The Minnesota Golden Gophers got a tough test on Saturday, and the Ohio Bobcats took a four-point lead deep in the fourth quarter. But a 78-yard scoring drive, capped off by freshman running back Shannon Brooks’ second touchdown of the game, allowed Minnesota to escape with 27-24 victory and give fans a happy homecoming.
The key cogs in the game-winning drive were quarterback Mitch Leidner, who went 4-for-6 for 42 yards through the air, and running back Rodney Smith, who had 34 total yards on four touches. For the game Leidner completed 22 of his 32 pass attempts for a career-high 264 yards, and Smith had 16 carries for 94 yards while adding four catches for 58 yards.