The Minnesota Golden Gophers defense forced four turnovers and held the Syracuse Orange offense to just 228 passing yards Saturday en route to a 17-10 victory at TCF Stadium. The victory helped the Gophers improve their record to 4-0, while Syracuse dropped to 1-3.
Running back Donnell Kirkwood rushed 28 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns for the Gophers, who were outgained by the Syracuse offense in total yards, 350 to 337.
Kirkwood scored touchdowns in the first and fourth quarter, while quarterback Max Shortell managed the game well, completing 16 of 30 passes for 231 yards with no interceptions.
Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib had his worst performance of the season, completing 21 of 31 passes for 228 yards, two interceptions and one fumble. All night, Nassib was hurried by the Minnesota defensive line, which collected three sacks.
The Orange's lone touchdown came with :46 remaining in the game, and an attempt for a late-game comeback was spoiled when SU couldn't recover their onside kick.
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