Gophers explode in 63-26 win over Indiana

The Minnesota offense went airborne today against the Hoosiers and the result was a blowout from the very beginning. The Gophers played a perfect first quarter in every faze of the game to jump out to a 21-0 lead. They were ahead 35-0 just over 20 minutes into the game ““ at that pace they would have won 105-0. Minnesota had to settle for 63 points which is the most against a Big Ten opponent since they beat Iowa 67-0 way, way back in 1916. To add to the misery for Indiana, they have been outscored 118-33 in their last two games in the Metrodome and haven’t won a game there since 1993.

The final statistics do in fact lie for this game. Indiana matched the Gophers with 26 first downs and had almost as many total yards. The problem for the Hoosiers is that nearly all of that offense came after the Gophers were up 35-0. The Gophers made their first major mistake of the game when Logan Payne dropped an under thrown bomb that would have put the Gophers up 42-0. Yes, the Gophers could have scored at least 70 points today. That seemed to put some life into Indiana, as they took their next position into the end zone on an 80-yard drive that took just two long pass plays.

With all the criticism Glen Mason has received lately, it’s time to give him and his staff credit for putting together a great offensive game plan today. Indiana expected the same old run-oriented Gopher offense and got a wide-open pass-first offense that wouldn’t let up.

The execution was definitely there by players like Bryan Cupito, who had a career day, and Payne, who led the way with six catches for 137 yards. Ernie Wheelwright wasn’t far behind with four catches, with two of them going for touchdowns. Admittedly, it did get ridiculous as the lead widened. On Wheelwright’s 64-yard TD catch he was as open as anyone I have seen on a fly pattern. For a second I was thinking, “œWhy isn’t that player behind him trying to tackle him,” only to discover it was a referee.

Despite all the yards Indiana piled up, which happened during the last 40 minutes of the game, the Gopher defense did a nice job too. The most impressive thing was their three interceptions. Dominique Barber got the capper, which he returned for a touchdown to put the Gophers over 60.

Special teams were solid too. Most impressive was the coverage on the many kickoffs. The Hoosiers were pinned inside the 20-yard line numerous times. The only negative was a 41-yard field goal miss near halftime.

It was very encouraging to see that the players have not given up on this season. They really believe this team can make a 5th straight bowl. After today’s win and with struggling Michigan State and Iowa next, I’m starting to think they have a chance too. The only disgusting thing was still hearing the “œfire Mason” chants by a few students. It seems to be the hip thing to do right now.

Nobody associated with the Gopher football program wins if the coach is forced out at this point. Fans need to look no further than their opponent today to see misery that can result by forcing out a successful coach and taking their chances on a succession of unproven coaches. The Hoosiers had a decent program built in the early 90’s, at much the same level Mason has gotten the Gophers, only to see it fall apart over the last 13 years.

The best hope for a real coaching upgrade is for the program to stick with Mason for the next few years, and only if he can keep the team respectable. When the new stadium opens in 2009 there will be a lot more money and potential for the football program to work with. That would be the time to bargain for a coach that can realistically take the program further than Mason. Mase will probably want to retire around that time anyway. In the meantime, Gopher fans should pull for the team to make more minor bowl bids. There are some new bowls affiliated with the Big Ten, so it really wouldn’t be all that bad.