Greatest Gopher Collapses at Metrodome

[Replacement Gopher]

I blew a blood vessel in my eyeball during that Michigan game.

We win that game and we go to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten champs and everything is different.

 

[stocker08]

Can't forget the phantom PI against Penn State in 2006 when we had stopped them on 4th down for the win. Freaking Paterno got in the refs ear on that and he threw a late flag. Our guy never even touched him. PSU gets new life and wins the game in OT. That one really annoyed me.

One of my earlier Gopher football memories. The refs literally changed the outcome of that game.

 

[STPGopher]

May as well add the last second successful Hail Mary by Northwestern (2000?)

 

[LesBolstad]

a different kind of collapse: Illinois 1982
Gophers won the first 3 games of the season easily
were leading Illinois 24-22. Punted. Illinois returned the punt for a TD to take the lead
Gophers never recovered. lost that game and all the games the rest of the season and went 1-10 the following season

That was one of the most talented Gopher squads in modern (post 1970) history as well.
They had a ton of injuries and after that game it snowballed into a season of hell

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

 

[Gold Rush]

Here's ANOTHER good one. Gophers vs. Utah 1990. Gophers drive for the winning FG -- if they make a fairly easy FG we win in the closing seconds ---- but NO!!! Utah blocks the FG attempt and returns it about 80 yards for a game winning TD in the closing seconds! Utah 35 -- Gophers 29.

You can't even make some of this up!!!

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

The Michigan one is talked about the most, but the two I've highlighted were the most painful for me to watch and I think we would have won both those games under current rules. I remember in the Wisconsin game, Mortensen got knocked out of the bounds on a scramble with about five minutes left in the game and under the rules then, the clock stopped. I believe under current (rules guys help me out) the clock wouldn't stop and, as a result, we could have probably wound things down. I could be be wrong on the rules thing. I just remember thinking after that play that time remaining might be a problem

It doesn't qualify as a collapse per se, but the Northwestern game in 2008 when Mike Kafka ran all over the field for over 200 yards and the Gophers lost on a pick-six on the last play of the game is the loss that is somehow burned most deep in my memory.

I was thinking NU 2008 as well. Different type of collapse, but if memory serves, we were 7-1, would have likely been in position to be favored every game the rest of the way if we kept winning, had just gotten ourselves out of the shadow of our end zone presumably to be able to kneel it out for OT, and then the pick 6. The moment before Weber released that pass was the high water mark of the Brewster era.

 

[50PoundHead]

I was thinking NU 2008 as well. Different type of collapse, but if memory serves, we were 7-1, would have likely been in position to be favored every game the rest of the way if we kept winning, had just gotten ourselves out of the shadow of our end zone presumably to be able to kneel it out for OT, and then the pick 6. The moment before Weber released that pass was the high water mark of the Brewster era.

I did a quick look and you're right. We were 7-1 going into that game. I remember a couple of weeks earlier I was really juiced after we beat Illinois and "Juice Williams." Season really cratered after the Northwestern loss, Five straight losses including the 55-0 mauling at the hands of the Hawkeyes (when Hawkeye fans dismantled the goal posts and tried to get them out the Metrodome doors).

 

[LakevilleBro]

I was at all of those games. The blocked punt by WI, was awful to watch.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

this thread reminds me of a bad joke:

a masochist is walking down the street and meets a sadist.

the masochist says "hurt me, hurt me."

and the sadist says "no, I won't."

 

[Xerxes_]

The last game at the Dome was the worst of them all. The collapse just started in the 1st quarter instead of at the last minute.

The biggest beatdown I've ever witnessed in person.

 

[GophersInIowa]

 

[restovich]

This thread is like pouring a nice cup of lemon juice on a fresh paper cut

 

[Gopher028]

OSU ‘89
NW ‘00
PU ‘01
MI ‘03
WI ‘05

Ah, those were the days…..

These two for me..

Thanks to the OP for tapping on my football PTSD.

 

[#2Gopher]

Not sure why people want to review past bad losses at the dome. Makes absolutely no sense.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

I did a quick look and you're right. We were 7-1 going into that game. I remember a couple of weeks earlier I was really juiced after we beat Illinois and "Juice Williams." Season really cratered after the Northwestern loss, Five straight losses including the 55-0 mauling at the hands of the Hawkeyes (when Hawkeye fans dismantled the goal posts and tried to get them out the Metrodome doors).

It was in 2002 when the Iowa fans tore down the goalposts. That was the day they clinched a share of the Big Ten. 2008 was the 55-donut game. The goalposts remained upright after that one.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

This thread is like in Homeworld when they bombed Kharak…

 

[Dupreefor3]

Lois Feldman actually made that up.

She definitely gave some Dome that day

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

She definitely gave some Dome that day

So I can share one anecdote that shouldn't send me running for ice cream, chili cheese fritos, and barbiturates.

So I was at that game and WAY before the game started I was there early and these Iowa fans come walking along and this one lady is seriously looking not ok. Like she has a lot of energy, she's not out of it, she's loud ... but is not walking straight and so on. She had these noticeably short jeans that kinda don't fit and a RATTY old thong sticking up out of her jeans.

Anyway day goes on, things ... I'm not going to talk about it.

So I hear that story later and I always assumed that was the person involved in the incident.

 

[Panthadad2]

So I can share one anecdote that shouldn't send me running for ice cream, chili cheese fritos, and barbiturates.

So I was at that game and WAY before the game started I was there early and these Iowa fans come walking along and this one lady is seriously looking not ok. Like she has a lot of energy, she's not out of it, she's loud ... but is not walking straight and so on. She had these noticeably short jeans that kinda don't fit and a RATTY old thong sticking up out of her jeans.

Anyway day goes on, things ... I'm not going to talk about it.

So I hear that story later and I always assumed that was the person involved in the incident.

Good ol' whale tail. Super models can pull it off. Others? Not so much.

That one single game is the reason my wife hates Iowa fans with an irrational passion.

 

[STPGopher]

((Note to self. STOP clicking on this thread.))

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

I was at Northwestern 2000, Michigan 2003 and Wisconsin 2005, don't need an article to remind me of those.

Michigan '03, a 10-3 season, Gophers had big lead going into 4th quarter in a packed Metrodome, then collapsed to the MI short passing game. Would have tied for the title if they'd won that one game.

 

[tmvander]

Here's what would be interesting to me...and maybe incredibly difficult to find due to perspective etc (because we're gopher fans all losses hurt more blah blah blah) but are there any other teams out there that have a thread like this...and if so, can our top 5 or top 10 horrid losses top theirs?

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Not sure why people want to review past bad losses at the dome. Makes absolutely no sense.

Please tell my wife…

 

[THE Chitown Gopher]

I’m going with the second roof collapse.

 

[Panthadad2]

Here's what would be interesting to me...and maybe incredibly difficult to find due to perspective etc (because we're gopher fans all losses hurt more blah blah blah) but are there any other teams out there that have a thread like this...and if so, can our top 5 or top 10 horrid losses top theirs?

I'd venture to say that no other teams had the numerous epic collapses that the Dome saw, mainly in the Mason years. Epic collapses are an enigma and require a special kind of team.

Terrible teams are terrible all the time and don't collapse from a big lead because they never have a lead. Great teams don't have many collapses. Even mediocre teams stay pretty mediocre.

On the other hand, Mason's teams had that very special unique blend of dominant ability on offense combined with the ability to lose leads quickly in epic fashion. The coaching staff's philosophy of going turtle on offense after gaining a lead combined with playing prevent defense (which prevents nothing except winning) resulted in some of those epic losses.

 

[BTChamp]

I’m going with the second roof collapse.

Nice one.

I was going to say something about that. Calling it the best collapse in Dome history.

 

[metrolax]

Its hard to say, Dean. They're each outstanding in their own way

 

[Some guy]

I blew a blood vessel in my eyeball during that Michigan game.

We win that game and we go to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten champs and everything is different.

Same with the penalties in the 99 wisconsin overtime game

 

[beatles]

OSU IN ‘89 was worse than Michigan in ‘03. 31-0 lead. It wasn’t that easy to make Bowl games back then and several bowl representatives were in attendance basically scouting us(remember when that was a thing?). If I remember correctly it was nationally televised on ABC. It was heartbreaking.