That 13-10 loss to Minnesota? Seriously, how do you even lose a game like that? It was an absolute errorfest, an almost unbelievable collapse against a Minnesota team that, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly a powerhouse. Floyd of Rosedale is going north for a year, and it feels like we just handed it to them.
First Half of Horrors: Gifts and Gaffes
From the jump, things were off. On the first drive, Minnesota blocked our punt, and just like that, they had three points. Three points, just gifted. Then, Jeremy Hecklinski takes over, drives the ball all the way inside Minnesota’s 10, only to throw a strange sidearm pass that gets picked off at the 2-yard line. No points. Again. After a brief punt exchange, we get a pick of Drake Lindsay, but we only manage a field goal out of it. Hecklinski nearly threw another pick on that same drive. It’s 3-3, but you can already tell the team is off-kilter.
The coaching staff decided to switch to Hank Brown after that, but even he didn’t look right initially. We had a drive going at the end of the half, Brown was going to throw the ball away for a field goal try, but somehow it gets caught by a defensive tackle for *another* interception! Think about that: a blocked punt, a pick at the Minnesota 2-yard line, and another pick in field goal range, caught by a *defensive tackle*. It was ominous, man. And to make things worse, Kamari Moulton went down with an injury that looked nasty on TV. Just a total mix of bad execution and terrible luck.
The Collapse and a Spark of Life
Things really started to go off the rails after halftime. Minnesota had their only good drive, outside of the game-winner, because Jaylen Watson was way offsides, keeping their drive alive at the Iowa 1. They got a fifth down and punched it in for a touchdown. We then started putting the ball on the ground constantly, with Braedon Jackson losing a fumble. Minnesota just made a great play on that one. LJ Phillips and Brown also fumbled, but we managed to recover those. Then, in another bizarre moment, Reece Vander Zee makes a catch for a first down, but the ball pops up in the air for *another* pick. You see stuff like that, and you just know it isn’t your day, even with the defense playing lights out. It felt like we were dead.
But then, out of nowhere, things got absolutely crazy. Brown, still looking like he had an injured shoulder, slings a dart to Tony Diaz for a huge gain. Then he zips another perfect pass with serious velocity to Vander Zee for a touchdown! Suddenly, it’s tied. Two amazing throws that came out of nowhere after he’d been checking down a lot. It felt like a miracle.
The Play That Will Haunt Us
The crazy meter broke after that. On Minnesota’s very next drive, we looked like we had picked off a pass. This was *the* play of the game. If Jacob Wallace holds onto that pick, I’m telling you, we win this thing. We would’ve stolen a game where we played our worst all year, but playoff hopes would have been alive.
Alas, Wallace couldn’t hold on. And now, well, it’s the morning after, and the sting of that 13-10 loss to Minnesota feels like it’s going to stick around for a while. We played an atrocious game, and it absolutely cost us.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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