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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Football Gets Ready to Take On Texas Tech
12/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (6-6, 3-5) vs. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (7-5, 4-4)
LOCATION: Tempe, Ariz.
STADIUM: Sun Devil Stadium (56,000) TIME: 7:05 p.m. (CT)
TELEVISION: NFL Network
Derrin Horton (play-by-play), Dick Vermeil (analyst)
Alex Flanagan (sideline)
RADIO: WCCO-AM (830)
Dave Lee (play-by-play), Dave Mona (analyst),
Darrell Thompson (sideline), Mike Grimm (studio)
UNIFORMS: Minnesota (home uniforms)
Texas Tech (visiting uniforms)
GOPHERS PROVIDE INSIGHT
The University of Minnesota accepted an invitation to compete in the 2006 Insight Bowl after finishing the regular season with a 6-6 overall record. Minnesota will face the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7:05 p.m. CST at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The game will be televised nationally by NFL Network. The Gophers will be appearing in their fifth consecutive bowl game for the first time in school history and this will also be the program’s seventh bowl appearance in the past eight seasons. The Gophers join Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin as the only Big Ten teams to play in a bowl game in seven of the past eight seasons. Minnesota has won three of its past four bowl games. The Gophers defeated Arkansas, 29-14, in the 2002 Music City Bowl, defeated Oregon 31-30 in the 2003 Sun Bowl and won the 2004 Music City Bowl over Alabama, 20-16, prior to dropping a heartbreaker in the 2005 Music City Bowl to Virginia, 34-31. The Gophers have also participated in the 1999 Sun Bowl and the 2000 Micronpc.com Bowl during head football coach Glen Mason’s 10 seasons at Minnesota. This year’s game marks the 18th Insight Bowl and the first season under the Big Ten bowl agreement that a representative from the Big Ten Conference will participate.
THE SERIES
The Insight Bowl will be the first meeting between Minnesota and Texas Tech on the football field.
THE COACHES
Minnesota: Glen Mason (Ohio State, ‘72)
Record at school: 64-56 (10th season)
Overall: 123-120-1 (21st season)
Texas Tech: Mike Leach (Brigham Young, ‘83)
Record at school: 55-33 (seventh season)
Overall: same
IN THE GOLD ZONE
The Gold Zone, the premium site for content at Gophersports.com, will have daily updates from Minnesota's trip to Tempe, including Glen Mason's one-hour coach's show on Wednesday, Dec. 27, and the 'Sota Social on Thursday, Dec. 28. A replay of the game will be available 24 hours after the conclusion of the Insight Bowl on Friday, Dec. 29.
NOTES TO KNOW
• With the inclusion of this year’s bowl games, the Gophers are one of only 23 teams in Division I to play in a bowl game the past five seasons (2002-2006).
• The Gophers and Red Raiders are two of only 11 teams in the NCAA to win at least three bowl games the past four seasons. Minnesota and Texas Tech are also the only two teams with at least three victories in bowl games the past four years to square off in a bowl game this season.
• The Insight Bowl will be the final game for 11 Gopher seniors. The 2006 senior class follows last year’s group of seniors as the only two classes in school history to lead the Minnesota football program to four consecutive bowl games. The 2006 class is also the first class in history to have members a part of five straight bowl seasons.
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• The Gophers lead the nation in turnover margin, averaging +1.33 turnovers per game. The Gopher defense has put opposing offenses on notice this season by nearly doubling its turnover total from last season. Minnesota has forced 29 turnovers this season as opposed to forcing 15 turnovers in 12 games in 2005.
• Minnesota is 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 (1999-2005). The Gophers already have 2,611 passing yards, but they will need 188 yards rushing to reach 2,000 rushing yards for the season and extend the streak to eight years.
• The Gophers’ 38 wins over the last five seasons (2002-2006) represent the best five-year win total at Minnesota since 1903-07.
• The Gophers are 22-2 in their past 24 non-conference games, including bowls. The Gophers’ record during that time was highlighted by a 19-game non-conference winning steak from Sept. 8, 2001 - Dec. 30, 2005.
• Senior QB Bryan Cupito will end his career at the top of several categories in the school record book. He already has become the school’s all-time leading passer, surpassing 7,000 career yards, while closing in on 500 career completions. He ranks second in career passing attempts (887), completions (494) and TD passes (52). Cupito has thrown 19 TD passes each of the past two seasons.
• With junior RB Amir Pinnix surpassing 1,000 rushing yards this season, the Gophers’ have had a 1,000-yard rusher for a school record eightconsecutive seasons (1999-2006), becoming only the second team in Big Ten history to accomplish that feat.
• Sophomore returner Dominic Jones is fourth in the Big Ten and 30th in the nation in kickoff return average (24.4 ypr) and is second in the Big Ten and 21st in the nation in punt return average at 11.5. Jones is one of only three players to be ranked in the top 30 in both kickoff and punt return average in the nation. The Gophers set a new single-season team school record with a 22.6-yard kickoff return average, which also ranked first in the Big Ten.
