Wednesday, 3 a.m.
The last time the Minnesota Gophers mattered, dinosaurs ruled the earth.
Thanks to a receiver named Tyler Johnson, they're making a comeback. The Gophers, not the dinosaurs.
Johnson scored on a 73-yard catch in the fourth quarter to lift the Gophers to a 31-24 victory over Auburn Tuesday in the Outback Bowl. Minnesota finished with more than 10 wins for the first time since 1904.
Johnson caught 12 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Johnson hsd the 16th 100-yard game of his career.
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"He’s going to leave here the greatest receiver in the history of the University of Minnesota," coach P.J. Fleck said. "That’s no disrespect to Ron Johnson. I think Eric Decker would back me up. He joins that list.He’s proven, whether it’s touchdowns, yards, catches, he’s the ultimate wide receiver here.
"I think this shows when young people make really smart decisions, well thought out, educated decisions of when to come back, this is an example.That’s one of the best teams in the country defensively. He just had 204 yards with two touchdowns, all right? He just showed what he can do with 12 catches against one of the best defenses in the country."
The Gophers, who won their first nine games of the season before late-season losses to Iowa and Wisconsin, had plenty of offense besides Johnson. Quarterback Tanner Morgan completed 19 of 29 passes for 278 yards. Mohamed Ibrahim ran for 140 yards on 20 carries.
All four of Auburn's losses this season were to top 25 schools.
