NDSU 31.........GOPHERS 17... Lets hear your prediction!!!

[TommyJ33]

Bison in a blow out, but coach Bohl will put 2nd and 3rds string in the 4th qtr so the Goofs will get a couple freebee TDs. 52-28 Bison.

[so haaad]

Well put, snowman. This is a terrible Gopher team, so I won't lose any sleep if they lose. I may still be out tailgating during the game, so it will be fun regardless.

[Pointer_Pride]

What Offense?

How about the one that is averaging 450 yards and 30 points per game while being led by a freshman QB running a new system. As for the idea that NDSU has more offense weapons than MN, how about this.

Recieving: With 44 receptions for 560 yards, Decker leads the Big Ten and ranks tied for 15th in the NCAA in receptions per game (7.33) and 19th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game (93.3) He is on pace to break the team recieving record by the seasons end.Combined with Wheelwright they are the leading recieving duo in the Big Ten. This year Wheelwright alone has already hauled in 36 receptions for 460 yards and eight touchdowns on the season, just three shy of Minnesota's single season touchdown record of 11. He had his best game of the season last week with seven catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns.

Passing: Weber has thrown for 1800 yards and 18 TD's as a FRESHMAN, much better than the previous freshman before him(Cupito,Kaliq.)He also has 14 picks, but most of those came off of forcing passes while trying to get his team back into the game.

Rushing: Pinnix averages almost 6 yards per carry, Bennett and Thomas both average over 5 yards per carry with limited playing time. Weber has also rushed for 350 yards and 4 TD's.

When you take a look at the two teams they are very similar offensivly. I think some of you should check your facts before acting all high and mighty. This game will be like all the previous games for the gophers and come down to turnovers. Last week the gophers were leading by 21 before they started to turn the ball over,if they can protect the ball this week they win. This game will be won by whoever scores the most, and I got the Gophers 41-28.

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

---

What Offense?

How about the one that is averaging 450 yards and 30 points per game while being led by a freshman QB running a new system.

---

That usaully doesn't matter so much when you are giving up an average of 526 yds a game...

Thanks for the stats though.

Oh ya, and Pinnix might not even play.

[Pointer_Pride]

I know just as well as the next gopher fan that they play without a defense. Thats why I think it will come down to turnovers and lots of scoring. Even if Pinnix doesn't play it looks as though Bennett will be back and him and Thomas are game breakers. Should be a h#ll of a game, Go Gophers!

[buzzsaw]

Isn't the real question "who's going to actually sit inside on one of our last beautiful days and waste it watching this game" ???

My prediction is that I'll be outside all day.

[tims]

Roehl sliced through the defense. Bison win as predidcted, however the Gophers gave a good effort. Bison have 33 Minnesota players on their roster nice to see them pull it off. Much desrved win, especially after dominating last year and losing.

[Pointer_Pride]

Congrats to the best team in 1-AA for beating one of the worst in 1-A by six points. All I have to say is thank god its over so we can forget about the bison and focus on teams like Michigan, Wisconsin.

[10,000 Casts]

Well, the Bison went down and did their job. The game seemed a little more one sided than the score but a win is a win. Had to work today but listened to alot of it on the radio and had it on real time on the net. I heard that about 30,000 NDSU fans made it down to the game. Pretty cool considering the Fargo Dome holds a little under 20,000.

Tough loss to swallow for Minnesota... Hopfully, they can save some face but it will be tough, when you end the season against, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin... Brutal.... I'd like to see them give Wisconsin a game, probably their best shot left...

On the other hand, it's hockey season! and there should be some sweet games against the Souix!

[Dotch]

Oh I think IA would probably fare similarly against the Bison so I wouldn't count the Gophers out there just yet. Don't get me wrong, the Bison had the better team today, no if's, and's or but's and they are to be congratulated. However, as a U of M alum, this loss to NDSU can be traced all the way back to the decision to tear down Memorial Stadium and move football off campus to the Metrodome, courtesy of Sid Hartman and the rest of his corporate cronies and the downtown business owners who stood to make a killing off of it. Will the new stadium help? Can't hurt but 20+ years of playing in the dome has caused a whole generation of U of M students to forget about what sitting outside on a fall afternoon such as this one while enjoying Woody Hayes tossing clipboards onto the field, upsetting almighty Michigan in 1977 and getting rowdy in the student section is all about. This team stinks and the students know it. There's a reason they catch the bus back to campus at halftime, never to be seen again. This coach will have one more year to right the ship. If there is no improvement, trust me, he'll join the ranks of Mason, Smoky Joe Salem and Geezo-Beezo. This state is ripe for a winning U of M football team and I have serious doubts about this guy being able to pull it off. Hope he proves me wrong. Wonder if Lou Hoax would quit his cushy broadcasting job to come back and tend to some unfinished business?

[tims]

Yeah the Bison definately underachieved in this game. Total yards considered, they nearly doubled the Gopher's. Im sure there are lots of 1aa teams that could beat the Gophers. As well as some d2 and 3 teams.

[Pointer_Pride]

The difference in yardage is true, but last time I checked you win games by scoring. The Bison could get all the yards in the world, but if they can't put up more than 27 points against te worst defense in college football, I don't see them as being as good as advertised. As far as Brewster only getting one year after this to prove himself, thats not nearly enough. He is known for his recruiting and he needs time to bring in good recruits and time to use them. As hard as it is to stomach seasons like this, he needs a chance to bring in his recruits and reap the benefits of the new stadium. This years recruiting class is already better than the past two or three that Mason had. I think we should give him at least until 2010, if there is no improvement by then I can see justification in firing him. Even Mason got 10 years to prove he couldn't cut it, give Brewster a chance to make this team better before you call for his head.

[10,000 Casts]

Hey, I found an article about the little green guys from North Dakota in the Trib!!!!

Gophers: Bullied by the Bison

Another rival racked up fat stats against the Gophers. This time, it was I-AA North Dakota State, capable and hungry to drive home a point.

By Chip Scoggins, Star Tribune

NDSU 's Tyler Roehl rushed for 263 yards Saturday in the Bison's victory over the Gophers.

Record-setting Roehl gets 63,008 'wows'

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster made it clear this week that he doesn't think his team should be playing North Dakota State.

Given what transpired Saturday, that's probably a good idea.

In what will go down as one of the lowest points in program history, the Gophers were dominated in every way, shape and form by the Bison, who avenged a heartbreaking loss here last season with a 27-21 victory before an announced crowd of 63,088 at the Metrodome.

The Gophers were overpowered by a team that is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), has 22 fewer scholarship players, does not have one player who was offered a scholarship to Minnesota and was 0-6 all-time against the Gophers.

It didn't matter. The Bison (7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the FCS) stormed into town with a huge following of fans, took the Gophers' money ($300,000 payout) and used a punishing running game to hand Minnesota its sixth consecutive loss.

The defeat also made official what had become obvious: The Gophers (1-7) can't qualify for a bowl game. They will be home for the holidays for the first time since 2001.

This is as bad as it gets.

"This is very, very frustrating," Gophers linebacker Steve Davis said. "Most of us have never been a part of a losing team. This year has come as a huge surprise. It's disappointing, but we've got four more games."

Which means things could really spiral downward for this team, starting next week at Michigan. The Gophers were so physically dominated and emotionally deflated that a one-victory season is looking more like a reality at this point.

Most Gophers fans expected growing pains under the new regime this season, but Saturday's performance felt like something else entirely.

"It seems like we're in every game but we just don't have the killer instinct to put a team away or jump out on them," senior center Tony Brinkhaus said.

The Bison certainly do. NDSU rushed for 394 yards (including a school-record 263 by Tyler Roehl), rolled up 585 total yards and had an edge in time of possession of nearly 14 minutes.

The final score could have been even worse if not for two missed field goals, a turnover that led to a touchdown and a roughing-the-passer penalty that led to another touchdown.

"Today didn't happen by chance," Bison coach Craig Bohl said. "It was no fluke."

He's right. A year ago, the Gophers underestimated the Bison but escaped with a 10-9 victory despite being outplayed. The Gophers knew what to expect this time and still got steamrolled by NDSU's running game.

"We just weren't good enough," Brewster said. "They were just more physical than we were."

The Gophers thought they had one final chance at a victory, but senior Dominique Barber was called for roughing the punter with 1 minute, 48 seconds left. The Bison kept the ball and ran out the clock.

Afterward, nobody from either team viewed it as an upset.

"Certainly a lot of people thought we had the short end of the stick as far as our resources," Bohl said. "But we were pleased with how we played."

For good reason. Facing a team that ranks last nationally in pass defense, the Bison used an old-school approach and ran it down the Gophers' throat.

Roehl powered his way for 263 yards on 22 carries, including a 77-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. With the score tied 14-14 and NDSU pinned at its 7 with 34 seconds left until halftime, Roehl went up the middle for 68 yards. That led to a 37-yard field by Shawn Bibeau at the horn.

Pat Paschall added 87 rushing yards on 12 carries. As a team, the Bison averaged a whopping 8.0 yards on 49 carries.

"Mistakes," Davis said when asked why NDSU rushed for nearly 400 yards.

"We struggled to tackle," Brewster said. "It's been an issue for us all season long. It's evident."

The Gophers offense didn't help the cause. Freshman quarterback Adam Weber completed only 10 of 22 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. The Gophers managed only 125 rushing yards on 30 carries, lost starting tailback Jay Thomas to a knee injury and had four three-and-out series.

"When you have a combination of bad things going on, it's hard to win," Weber said.

That was never more evident than Saturday.

[ibwhnt]

Congrats to the Great Green Team from Fargo. Go BISON

[Dotch]

The key word for Brewster in my post was "improvement". So far this looks like one step forward and two steps back. Granted, losing the defensive players he did before the season did not help matters. If he shows us a couple Big Ten wins next year over teams of similar caliber and beats most of the little sisters of the poor they always start off with, I can live with that. The problem the U has had for decades (amongst others) aside from Holtz's 2 years is they try to hire the "up and coming" football coach on the cheap and their record speaks for itself. Almost fell off my maroon and gold chair this winter when they hired Tubby Smith. Tubby will put butts in seats in the Barn initially because he has a track record, has reached out to MN, has gone after recruits and juco players, all of which will help his recruiting. Oddly enough, they didn't tear down Williams when they had a chance before the remodeling project, and move the games to the Met Center, now did they? But I digress... True, Brewster may be able to recruit but has yet to prove anything on the field and this loss to NDSU will do nothing positive for his recruiting. The monkey is on his back as well as Maturi's and Gopher fans are getting sick and tired of seeing this pattern continue. We need to get a Camp Randall type atmosphere back and hopefully this new stadium is the answer. Show us improvement, and they will come. Show us the same ol' same ol' and we'll work on wildlife habitat or go hunting and fishing on Saturday afternoons, which ain't an all bad idea.

[iffwalleyes]

Quote:

---

The difference in yardage is true, but last time I checked you win games by scoring. The Bison could get all the yards in the world, but if they can't put up more than 27 points against te worst defense in college football, I don't see them as being as good as advertised. As far as Brewster only getting one year after this to prove himself, thats not nearly enough. He is known for his recruiting and he needs time to bring in good recruits and time to use them. As hard as it is to stomach seasons like this, he needs a chance to bring in his recruits and reap the benefits of the new stadium. This years recruiting class is already better than the past two or three that Mason had. I think we should give him at least until 2010, if there is no improvement by then I can see justification in firing him. Even Mason got 10 years to prove he couldn't cut it, give Brewster a chance to make this team better before you call for his head.

---

Hey your the one that just threw all the stats for the gophers yardage in a previous post. Yet NDSU kept that yardage in check. From what I heard if the gophers would just learn to tackle they would have had a chance. But allowing 394 rushing yards. If you have the ball that much you are in control of the game. A good offense is able to control the game by running. They burn more clock and control the tide of the game very simple football if you ask me. The last time I check you win by controling the game. Which does usually lead to scoring more points than the other guys and I guess that is what happend sat. I must say I am one very proud NDSU Alumni .

[PierBridge]

Quote:

---

I must say I am one very proud NDSU Alumni

.

---

And you should be congrats!

[ERdeerhunter]

NDSU simply hustled the Gophers. Not only do they leave the Gophers with one of the most embarrassing losses in team history, they skip town with a $300,000 paycheck for the effort. Nicely done!

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

---

NDSU simply hustled the Gophers. Not only do they leave the Gophers with one of the most embarrassing losses in team history, they skip town with a $300,000 paycheck for the effort. Nicely done!

---

I would say that not to be too excited about beating the Goofers, the last few years have probably been about as bad a team as they have ever had... then you can also argue that NDSU may have been fielding one of it's best teams ever right? I'm not embarrased by the loss, Minnesota is bad and it addresses that for the Alumni and people in charge over on campus. It will serve as a wakeup call and maybe a few years after they get a real stadium things will start to change for that program. They also need a real coach, not some pom pom waving bafoon, is that all they get these days. Congrats to the Bison , it sounds like they owned the Goofers!

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

NDSU simply hustled the Gophers. Not only do they leave the Gophers with one of the most embarrassing losses in team history, they skip town with a $300,000 paycheck for the effort. Nicely done!

---

I would say that not to be too excited about beating the Goofers, the last few years have probably been about as bad a team as they have ever had... then you can also argue that NDSU may have been fielding one of it's best teams ever right? I'm not embarrased by the loss, Minnesota is bad and it addresses that for the Alumni and people in charge over on campus. It will serve as a wakeup call and maybe a few years after they get a real stadium things will start to change for that program. They also need a real coach, not some pom pom waving bafoon, is that all they get these days. Congrats to the Bison , it sounds like they owned the Goofers!

---

On the plains of North Dakota...

GO BISON!!

Looks like he "little guys in green" gave the girls in maroon the what for.

[TommyJ33]

BISON ROEHL over Gophers!

Too bad we won't get to play UNI this year.

[PierBridge]

Whats the deal with that when to do they get to play for something in the post season?

[MuskieMojoTackle]

Quote:

---

Whats the deal with that when to do they get to play for something in the post season?

---

I believe next year they are eligible for post season play?

Pretty strange, the best team in the country not even in the playoffs

[LMITOUT]

It's due to the mandatory five-year transition period between D2 and D1-AA where they cannot participate in post-season play (NCAA rules). It's unfortunate since they are doing so well this year, but hopefully this isn't the peak of their program and they'll have that chance for a D1-AA championship soon.

[iffwalleyes]

NDSU has always had a strong program. They have 5 national championships in D2 I believe. They were down the years I attended school there aka (The Bob Babich years). Since coach Bohls took over the program has come back into its old form once again. They are a great team and they will continue. Lots of great players on the team. It sucks they can compete in post season as I think there might be another national championship in the works. But it is just part of this next step. I for one hope the gophers will consider making it a annual deal. I realize it really doesn't benefit the Gophers to play NDSU and that is probably why it won't happen again. But I think it is great for NDSU.

[LMITOUT]

Yeah, I was there during the "lean" years as well, but got to see them win the Nickel up in a cold Grand Forks in '95 I believe. Great time.

This definitely isn't the peak in the history of the football program, but it is of their new D1-AA status and with wins like we saw last weekend it should help in recruiting for the future.

[hanson]

Quote:

---

I realize it really doesn't benefit the Gophers to play NDSU and that is probably why it won't happen again. But I think it is great for NDSU.

---

How does it NOT benefit the Gophers?

60,000+ fans in the Metrodome equals $$$$!

Ticket sales, concessions, shirts, hats, etc.

A lot of money coming into the city of Minneapolis as well in hotel rooms, gas, bar tabs, restaurant meals, etc.

Anyone know what the attendance is for the other Gopher home games?

[so haaad]

The attendance for Gopher games really varies depending on the opponent. At the NDSU game, I think it was 53,000 or so. I'd say that most games it's more like 40,000 - 50,000. I personally liked the UM-NDSU matchup because it's an entertaining border battle. But it does more for NDSU than UM. Sure this matchup brings in a few more fans, but it doesn't do much for UM's recruiting or recognition. You ever wonder why the U played Bowling Green (Ohio) or Florida Atlantic? It's because those are football hot spots in the recruiting world. I would rather see a non-conference game against a team like Texas Tech, Tulsa or Central Florida. If it's a border battle that they are after, then I would schedule a UM/Iowa State matchup because they are both at the same level. And that's not a knock against NDSU.

[Northlander]

And when the gophers lost it killed their recruiting chances with anybody worth having.

[Pointer_Pride]

The loss amazingly has not had a noticeably negative effect. Right after the loss they recieved a commit from a four star(scale of 1-5) WR from Chicago. The gophers are also considered leaders for the second best dual-threat QB in the nation. IF we get some more on defense it will be a great class compared to the crap mason was bringing in. Brewster is doing his thing.