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University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers to Take on Top-Ranked Buckeyes
10/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Minnesota football team travels to Columbus, Ohio this Saturday to take on the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. (CST) and will be nationally televised on ABC.
NOTES TO KNOW
• Saturday’s game against Ohio State will feature 17 Ohio natives wearing the Maroon and Gold of Minnesota. The 17 Ohio players are the second most from one state on the Gophers’ roster behind the 45 student-athletes from Minnesota.
• The Gophers are the only team in the country to have an offense that has rushed for 2,000 yards and passed for 2,000 yards in each of the past seven seasons. During the seven-year “run,” the Gophers have averaged 239.0 yards rushing per game, the highest seven-year rushing average in school history.
• The Gophers are currently +.75 per game in the turnover ratio category which is third in the Big Ten and tied for 20th in the NCAA.
• Ohio State will be the fifth team out of the Gophers’ first nine opponents to enter its game with Minnesota without a loss and the fourth undefeated team to face the Gophers in the last six games.
• With a touchdown run last week from Amir Pinnix, the Gophers have now posted at least one rushing touchdown in 46 of their last 49 games dating back to the 2002 season.
• Quarterback Bryan Cupito is currently ranked fourth in the nation in career total offensive yards per play among all Division I players. Cupito is averaging 7.33 yards per play for his career which is fourth in the nation and second among Big Ten players behind only Ohio State’s Troy Smith.
• The Gophers have three current members of the 1,000-yard career receiving club as last week Logan Payne joined Ernie Wheelwright and Matt Spaeth, who had already surpassed 1,000 yards for their career. Wheelwright ranks 10th all-time in yardage (1,397), Spaeth ranks 15th (1,168) and Payne is 19th at 1,008 career receiving yards.
• Tight end Matt Spaeth is only 44 yards away from surpassing Ben Utecht as the all-time leader in receiving yards by a tight end in school history. Spaeth currently has 1,168 career receiving yards. He is also only three pass receptions away from becoming the ninth Gopher in school history to reach 100 career catches.
• Dominic Jones is third in the Big Ten and 31st in the nation in kickoff return average (25.1 ypr) and is second in the Big Ten and 25th in the nation in punt return average at 11.2 ypr. Jones is one of only eight players to be ranked in the top 35 in the nation in both kickoff and punt return average.
• Cornerback Jamal Harris intercepted his third pass of the year against NDSU (10/21) last weekend. Minnesota had not had a player with three interceptions in a season since Ukee Dozier had three in 2004. Harris leads the team and is tied for third in the Big Ten in interceptions with three.
