Gophers LB Matt Kingsbury lights up Emmett Johnson: ‘It felt really good’
Gophers LB Matt Kingsbury lights up Emmitt Johnson
Gophers football players Matt Kingsbury, Drake Lindsey and Le'Meke Brockington spoke with reporters at Athletes Village ahead of Saturday's game at rival Iowa.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is at Iowa on Saturday, a rivalry game at Kinnick Stadium in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale.
The Gophers and Hawkeyes are both 5-2, and looking to lock up bowl eligibility with five games to play. Minnesota is coming off a dominant 24-6 win over Nebraska. Iowa rallied to beat Penn State, after James Franklin’s dismissal. Wednesday, Gophers’ players reacted to some big moments from last Friday’s win over Nebraska, the program’s seventh win over a ranked team under P.J. Fleck.
Matt Kingsbury’s epic third quarter sack
What we know:
Matt Kingsbury might have had his biggest play as a Gopher late in the third quarter. On a 3rd-and-5, he obliterated Cornhuskers’ running back Emmett Johnson, a former Holy Angels’s standout, on the way to getting one of nine sacks on Dylan Raiola.
Kingsbury said he could see the play developing pre-snap.
"Kind of what I saw, 3rd and 5, saw the center point the other way to set the protection. I was blitzing the A gap, so I knew I would have a 1-on-1 with the running back," Kingsbury said. "When you play physical and violent, good things happen. I was able to make a big play. I didn’t realize how far I knocked him back until I saw the video. I’ve always played with violence and physicality, definitely felt good to get that done."
Kingsbury was largely recruited out of high school by smaller Division I programs and Group of 5 teams. He took an official visit to Minnesota four days before National Signing Day, was offered a scholarship and took it.
Gophers’ third quarter drive
Why you should care:
The Gophers essentially took the will out of Nebraska in the third quarter with a 14-play, 98-yard drive that took more than 11 minutes. It ended with Drake Lindsey hitting Le’Meke Brockington for a 20-yard touchdown, and 14-6 lead.
The Gophers’ offensive line dominated the drive, which started at their own 2-yard line. The Cornhuskers got tired enough that Matt Rhule had to burn a timeout on the 10th play to give them a breather.
"When they called a timeout, I thought we had them. We just had to keep it going. That was a statement drive from the O-line," Lindsey said.
"That’s Gopher football right there," P.J. Fleck said after the win.
Le’Meke Brockington’s TD catch
Dig deeper:
Fleck doesn’t believe in momentum, but Brockington’s touchdown catch on that drive gave the Gophers a lift the rest of the game. On 2nd-and-6, Lindsey lofted a pass down the sideline in stride to Brockington for the touchdown.
"We saw that I had a 1-on-1 battle in the boundary. We liked the match-up, (greg) Harbaugh told Drake check, go. I knew what it meant for Drake, it’s probably going to come to me most likely," Brockington said. "Executed it perfect."
What's next:
The Gophers and Hawkeyes kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. Minnesota is looking for its second straight win at Iowa.