Darius Taylor shines against Nevada in Gophers' second straight shutout victory

Taylor looked like one of the best running backs in college football on Saturday.

Sep 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball as Nevada Wolf Pack safety Kitan Crawford (4) defends during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In his second game back from injury, Gophers running back Darius Taylor looked like a star against Nevada. The numbers backed that up, too, as he finished with 11 carries for 124 rushing yards along with five receptions for 37 receiving yards and three total touchdowns.

Minnesota took down the Wolf Pack 27-0 for their second straight shutout win.

Max Brosmer continued to look more and more confident running the Gophers offense. He had another impressive afternoon, completing 16 of his 26 passes for 191 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He wasn't sacked once. Everything clicked for the U on offense with 385 total yards.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, Minnesota's defense looked explosive. Redshirt freshman safety Kerry Brown reeled in two interceptions on the day, which were the first two of his college career, and Ethan Robinson saved the shutout late in the fourth quarter with the first interception of his Gophers career.

Minnesota's rushing attack struggled early with only 33 yards in the first half. That changed when Taylor broke away for an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, blowing the doors open for a Gophers' runaway victory.

DARIUS TAYLOR CANNOT BE STOPPED 🏃‍♂️

His 3️⃣rd TD of the day is an 80-yard rushing TD 💨#B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/lso5BHrt9m

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 14, 2024

Minnesota sacked Nevada four different times, led by 1.5 on the unofficial box score from defensive back Jack Henderson. Hetherman's unit was flying all over the field and the Wolf Pack had no answers, finishing with only 172 yards on the day, most of which came on a late fourth-quarter drive.

After wins over a team from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and Mountain West Conference, the Gophers will have a pivotal test next week against Iowa as Big Ten play officially gets underway. It is clear that Minnesota has improved after the season-opening loss, but the question of how much will be answered next week against the Iowa Hawkeyes.