South Dakota State

[Swede]

SDSU currently has a very stout defense, highly ranked in DI-AA. Their only loss was suffered to another ranked I-AA team when SDSU's quarterback was injured and replaced by a redshirt freshman. They've since won 2 games with the replacement and expect the senior starter back soon. They are a well coached, well disciplined, well motivated team, none of which this Minnesota team is right now. There won't be the same type of cult following in Minneapolis ala the NDSU crew, but there will be a nice SDSU contingency at TCF that day. This Minnesota team might be as bad as that 2007 team, with the difference being the quality of the league this year. Contrary to some paternalistic Minnesotans' beliefs, this won't be the be all, end all sporting event for the state of South Dakota. In fact, very few South Dakotans pay much regard to Minnesota, the University or the State, as some Minnesotans believe they should (on the hand, when SDSU plays in Lincoln next fall, our western neighbors will be quite jacked up) and don't consider themselves Minnesota West or a part of Minnesota's natural recruiting cradle. In that regard, the team and school probably won't be quite as pumped as NDSU was in '07. On paper, Minnesota should win. SDSU does not have the caliber of athlete as Minnesota. SDSU should not have the depth. And presumably, the Minnesota faithful should provide some semblance of home-field advantage. But whatever tangibles that Minnesota currently has has not exactly delivered quality football. U of M should easily win, but shouldn't assume that SDSU will an easy counter towards a Motor City Bowl berth.

 

[Monty519]

We weren't that good in 2006 for a couple of reasons but we were far from "terrible"........

You're right, I got my years mixed up. I meant '07, the year we actually lost.

'06 though, we were 2-5 going into that game with our wins being Kent State and Temple, so we weren't a whole lot better at that point lol.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

SDSU currently has a very stout defense, highly ranked in DI-AA. Their only loss was suffered to another ranked I-AA team when SDSU's quarterback was injured and replaced by a redshirt freshman. They've since won 2 games with the replacement and expect the senior starter back soon. They are a well coached, well disciplined, well motivated team, none of which this Minnesota team is right now. There won't be the same type of cult following in Minneapolis ala the NDSU crew, but there will be a nice SDSU contingency at TCF that day. This Minnesota team might be as bad as that 2007 team, with the difference being the quality of the league this year. Contrary to some paternalistic Minnesotans' beliefs, this won't be the be all, end all sporting event for the state of South Dakota. In fact, very few South Dakotans pay much regard to Minnesota, the University or the State, as some Minnesotans believe they should (on the hand, when SDSU plays in Lincoln next fall, our western neighbors will be quite jacked up) and don't consider themselves Minnesota West or a part of Minnesota's natural recruiting cradle. In that regard, the team and school probably won't be quite as pumped as NDSU was in '07. On paper, Minnesota should win. SDSU does not have the caliber of athlete as Minnesota. SDSU should not have the depth. And presumably, the Minnesota faithful should provide some semblance of home-field advantage. But whatever tangibles that Minnesota currently has has not exactly delivered quality football. U of M should easily win, but shouldn't assume that SDSU will an easy counter towards a Motor City Bowl berth.

okay, this first part is where you really lost me.......

anyways, based on the tone of your response it sounds like maybe somebody is from south dakota originally and is perhaps a bit antagonistic towards all things minnesota when south dakota is the main subject. perhaps a slight inferiority complex as well. i'm not sayin', i'm just sayin'. you wrote it after all.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

You are all underestimating the support for SDSU that will be in TCF Bank Stadium next month. Of course, because of the smaller stadium that is "sold out", it won't be the 25k that NDSU was able to fill the Dome with, but it will be the 2nd most visiting fans of the year in TCF. From what I hear from my SDSU friends, there were plenty of tickets available online. Many Gopher fans will sell their seats for this meaningless, cold, non-conference, I-AA team game. Thousands of Jacks fans will be buying those tickets. Mark my words.

okay. they are "marked". now what?!

 

[RodentRampage]

You are all underestimating the support for SDSU that will be in TCF Bank Stadium next month. Of course, because of the smaller stadium that is "sold out", it won't be the 25k that NDSU was able to fill the Dome with, but it will be the 2nd most visiting fans of the year in TCF. From what I hear from my SDSU friends, there were plenty of tickets available online. Many Gopher fans will sell their seats for this meaningless, cold, non-conference, I-AA team game. Thousands of Jacks fans will be buying those tickets. Mark my words.

And you're overestimating it. It won't be anywhere near the numbers that were here for the NDSU game. I took my dad to the game. We walked up to the ticket window, and bought 3 tickets. It was easy to get tickets. If any SDSU fans want tickets, they've got to get them from a scalper. I just looked at StubHub, they have 575 tickets for this game. There may be a significant number of SDSU fans at the game, but it won't be close to the number the number of visitors we had in 2007.

 

[thailleagle]

You're right, I got my years mixed up. I meant '07, the year we actually lost.

'06 though, we were 2-5 going into that game with our wins being Kent State and Temple, so we weren't a whole lot better at that point lol.

We were pretty bad in 2006 but nooooooowhere near 2007. I remember in 2006 it took Glen Mason about 7 games before he realized Pinnix & Thomas were a solid 1-2 Punch Combo. The last 3 games were very exciting & the win over Iowa was grand...to think...if Mason would've lost to Iowa he wouldn't have been fired, lol.........

 

[SelectionSunday]

I would say if Brew loses to Illinois (worst team in the Big 10, appears to have thrown in the towel) or SDSU, either would fall under the category of inexcusable losses. There would be no way to excuse a loss in either or both.

 

[tjgopher]

It took NDSU, a team loaded with 5th year seniors, playing one of the absolute worst Minnesota teams in history, that only won 1 single game, to win by 6 points. 6 points. SDSU is not at their level, and we are not at those depths. This is nothing like '06 at all, in hardly any way.

You do realize that the loaded NDSU team with 5th year seniors that you refer to lost THAT YEAR to South Dakota State, right? And, that SDSU team that year was not nearly as good as the one this year.

 

[SirWilliam]

TJGOPHER- Exactly what I was going to say about the '07 NDSU Team. They were 11-1 that year beating the Gophers. Their one loss was to SDSU.

 

[i'm batman]

transitive matchups don't work

the gophers beat purdue handily and purdue beat OSU, therefore the gophers will beat OSU.

 

[Monty519]

We were pretty bad in 2006 but nooooooowhere near 2007. I remember in 2006 it took Glen Mason about 7 games before he realized Pinnix & Thomas were a solid 1-2 Punch Combo. The last 3 games were very exciting & the win over Iowa was grand...to think...if Mason would've lost to Iowa he wouldn't have been fired, lol.........

That's a very good point. If he hadn't won, we wouldn't have gone to a bowl, and he probably wouldn't have been fired for the collapse lol. And we probably would be 4-4 right now this season with losses to Cal, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Ohio State.....oh wait lol.

That was an excellent 3 1/2 game stretch to end that season. I still waiting on something like that from Brew.

 

[Swede]

okay, this first part is where you really lost me.......

anyways, based on the tone of your response it sounds like maybe somebody is from south dakota originally and is perhaps a bit antagonistic towards all things minnesota when south dakota is the main subject. perhaps a slight inferiority complex as well. i'm not sayin', i'm just sayin'. you wrote it after all.

You're not too tough to lose and you're wrong to boot. I'm Minnesotan born and raised but spent about a decade living in the Dakotas before moving back. There's plenty of elitism in this state, but particularly in the metro, towards the Dakotas. And I gotta tell ya, they get it all wrong.

 

[JoeDirt]

I think people need to calm down just a small tad. It took NDSU, a team loaded with 5th year seniors, playing one of the absolute worst Minnesota teams in history, that only won 1 single game, to win by 6 points. 6 points. SDSU is not at their level, and we are not at those depths. This is nothing like '06 at all, in hardly any way.

Actually is SDSU IS at their level....they beat NDSU that year and every year since!

 

[JoeDirt]

What's to explain? We were absolutely terrible, we won 1 game despite playing an easy schedule. NDSU was seinor laden and primed to go. SDSU is good, but not at that level. Plus, they won't have 30,000 fans cheering them on like NDSU had.

why does everyone think that SDSU is not at NDSU's level? I think we are all seriously selling this opponent short. The year that we lost to NDSU, SDSU beat them. Granted we are more talented than that '07 gopher squad, but this is not gimme, we better be ready to play. How do you kill a fly? Hit it with an axe!

 

[AhliBobwa]

SDSU is a good team. However, Minnesota fans should be respectful not worried. If the Gophers are lackadaisical and unfocused they could lose. However, Brewster usually manages to get his guys to play hard. As long as he convinces them to respect SDSU it should be fine.

Personally, I'm much more worried about Michigan State currently.

 

[littlebigboy]

Brock Lesnar and Chad Greenway are SD boys. They don't know that they are not supposed to be as good as the elite states!!!!!!!!!

 

[Monty519]

why does everyone think that SDSU is not at NDSU's level? I think we are all seriously selling this opponent short. The year that we lost to NDSU, SDSU beat them. Granted we are more talented than that '07 gopher squad, but this is not gimme, we better be ready to play. How do you kill a fly? Hit it with an axe!

Okay, let's say they are, which to me is inconsequential really. The Gophers are FAR AND AWAY better than they were in 2007 (okay, defensively at least lol). I don't forsee any SDSU fullbacks outrunning our cornerbacks in this matchup like I saw in 2007. This should be a gimme win, like a 30-7, type win. I think they hang around a little bit, then the Gophers comparative depth and talent opens it up. Yes, if they are caught completely sleeping, it could be an issue, but really, you could say that about any game, so to me that goes without saying. You have to show up every week nowadays, or you could get bit.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

Brock Lesnar and Chad Greenway are SD boys. They don't know that they are not supposed to be as good as the elite states!!!!!!!

please! what in the world is that even supposed to mean?!

the whole "woe is me" act along with the antagonistic, inferiority-complex attitude that some no daks & now so daks seem to show, especially towards minnesota, makes absolutely no sense at all. the part i don't get is why some of them choose to act as if minnesota and the dakota schools have been contemporaries as well as rivals in sport for years and years; and in turn they immediately demand a level of mutual respect & admiration which doesn't automatically exist just because you have played a couple of football and basketball games against each other in the last few years.

i don't get it.

 

[howeda7]

You're not too tough to lose and you're wrong to boot. I'm Minnesotan born and raised but spent about a decade living in the Dakotas before moving back. There's plenty of elitism in this state, but particularly in the metro, towards the Dakotas. And I gotta tell ya, they get it all wrong.

I lived in SD for a few years and never really sensed an 'infiriority' complex per se. They do tend to hate Iowans, but what's wrong with that?

While this would certainly be the biggest win in the program's history, the game itself is not as big of a deal as it was for NDSU. I would agree that the Nebraska game will be a bigger deal to most people. The Huskers definately have the biggest D-1 following in SD. Minnesota is 3rd at best behind Iowa. I expect SDSU will have 7-12K fans. In the Dome they might have gotten 20. But it won't be an atmosphere like NDSU in any case. A loss in this game may seal Brewster's fate, unless he beats both MSU and Illinois in advance.

 

[Khaliq]

I lived in SD for a few years and never really sensed an 'infiriority' complex per se. They do tend to hate Iowans, but what's wrong with that?

Not a thing. All sane people do.

 

[RodentRampage]

I don't think we're underrating SDSU. But they aren't Penn State and they aren't Ohio State. Decker is going to put on a show for Senior Night. It's a game that we have to take seriously, and I doubt the team will take the game lightly, having lost to NDSU in 2007. We can't get revenge against NDSU until 2011, but this is close enough.

 

[JacksFan06]

Somebody compared SDSU to Syracuse and Northwestern and I'd probably have to agree with them.

This year's football team is the best team that SDSU has fielded in the past 30 years, and maybe best team in SDSU's history. The starters are all pretty much 5th year Seniors and 4th year Juniors. The key to the team is the defense. They are a top 10 defense at the FCS level and are #1 in the FCS in scoring defense. Right now, SDSU is tied for the Missouri Valley Conference with Southern Illinois. The MVC is most often compared to the Big Ten and SDSU is compared to an Iowa or Wisconsin with how they play.

The Jacks are a big, physical team that wins with constant effort and by not giving up big plays. They won't blow anybody away with their speed, but they rarely make mistakes and play with a lot of heart.

I would predict somewhere between 4,000 - 7,000 SDSU fans in the stadium. I believe that if the Gophers come to play they will come out with a win, but this Jacks team does has the capacity to win if the Gophers let them hang around. The two biggest factors I see are, 1) Making sure SDSU doesn't get frazzled by playing a FBS team. Last year we got whooped by Iowa St, not because they were better than us, but because it was the first time SDSU had played at the FBS level and they were over-anxious and made mistakes. 2) SDSU is made up of hardy Mid-Westerners that like playing in the cold. How will UofM players from Florida, Texas, & Cali like playing outside in mid-November. If they aren't ready for outdoor cold football, than advantage SDSU.

Some noteworthy Minnesota players who could be out for vengence are: JR RB Kyle Minett, Ruthton MN. Kyle was the #2 all-time rusher in Minnesota history and had slight interest from the Gophers. JR LB Derek Domino, Derek is an All-Confernce LB and leads the team in tackles. He played QB for Park High School. SR OT Casey Knips. Casey is from Adrian MN and is 6'8 315lbs and has good shot at the NFL. & last but not least is our Punter Dean Priddy who played for Eden Prairie and also FS Corey Jeske who was a QB for Buffalo High School.

Some SDSU seniors that could go and play at the next level:
DE Danny Batten - Will get drafted in 4th - 7th round. He is a candidate for FCS defensive POY
LT Casey Knips - Chance at getting drafted late, will sign a FA contract
RG Casey Bender - Chance at getting drafted late, will sign a FA contract
MLB Chris Johnson - Will sign a FA contract
WR Mike Steffen - Might be able to sign FA contract

Looking forward to it. Should go down as the Official Rodent Bowl.

 

[NewEngland_Gold]

Lots of neighborly smack being talked here...great stuff...

I like it!

 

[McGopherFan]

Huh?

It's all good. I was so hyped up for this season and extremely p'od after the Wisconsin game but I have accepted our fate whatever it may be. I will, however, lose faith in the brew brew completely if we lose to SDSU.

How does one accept an unknown fate? You can pledge to accept that fate when it comes or make someother statement similar in anticipation of a result. A fate that has not happened cannot be rejected or accepted, because it can still be changed.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

Somebody compared SDSU to Syracuse and Northwestern and I'd probably have to agree with them.

This year's football team is the best team that SDSU has fielded in the past 30 years, and maybe best team in SDSU's history. The starters are all pretty much 5th year Seniors and 4th year Juniors. The key to the team is the defense. They are a top 10 defense at the FCS level and are #1 in the FCS in scoring defense. Right now, SDSU is tied for the Missouri Valley Conference with Southern Illinois. The MVC is most often compared to the Big Ten and SDSU is compared to an Iowa or Wisconsin with how they play.

The Jacks are a big, physical team that wins with constant effort and by not giving up big plays. They won't blow anybody away with their speed, but they rarely make mistakes and play with a lot of heart.

I would predict somewhere between 4,000 - 7,000 SDSU fans in the stadium. I believe that if the Gophers come to play they will come out with a win, but this Jacks team does has the capacity to win if the Gophers let them hang around. The two biggest factors I see are, 1) Making sure SDSU doesn't get frazzled by playing a FBS team. Last year we got whooped by Iowa St, not because they were better than us, but because it was the first time SDSU had played at the FBS level and they were over-anxious and made mistakes. 2) SDSU is made up of hardy Mid-Westerners that like playing in the cold. How will UofM players from Florida, Texas, & Cali like playing outside in mid-November. If they aren't ready for outdoor cold football, than advantage SDSU.

Some noteworthy Minnesota players who could be out for vengence are: JR RB Kyle Minett, Ruthton MN. Kyle was the #2 all-time rusher in Minnesota history and had slight interest from the Gophers. JR LB Derek Domino, Derek is an All-Confernce LB and leads the team in tackles. He played QB for Park High School. SR OT Casey Knips. Casey is from Adrian MN and is 6'8 315lbs and has good shot at the NFL. & last but not least is our Punter Dean Priddy who played for Eden Prairie and also FS Corey Jeske who was a QB for Buffalo High School.

Some SDSU seniors that could go and play at the next level:
DE Danny Batten - Will get drafted in 4th - 7th round. He is a candidate for FCS defensive POY
LT Casey Knips - Chance at getting drafted late, will sign a FA contract
RG Casey Bender - Chance at getting drafted late, will sign a FA contract
MLB Chris Johnson - Will sign a FA contract
WR Mike Steffen - Might be able to sign FA contract

Looking forward to it. Should go down as the Official Rodent Bowl.

exhibit a.) see our win against purdue (mid-november weather in mid-october!!) and the extremely close game against weeeeskonsin becky (another game in october that had freakishly november like weather). the gophers players (including those from the south) are already used to cold games, if there should be one on the day we play sdsu.

 

[JackJD]

While this would certainly be the biggest win in the program's history, the game itself is not as big of a deal as it was for NDSU. I would agree that the Nebraska game will be a bigger deal to most people. The Huskers definately have the biggest D-1 following in SD. Minnesota is 3rd at best behind Iowa. I expect SDSU will have 7-12K fans. In the Dome they might have gotten 20. But it won't be an atmosphere like NDSU in any case.

With one exception, I can agree with the quoted material from howeda7. The exception: if SDSU won, it would be the biggest win in the program's history. I don't think that is true.

Look, don't compare us to NDSU (howeda7 seems to understand there's a difference). We share a border, okay? You share a border with Iowa. THAT point you should be able to comprehend.

Talk to fans from any of the opponents of SDSU this year. They'll tell you SDSU didn't win -- they "shot themselves in the foot" or otherwise gave the game away. Don't be worried about us. Nobody else was. Heck, take the week off from practice prior to November 14.

 

[Swede]

please! what in the world is that even supposed to mean?!

the whole "woe is me" act along with the antagonistic, inferiority-complex attitude that some no daks & now so daks seem to show, especially towards minnesota, makes absolutely no sense at all. the part i don't get is why some of them choose to act as if minnesota and the dakota schools have been contemporaries as well as rivals in sport for years and years; and in turn they immediately demand a level of mutual respect & admiration which doesn't automatically exist just because you have played a couple of football and basketball games against each other in the last few years.

i don't get it.

I don't see that Lakesbison posted anywhere on this thread. What are you talking about? All I see is that some posters are pointing out that SDSU is a good FCS team while Minnesota is a middling to bad FBS team. Where's the antogonism? Where's the inferiority complex? Where's the arm-chair shrink Khaliq? Looks to me like the antogonism and inferiority complex might be coming from a certain poster posting under the moniker of gridriron legend.

 

[Khaliq]

Hey, I spent a lot of time and money to get a degree to be a worthless arm-chair shrink.

 

[JackJD]

There's a post on the first page of this thread from "lakesgopher". I paused when I read it, wondering if it was your friend, Lakesbison. I know, there was no SHOUTING and no profanity but there were some other hallmarks of the oddball.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

I don't see that Lakesbison posted anywhere on this thread. What are you talking about? All I see is that some posters are pointing out that SDSU is a good FCS team while Minnesota is a middling to bad FBS team. Where's the antogonism? Where's the inferiority complex? Where's the arm-chair shrink Khaliq? Looks to me like the antogonism and inferiority complex might be coming from a certain poster posting under the moniker of gridriron legend.

your antagonistic and defensive reponse pretty much confirms everthing that i said. oh well.