The Jug Finally Comes Home

After losing to Michigan in heartbreaking 3-point losses two years in a row, the Gophers turned the table today with a 3-point win of their own against the Wolverines. Yes, the Gophers now have possession of the Little Brown Jug, which has become such a rare sighting that many were speaking of it like the Holy Grail. Did this old relic really exist anymore? Yes it does and I guess that would make Glen Mason the Indiana Jones of college football.

The key play that led to the win was Gary Russell’s 61-yard run on 3rd-and-10, deep in Minnesota territory. Jason Giannini later sealed the 23-20 with a 30-yard field goal with Justin Kucek holding in place of the injured Bryan Cupito.

Russell ended up with 128 yards rushing, just one yard fewer than Laurence Maroney. However, with that big run Russell’s 7.1-yard average per carry was about twice that of Maroney’s.

Michigan took the opening drive quickly down the field on the strength of their passing game but the drive stalled on the Minnesota 6-yard line. They had to settle for a 23-yard field goal. The rest of the first quarter was scoreless, as both teams had promising drives stall at the opponent’s 39-yard line. A sack by true freshman Steve Davis killed the Michigan drive.

The Gophers tied the game with a 19-yard field goal early in the second quarter. The drive was stopped largely as a result of two straight penalties on the offensive line for a total of 20 yards.

The Wolverines took back the lead with about five minutes left in the half with a 47-yard field goal. They quickly added a touchdown to that lead when Laurence Maroney fumbled on the Gopher 28 yard line. Michigan’s Mike Hart bunched it into the end zone on a fourth down inside the one yard line.

Minnesota was not flustered by the bad turn of events. The offense quickly moved the ball down the field before the break, capping it with a perfect TD pass to Ernie Wheelwright. Added to the significance of the drive was the fact that Bryan Cupito was in the locker room on the previous series after being roughed up.

Really, it was amazing the Gophers were only down by three at halftime. The first downs were about even with the Gophers having 12 and Michigan 11. However, the penalties were all against Minnesota, five of them for 50 yards. Also, the refs somehow missed a Michigan fumble, even after video review.

The Gophers started the second half on fire with Jakari Wallace returning the kickoff 60 yards. The offense drove the ball to the Michigan 5-yard line but could get no closer. Jason Giannini tied the game on a chip shot field goal. However, the Wolverines responded with a big kick return of their own. Steve Breaston took it the distance for a 95-yard touchdown run.

Once again the Gophers were not flustered by the bad turn of events. They took the next drive into the end zone to tie the game for the third time. Maroney bunched it in on the Gophers’ third attempt from the 1-yard line. A significant turn that helped immensely on this drive was the penalties, this time against Michigan. The Wolves were nabbed for two pass interference penalties that kept the Gopher drive alive.

Then something un-Michigan-like happened, as the Wolverines choked. They missed two very makable field goals.

And we also saw something we haven’t seen lately from the Gopher defense against Michigan: They did not collapse when the game was on the line. In fact, the defense shut out the Wolverines in the second half. The pressure the defense put on Chad Henne was critical to their success. Steve Davis led the way with two sacks and Anthony Montgomery added another key sack. The fact that Brandon Owens was out for this game made the defense’s performance even more astounding.

So there you have it. Glen Mason did not let his team quit after a bad performance, as I expected. Mason’s Gophers now have road wins at Ohio State, Michigan and two at Penn State. You have to go back to the Murray Warmath era to find that kind of success on the road. The difference with Mason is that he loves these games in packed stadiums with 100,000+ fans ““ maybe it goes back to his days as a player and coach at Ohio State. Mason’s attitude obviously rubs off on the players who haven’t looked like the scared Minnesota teams playing in these venues in the past.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Gophers in the next few weeks. Wisconsin is next then it’s Ohio State, but at least these games are at home. The Gophers will probably have to continue to be “œcardiac kids” to win those games.

Yes, it’s been 19 years since the Gophers beat Michigan. It was also about 19 years ago the U of Minnesota administration made the final decision to keep the football team in the Metrodome and tear down Memorial Stadium. It was the latter landmark event that had the greatest effect on the Gopher football program in the decades ahead. Now it looks like the decision makers of the U and the state are on the verge of making the same kind of decision in regards to the Gopher football program. Let’s hope they learn from history.