Most disappointing season in my time being a fan

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Dakota2 said:
We had a 3 TD lead on Michigan at the Dome well into the 4th quarter. They ran about 15 straight screen passes and kept scoring. Mason had no answer. A packed Dome and everybody knew what was coming. Gopher D could not stop it.
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Seriously? That really happened? Guess I don’t recall it either.
 

I kid you not! One of my very first memories in life was the Drew Pearson pushoff on Nate Wright for the original Hail Mary play by Dallas in the 75 NFC Championship game. Of course I did not appreciate the magnitude of that game or that it was a foreshadowing of 46 years of brutal Minnesota sports to come. But the fact that a play that actually coined a new sports phrase for something that had NEVER been seen before that just happened to occur against a team that I would become a fan of is the perfect introduction to my life as a Minnesota sports fan.

Watching on my families tiny Black and White TV in the living room, the memory sticks out for two reasons:
  • My father and mother's epic, blathering, incoherent melt down in the middle of the living room floor. The first, but not last, time I had seen my parents react this way to anything sports related (they were both hard core Vikings fans).
  • The ref that got plugged by a whiskey bottle and the bandage they wrapped around his head.
This memory stuck with me but it was not until several years later that I realized that this game was the legendary Hail Mary game. The first full season I remember following completely was the 76 season where the Vikes got drilled by the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Sammy White getting decapitated still burns my memory. My destiny was set in stone at that point as a soon to be life-long suffering Minnesota sports fan.

But yeah, this Gophers season is absolutely in the top 20 of most dissapointing in Minny sports for me.
 


Great Plains Gopher said:
You have a terrific memory - painful to recall all that. Late in the season, as a teen, I sat in a drizzle with my girlfriend watching the Gophers lose to Michigan that year. Along with 1949, one of the most disappointing Gopher football seasons ever, because so much was expected, as you say.
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Thank you, Great Plains Gopher. I have read about that 1949 season. I believe Bierman said it was his best team, and he admitted that he may have worked them too hard. They seemed invincible after crushing OSU in Columbus but then found ways to lose to Purdue and Michigan. Glad I wasn't around to have that extra baggage in the memory bank!
 

Dakota2 said:
We had a 3 TD lead on Michigan at the Dome well into the 4th quarter. They ran about 15 straight screen passes and kept scoring. Mason had no answer. A packed Dome and everybody knew what was coming. Gopher D could not stop it.
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Those repetitive screen passes to Chris Perry were maddening. The d-linemen culdn't stop taking the bait!
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Entrance and grad req.
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I attended a Michigan game early in this millenium. Michigan got up 17-0 and some of their fans a section down from me took out newspapers. The Gophers came back to tie it at 17-17 but they just kept on reading. They knew Minnesota couldn't close the deal and they were right. It was extra sweet to see the Gophers hammer Michigan in Ann Arbor in 2014 and watch their fans hang their heads and stream for the exits with 10 minutes left and the Gophers up 30-7.
 

Five for fighting said:
I kid you not! One of my very first memories in life was the Drew Pearson pushoff on Nate Wright for the original Hail Mary play by Dallas in the 75 NFC Championship game. Of course I did not appreciate the magnitude of that game or that it was a foreshadowing of 46 years of brutal Minnesota sports to come. But the fact that a play that actually coined a new sports phrase for something that had NEVER been seen before that just happened to occur against a team that I would become a fan of is the perfect introduction to my life as a Minnesota sports fan.

Watching on my families tiny Black and White TV in the living room, the memory sticks out for two reasons:
  • My father and mother's epic, blathering, incoherent melt down in the middle of the living room floor. The first, but not last, time I had seen my parents react this way to anything sports related (they were both hard core Vikings fans).
  • The ref that got plugged by a whiskey bottle and the bandage they wrapped around his head.
This memory stuck with me but it was not until several years later that I realized that this game was the legendary Hail Mary game. The first full season I remember following completely was the 76 season where the Vikes got drilled by the Raiders in the Super Bowl. Sammy White getting decapitated still burns my memory. My destiny was set in stone at that point as a soon to be life-long suffering Minnesota sports fan.

But yeah, this Gophers season is absolutely in the top 20 of most dissapointing in Minny sports for me.
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Yep. That one hurt, even though the Vikings were roundly outplayed. Their only touchdown until the 4th quarter came when they recovered a muffed punt at the Dallas 5-yard line.
 


csom_1991 said:
Do you remember the Michigan comeback win in 2003? We were up 28-7 in the 4th Q. Nothing will ever top for me the level of disappointment I felt after that game. I think things would have been vastly different for us if we held on to win - but we are Minnesota. So, when the Texas Tech bowl game collapse happened later for Mason, it didn't even sting because I had been conditioned. Or how about the dropped punt vs. WI to lose in 2005? For that game, the quote from Barry Alvarez was "When you think you've seen it all, you haven't seen it all,"...

So, I am no longer shocked when we Gopher up a game - I stop myself from believing too much because I have seen too much at this point.
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I was at Mason's last game. When it was 38-7 early in the 4th quarter, a coed next to me said "these guys (Texas Tech) are awful! Based on past heartbreak, I cautioned her not to be too confident. How I hated being right that night!!
 



GopherVotary said:
‘82 was disappointing largely because of the optimism created by the successes of ‘81 (beating Ohio State and Rose Bowl-bound Iowa). Hohensee was QB both years.
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The 1982 team got off to a great start and were ranked, until they lost to Illinois at home in a game they dominated statistically. Then came their trip to Evanston to play a Northwestern team that had lost 34 straight games. The Gophers got up 21-3 and lost 31-21! After that an incredible string of injuries decimated the team. They continued into the 1983 death march when they gave up 50+ points 6 times. That, in my view, was the all-time nadhir.
 

Pete smith said:
Saw my first Gopher game in 1968. Been a fan since. Lots of disappointment in those years., Perhaps none as disappointing as this year.
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Yes! the game with USC & OJ Simpson comes to mind. Murray went creative and pulled that cross-field lateral that made a go-ahead, 4th quarter touchdown kickoff return possible. I think the the throw went from George Kemp to John Wintermute. But the Trojans had too much firepower. The Purdue game was awesome! Mike Phipps and Leroy Keys came to town. The Gophers got out to a 27-0 lead and won easily. I can see Jim Carter running over a couple of defenders on the way to a 45-50 yard touchdown run.
 










Face The Facts said:
An I easily could have married Elle MacPherson.
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So you don't think we should have beaten BG, Illinois, and had we executed like we did today (sans 1st quarter) we would have beaten Iowa too? Let's Face those Facts.
 

SonjayLarrick said:
lol. Still a disappointing season. Could easily have had only 1 loss going into next week's game against Wisconsin. But yet, here we are. Not going to the B1G Championship. Again.
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We’re not eliminated as has been posted a bazillion times by numerous posters - does basking in negativity make u feel better?
So is your holiday party calendar still open?
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
We’re not eliminated as has been posted a bazillion times my numerous posters - does basking in negativity make u feel better?
So is your holiday party calendar still open?
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I think you are misreading my thoughts. I expected more this year. I'm disappointed we lost games we could have and really should have won. Good for you and your lower expectations though. I understand your perspective. I was sharing mine.
 

SonjayLarrick said:
I think you are misreading my thoughts. I expected more this year. I'm disappointed we lost games we could have and really should have won. Good for you and your lower expectations though. I understand your perspective. I was sharing mine.
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What's crazy is that if they had beaten BG and Illinois, they would still be in the same spot they are now when it comes to winning the division.
Those losses really only change what exhibition game we go to.
 

Are some of you fans new or do you really take all of this that seriously? Gopher football is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. I have seen it all also but it is entertainment. My dad always said it is just a bunch of guys throwing the ball around on a Saturday afternooon.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

SonjayLarrick said:
I think you are misreading my thoughts. I expected more this year. I'm disappointed we lost games we could have and really should have won. Good for you and your lower expectations though. I understand your perspective. I was sharing mine.
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“Not going to the Big Ten Championship again” is not misreading your thoughts bro - you either don’t understand we aren’t eliminated and were wrong (guessing u rarely admit that) or you’re an Eyore and love being negative. So don’t get it twisted and flip it on me because I look for the positive and realize everyone is giving their best and oh yeah, it’s a frickin college football game - not the end of my or anyone else’s happiness.
 

Are some of you fans new or do you really take all of this that seriously? Gopher football is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. I have seen it all also but it is entertainment. My dad always said it is just a bunch of guys throwing the ball around on a Saturday afternooon.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

SonjayLarrick said:
I think you are misreading my thoughts. I expected more this year. I'm disappointed we lost games we could have and really should have won. Good for you and your lower expectations though. I understand your perspective. I was sharing mine.
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Lower Expectations??!! Have you seen how many seasons we've had winning records in B1G play in the last 50 years? The answer is 9. Expectations are higher and we're actually doing pretty well when you consider things with a historical perspective.

It sounds like you've seen a lot of Gopher history. Should be easy for you to contextualize things...
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
“Not going to the Big Ten Championship again” is not misreading your thoughts bro - you either don’t understand we aren’t eliminated and were wrong (guessing u rarely admit that) or you’re an Eyore and love being negative. So don’t get it twisted and flip it on me because I look for the positive and realize everyone is going their best and oh yeah, it’s a frickin college football game - not the end of my or anyone else’s happiness.
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Gophers would have to hit a three-game parlay next week to get to the championship. It's not gonna happen.
 

SonjayLarrick said:
So you don't think we should have beaten BG, Illinois, and had we executed like we did today (sans 1st quarter) we would have beaten Iowa too? Let's Face those Facts.
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You don't get to roll back time, change specific variables and ignore the ones that went in your favor.
Things could always be better, but this is a fine season if we win the axe next week.
 

maroonfive said:
Are some of you fans new or do you really take all of this that seriously? Gopher football is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. I have seen it all also but it is entertainment. My dad always said it is just a bunch of guys throwing the ball around on a Saturday afternooon.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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It's a pleasant distraction for 12-13 of the 52 weeks a year.
If we win more than we lose, even better.

So much fun to watch.
 

hello-world said:
Gophers would have to hit a three-game parlay next week to get to the championship. It's not gonna happen.
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Glad u feel better now that u got that off your chest- would love to see how u react it it does happen- bookmarked for pettiness.
 

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