Painful, yet fascinating column: Reliving one fateful night in Gophers football

[BleedGopher]

per Chip:

Fifteen minutes from a program-changing victory in 2003, Gophers players are still haunted by a sudden collapse against Michigan.

Many of those involved say they still think about what happened that night, as the 100th anniversary of the Little Brown Jug rivalry takes place Saturday in Ann Arbor.

“All the time,” former tight end Ben Utecht said. “I don’t know if I choose to think about it. It’s more of a nightmare than anything else.”

“If we win that game, the program is 100 percent different, no doubt about it,” said former quarterback Bryan Cupito, a freshman in ’03. “If we win that game, I would say the next five years of Minnesota football is completely different. I think that would have changed things in a big way.”

“I really think that if we win that game, we end up at least 12-1,” Utecht said. “I think what happens then is ‘Mase’ goes out and probably has two to three really solid recruiting years where he keeps Minnesota kids and brings in some of those who were maybe walking the fence. The next thing you know, maybe we’ve got three BCS [bowl games in a row] and this becomes a whole different conversation.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/226231011.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!

 

[josh087]

As it relates to the Gopher Football program. the magnitude of the loss to Michgan in 2003 cannot be overstated. Even if you don't include any possible positive outcomes that game has on future Gopher seasons, the loss in that game, in that season alone cannot be overstated. Even if the Gophers had still lost to Michigan State and Iowa, they tie for the BT title.

I was an intern in the newsroom at WCCO-TV at the time. The worst part of it all was the next day when I showed up for work, finding the script that the sports anchor Ralph Jon Fritz had planned to read when he wrote it at about 9:45PM that night, before the 4th quarter collapse. It was like experiencing the loss twice. Talk about a kick to the nuts.

 

[Spoofin]

I still wake up some nights screaming "screen pass", "stop the f'ing screen pass". Just recalling that game makes last week not feel so bad.

 

[norman dale]

Still too painful yet to watch a replay of that game. Someday in the future I'll record it and sit down and watch it with my now 5 year old son to let him know that these are the type of games one can expect if you are a Gopher football fan.

 

[josh087]

I watch the game every year on October 10th. In a weird way, I've come to appreciate the game. As much as it was painful to lose to Michigan in 2003, I'd much rather feel the pain of a meaningful defeat than the despair of a meaningless defeat.

 

[e.bigelow]

I will never forget that. Freshman year in the student section. I still feel like I could throw-up when I think about that game that night. Absolutely gut-wrenching.

 

[FireDaveLee]

Easily the "That Game" in the Pantheon Levels of Losing.....

It was our "Kick the Damn Door Down" moment. Wisconsin did it in 1993 when they beat Michigan & never looked back. We blew it (I believe that using "we" & "us" is perfectly legit in describing this game & situation).

 

[t-docious]

I watch the game every year on October 10th. In a weird way, I've come to appreciate the game. As much as it was painful to lose to Michigan in 2003, I'd much rather feel the pain of a meaningful defeat than the despair of a meaningless defeat.

worst birthday gift ever. It was my 16th birthday. I took the van out to get groceries for hours to calm myself down.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

The Dome was packed to the roof that night with maroon and gold. The atmosphere all over downtown was electric. The Gophers ran all over Michigan for three quarters, were leading 28-7, then couldn't stop the short pass in drive after drive, plus had a pick-six, lost by 3. Unbelievable. Ranks with 1949 upset by Purdue in what it did - kept us out of the Rose Bowl and denied first conference title since '67.

 

[EG#9]

The worst thing about it was that it wasn't completely shocking, because we'd seen it happen before. Even Utecht referenced it in the article, that's the type of loss that you are unfortunate to experience once in a generation...and we seemed to see one or two of them a season (with this game being the biggest). It's almost unfathomable to lose a 21 point lead in one quarter of college football at home (at the time of this game, now in certain conferences it's not the shocking). I do remember breathing a sigh of relief when AAK took it to the house...I had forgotten that Michigan scored again that quickly.

I don't think enough is made of losing to Iowa to end that season. The team still had a January 1 bowl on the line and were slight favorites going in to Iowa City....and somehow were down 40-6 late in the 4th quarter. Amazingly the Gophers out gained the Hawkeyes 563-344. Win that game, tie for 2nd in the conference, go to a real bowl, and finish in the top 15 in the country (Iowa ended up 8th!). There was still a golden opportunity to move the program forward that year...and it wasn't seized.

 

[maliksealy]

I'll never forget it either. Flying into Myrtle Beach for a college golf tournament and calling my dad every 10 minutes for a score update. It was like a slow death.

 

[tikited]

That is the night I knew that curses exist. Still not sure what our curse is exactly?

 

[ruppertflywheel]

We got checked in early at the Marriott Depot. While in the lobby my wife and I were approached twice for " extra tickets " That was 3:00 in the afternoon. The gal at check-in at a list of people looking for tickets from both Minnesota and Michigan. Ran into some Micigan people at the bar and they were really worried about the game. I remember the one guy saying: " Your're going to run the damn ball right down our throats" I remember in the Strib the next morning that it was the largest walkup ticket sale in the history of the dome. Man, talk about complete euphoria and then utter depression in the swing of 15 minutes. It is still tough to swallow. What might have been....

 

[Sports_Realist]

The Gophers still haven't recovered from that loss and I'm not sure when or if another such opportunity will come along. We'll have good teams in the future, but that could have been a program changer. Those rarely come around the pike.

Chip alluded to the Gophers possibly making the Rose Bowl, but failed to mention that had the Gophers beaten the Wolverines, with all other results turning out the same, it would have created a four way tie for the Big Ten championship with Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, and Ohio State all at 6-2. The Gophers would have gone to Pasadena on the tiebreaker for having the least recent appearance of the quartet.

 

[50PoundHead]

The Dome was packed to the roof that night with maroon and gold. The atmosphere all over downtown was electric. The Gophers ran all over Michigan for three quarters, were leading 28-7, then couldn't stop the short pass in drive after drive, plus had a pick-six, lost by 3. Unbelievable. Ranks with 1949 upset by Purdue in what it did - kept us out of the Rose Bowl and denied first conference title since '67.

After the pick-six, I said to myself "we are somehow going to lose this game."

Agree that it was a program changer at a number of levels.

 

[Jike Spingleton]

Chip alluded to the Gophers possibly making the Rose Bowl, but failed to mention that had the Gophers beaten the Wolverines, with all other results turning out the same, it would have created a four way tie for the Big Ten championship with Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, and Ohio State all at 6-2. The Gophers would have gone to Pasadena on the tiebreaker for having the least recent appearance of the quartet.

A thousand times this. The worst part about Big Ten expansion, besides "Leaders" and "Legends," was the fact that the one advantage the Gophers had over everyone else in the conference - Rose Bowl tiebreaker - disappeared. But, to be clear for everyone (including Coach Mason), there is no way the 7-0 Gophers lose to Michigan State the following week. We would have gone to Iowa City with the Rose Bowl assured, and since there were no undefeated teams in the country in the regular season, the Gophers quite possibly could have been playing the Hawkeyes for a trip to the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

 

[RodentRampage]

I remember the dome being the loudest that I had ever experienced that night. It was so loud that I was beginning to feel a bit sick - but I didn't mind. Then the offense shut down, and when that happened, the defense collapsed. I remember thinking, if the defense could get just one more stop or the offense could get just one more first down we could still pull it off.

It was 10 years ago, but until we have a breakthrough season, it's going to continue to haunt. A divisional title or a New Year's Day game would help put it behind us.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

A thousand times this. The worst part about Big Ten expansion, besides "Leaders" and "Legends," was the fact that the one advantage the Gophers had over everyone else in the conference - Rose Bowl tiebreaker - disappeared. But, to be clear for everyone (including Coach Mason), there is no way the 7-0 Gophers lose to Michigan State the following week. We would have gone to Iowa City with the Rose Bowl assured, and since there were no undefeated teams in the country in the regular season, the Gophers quite possibly could have been playing the Hawkeyes for a trip to the Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

Gulp. Yep. I still can't believe how flat we came out against a mediocre MSU team (finished 8-5) and still only lost by 6. We looked like total garbage in the first half, a direct result of the previous week's kick in the nutsack. It's easy to know that if everything played out the same we woulda been Rose Bowl bound, but difficult to swallow what the stakes would have been in Iowa City had we won the Michigan games. Wow.

As odd as it is, if I could go back in time and change one thing, it would be this game.

 

[Bad Gopher]

It's so easy for people/journalists to paint with a broad brush and talk about the decades of uniform futility for the program. But it's astounding to look back from this distance and recall how CLOSE we were to Big Ten titles in 1999 and 2003. Beat Wisconsin in 1999, and we tie atop the standings and go to Pasadena. I remember that game vividly and how the Gophs took it to them and beat them physically, only to lose late. Maybe, IF ONLY we had been as mediocre the whole time as the revisionists say, it would be less painful than to get so close to getting the boulder over the hill. I mean, we're talking a hair away from the boulder rolling down the other side of the mountain in both cases.

 

[Sports_Realist]

The 1999 Gophers lost to Wisconsin by 3, Ohio State by 3, and Purdue by 5 over a four week period that also included a win over Illinois. They entered the Penn State game, a program turner in its own way, with a record of 5-3 (2-3). It's tough to look back now at those three close losses (although the Purdue score looks closer than the game really was) and see how close we actually came. Then we beat Penn State and went on a nice run to finish 9-3 (5-3). However, it's never had the same feeling of loss to me as 2003.

In 1999, the Gophers hadn't been to a bowl since 1986 and were coming off some very lean years. Plus we peaked late, so many never realized how good the team was until early November nor did many expect the good times to roll for a few more years. The 2003 Michigan collapse came after a hot start that season following three bowl bids in four years with wins over Penn State, Ohio State, and Arkansas along with some trophy wins over Iowa and Wisconsin. It felt like the program was at last arriving, but things never got back on track afterwards. It hurts just thinking about what was potentially lost that night.

 

[Monty519]

What sucks about this game, and that series of years period, is there were numerous opportunities to take the next step, but we just kept finding ways to botch it up. '03 Michigan, still could have survived by handling MSU the next week, but I can't even blame them for coming out flat in that one. Then there was Michigan the next year, at the Big House, when we led late but gave up the last minute TD. I believe we were 5-0 and ranked possibly even higher than in '03 (I wanna say like #13 or something). Then things just fell apart after that one. Then there's '05, after finally beating Michigan, being in the mix again in the conference, but promptly fumbling it away (literally) the next week against Becky.

I know the '04 & '05 missed chances don't come close to '03 in sheer agony and the "oh so close" feeling, but it was one of those stretches of years where it felt like we just completely wasted our chance to be a part of the party, to be in the mix of the elite for even just a few years. When you miss on those chances, it's hard to get them back, as we're finding out.

 

[Bad Gopher]

The 1999 Gophers lost to Wisconsin by 3, Ohio State by 3, and Purdue by 5 over a four week period that also included a win over Illinois. They entered the Penn State game, a program turner in its own way, with a record of 5-3 (2-3). It's tough to look back now at those three close losses (although the Purdue score looks closer than the game really was) and see how close we actually came. Then we beat Penn State and went on a nice run to finish 9-3 (5-3). However, it's never had the same feeling of loss to me as 2003.

In 1999, the Gophers hadn't been to a bowl since 1986 and were coming off some very lean years. Plus we peaked late, so many never realized how good the team was until early November nor did many expect the good times to roll for a few more years. The 2003 Michigan collapse came after a hot start that season following three bowl bids in four years with wins over Penn State, Ohio State, and Arkansas along with some trophy wins over Iowa and Wisconsin. It felt like the program was at last arriving, but things never got back on track afterwards. It hurts just thinking about what was potentially lost that night.

Yeah, I don't think of that 1999 Purdue game as having been close. We were not going to win that game and shouldn't have. I don't remember whether we led OSU and how that game played out. But I seem to recall leading the Badgers most of the game.

 

[Sports_Realist]

In 1999 were up 17-14 on Ohio State in the 4th quarter, but lost 20-17 after the Buckeyes got two late field goals.

 

[imthewalrus]

It's not the darn journalists as much as it is the "so-called" die hard fans...

It's so easy for people/journalists to paint with a broad brush and talk about the decades of uniform futility for the program. But it's astounding to look back from this distance and recall how CLOSE we were to Big Ten titles in 1999 and 2003. Beat Wisconsin in 1999, and we tie atop the standings and go to Pasadena. I remember that game vividly and how the Gophs took it to them and beat them physically, only to lose late. Maybe, IF ONLY we had been as mediocre the whole time as the revisionists say, it would be less painful than to get so close to getting the boulder over the hill. I mean, we're talking a hair away from the boulder rolling down the other side of the mountain in both cases.

Who have ignored just how close the Golden Gopher Program was during that 1999 through 2005 period of time to having one hell of a great run. It is those who were willing only to try to trash the name of Glen Mason and speak of that period of time as though everything Coach Mason did with this program was a failure. Oh, the media sucked by joining in the bashing of everything that team and that coach did by countering any of the great wins and play with only verbal descriptions of failure because of that Michigan game. But, the truth of the matter is that we were being treated to some very good football by some very good players and it took some very good coaching to put that together at the University of Minnesota during that time frame.
A lot of "fans" were bashing Mason during those years. And they ended up winning the war and were joined by the administration and AFTER Mason had helped sell the idea of the Campus Stadium they fired his a$$...or, should I say bought out his a$$ to the tune of millions and millions of dollars borrowed from the U of M General Fund. But, his legacy is seen today on the campus in the form of that TCF BANK STADIUM that prexy b NEEDED Mason to pitch and sell to TCF BANK and the Legislators and the fans. Does anyone but me recall how INCREDIBLE it felt that day when the votes were tallied and the debate had been completed and the stadium became a DONE DEAL? That is what having a competitive Big Ten Team meant to the University of Minnesota about a quarter of a century after going off campus to play. The U and the administration NEEDED Glen Mason Coaching the football team making that team competitive and relevant during that EXACT period of time to have a prayer of EVER returning to the Campus with their own Football Stadium.


The Mason ERA Team fought hard and battled to win MY respect...and they did. They made me BELIEVE that my Golden Gopher Football Team could once again be relevant. They made me BELIEVE that it might be possible for me to watch Football ON CAMPUS again. And, when TCF BANK STADIUM opened it's gates for the first time, I thought of those players, those coaches, those wins and YES...even some of those heart breaking losses. Because it IS better to have played some good teams and lost a heart breaker than to lost to those good teams by scores like 49 to 7. THAT is the legacy that Glen Mason, his coaching staff and all those players have given me. You may not agree with me...but...I have seen a LOT of GOLDEN GOPHER FOOTBALL...and that group brought a real spark of life back to my Golden Gopher Football Team.

And...IF you don't agree with my feelings about that period of time...you are going to quite probably have a mighty long wait to see anything that will surpass it. The building of the STADIUM is pretty much a once in a life time event for anybody who is attending games in the year 2013. Those Golden Gophers from 1999 to 2005 have really left their mark on the history of Golden Gopoher Football. I hope to see Coach Kill get us to that level...and beyond. Beat Michigan Gophers! Coach Kill KNOWS first-hand how difficult it is to get Conference wins. I am sure he appreciates what Coach Mason was able to accomplish. And, I am sure Coach Mason appreciates what Coach Kill is currently doing to build this Football Program. They are most likely fans of each other. Go Gophers!

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

"I remember the dome being the loudest that I had ever experienced that night. It was so loud that I was beginning to feel a bit sick - but I didn't mind."

I'm pleased to see some warm memories of the 'Dome starting to be admitted. I'm over the profligate expenditure of tax money on three new stadiums in Minnesota and the idiocy of razing a perfectly functional building requiring us to consider playing HS playoff games in another state, but I hope for a recognition that the 'Dome wasn't the dump that it was labeled. The most thrilling moments in my spectator career were at the 'Dome. It was a heart-pounding venue during meaningful games. Too bad the building had too few urinals -- that seems to be what critics focus on. Ah, Minnesota, tax off to thee!

 

[fryguy22]

^^ I actually don't think it was a bad place to watch football. In fact it should have been fine for the Vikings. It only sucked for the Gophers because it was off campus.

It was an absolutely AWFUL baseball stadium though.

 

[Mick Turition]

It was the worst sporting experience I have ever been involved with. Worst than losing high school playoff games i played against arch rivals. Worse than the Hail Mary pass (I was just a kid). Screaming at AAK "No!!!" when he launched that terrible pick-6 pass was with far, far more dread than screaming the same thing at Favre when he threw away the Super Bowl berth against New Orleans. It was a Shakespearian 'There comes a tide' moment for the program. And the Gophers have continued to wallow in the backwaters of mediocrity ever since. Devastating game for the program; the beginning of the end for Mason.

 

[Big Ten Mind]

Who have ignored just how close the Golden Gopher Program was during that 1999 through 2005 period of time to having one hell of a great run. It is those who were willing only to try to trash the name of Glen Mason and speak of that period of time as though everything Coach Mason did with this program was a failure. Oh, the media sucked by joining in the bashing of everything that team and that coach did by countering any of the great wins and play with only verbal descriptions of failure because of that Michigan game. But, the truth of the matter is that we were being treated to some very good football by some very good players and it took some very good coaching to put that together at the University of Minnesota during that time frame.
A lot of "fans" were bashing Mason during those years. And they ended up winning the war and were joined by the administration and AFTER Mason had helped sell the idea of the Campus Stadium they fired his a$$...or, should I say bought out his a$$ to the tune of millions and millions of dollars borrowed from the U of M General Fund. But, his legacy is seen today on the campus in the form of that TCF BANK STADIUM that prexy b NEEDED Mason to pitch and sell to TCF BANK and the Legislators and the fans. Does anyone but me recall how INCREDIBLE it felt that day when the votes were tallied and the debate had been completed and the stadium became a DONE DEAL? That is what having a competitive Big Ten Team meant to the University of Minnesota about a quarter of a century after going off campus to play. The U and the administration NEEDED Glen Mason Coaching the football team making that team competitive and relevant during that EXACT period of time to have a prayer of EVER returning to the Campus with their own Football Stadium.


The Mason ERA Team fought hard and battled to win MY respect...and they did. They made me BELIEVE that my Golden Gopher Football Team could once again be relevant. They made me BELIEVE that it might be possible for me to watch Football ON CAMPUS again. And, when TCF BANK STADIUM opened it's gates for the first time, I thought of those players, those coaches, those wins and YES...even some of those heart breaking losses. Because it IS better to have played some good teams and lost a heart breaker than to lost to those good teams by scores like 49 to 7. THAT is the legacy that Glen Mason, his coaching staff and all those players have given me. You may not agree with me...but...I have seen a LOT of GOLDEN GOPHER FOOTBALL...and that group brought a real spark of life back to my Golden Gopher Football Team.

And...IF you don't agree with my feelings about that period of time...you are going to quite probably have a mighty long wait to see anything that will surpass it. The building of the STADIUM is pretty much a once in a life time event for anybody who is attending games in the year 2013. Those Golden Gophers from 1999 to 2005 have really left their mark on the history of Golden Gopoher Football. I hope to see Coach Kill get us to that level...and beyond. Beat Michigan Gophers! Coach Kill KNOWS first-hand how difficult it is to get Conference wins. I am sure he appreciates what Coach Mason was able to accomplish. And, I am sure Coach Mason appreciates what Coach Kill is currently doing to build this Football Program. They are most likely fans of each other. Go Gophers!

Walrus, Mase was a turnaround artist - and good at it however he was 12 - 48 against D1 teams that finished above .500 (.200 winning %) and 2 - 31 vs. teams that finished in the AP Top 25 Rarely fielded a defense and his results indicated that (save 1999)

 

[denguegopher]

Whose eye blew up that night? Tell it again!!

Don't get me going on that game!!! What I can't believe is that I have laughed about it. Who told the story about popping a vessel in his eye and getting arrested on a delinquent traffic ticket after his buddy got a DUI?

 

[lakesgopher]

Walrus, Mase was a turnaround artist - and good at it however he was 12 - 48 against D1 teams that finished above .500 (.200 winning %) and 2 - 31 vs. teams that finished in the AP Top 25 Rarely fielded a defense and his results indicated that (save 1999)

I liked mason to a certain extent. I thought the timing to remove mase was good except the contract stuff, but maturi needed to hire a coach to really elevate the program after mason took it out of the cellar. Instead he hired a guy that wasn't qualified/ready to be a major conference head coach. Where we are now is on maturi and unless someone is able to give good reasoning to why it's not his fault I will always wonder what could have been? Man I want to throw rocks at maturi