For everyone who was there THAT night

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Hatsofftothee

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October 10, 2003:

1 2 3 4 T
#20 MICH 0 0 7 31 38
#17 MINN 7 7 14 7 35

You remember what it felt like. It was an unusual Friday night game, because the Twins were in the playoffs and needed the Dome the next day. We were undefeated, and may actually have had the best offense in the country that year, certainly in the top five. At least half a dozen guys from that offense would play in the NFL. We dominated through three quarters and blew it in the 4th. If you are like me, you will never forget THAT night. I still remember how it felt. I can still recall with perfect clarity being stalled in a jammed concourse on the way out of the Metrodome afterwards, while a knot of Michigan fans chanted about how proud they were to be Michigan Wolverines.

Nights like that hurt as much as anything in sports fandom can. They remain fresh 12 years later (and probably 22 or 32 years later). We can't get that night back, but we can sure enjoy this one.

For everyone who was there THAT night, no win over Michigan can ever be anything less than "signature." Fellow long-suffering Gopher fans, I salute you.
 

You're right - incredible excitement downtown that night and the Metrodome was gold to the rafters. We were ahead 28-7 at the beginning of the 4th quarter and a win would have meant a Big Ten title tie and the Rose Bowl. Worst loss ever.
 

I was there THAT night, but seeing the looks on all the faces of those Michigan fans and seeing them leave the stadium in the 3rd quarter was awesome. Doesn't fully take away the burn, but it helps.
 

I was there. Most painful sports fan event for me in my lifetime and it isn't even close.
 

I was there too and will never, ever forget the pain.
 


Spoofin said:
I was there. Most painful sports fan event for me in my lifetime and it isn't even close.
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Ditto. I remember SCum running the same slant pass over and over and we couldn't do dick to stop it. I was nervous in this game until there was about 2:00 left, fearing a déjà vu flashback replay of that nightmare. The difference (other than SCum sucking donkeyballs this year) is that we didn't have any turnovers (that pick-6 sparked their comeback) and we got a first down when we needed it to seal the win.

it was classy of Kill not to run up the score on that last drive, but I would have been ok with having Berkeley Edwards punch it in for a "Remember the Alamo" moment.
 

I was there and you are spot on with your post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I watched on tv that night, but I remember it clearly. I remember after our long TD in the 4th quarter, I turned to my wife and infamously said "We're going to win this game."

I never say that anymore. And I never feel any lead is safe.
 

Let's see what the atmosphere is like if we get to Ohio State without a conference loss. I believe it's possible. The Gophers haven't been anything like 5-0 in conference in November in a long time!
 



Sparlimb said:
I watched on tv that night, but I remember it clearly. I remember after our long TD in the 4th quarter, I turned to my wife and infamously said "We're going to win this game."

I never say that anymore. And I never feel any lead is safe.
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^^^This is what it means to be a Gopher football fan over the last 60 years.
 

Too Long in the Wasteland said:
Ditto. I remember SCum running the same screen pass to Perry over and over and we couldn't do dick to stop it. I was nervous in this game until there was about 2:00 left, fearing a déjà vu flashback replay of that nightmare. The difference (other than SCum sucking donkeyballs this year) is that we didn't have any turnovers (that pick-6 sparked their comeback) and we got a first down when we needed it to seal the win.

it was classy of Kill not to run up the score on that last drive, but I would have been ok with having Berkeley Edwards punch it in for a "Remember the Alamo" moment.
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FIFY
 


GoldenRodents said:
I was thinking of the very thing in the 4th quarter yesterday. We have a lot more work to do to retire that cursed memory.
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Was there that night too, though I try never to think about it, but yeah have felt that way many times in the past. Yesterday though? Once it got to 27-7 it was over. This team's Defense and last year's, if they get a big lead and are kept off the field, they hold that lead. With the way the Offense was running the ball and balancing it so well with the pass?

Finally got to feel like Gopher Fans must have felt from the 30's through the 60's.

It was over Johnny.

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Too Long in the Wasteland said:
it was classy of Kill not to run up the score on that last drive, but I would have been ok with having Berkeley Edwards punch it in for a "Remember the Alamo" moment.
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I also agree that it was classy to not put it in at the end, but I wouldn't have cared if he had; I'll always remember '91 when Michigan & that drunk Gary Moeller ran it up on the Gophers because the U had the audacity to take Moeller's team out of class a day early so Game 6 of the '91 World Series could be played....
 

The Gophers that night had a huge walk up sale. I remember people still streaming in toward the end of the first quarter.
 

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the 84-21 beatdown to Nebraska way back when.
 

I was there. I was in Phoenix to see the TT meltdown.

Yesterday, when it was 30-7, I may have had a lingering doubt. When it became 30-14 with eight to go, I was a little nervous. When Maxx made the catch for a first down with seven and a half to go, it was over. No doubt.

This team know how to kill the clock, and has learned how to put an opponent away. No team from the last 25 years has known how to do that.

Exorcism.
 

Dr.Don said:
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the 84-21 beatdown to Nebraska way back when.
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It was 81-13, but it did suck for sure. I was there for that one and the Mich loss in 2003. The Michigan loss hurt more.
 

Thought we had exorcized 2003 with 2005's victory. Turns out I was wrong, since we are still talking about trying to exorcising.

Now I know that will only be a partial exorcism until we beat them at home. Having said that, it still feels great.

Let's do us all a favor and get rid of that 2005 wisky demon. That would be swell - haven't slept much since then.
 

tikited said:
It was 81-13, but it did suck for sure. I was there for that one and the Mich loss in 2003. The Michigan loss hurt more.
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You're both wrong.

Nebraska 84
Minnesota 13
Sept. 17, 1983
Minneapolis, MN
Nebraska 21 21 21 21 — 84
Minnesota 0 10 3 0 — 13

Sucked either either way.
 


highwayman said:
You're both wrong.

Nebraska 84
Minnesota 13
Sept. 17, 1983
Minneapolis, MN
Nebraska 21 21 21 21 — 84
Minnesota 0 10 3 0 — 13

Sucked either either way.
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I was there too. The Huskers pretty much scored in 3 plays from anywhere on the field. We pretty much sealed Rozier's Heisman award. A year or two later we played them in Lincoln and it wasn't nearly as lopsided. But that's cuz Osbourne put in all the walk-ons in the 2nd half and we could play them straight up.

As long as we're dredging up repressed memories, how about that game against Colorado (in the late 80’s methinks). We were actually winning in the first half, then they came out and cur stomped us. Ugggh
 

Dr.Don said:
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, compares to the 84-21 beatdown to Nebraska way back when.
Click to expand...

Can't be too dramatically seared into your memory if you can't remember the score. It was 84-13.

I had just moved to the Twin Cities that year, and that may have been the first Gopher game I ever watched all the way through. I wasn't a Gopher fan yet, and I liked those Nebraska teams, so it was not traumatic for me.
 

Wisconsin in 2005 would be second on my list, after Michigan in 2003. I remember (or think I remember) two things about the end of that game. First, that I really thought Mason should go for it on 4th and short instead of punting, because Wisconsin hadn't stopped a running play all day. (Almost no one would have really done that from that field position, of course, and certainly Glen Mason would never have even considered it.)

Second, we were even unlucky on the direction in which the botched snap to the punter was dropped. Wisconsin was rushing the punter all from one side, and the ball came over to that side, giving him no chance. If the ball had bounced the other way, he could have picked up and walked for a first down (or at least gotten a punt off).

That one really hurt also.
 

I wasn't at the HumptyDump for the game, but I watched every minute. When AA-K threw the pick 6, I started getting the feeling "This is going to end badly." But then AA-K scores on a 50+ yard run and I'm thinking "Well, maybe not."

After that, everything went to sh*t. Michigan scored two TDs after that on drives that totaled less than 3 and 1/2 minutes.

The thing I remember about the Badger game in 2005 is that if the current rules on runners being knocked out of bounds would have been in effect then, we would have won the game. I can't remember the exact time left, but Mortenson got knocked out of bounds on a scramble and the clock stopped. I remember thinking "that could come back to haunt us" and let's just say there are times I hate being right. Mason got bit on that one and on the Travis Dorsch FG that tied a game against Purdue that we ended up losing in OT. Subsequent rule changes would have nullified that one as well.
 

I was at the WI game in 2005, I remember just thinking that the guy should take a safety and screaming when he didnt do it.

I actually thought we were going to lose before that play (assumed they'd drive in ~30 seconds and tie the game with a field goal then win in OT) but i definitely didnt see it coming like THAT
 

my first game ever was the Neb blow out.. last years win over Neb meant more to me vindication wise... however i was at the mich game as well and have had nightmares over that game.. Beating michigan the way we did felt really really nice.. Wining in Madison this year will be the defining moment for this squad and coaching staff... and will mean more to me than any beatdown of michigan
 

I don't remember the year, but I remember the Gophers playing Michigan at the Dome. We had momentum going, and then Bo f'n Schembechler miraculously gets all tangled up in his headset wires and the officials called a timeout so he could get untangled. Completely changed the game and we lost.
 


MrGopher said:
Thought we had exorcized 2003 with 2005's victory. Turns out I was wrong, since we are still talking about trying to exorcising.

Now I know that will only be a partial exorcism until we beat them at home. Having said that, it still feels great.

Let's do us all a favor and get rid of that 2005 wisky demon. That would be swell - haven't slept much since then.
Click to expand...

2005 made the loss sting a little less, but did nothing to extinguish the pain. This was a once in a generation situation. We were undefeated to that point. We had a groundswell of public support brewing, as evidenced by the crazy turnout that night via walk-up sales. And we had a damn fine football team. We were a legitimate Rose Bowl team in 2003 and that loss, along together with the resulting hangover that affected us early against MSU, kept it from happening. Simply beating Michigan at home will not change anything. Winning a Big Ten title and playing in the Rose Bowl is the only thing that can heal those wounds.
 

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