting development. 3 catches for 101 yards. And KJ Maye? I can't wait to watch this guy for the next 4 years."
All in all, the game was a learning experience that should help the Golden Gophers get their act together before conference play begins.
For more on the Golden Gophers, visit The Daily Gopher.