Gopher Football
I’m not going to pretend I know very much about North Dakota State University, because I don’t. As a guy who grew up near the Twin Cities area their athletic history is pretty foreign to me, as it probably is to many of you. For those of you (like me) who didn’t know a lot of them or the University, here are some random factoids:
- North Dakota State is located in Fargo
- Their enrollment is over 12,000
- They play their home games in the Fargo Dome (capacity 18,760)
- They made the jump from Division II to D-1 in 2004
- Their basketball team beat Wisconsin 62-55 in Madison on January 21, 2006
- At 6-0, their football team is currently ranked # 9 in D-1 AA
- Earlier this year the Bison won @ Ball State, 29-24
- They have over 30 Minnesota natives on their roster.
- Former Gopher coach Jim Wacker coached here from 1976 ““ 1978
- Notable NFL alums include Phil Hansen and Tyrone Braxton
- The Gophers are 6-0 all time against the Bison, with their most recent meeting being in 1937
Last Saturday the Gophers were in hangover mode. They do not have a history of responding well after tough losses, and last Saturday was no exception. But for as much as you can count on the Gophers coming out flat after a tough loss, you also can count on them showing up to play against lower level opponents. Before the loss to Cal, the Gophers had won 17 straight games against non-conference foes, most of those lower Division 1-A teams. So in this respect history is on the Gophers side. But”¦ onto the flip side: September 11, 2004, the last time the Gophers played a 1-AA team. It seems like a long time ago, but Illinois State was the last 1-AA foe to visit the Metrodome. In that game the Redbirds hung around for WAY too long, and it was midway through the 3rd quarter before the Gophers put them away. The score was tied 14-14 as late as the final minute of the first half. Despite 17 third quarter points, the Gophers won that game by a score of just 37-21.
NDSU’s program is about as good as Illinois State’s, so the Gophers can expect a similar challenge on Saturday. One thing NDSU will have that Illinois State did not was 15,000 fans in the seats cheering them on. That, along with the Gophers less than stellar effort last week at Wisconsin is why things suddenly don’t seem as much of a lock as they once did.
* One personnel note”¦ The broken arm suffered by senior cornerback Trumaine Banks against Wisconsin will keep him out the remainder of the regular season. It’s unknown if he would be back in time for a bowl game (if the Gophers can get into one). Sophomore strong safety Dominic Jones will move to cornerback to replace Banks, and junior reserve Duran Cooley will replace Jones at strong safety.
Keys to the Game
1. I actually only have one key to this game, and it’s a very important one: GET OFF TO A GOOD START. The absolute LAST thing the Gophers want is to let NDSU hang around in this one. That would give the Bison hope, give their fans a reason to cheer, and give the Gophers a reason to get down on themselves. Even if the Gophers win this game, if they don’t do it in convincing fashion they still could end up coming out of it with less confidence than they had coming in. A week after getting thumped in Madison the Gophers need to regain some confidence, and they’re not going to do it in game that they win by 10 points where they have to hold off a Bison rally at the end of the game. So, what I think the Gophers need is to build a 14-0 type of first quarter lead, and then a 21 to 28 point halftime lead to erase all doubts about the outcome by the end of the first half.
Bottom Line
This is a tough situation for Minnesota. It’s gotta be hard to get motivated to play a 1-AA opponent, and sadly the Gopher crowd is not going to offer any help. The Gopher crowd will likely be small (30,000 max is my guess) and quiet (at least at the start), so the team better come into the game ready to go. In a season that is quickly spiraling out of control, this game suddenly has meaning. It’s a contest the Gophers need to win handily to regain some of their confidence with Ohio State looming next week. The Gophers just need to do their thing, especially on offense, because I don’t think that NDSU can handle guys like Matt Spaeth, Logan Payne and Amir Pinnix. If the Gophers come out and play their game and avoid early mistakes, I think we’ll win handily. But like I said, if they give NDSU any glimmer of hope, they could end up seeing the game be too close for comfort.
Prediction: Minnesota 47 ““ NDSU 17.
Talk about Gophers ““ NDSU matchup on the Gopher Football Message Board.