Minnesota did not beat North Carolina on a walk-off field goal during its college football season-opener on Thursday night. However, you would be led to believe the Golden Gophers won based off of their celebratory fireworks display as the clock hit zero.
They did not.
Minnesota welcomed an ACC opponent to Minneapolis and immediately turned the game into a classic Big Ten rock fight. Both teams combined for less than 500 yards. They went 12-of-28 on third down. There were 119 total plays and nine punts.
It was a largely excruciating watch until the very end.
North Carolina took the lead on a 45-yard field goal with 1:48 on the clock. The Golden Gophers drove down the field to set up a 47-yarder at the buzzer. College kickers struck again.
Dragan Kesich, the reigning Big Ten specialist of the year, missed wide right. His kick looked good for a moment, but it swung the wrong way as it flew closer to the goalpost.
Minnesota dropped to 0-1 with the miss. The Tar Heels won their first game of the year.
However, you would think otherwise based on the postgame fireworks…
They lit up the night sky as the players shook hands at midfield as if the Golden Gophers won.
Fireworks for the LOSS!! #Gophers continue their 2023 season into 2024!! Have a nice night, drive safely, hug your kids!! pic.twitter.com/uBBGvBfplE
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) August 30, 2024
That was not the only blunder of the night. Minnesota’s band celebrated its new Big Ten opponents with some kind of flag display during halftime. The USC flag was not a USC flag. Rather, it was a flag for Simpson College, a private Methodist college in Indianola, Iowa.
Oops!
The Golden Gophers did not have the smoothest start to their 2024 college football season and a two-point loss on a missed field goal will sting. P.J. Fleck needs to get his program straightened out in a hurry because the remaining schedule is not going to get any easier. No more fireworks for a loss.