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University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Routs Buffalo 41-17
9/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Golden Gophers set the tone on their first possession of the game when their drive stalled at the Buffalo three-yard line. Facing fourth and goal, Minnesota lined up for a field goal. Holder Preston Gruening received the snap and ran into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown run off the fake field goal. It was Gruening's first rushing touchdown of his career.
After forcing Buffalo into a three-and-out, senior plackicker Dan Nystrom kicked a 33-yard field gaol, making the score 10-0 with 4:55 to go in the first quarter. The Golden Gophers followed that score with another defensive stand and scored again, this time on a 26-yard scoring strike from Abdul-Khaliq to freshman receiver Jared Ellerson. That would be a sign of things to come as Ellerson would find paydirt again on an 18-yard touchdown reception from Abdul-Khaliq on the Gophers' following possession. Ellerson closed out the first quarter and opened the second quarter with a score to put Minnesota ahead 24- 0.
The Gophers continued their offensive onslaught later in the quarter with a two-play, 73-yard drive that resulted in a Thomas Tapeh 2-yard touchdown run. That score was set up by a 71-yard run by Jackson II. After being held without a first down in the first quarter, Buffalo got things turned around in the second quarter. The Bulls marched 66 yards on seven plays, culminating in a 7-yard touchdown run by Aaron Leeper to score their first points of the game. Buffalo would score on their ensuing possession to cut the Gophers' lead to 31-14 at the half.
The only scoring of the third quarter came on a Nystrom field goal to push the lead back to 20 for the Maroon and Gold. Buffalo would answer with a field goal of their own in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota closed out the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Abdul-Khaliq to Thomas Tapeh to give the Gophers a 41-17 victory.
The Gophers will open the Big Ten season next Saturday at 5 p.m., against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
Game Notes
Minnesota 41 (4-0) vs. Buffalo 17 (1-3)
Sept. 21, 2002
Attendance: 34,294
- Today's game was the first meeting between Minnesota and Buffalo. It was the third time in school history that the Golden Gophers played two schools from the Mid-American Conference in the same season.
Minnesota:
- Punter Preston Gruening's touchdown on a fake field goal in the first quarter was the first rushing TD of his career. Gruening did have a touchdown pass in the 2000 season, a 45-yard TD strike to Elvin Jones on the first pass attempt of his career (Northwestern 10/28/00).
- Freshman wide receiver Jared Ellerson's 26-yard touchdown reception was the first TD catch of his career. It was also Ellerson's first catch as a Golden Gopher. Ellerson added his second career TD catch on the second reception of his career in the second quarter.
- Ellerson became the second Golden Gopher this season to tally his first TD on the first catch of his career. Aaron Hosack was the first this year with a 67-yard TD reception in the season opener vs. Southwest Texas State.
- Ellerson is the fourth Golden Gopher to score a TD on his first catch of the 2002 season. The others are: Hosack, Ben Utecht (75-yard TD vs. SW Texas State) and Terry Jackson II (13-yard TD vs. UL-Lafayette).
- With his TD pass to Ellerson, quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq stretched his consecutive games with a TD pass streak to seven games.
- Nystrom's 33-yard field goal in the first quarter was his second FG of the season. He added a 26-yard FG in the third quarter. Nystrom now needs three FGs to tie the school record for career FGs of 57, held by Chip Lohmiller (1984-87).
- Nystrom moved into eighth place all-time in the Big Ten for career kick scoring, passing Red Houghton of Iowa and Tim Williams of Ohio State. Nystrom currently has 293 career points.
- Minnesota held Buffalo without a first down in the opening quarter while tallying 10 of its own. The last time Minnesota held an opponent without a first quarter first down was vs. UL-Lafayette on Sept. 8, 2001.
- Freshman Danny Upchurch's 27-yard punt return in the second quarter was a career best.
- Terry Jackson's 71-yard rush in the second quarter was a season and career-best for the sophomore running back.
- The 71-yard rush by Jackson was also a season-best for the Golden Gophers. It was the longest run by a Golden Gopher since a 71- yard TD run by Tellis Redmon vs. Murray State on Oct. 27, 2001. It was also the longest non-scoring play since a 79-yard pass from Travis Cole to Ron Johnson on Nov. 4, 2000, at Wisconsin.
- The Golden Gophers have now recorded a play of 35 yards or more in 11 straight games, dating back to last season.
- Thomas Tapeh's 48-yard TD reception was a career-long for the junior running back and was only the second receiving TD of his career.
- With Tapeh's TD reception in the fourth quarter, quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq has now recorded 12 pass plays of 35 yards or more in the past six games, dating back to last season.
- With Tapeh's TD catch, Abdul-Khaliq notched his career's fifth game with three or more TD passes.
- Terry Jackson II established a new career high for rushing yards in a game with 124. It was also his first 100-yard-plus rushing game.
- The game marked the fourth consecutive game that Jackson has rushed for 60 or more yards. It also marked the fourth-straight game that Jackson and Thomas Tapeh have rushed for 50 yards or more.
- Sophomore running back Demetrus Johnson established new career highs for rushing attempts (7) and yards in a game (34).
- With their 299 yards on the ground, the Golden Gophers have totaled 200-plus rushing yards as a team for the fifth-straight game and the sixth-straight time against a nonconference opponent.
- Minnesota has now had nine 4-0 starts since 1940 (1940, 1941, 1945, 1949, 1954, 1960, 1987, 1999, 2002).
- Minnesota has now topped 30 points in five straight games, dating back to last season. The last time the Golden Gophers accomplished that feat was from the final game of the 1998 season (vs. Iowa on Nov. 21, 1998) to the fourth game of the 1999 season.
- With his five extra points vs. the Bulls, Nystrom set the school record for consecutive extra points made with 61. He has not missed an extra point attempt since Nov. 4, 2000, at Wisconsin. Paul Rogind held the previous record at 57 straight extra points made from Sept. 11, 1976 to Sept. 8, 1979.
- Nystrom is now 132-of-136 (.971) on extra point attempts for his career. The school record for career extra point accuracy is .986 (70-of-71), held by Brent Berglund (1988-90).
- Minnesota holds a 78-25-2 record all-time against opponents they are playing for the first time.
- Minnesota has never lost to a MAC opponent when playing that team for the first time. The Golden Gophers are 7-0-1 in first-time matchups with MAC schools.
- The Golden Gophers hold a 18-2-1 record against schools in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Minnesota holds a winning record vs. Buffalo (1-0), Western Michigan (3-0), Ball State (2-0), Bowling Green (1-0), Central Michigan (1-0), Miami, Ohio (1-0), Ohio (7-1-1), and Toledo (2-1)
- With the win, Mason earned his first four-game sweep of nonconference opponents while at Minnesota.
- Minnesota has won six straight nonconference home games and is 12-2 in nonconferene home tilts under Head Coach Glen Mason. Overall, under Mason, the Golden Gophers are 16-6 in nonconference games. Minnesota is 282-97-16 all-time vs. nonconference opponents.
Buffalo:
- Buffalo made its first appearance against a Big Ten opponent since the Bulls played Michigan in 1901.
- Wide receiver Andre Forde has caught a pass in the last 12 straight games.
- With his 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, kicker Dallas Pelz has recorded one FG in all four games this season. He is 6-of-8 on field goals for the season.
