Patrick Reusse on the agony of P.J. Fleck's Gophers and the ecstasy of Josh Dobbs' Vikings

November 6, 2023 at 2:17PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at two games that were very similar — but which elicited extremely different emotions if you are a Minnesota football fan.

The Vikings pulled out a win for the ages on Sunday, rallying behind quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The veteran arrived midweek after a trade and was only in the game because of various injuries to Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens. But Dobbs made big plays with his feet and arm, leading the Vikings to an improbably 31-28 win.

Just a day earlier, the Gophers were undone by a backup quarterback from Illinois who conjured up his own late-game magic. The Gophers' 27-26 loss to Illinois on a late and long touchdown pass put a major dent in their hopes of rallying for a Big Ten West title. The path for the rest of the season and beyond only gets harder.

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Questions? Comments? Long-winded diatribes about nothing in particular? E-mail me at michael.rand@startribune.com. Follow me on Twitter @RandBall and Star Tribune sports @StribSports

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The Vikings jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead and held off a Green Bay rally in the fourth quarter to stay atop the NFC North.

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