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University of Minnesota Athletics
FB: No. 22 Minnesota Falls to No. 12 Ohio State 45-31
10/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Minnesota football team (5-3, 2-3) lost its second straight game as it fell to No. 12 Ohio State (6-2, 4-1) 45-31 on Saturday, Oct 29 in front of 54,825 fans at the Metrodome. The Gophers posted 578 total yards of offense, the second-highest yardage total ever allowed against a Buckeye team.
Sophomore quarterback Bryan Cupito (Cincinnati, Ohio) had a career-high 396 yards and a touchdown pass on 26-of-35 passing for the game. Laurence Maroney (St. Louis, Mo.) had 127 rushing yards on 25 carries and ran for a touchdown for the Golden Gophers.
Jared Ellerson (Copley, Ohio) had a season-high 113 receiving yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Gary Russell (Columbus, Ohio) also ran for two touchdowns and had 50 yards on 15 carries. Logan Payne (Lutz, Fla.) had 82 receiving yards for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota trailed 31-24 going into the fourth quarter, but Ohio State rattled off 14 unanswered points to push the lead out to 45-24.
Ohio State got on the board first on a Santonio Holmes 41-yard touchdown pass from Troy Smith to go up 7-0. That capped an opening seven-play drive that took two minutes and 18 seconds for Ohio State.
Minnesota came right back with a drive that got then to the Ohio State 14, highlighted by a 46-yard third-down reception by Ellerson. However, Golden Gopher kicker Jason Giannini (Canton, Ohio) was unsuccessful on his 31-yard field goal attempt.
The Buckeyes pushed the score out to 10-0 with a 31-yard field goal by Josh Huston with 7:09 remaining in the first quarter. That field goal capped a eight-play 66-yard drive by Ohio State.
Minnesota came right back on a one-yard touchdown run by Maroney that cut the Buckeye lead to 10-7 with 5:16 remaining in the first quarter. Maroney keyed the drive with a 53- yard run to the Ohio State 13-yard line on the third play of the drive.
Ohio State responded quickly when Ted Ginn took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to give the Buckeyes at 17-7 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first quarter.
Minnesota trailed 17-10 after the first quarter, a quarter that saw the Golden Gophers gain 218 yards. Minnesota had 99 rushing yards in the quarter against Ohio State, who came into the game as the No. 1 rushing defense in the nation allowing only 62.7 ypg.
The Golden Gophers came back with a 30-yard Giannini field goal to cut the Buckeye lead to 17-10 with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter. The field goal capped an 11- play, 67-yard drive for the Golden Gophers.
The Golden Gophers stopped Ohio State on its first drive of the second quarter on three plays. Minnesota capitalized on the defensive stand by tying the game at 17 on a five-yard touchdown reception by Ellerson from Cupito three minutes and three seconds into the second quarter. The Golden Gophers put together a five-play 58-yard drive, highlighted by a 42-yard reception by Payne. Cupito was 3-for-3 with 52 yards on the drive.
On the next drive, Ohio State got down to the Minnesota 24-yard line after gaining 47 yards on eight plays. However, the Golden Gophers halted the drive when they stuffed a Smith quarterback sneak on fourth-and-one.
The two teams did not score the remainder of the second quarter and went into halftime tied at 17. Minnesota had 335 total yards in the first half against Ohio State, who came in ranked No. 3 in the nation in total defense allowing 254.9 ypg. The Golden Gophers also rushed for 137 yards in the first half against Buckeyes No. 1 ranked rush defense. Maroney had 114 of those rushing yards, marking the sixth time this season he rushed for 100 or more yards in the first half.
Ohio State stopped Minnesota on its first drive of the second half. The Buckeyes quickly took the lead back on their second offensive play of the half when Antonio Pittman broke a 67-yard touchdown run up the middle two minutes and 13 second into half to give Ohio State at 24-17 lead.
On the next drive the Golden Gophers got down to the Ohio State 32-yard line highlighted by a key 35-yard third-down reception by tight end Matt Spaeth. However, Minnesota turned the ball over on downs when it was denied on fourth-down and two.
The Buckeyes took advantage of the momentum and marched on a seven-play, 68-yard drive capped off by an Anthony Gonzalez 27-yard touchdown reception by Smith that gave Ohio State a 31-17 with 7:46 left in the third quarter.
Minnesota responded with a five-play 80-yard drive of its own, capped off by a Gary Russell one-yard touchdown run to make it 31-24 with 6:14 left in the third quarter. The Golden Gophers’ drive was highlighted by 32-yard reception by Jakari Wallace and a 44- yard reception by Ellerson on back-to-back plays. Cupito was two-for-three for 76 yards on the drive.
Ohio State moved back ahead by 14 points in the fourth quarter as Pittman capped a six- play, 37-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to put the Buckeyes up 38-24 with 13:20 remaining in the game.
The Buckeyes capitalized on a Minnesota fumble by scoring on a Holmes 30-yard touchdown reception from Smith to push its lead out to 45-24 with 10:39 remaining in the game.
Russell scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard plunge to cut the Buckeye lead to 45-31 with 1:14 remaining in the game. The touchdown run capped a nine-play 80-yard drive for Minnesota.
Minnesota outgained Ohio State 578 to 449 for the game, and had season-high 396 yards passing against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State was led by Pittman who had 187 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Smith was 14-for-20 with 233 yards and three touchdowns on the game. Holmes also had 94 yards receiving and two touchdowns for the Buckeyes.
Minnesota will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 5 when it travels to Indiana to take on Hoosiers at 11 a.m. That game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
GAME NOTES
Minnesota
• The Gophers posted 578 total yards of offense, the second-highest yardage total ever allowed against a Buckeye team. • This is the first meeting between the two teams since Nov. 2, 2002. The sixth-ranked Buckeyes defeated No. 23 Minnesota, 31-3, in Columbus, Ohio. That’s the last time the Golden Gophers failed to reach double digits in points.
• The Golden Gophers started three Ohio natives on defense (Anthony Montgomery, Trumaine Banks and Dominic Jones). Minnesota started three Ohio natives on offense (Bryan Cupito, Jared Ellerson and Ernie Wheelwright).
• Mark Setterstrom and Greg Eslinger made their 46th consecutive starts today, which is tops in the nation.
• Minnesota surpassed Ohio State’s season average for rushing yards allowed (62.7) with just under four minutes to play in the first quarter.
• Laurence Maroney had more yards in the first quarter alone (82) than Ohio State had given up to a rusher in an entire game this season.
• Minnesota surpassed Ohio State’s season-high for rushing yards allowed (116 –Michigan State) in the second quarter. Minnesota finished with 182 yards.
• Ohio State entered the game ranked third in the nation in total defense, allowing just 254.9 yards per game. The Golden Gophers had 335 yards in the first half and 578 for the game.
• Ohio State entered the game with an average of 192.1 passing yards allowed per game. Bryan Cupito was 13-for-17 for 198 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. He finished with a career-high 396 yards. He fell just shy of 400 yards. Cory Sauter was the last to top 400 yards passing (404 vs. Michigan State, 10/21/95).
• Cupito is the first Golden Gopher quarterback since Asad Abdul-Khaliq to throw for more than 300 yards. Abdul-Khaliq had 388 yards at Iowa (11/15/03).
• Maroney surpassed 100 yards rushing for the 20th time in 32 career games, including 19 times in the last 25 games. He has rushed for 100 yards or more seven times this season. That is one game shy of his single-season record set last season.
• Minnesota is 16-4 when Maroney rushes for 100 yards or more.
• Maroney surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in the first half for the sixth time this season and the 11th time in his career.
• Prior to Maroney’s 53-yard run in the first quarter, the Buckeyes longest rush allowed was 32 yards.
• Cupito had started 18 straight games before missing the game against Wisconsin two weeks ago (10/15/05).
• Cupito moved into a tie for sixth place all-time with 25 career touchdown passes. He is tied with Tony Dungy (1973-76).
• Cupito topped his career-high for passing yards in a game in the third quarter. His previous high was 270 yards against Toledo (9/4/04).
• Cupito topped his career high for passing completions in a game with 26. His previous high was 22 against Purdue earlier this year. He also matched his career-high with 35 pass attempts, also set against Purdue.
• Logan Payne’s 42-yard reception in the second quarter was a career-long.
• Matt Spaeth’s 38-yard reception in the third quarter was a season-best.
• Senior Anthony Montgomery record his third sack of the season and the eighth of his career in the second quarter.
• Junior Trumaine Banks moved into a tie for fourth place all-time with 25 pass break-ups. He is tied with Craig Scruggs (1995-98) and Rodney Heath (1993-96). • Jared Ellerson extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 27.
• Ellerson moved into sole possession of seventh place in school history with 13 career touchdown receptions.
• Ellerson’s second-quarter touchdown reception was his first in a Big Ten game since Michigan last year (10/9/04). That’s a span of nine games.
• Ellerson moved into a tie for fourth place all-time with six career 100-yard receiving games.
• Ellerson is the first Golden Gopher to have 100 or more yards receiving in a game since Ernie Wheelwright had 104 against Michigan State last season (10/16/04). He finished with a season-high 113 yards.
• Gary Russell moved into a tie for sixth place on the single-season list with 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Russell is also tied for second on the single-season all-purpose touchdown list with 13 on the season. He has found the endzone in six of eight games this season. • Mike Sherels had a career-high two tackles for loss.
• This is the first time since 2000 that Minnesota has faced four ranked Big Ten opponents in the same season.
• Minnesota has posted 400 yards or more of total offense in 18 consecutive home games.
• Minnesota has 500 yards or more of total offense in six of eight games this year.
• Minnesota’s streak of six straight home games with 300 or more yards rushing was snapped.
• Minnesota has scored 20 or more points in 42 of the last 48 games
• Glen Mason has a 56-48 career record as head coach of the Golden Gophers.
• Minnesota is 77-69-2 all-time at the Metrodome. Glen Mason is 36-20 at the Dome.
• The Golden Gophers have not been shut out since Nov. 22, 1997, a school record span of 92 games. The last time UM was shut out was in a 31-0 loss at Iowa.
• Minnesota has reached double digits in 37 straight games. Ohio State held Minnesota to three points on Nov. 2, 2002.
• Minnesota has reached double digits in 50 straight home games. Ohio State held Minnesota to three points on Nov. 8, 1997.
Head Coach Glen Mason Postgame Quotes
“I don’t know exactly where to start, so I’ll say a few things and then handle any questions you may have. I was very pleased that we were tied up at 17 all at halftime, being how the game started, that we had to fight back to get in to it. At least from my perspective, the story line was that we allowed Ohio State to play on the short end of the field and we had to play on the long end of the field all day long because of an inadequate kicking game. We gave them too short of a distance to go because of kickoffs. We gave up a kickoff for a touchdown, which is inexcusable, and we another pretty sizable return and because of a short punt we gave up some awfully good field position along with a short field on a turnover offensively. It’s awful tough to be successful when offensively you always have to go the long route.”
“I thought our players played really hard. It was a hard-hitting game, a Big Ten game; I can’t fault our effort one bit. We gave up some big plays but we made some big plays too. I thought Bryan Cupito played well today. We’ve been looking for this passing game, I’ve always said that we are not one dimensional, but we haven’t been very consistent in the passing game. I thought we were more consistent today.”
On the momentum switch:
“I thought the biggest momentum change was when we fumbled the ball. I don’t know. I thought there was a momentum change when we stopped them on fourth down, but that’s football. It happens.”
On OSU wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.:
“He is a great football player. Believe me, it’s not just Ted Ginn Jr. If you watched all the film on them Santonio Holmes is awful good too. We were trying to kick away from him on the kickoff return, but we obviously didn’t do a good job. They started adjusting what they were doing. The best kickoff return is their kickoff guy. I think he put it in the stands just about every time. I’m going to go try to find me one of those guys. Our kickoff coverage is making me way old before my time. Where do you get a guy like that? Last year we had Rhys Lloyd who could kick a field goal from 65 yards, but couldn’t quite seem to consistently kick it out of the end zone. He (Ginn) is awful dangerous. You have to kick the ball correctly and you have to cover correctly. Now if you have a guy who can kick it out of the end zone on the kickoff you’re in great shape.”
On whether the pop-up kickoffs were strategy:
“That was a strategy. When people know that you are doing that, I mean you are still kicking to Gonzalez, who is a pretty good athlete, and you’re trying to play for field position the best you can. You don’t want to give up a touchdown, but you hate to pop it up and let them return it to the 40 or 45 and play on a short field. You’re darned if you do, and darned if you don’t. I hate to say it, because it sounds like a defeatist attitude because you are spotting them a 10 yard return at the least by doing that. What we were trying to do, if we could get them at the 30 all day long, I’d be happy with that. We started off doing that.”
On OSU running back Antonio Pittman:
“Well we gave up that long run; I don’t want to take anything away from Pittman or Ohio State, but we gave up that run right up the middle of our defense, that shouldn’t happen. Pittman is a good football player; they have a lot of good football players. It’s tough to be the marquee player on that team; they have guys waiting in line.”
On gaining 578 yards against OSU’s tough defense:
“Yeah they are a tough defense. I’m still a little bit disappointed in how we ran the football; I don’t think we were as clean as we should’ve been, but that’s me standing on the sideline. I have the worst seat in the house. I don’t know if that is supposed to be a consolation or not, but it sure isn’t to me. Again, I have to look at it in a lot of different ways, but I’m proud of how hard those kids played. They’re a great bunch of kids, they are. They are as down as down can be, and in some ways they should be and in some ways they shouldn’t be. They played as hard as they could against a good football team. To beat Ohio State you have to do a lot of things right. You have to do most things right, let’s face it. We did some, and we didn’t do some others.”
“The thing that bothers me more than anything is when you beat yourself. With all due respect to Ted Ginn, we got out of our lanes down there. Nobody touched him, he didn’t break a tackle; nobody touched him. We as coaches, to be honest can do better. I can do a better job. Then we had a busted coverage, where the quarterback takes off and it was a busted coverage and they get a touchdown pass. Then we fumble the ball on third and one; we need to do a better job. I’m kind of rambling, I’m sorry.”
On the Gopher defense:
“They were hanging on to begin with against some pretty skilled players. I was pleased with how we fought back and we were able to get off the field and make it 17-17. I’m not happy about the long run up the middle; I’m not happy about the busted coverage. You see this all the time, but we got to a point where you see the scoreboard and you say our chance of winning is minute at this point, psychologically you change. You do. I’m not saying guys quit, but they had a different edge to them, to everybody.”
On Ted Ginn’s speed:
“I’ve been coaching long enough that I’ve seen some guys that will turn your hair gray. I used to coach against Michigan and Anthony Carter, and you guys know about that guy. Where Ginn really continually shows up is in the kicking game. He returned a punt against Iowa for a touchdown that got called back. Last week he returned a punt against Indiana for a touchdown. I think he holds the record for punt returns for a touchdown in the Big Ten, not just at Ohio State. He’s only a sophomore; he’s awful fast.”
On whether he knows Ted Ginn Sr.:
“Yeah I know him, not as well as I’d like to. If you’re listening out there Ted Ginn Sr. I love ya; send me some of your players. I’m laughing on the outside, crying on the inside fellas.”
On their ability to throw the ball on OSU:
“Ohio State is a cut above. You saw them today; you don’t put those type of statistics up against them. I’m sure they are not happy with the amount of yards we got against them. They are only giving up 60 yards rushing a game, which means no individual has had over 100 yards against them. We broke a long one. I knew it was going to be tough sledding. I said this was no place for the timid; we were going to buckle up. The only way you can move the ball against Ohio State is you have to block them. They are not easy to block. They have great people on the back end. The thing that really makes it tough is that they don’t overplay the run, which we typically see against other people. They play you pretty honest and can still be pretty good because of their physical front four and dominant linebackers. I’ve been confident in the passing game the whole time. Cupito is a good passer; he is an accurate passer, and we have pretty good receivers. I think if anything we make a mistake in, and I’m being critical of me as a coach, because we run the ball so well sometimes, we don’t throw the ball enough. Some people we are running the ball at will, and we don’t throw the ball, when we probably ought to be throwing the ball. It was a little bit more wide open.”
On getting ready for Indiana and getting to a big bowl game:
“It’s paramount. That’s the thing I talked to them about. We’re 5-3, but right now we don’t feel like it. I don’t think anyone associated with our organization feels like we are 5-3. Probably because of how we self-destructed against Wisconsin and maybe what could have been today. There is still a lot of football to be played. If you keep looking in the rearview mirror, that’s where you will go, backwards. You have to shake this off and march forward. We still have the ability to be a awfully good football team. Just because we lost today doesn’t make us a bad football team. We did a lot of good things out there. It’s a process; we’ll go back to the drawing board. There are a lot factors that go in to football; it’s the greatest team game to have ever been invented. If you think of all the pieces that have to be in place if you want to be successful on a consistent basis. You have to be consistent in all phases. You have to run the football effectively, you have to pass the football, you have to protect the football, you have to play good run defense, good pass defense, good in the kickoffs, good in the punt, good in the extra points, good in the field goals. A lot of parts. But, we have good kids; I love those kids. They’ve given me everything any coach could ever ask for. I’m positive that we will regroup; we will prepare extremely hard for Indiana. We’ll go down to Bloomington and play our best.”
MINNESOTA PLAYER QUOTES
C Greg Eslinger
“Today is what Big Ten football is all about. Two great teams bashing head for 60 minutes. At halftime we were feeling good and we had established on offense that we could move the ball and our defense was playing great. The second half was a different story but overall we played our hearts out and we played a great game.”
On Cupito:
“Cupito played great and what people don’t see is the checks he makes for our running game. He kept getting us into the right plays all day. He truly was our leader out there today.”
QB Bryan Cupito
On receivers:
“They are a great defense but today our receivers made a lot of plays. Logan Payne made a great catch, Jared made a great catch and all the receivers made great plays all game long which kept us in the game. We have to help out the run game and I think we did that today but not enough obviously to win. Those guys stepped it up big today and I am proud of the way our receivers played.”
On the reminder of the season:
“It was disappointing to lose today but we know that we can play with those guys. They might have all the great players and talent but today we proved that we can play with those guys. We are 5-3 finishing against three teams that we lost to last year but I know we can overcome this and not let last year repeat itself. There is no reason that we still can’t win out and go 8-3.”
DT Anthony Montgomery
We came into the game hoping that with a win we could still have a chance to win the Big Tem but we lost so it makes things a little tougher but if we win out we will still be going to a bowl game, which is our main focus right now.”
On the team’s morale:
We had a couple guys with their heads hanging low after the game but it is the coaches and senior players like myself and the other captains to regroup. I am confident that we will get the job done and play well next week.”
Jared Ellerson
“It was great to have Cupito out there. He was in a great
