Minnesota vs. Colorado State: By The Numbers

Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

In the aftermath of Minnesota’s overtime win on the road over Colorado State, here are some noteworthy numbers from Saturday afternoon’s game.

45– Mitch Leidner had 45 pass attempts on Saturday, the most in a game by a Gophers’ quarterback since Adam Weber in 2010 (49 attempts).

108– Gophers’ redshirt freshman running back Rodney Smith had 108 rushing yards, in his second career game. That is the most yards on the ground by a Gophers’ freshman running back since DeLeon Eskridge had 124 yards against Illinois in October of 2008.

114– Junior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky’s career high for receiving yards, on nine receptions. He is the first Gopher to top 100 receiving yards in a game since Isaac Fruechte last October, and that receiving yardage total is the most in a game for a Minnesota pass catcher since A.J. Barker had 135 yards against Purdue in October of 2012.

47- Leidner’s rushing yards on Saturday, with a long of 19 yards. All in all a marked improvement as a runner for Leidner, after he had just 23 rushing yards against TCU.

47.2- Gophers’ punter Peter Mortell averaged 47.2 yards per punt against Colorado State, with a long of 55 yards on nine punts. The reigning Big Ten Punter of the Year kept the Gophers afloat during the first half of Saturday’s game, as the offense struggled to get anything going.

4– The Gophers forced four turnovers on Saturday, including a fumble in overtime to help set up the winning field goal. Not surprisingly, Minnesota finished with a plus-2 in turnover margin against Colorado State.

5.1- Smith averaged 5.1 yards per carry on Saturday, after averaging 5.5 yards per carry against TCU in the season opener. The Gophers have a legit No. 1 running back, that much is clear.

2- Colorado State played two quarterbacks against the Gophers. Nick Stevens and Coleman Key combine to go 16-for-32 for 142 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions.

4.6– Stevens and Key averaged 4.6 yards per attempt, as Minnesota’s secondary stifled the Rams’ pass offense for most of the game.

More from Gold and Gopher