| Year: | 2018 |
| Team: | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Division: | West Division |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Record: | 7–6 |
| Conf Record: | 3–6 |
| Head Coach: | P. J. Fleck |
| Hc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Coach: | Kirk Ciarrocca |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | Spread |
| Def Coach: | Robb Smith (2nd season; fired Nov. 4) Joe Rossi |
| Def Scheme: | 4–3 |
| Stadium: | TCF Bank Stadium |
| Bowl: | Quick Lane Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | W 34–10 vs. Georgia Tech |
| Champion: | Quick Lane Bowl champion |
The 2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by second-year head coach P. J. Fleck.
Minnesota began the year by sweeping its non-conference slate against New Mexico State, Fresno State, and Miami (OH); but opened Big Ten Conference play with four straight losses. The team secured wins against Indiana and Purdue, and then secured bowl eligibility by defeating rival Wisconsin for the first time since 2003, and the first time on the road since 1994. The team finished the regular season tied for fifth in the Big Ten West Division with a conference record of 3–6. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl where they defeated Georgia Tech to end the year with an overall record of 7–6.
The team's starting quarterback was true freshman Zack Annexstad before he suffered an internal midsection injury in the game against Nebraska on October 20.[1] He did not return for the rest of the season, and redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan took his place under center. Both Annexstad and Morgan finished with nine touchdowns on the year.[2] The team's leading rusher was Mohamed Ibrahim, with 1,160 rushing yards; and the team's leading receiver was Tyler Johnson with 1,169 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, which tied for the conference lead.[3] Johnson was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media voters. Defensive lineman Carter Coughlin and linebacker Blake Cashman each finished with 15 tackles for loss and were both named second-team All-Big Ten.
| Rimington Trophy[4] | Jared Weyler | C | SR | |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[5] | Thomas Barber | LB | JR | |
| Maxwell Award[6] | Rodney Smith | RB | SR | |
| Doak Walker Award[7] | Rodney Smith | RB | SR | |
| Butkus Award[8] | Thomas Barber | LB | JR | |
| Lou Groza Award[9] | Emmit Carpenter | K | SR | |
| Paul Hornung Award[10] | Rodney Smith | RB/KR | JR | |
| Wuerffel Trophy[11] | Emmit Carpenter | K | SR |
Source:[12]
See also: 2018 New Mexico State Aggies football team.
See also: 2018 Fresno State Bulldogs football team.
See also: 2018 Miami RedHawks football team.
See also: 2018 Maryland Terrapins football team.
See also: 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and Iowa–Minnesota football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
See also: 2018 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Indiana Hoosiers football team.
| Statistics | IU | MINN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 385 | 482 |
| Rushes/yards | 30–153 | 40–180 |
| Passing yards | 232 | 302 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–44–2 | 17–24–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:37 | 30:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | Passing | 29/44, 232 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | 18 carries, 96 yards, TD | ||
| Receiving | Donavan Hale | 4 receptions, 51 yards, TD | |
| Minnesota | Passing | 17/24, 302 yards, 3 TD, INT | |
| Rushing | Shannon Brooks | 22 carries, 154 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | 4 receptions, 108 yards, TD |
See also: 2018 Illinois Fighting Illini football team.
See also: 2018 Purdue Boilermakers football team.
See also: 2018 Northwestern Wildcats football team.
See also: 2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team and Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry.
See also: 2018 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team and 2018 Quick Lane Bowl.
| Tyler Johnson | WR | 2 | 1 | |
| Carter Coughlin | DL | 2 | 2 | |
| Blake Cashman | LB | 3 | 2 | |
| Jacob Huff | DB | HM | HM | |
| Donnell Greene | OT | HM | HM | |
| Jacob Herbers | P | HM | HM | |
| Emmit Carpenter | K | HM | HM | |
| Demetrius Douglas | PR/KR | - | HM | |
| Blaise Andries | OG | - | HM | |
| Daniel Faalele | OT | - | HM | |
| Mohamed Ibrahim | RB | - | HM | |
| Conner Olson | OG | - | HM | |
| Jared Weyler | C | - | HM | |
| HM = Honorable mention. Reference:[13] | ||||
See also: 2019 NFL draft.
| 5 | 157 | LB | New York Jets |