Run the North | Golden Gophers football

[Captain Canada]

In any universe, its all SMU baby

[ShireNiner]

In any universe, its all SMU baby

let’s see how long they last. One loss and they are dropping far I feel like.

[ShireNiner]

Gophers travel to Notre Dame to face the up-and-down Irish in a top-25 matchup


AJ Turner and Minnesota look to continue their push for the playoffs/ShireNiner PS5 Images

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler
Week 8, 2026 | Minnesota at Notre Dame

Two Heisman hopefuls will be meeting up in South Bend on Saturday as Minnesota travels to face Notre Dame. The Gophers are coming off a big win over Northwestern to move to 4-2 (3-1 Big Ten) and up to 14th in the rankings. Notre Dame continues their inconsistent season, now back ranked 21st after starting the season 4th, dropping out of the top-25, and now back into the rankings.

For Minnesota, the formula is simple. Continue to feed their Heisman candidate, AJ Turner, and run the ball. Minnesota is 3-1 in games Turner has rushed for over 200 yards and undefeated when AJ Brand does not throw an interception. "Play safe, play smart, and be physical. That is our mindset." Coach Smith said in his weekly interview. Smith also had some words for Notre Dame and their AD leading into this week.

"We asked to schedule a home-and-home with them over the next two seasons, but they refused. They only wanted a home game. I take that as disrespect. Being an independent, Notre Dame should want to play tough teams to help their schedule, and yet, they refuse to play us at home. I wish we had told them to stick it and schedule someone else, but it was late in the process, so here we are, giving them a home game. It's about their 8th home game this year, I believe."

For Notre Dame, it is a balance attack with quarterback Colton Joseph and running back Kedren Young. Just like Notre Dame in the polls, Joseph is in and out of the Heisman conversation despite throwing 21 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.

"Stay balanced, make plays, and we will win. I know we are better than them; they are a one-man team. Stop Turner, and you stop the Gophers." Defensive end Joshua Burnham said. "We need to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. That starts this week."

Matchups to watch
AJ Brand, QB, 80/131, 61%, 906 yds, 10 TD, 2 INT
Colton Joseph, QB, 166/266, 62%, 2,044 Yds, 21 TD, 3 INT

AJ Turner, RB, 175 att, 1283 yds, 7.3 avg, 10 TDs
Kedren Young, RB, 158 att, 904 yds, 5.7 avg, 12 TD

Kenrick Lanier II, WR, 21 rec, 231 yds, 3 TD
Cam Williams, WR, 46 rec, 581 yds, 5 TD

Robert Herndon, RT, 473 snaps, 0 sacks allowed
Aamil Wagner, RT, 609 snaps, team leading 4 sacks allowed

Emmanuel Karmo, REDG 18 Tkls, 8 TFL, 6.5 sacks
Joshua Burnham, LEDG 37 Tkls, 18 TFL, 7.5 sacks

Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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Comments

[ShireNiner]

error in header above. Minnesota is 4-2 (3-1), Notre Dame is 5-3.

[djp73]

Could be a tough one against ND. Got to get some pressure on Joseph. Hopefully Wagner lets you through.

[Caesar]

This Notre Dame team looks suspect. Just hand it to Turner and stand back. He’ll carry you the the win.

[ShireNiner]

Could be a tough one against ND. Got to get some pressure on Joseph. Hopefully Wagner lets you through.

It was tough and you are right, Wagner made it easy for us.

This Notre Dame team looks suspect. Just hand it to Turner and stand back. He’ll carry you the the win.

For once, Turner was not the star..

[ShireNiner]

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Seven Sacks and a Pick-Six: Minnesota Slams the Door on Notre Dame, 34-22


Freshman Mitch Horan set a Big Ten sack record against the Irish /ShireNiner PS5 Images

By: Aiden “AJ” Wexler, Minnesota reporter
Week 8, 2026 | Notre Dame

South Bend has a way of magnifying everything: mistakes, momentum swings, and pressure. Early on Saturday night, it looked like Notre Dame was about to let that spotlight burn Minnesota alive. On the first drive, Minnesota marched down the field before AJ Brand threw his first of two interceptions, this one in the endzone, ending the drive. The second drive, a simple option pitch went ten feet over AJ Turner's head and into the endzone for a safety.

The young quarterback was rattled, missing easy throws and giving the ball away. Minnesota turned to its Heisman running back, but for once, he was bottled up the entire first half. Finishing the half with only 40 rushing yards.

And yet, by the end of the night, it was Minnesota walking out of Notre Dame Stadium with a 34–22 statement win, powered by a defense that continues to improve week by week and a freshman linebacker who may have just announced himself to the entire Big Ten.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Gophers slowly steadied themselves. Freshman running back Fame Ijeboi announced himself to the country with breakout runs in the second quarter, pushing Minnesota to a slow comeback, making it 12-10 Irish at the break. Ijeboi finished with 83 yards and a touchdown, almost all of that coming in the second quarter when Brand and Turner were struggling to go.

Notre Dame started the second half with a long, methodical drive that looked like they were about to take control and momentum. Instead, the third quarter belonged entirely to the Gophers. Minnesota ripped off 14 unanswered points, leaned into the run game, and finally began imposing its will up front. Turner found holes and rushed for over 100 yards in the quarter alone. Minnesota entered the fourth quarter up 24–15, a lead that felt like the game was over.

Minnesota added a field goal to start the fourth, 27-15. Then Notre Dame woke up.

A 60-yard touchdown pass to Nik McMillian made it 27-22 with 1:44 left. All Minnesota had to do was recover the onside kick and take a knee. Instead, Minnesota botched the kick, and the Irish recovered. A short screen pass to Kaiden Young sent Notre Dame down to the 7-yard line with 1:22 remaining and down by five.
That’s when Mitch Horan took over the night — and the record book.

The freshman linebacker delivered back-to-back sacks, blowing up Notre Dame’s hopes and pushing the Irish all the way back to the 21-yard line. On fourth down, quarterback Colton Joseph tried to force a throw into the end zone. Dexter Ricks Jr. stepped in front, intercepted it, and took it the other way for a pick-six, slamming the door shut with 40 seconds left.

Horan finished with five sacks, setting a Big Ten single-game record — as a freshman, in Notre Dame Stadium, with the game on the line. Minnesota totaled seven sacks on the night, with Payton Jones and Emmanuel Karmo (now the team leader with eight on the season) adding one each. It was the most dominant defensive performance Minnesota has had under Mick Smith since taking over last season.

Minnesota totaled 312 yards of offense, with 221 coming on the ground. Turner finished strong with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Ijeboi delivered his breakout performance — 82 yards and a score, repeatedly punishing Notre Dame’s defense when it tried to overcommit to Turner.

Notre Dame moved the ball through the air — Joseph threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, with Nik McMillian hauling in six catches for 100 yards and two scores, including a massive 57-yard play to Kaiden Young that kept the Irish alive. But every time momentum threatened to swing, Minnesota’s defense answered.

The win keeps Minnesota alive for the Big Ten and the playoffs, but next week is the biggest test of the season, number 2 Michigan comes to Minneapolis for a game that could decide the Big Ten future.


Soapys Stat Box
AJ Brand - 15/20, 91 yds, 2 INT, Fumble
Colton Joseph - 23/38, 304 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT, sacked 7 times
AJ Turner - 27 atts, 138 yds, 5.1 avg, 2 TD
Kedren Young - 13 att, 89 yds, 6.3 avg
Fame Ijeboi - 15 atts, 83 yds, 5.5 avg, 1 TD
Nik McMillan - 6 rec, 100 yds, 2 TD
Mitch Horan - 8 tkls, 5 TFL, 5 sacks, 1 DEFL
Dexter Ricks Jr - 7 tkls, 1 INT, 99 yds, 1 TD
Adon Schuler - 7 tkls, 1 INT
Leonard Moore - 12 tkls, 1 TFL, 1 INT

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Aiden “AJ” Wexler is a writer for ShireNiner Nation covering Minnesota Gophers Football. He previously covered local high schools in the Minneapolis area. He is based in Minneapolis, MN. Follow AJ on Twitter @AidensFake.

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Comments

[ShireNiner]

Week 8 in the CFB: Six ranked teams lose, Michigan is for real, and the Heisman race is heating up


By:Steven Koenig
Week 8, 2026 | NCAAF

Over halfway through the season, and the contenders are pulling away from the pretenders. First, the pretenders that are now officially done. Notre Dame losing to Minnesota has knocked the Irish out of the rankings, again, and this time, there is no way back for the Independent team hoping to make a late playoff push. The second pretender gone is the defending champion, Miami. Early momentum after beating Minnesota is now gone after losing for the fourth time following back-to-back defeats to Florida State and Pittsburgh. Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas are next are the fraud watch list. All with two losses and sitting middle of the standings. Each has a way back into the playoff picture, but one slip-up, and they are done for the year.

The contenders are a list of teams nobody expected to start the season. SMU remains strong in first with Heisman hopeful Kevin Jennings continuing to put up big numbers. Florida is squeaking by with wins, narrowly beating Oklahoma this week, but continuing to win. Michigan looks like the best team in the country after knocking off Oregon, Penn State, and Iowa three weeks in a row. The road does not get any easier with Minnesota, UCLA, and Ohio State remaining on the schedule.

Duke is sitting in fourth, but still an unknown. A strong win to start the season over the Aggies, but they have played a very easy schedule. With Boston College and Clemson, the last two games, this might be the second season in a row that the Blue Devils drop games late and miss the playoffs. BYU is in the same situation, not a single game against a ranked team this season, but they do have Arizona State in two weeks that could determine their season.

The conference races are even tighter. The Big Ten has USC and Michigan without a loss, then Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois sitting at only one loss. Last season, Michigan lost to Ohio State, knocking them out of the Big Ten championship and making way for Minnesota. Michigan faces Minnesota next week, USC faces UCLA, and Illinois plays Iowa in two weeks. Still a ton to play for and five teams at least with a chance to make the finals.


Heisman watch
A.J. Turner, RB
The leader for the fifth week in a row. Turner has 1,421 yards, 12 touchdowns, and the eyes of the nation watching him with Michigan coming up next week.

Kevin Jennings, QB
Jennings continues to shine, leading SMU to a number one ranking. After throwing for over 400 yards last week, Jennings has 2,477 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 392 rushing yards. Washington, Virginia, 19th-ranked Florida State, and Wake Forest are all that stand between Jennings and an undefeated season.

Conner Weigman, QB
For the second week in a row, Weigman is sitting third in the polls. Throwing for 219 yards against Oklahoma State will not impress voters as much, but 2,629 yards with 30 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions will. Arizona State is the last-ranked team Weigman will face. If he can put up big numbers, that will certainly help move him closer to Jennings and Turner.

Jaivian Thomas, RB
Thomas has been in and out of the rankings the last few weeks. A season any running back would love, but with Turner's numbers, Thomas is running for second place only in that position. 964 yards with 14 touchdowns is a great season, any other year.

Talyn Shettron, WR
It is great to see a receiver on the list, but Shettron has zero chance of winning this award. That shows the caliber of the other quarterbacks right now. Only 796 receiving yards with 15 touchdowns, Shettron is just here to round out the top five.

What did you think of this story?

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Steven Koenig is a senior writer for ShireNiner Nation covering College Football. He previously covered a variety of sports and events, including World Cups and Olympics, for MSNBC Sports. He is based in Boston, MA. Follow Steven on Twitter @SteviesFake.

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[djp73]