BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
Must-win game: Nov. 26 at Wisconsin
After playing a highly demanding schedule in 2015, the Golden Gophers have a slate that's far more set up for success this fall.
All three nonconference games -- Oregon State, Indiana State and Colorado State -- will be at TCF Bank Stadium. In fact, Minnesota only plays three of its first nine games on the road, and two of those -- against Maryland and Illinois -- aren't exactly the most intimidating matchups. There's no Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State as East Division crossovers.
So it's clear the Gophers, should they fare better on the injury front and make some improvements on offense behind fifth-year senior quarterback Mitch Leidner, have a chance for a breakthrough season in 2016. Yet one enormous, Paul Bunyan-sized hurdle remains.
As Minnesota fans know all too well, their team hasn't beaten chief rival Wisconsin since 2003. That's a 12-year span of futility that marks the longest streak for either side in this historic series. And it's more than just embarrassing; without beating the Badgers, Minnesota has been unable to make a major move in the division; a 10-point loss in 2014 kept the Gophers out of the Big Ten title game.
There might be other games on the schedule that are more crucial for Tracy Claeys to have a highly successful first season as full-time head coach. Winning the Big Ten opener at Penn State, for example, or beating Iowa at home could provide some huge early momentum that could make this team a serious division contender.
But for Minnesota to truly take the next step as a program, it needs to finally get past Wisconsin. The game is in Madison, so it won't be easy. But the Gophers must find a way to reclaim that axe.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/133428/must-win-game-minnesota-golden-gophers
Go Gophers!!
Must-win game: Nov. 26 at Wisconsin
After playing a highly demanding schedule in 2015, the Golden Gophers have a slate that's far more set up for success this fall.
All three nonconference games -- Oregon State, Indiana State and Colorado State -- will be at TCF Bank Stadium. In fact, Minnesota only plays three of its first nine games on the road, and two of those -- against Maryland and Illinois -- aren't exactly the most intimidating matchups. There's no Ohio State, Michigan or Michigan State as East Division crossovers.
So it's clear the Gophers, should they fare better on the injury front and make some improvements on offense behind fifth-year senior quarterback Mitch Leidner, have a chance for a breakthrough season in 2016. Yet one enormous, Paul Bunyan-sized hurdle remains.
As Minnesota fans know all too well, their team hasn't beaten chief rival Wisconsin since 2003. That's a 12-year span of futility that marks the longest streak for either side in this historic series. And it's more than just embarrassing; without beating the Badgers, Minnesota has been unable to make a major move in the division; a 10-point loss in 2014 kept the Gophers out of the Big Ten title game.
There might be other games on the schedule that are more crucial for Tracy Claeys to have a highly successful first season as full-time head coach. Winning the Big Ten opener at Penn State, for example, or beating Iowa at home could provide some huge early momentum that could make this team a serious division contender.
But for Minnesota to truly take the next step as a program, it needs to finally get past Wisconsin. The game is in Madison, so it won't be easy. But the Gophers must find a way to reclaim that axe.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/133428/must-win-game-minnesota-golden-gophers
Go Gophers!!
