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University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHERS DOMINATE MURRAY STATE 66-10
10/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Marion Barber III got the Golden Gophers on the board with a seven-yard touchdown run with 10:39 remaining in the first quarter. Following a Murray State field goal, Tellis Redmon scored on a five-yard carry to put Minnesota (3-4, 1-3 in the Big Ten) ahead 14-3, but it was just the beginning for Redmon.
Redmon then raced 71 yards just before the conclusion of the first quarter, for a 21-10 Golden Gopher advantage. The junior had 92 yards on eight carries in the first half alone. Redmon finished his day with 108 yards on the ground, his third consecutive 100-yard performance and fourth of the season. He ended the game with 164 all-purpose yards.
In the second quarter, sophomore quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq heated up, hitting both Antoine Burns and Ben Utecht</ a> for touchdowns of 16 and 1 yard,respectively, to give Minnesota a 35-10 advantage at half time. It was the most points scored in a first half by Minnesota since Sept. 20, 1998 versus Arkansas State.
Abdul-Khaliq continued his stellar play in the second half, hitting Ron Johnson for a 15- yard touchdown. The score was Johnson's 27th career touchdown reception which tied Cris Carter of Ohio State (1984-86) and Dave Young of Purdue (1977-80) for seventh all-time in the Big Ten.
Abdul-Khaliq ended his day hitting 14-of-17 of his passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. It marked the second time in Abdul-Khaliq's career that he threw for three touchdowns. The first coming last season versus Louisiana-Monroe.
The Golden Gophers continued to pour it on as Thomas Tapeh scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. On the ensueing Racer possession, freshman linebacker Bradley Vance intercepted Stewart Childress and returned it 26 yards for the score.
In the fourth quarter, Burns concluded the scoring, catching a 65 yard touchdown from Travis Cole.
Post-Game Notes 10/27/01 Minnesota (3-4, 1-3) vs. Murray State (3-4) H.H.H. Metrodome Attendance: 36,981 Minnesota: Minnesota's 35 points in the first half is the most since scoring 41 in the opening stanza against Arkansas State on Sept. 30, 1995. Ron Johnson extended his nation-leading consecutive games with a reception streak to 42 games. Johnson extended his school record for career touchdown receptions with his 27th on a 15-yard TD reception from Asad Abdul-Khaliq in the third quarter. Johnson is tied for seventh all-time in the Big Ten for touchdown receptions with Cris Carter (Ohio State) and Dave Young (Purdue). Sophomore Joe Quinn made his first career start at right guard. Thomas Tapeh had his first rushing attempt of the season in the first quarter. He also ran for his first touchdown of the season in the third quarter. Marion Barber's 77-yard kickoff return in the first quarter is the longest of the season for Minnesota. Tellis Redmon's 71-yard touchdown run in the first quarter is the longest run since Arland Bruce's 73-yard TD run against Iowa on Nov. 20, 1999. Ben Utecht had a career day of receptions (6), receiving yards (77) and he made a career-long 46-yard reception in the second quarter. Tellis Redmon posted his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season (third in a row) and the 11th of his career. Preston Gruening kicked a season-long 54-yard punt in the second quarter. Greg White forced a fumble for the third time this season, tying him for the Big Ten lead with Derrick Strong of Illinois. Brad Vance's 26-yard interception return for a touchdown is the first INT return for a TD since 9/30/00 (Trevis Graham vs. Illinois). Ukee Dozier recorded his first career sack in the third quarter. Antoine Burns' 65-yard touchdown reception from Travis Cole in the fourth quarter was the longest pass play since11/18/00 against Iowa. Dan Nystrom set a new career high for extra points with nine. Minnesota's 56-point winning differential is its highest since1939 when the Golden Gophers beat Arizona 62-0. Minnesota's 66 points is the most since notching 69 against North Dakota State on Sept. 25, 1937. Minnesota broke its record for most extra points in a single game of eight versus Purdue on 10/9/93 with nine. Jerry Macken had his first career rushing attempts and finished with six carries for 16 yards. Murray State: This is the second game Murray State has played against a Division I- A opponent this season. The Racers faced Ole Miss in their season opener. They have played four I-A opponents in the last three years. Tight end Josh McKeel caught a career-long 45-yard pass in the third quarter. Billy Blanchard ran for a career-high 110 yards on 22 carries. Post-Game Quotes 10/27/01 Minnesota (3-4, 1-3) vs. Murray State (3-4) Minnesota Head Coach Glen Mason "I'm pleased with the way [the game] turned out. We had a shaky defense at start and Murray State did a good job offensively to keep us off balance. But when things started to go our way, they really went our way. Murray State is not a Big Ten-level team, and no one will contend that they are, so I'm sure this was tough for them. We have more good players, but there were some good hits out there [by Murray State]. We still have to keep working hard to win." "You know I'm not happy about the blocked punt. Their defense did a heck of a job. I also don't think we tackled well, but we are always working to get better." "In the fourth quarter, we played a lot of `down-line' guys, who normally don't get a chance to play. But they work hard in practice and they deserved a chance to show what they could do. Some of the guys like [Thomas] Tapeh, who has been getting healthy, played well and got a lot of plays in. Justin Isom and Eli Ward each got a shot at strong safety, and Dominique Sims got quite some time as well." Murray State Head Coach Joe Pannunzio "Coming into the game I was concerned about the run of the football. Coach Mason does a great job with his team and that part of the game. This Minnesota team is very powerful. Ron Johnson is an awesome player. I'm proud of how our team came out and played early. When the score was 14-10 (Minnesota), I thought we had a good chance of getting back in the game. But we screwed it up from there. We've played good run defense all year, but Minnesota plays at a different level." "Playing a team like Minnesota in the Big Ten helps us when we get to the playoffs. The level of competition is a good chance for us to see a higher tempo of offense. It prepares us for higher levels of conference play." Senior defensive end Greg White "We are always looking for improvement. We were prepared for what Murray State had. I thought we had it together. Next week's game against Ohio State is a big game - hopefully we'll be victorious. We are going to pull it all out. In the first half we took Murray State for granted, and Mason never lets us look ahead for the next weeks game." Senior safety Jack Brewer "This is a very important win and we played hard. We came out flat in the first half and picked it up in the second. We're looking forward to next week's game against Ohio State." Junior running back Tellis Redmon "They are a great team; we're just over matched for them. I liked having Thomas [Tapeh] in there. He adds another dimension because he's bigger and D-backs don't want to tackle him. We didn't know what kind of defense they were going to come with, so we stuck to our bases and came out strong. Today the running and passing game came together. Next week is all about respect because last time we played them, [Ohio State players] didn't shake our hands at the end of the game." On the 71- yard run: "It was one of my hardest runs. I got tired at the end and was lucky to get in [to the end zone]."
