.png&width=42&height=42&type=webp)
University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Prepare to Battle Indiana in Homecoming Game
11/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Minnesota football team will host the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday at the Metrodome, with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m.
Notes to Know
• Minnesota’s game against Indiana on Saturday will mark the 87th homecoming game at the University of Minnesota. Minnesota played its first homecoming game during the 1914 season, defeating Wisconsin 14-3. The Gophers are 52-31-3 all-time in homecoming games and have won five in a row, including an exciting 42-35 double overtime win against No. 11 Purdue last season.
• 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 +.67 per game in the turnover ratio category which is third in the Big Ten and tied for 20th in the NCAA.
• The Gophers don’t have an easy road in 2006 as they have the toughest schedule (in games against Division I opponents) in the NCAA. The Gophers’ D-1 opponents for 2006 have the best cumulative winning percentage (54-29, .650) of any team’s D-1 schedule for this season.
• Quarterback Bryan Cupito is currently ranked fifth in the nation in career total offensive yards per play among all Division I players. Cupito is averaging 7.22 yards per play for his career which is fifth 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 with Logan Payne, Ernie Wheelwright and Matt Spaeth. Wheelwright ranks 10th all-time in yardage (1,397), Spaeth ranks 15th (1,168) and Payne is 19th at 1,029 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 37th in the nation in kickoff return average (24.2 ypr) and is second in the Big Ten and 23rd in the nation in punt return average at 11.1 ypr. Jones is one of only seven players to be ranked in the top 37 in the nation in both kickoff and punt return average.
