The Minnesota Golden Gophers got a break on Saturday, with 2014 Biletnikoff Award finalist Rashard Higgins missing the game with a sprained foot for Colorado State. But that does not take away from an impressive defensive effort, which included four forced turnovers, 314 total yards allowed and two quarterback that saw action for the Rams.
Quarterback Mitch Leidner and wide receiver KJ Maye connected on a touchdown late in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game, which gave the Gophers the lead briefly before Colorado State made a late drive to force overtime. A forced fumble by sophomore linebacker Cody Poock on the first play of overtime turned the momentum back to Minnesota quickly, and Ryan Santoso made his third field goal of the game to send the Gophers home with a 23-20 victory.