The Minnesota Golden Gophers are opening it up a bit against the Western Michigan Broncos, as junior receiver A.J. Barker is having a career afternoon.
After a Western Michigan punt, the Gophers started out in Western Michigan territory at the 45-yard line, but a 15-yard penalty on the first play from scrimmage made it first-and-25 for the Gophers. But that didn't matter to Max Shortell, as he found A.J. Barker on third-and-18 on a crossing route. Barker caught the pass, managed to avoid one tackler, and had nothing but green in front of him for what turned into a 53-yard touchdown.
Barker now has four catches for 84 yards on the afternoon and all three Minnesota touchdowns on the afternoon. Max Shortell continues to impress at quarterback, having completed five of his six passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
We've hit halftime at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers are holding a 21-10 lead over the Broncos of Western Michigan.