TheSportsAce
Chief Executive Gopher Rube
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2008
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So I heard a stat at the end of Saturday's game broadcast: the Gophers have lost their last EIGHT trophy games. And with a trip to Iowa ahead in November, odds are that this number will grow to nine before the end of the year. I'm not as doom and gloom as some people on here, but this to me seems inexcusable.
Let's look at the stats:
--Eight trophy game losses in a row.
--The Gophers haven't won a trophy game since 2006, when they beat Iowa in the season finale.
--The Gophers have lost four straight trophy games at home, with the last victory being that Iowa game in 2006. This streak includes 55-doughnut, a loss to a 3-9 Michigan team, etc. (And we won't talk about the North Dakota State debacle in 2007...that's not a trophy game, after all.)
--The Gophers haven't beaten Wisconsin since 2003, and Brewster is 0-3 against them. If this were OSU/Michigan (and I know it isn't, but just for the sake of comparison), that would be a fireable offense in and of itself.
--The Gophers, from the 2004 season to today, are 3-15 in trophy games. They've beaten Iowa, Michigan and Penn State just once in that span - and again, haven't had the Axe at all.
--We haven't had two trophies in Bierman at once since we had the Axe and Victory Bell in 2003.
--The Gophers are 8-23 in trophy games since the turn of the millenium. That's a winning percentage of .258, folks...barely more than one-fourth of the time.
--The Gophers haven't had a winning record in trophy games in a single season since 2000, when we beat Penn State and Iowa and lost to Wisconsin. Coincidentally enough, that was also the last time we had a winning record in trophy games in back-to-back seasons.
Let's face it - these stats are pathetic. Pick your own adjective for the eight losses in a row; infuriating, unacceptable, ridiculous...they all apply here. And let's face it - you can't be seen as a contender in any respect (the Big Ten, nationally, recruiting, etc.) until you can beat your top rivals. The stats clearly show that winning rivalry games has been a problem for a long time, regardless of coach, administration, etc. How can we be the best team in the Big Ten, or even be a regular contender, if we're not the best team that we share a border with?
Let's Go Gophers...let's take baby steps, build a foundation for the future by finding ways to win the games that matter the most, and then go from there.
Let's look at the stats:
--Eight trophy game losses in a row.
--The Gophers haven't won a trophy game since 2006, when they beat Iowa in the season finale.
--The Gophers have lost four straight trophy games at home, with the last victory being that Iowa game in 2006. This streak includes 55-doughnut, a loss to a 3-9 Michigan team, etc. (And we won't talk about the North Dakota State debacle in 2007...that's not a trophy game, after all.)
--The Gophers haven't beaten Wisconsin since 2003, and Brewster is 0-3 against them. If this were OSU/Michigan (and I know it isn't, but just for the sake of comparison), that would be a fireable offense in and of itself.
--The Gophers, from the 2004 season to today, are 3-15 in trophy games. They've beaten Iowa, Michigan and Penn State just once in that span - and again, haven't had the Axe at all.
--We haven't had two trophies in Bierman at once since we had the Axe and Victory Bell in 2003.
--The Gophers are 8-23 in trophy games since the turn of the millenium. That's a winning percentage of .258, folks...barely more than one-fourth of the time.
--The Gophers haven't had a winning record in trophy games in a single season since 2000, when we beat Penn State and Iowa and lost to Wisconsin. Coincidentally enough, that was also the last time we had a winning record in trophy games in back-to-back seasons.
Let's face it - these stats are pathetic. Pick your own adjective for the eight losses in a row; infuriating, unacceptable, ridiculous...they all apply here. And let's face it - you can't be seen as a contender in any respect (the Big Ten, nationally, recruiting, etc.) until you can beat your top rivals. The stats clearly show that winning rivalry games has been a problem for a long time, regardless of coach, administration, etc. How can we be the best team in the Big Ten, or even be a regular contender, if we're not the best team that we share a border with?
Let's Go Gophers...let's take baby steps, build a foundation for the future by finding ways to win the games that matter the most, and then go from there.
