University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHERS CRUMBLE AGAINST WISCONSIN 41-20
11/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Wisconsin hit the ground running on their first drive of the game. A 15-yard rush by senior tailback Eddie Faulkner and a 28-yard scamper by Bollinger helped the Badgers get down to the Minnesota 11-yard line less than two minutes into the game. The Golden Gopher defense would stand strong and force Wisconsin to settle for a 28-yard field goal. Minnesota answered the Badger's call by marching down to the Wisconsin 19-yard line. Sophomore kicker Dan Nystrom then tied the game at 3-3 with a 36-yard field goal. It was Nystrom's 19th field goal for the season, setting a new school record.
The Golden Gopher offense moved the ball inside the Badger 20-yard line five times in the first half, but came away with only 12 points - two Nystrom field goals and a 1-yard surge by sophomore running back Tellis Redmon.
Redmon (above) was one of the few things that went right for the Golden Gophers. He rushed for a career-high 211 yards on 30 carries and added to his all-purpose numbers for the season. It is the last time a Golden Gopher has run for 200 yards since 1995 when Chris Darkins did it against Purdue.
Junior wide receiver Ron Johnson (below) continued his receptions streak by bringing in six passes for 111 yards, and senior Karon Riley became the all-time career sacks leader when he brought down Bollinger for the 24.5 sack of his career.
The Minnesota defense shut down the Wisconsin offense nearly the entire first half, until Bollinger connected with junior split end Nick Davis for a 45-yard touchdown pass with just 45 second remaining in the half. The Badgers totaled 114 of their 167 first half yards on their first and last drives of the half.
Wisconsin would carry the momentum into the second half by scoring the first 10 points on two third quarter drives highlighted by Bollinger. The 20-year old quarterback ran for 86 yards and threw for 51 in the third quarter Bollinger's 21-yard scramble helped set up his 24-yard touchdown pass to senior flanker Chris Chambers. On their very next drive, Bollinger found a hole and took off for a 50-yard dash. That allowed Pisetsky to bang in an 18-yard field goal, and give the Badgers a 20-12 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Minnesota made things interesting by marching 80 yards down field and punching the ball in the end zone on a 1-yard dive by freshman quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq. Khaliq connected with senior wide receiver Ryan Keller for the two-point conversion and a 20-20 tie, but it was all Badgers after that. Minnesota failed to score the remainder of the game, while Wisconsin pounded in two more 1-yard touchdowns on drives that spanned 50 or more yards.
Junior cornerback Mike Echols put the nail in the coffin when he intercepted a Golden Gopher pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. That closed the game at 41-20.
Minnesota is off next Saturday before they welcome Iowa for the regular season finale. Tickets are available by calling 612-624-8080 or by visiting www.gophersports.com.
