University of Minnesota Athletics

Minnesota - Indiana Postgame Notes

10/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football

Minnesota Series/Specialty Notes

  • Today's game was Tim Brewster's sixth as a collegiate head coach and second on the road. It also marked the first meeting between new Big Ten coaches Brewster and Indiana first-year man Bill Lynch. Lych's Hoosiers will square off with the Big Ten's other new coach (Michigan State's Mark Dantonio) next week.
  • Lynch is now 1-2 lifetime against Minnesota during his head coaching career, with both losses coming while he was at Ball State in 1995 and 1996.
  • Today's game marked the 85th meeting between Minnesota and Indiana dating back to 1906, when the Gophers defeated the Hoosiers 8-6 in Minneapolis. Minnesota now holds a 36-26-3 advantage over Indiana.
  • Minnesota has defeated Indiana just six times in Bloomington during that span and how holds a 6-17-2 record on the road against the Hoosiers, including 5-15-1 at Memorial Stadium.
  • Indiana defeated the Gophers for the first time since 2004 and has now won seven of the past eight match-ups between the two teams at Memorial Stadium.
  • Minnesota last defeated Indiana Nov. 4 of last season at the Metrodome. The Gophers led 35-0 midway through the second quarter and cruised to a 63-26 victory, thanks to four touchdown passes from Brian Cupito. Seven different Gophers scored touchdowns in the homecoming win.
  • The Golden Gophers now hold an all-time record 627-444-44. The 2007 campaign marks the 124th season of Minnesota football.
  • Minnesota is now 316-336-28 all-time in Big Ten play.

Minnesota Team Notes

  • <Minnesota lost for the first time in four games when kicking off before noon (CDT). Each of Minnesota's games during its 2006 season-ending three-game win streak kicked off at 11 a.m. central.
  • Since 2000, the Gophers are just 1-7 in Big Ten road debuts. Minnesota's last victory in a league road opener came during the 2003 season, when they went into Happy Valley and defeated Penn State 20-14.
  • With just two sacks surrendered Saturday, Minnesota's offensive line has now allowed two or fewer sacks in its past 12 games. The Gophers have allowed just 70 sacks since the beginning of the 2002 season and have ranked first or second in the Big Ten in that category each year during that span.
  • Entering play Saturday, the Hoosiers led all of Division 1 with 27 sacks (5.4 per game), while Minnesota had yielded just three sacks in five games to rank fifth nationally in fewest sacks allowed (0.6 per game).
  • The Gophers have at least one rushing touchdown in 54 of their past 60 games. They tallied two on Saturday in Bloomington.
  • With 280 passing yards Saturday vs. the Hoosiers and 1,543 through six games, Minnesota and quarterback Adam Weber are on pace to post the second-highest single-season passing total in program history. The Gophers gained 3,277 yards through the air in 1993.
  • Minnesota tallied just three penalties for 34 yards against the Hoosiers Saturday, continuing an impressive trend that has seen them emerge as one of the most disciplined football teams in the country. The Gophers entered play Saturday ranked No. 7 in the NCAA in fewest penalty yards per contest (26 flags for an average of 36.2 yards per game).
  • Minnesota converted nine of their 17 third down chances Saturday. The Gophers have now converted 49 of 100 third downs in 2007, a 49 percent clip. They entered play Saturday ranked third in the conference and 14th nationally in that category.
  • With 392 yards of total offense against the Hoosiers, the Gophers have accomplished the feat in eight of their past nine games.
  • Minnesota's 93-yard fourth quarter touchdown drive was its longest of the season.
  • Minnesota has now amassed more than 300 yards of total offense in 53 of its past 58 games.

Minnesota Individual Notes

  • With one more passing touchdown against the Hoosiers, Adam Weber now has 13 for the 2007 season. He remains on pace to break Bryan Cupito's program record of 22 TD passes, set last year.
  • Weber's first quarter rushing touchdown was the third such TD of his career.
  • Weber completed seven of his eight first quarter passes and 10 of his first 13 for the game.
  • With a combined 15 catches for 175 yards, Gopher wideouts Eric Decker and Ernie Wheelwright continued to rank as the Big Ten's finest receiving duos. Entering play Saturday, no Big Ten pair had hauled in more catches than the pair.
  • Decker now has 44 catches and 560 receiving yards this season. He entered play Saturday ranked second in the Big Ten in both categories.
  • Decker's 42-yard reception was his second longest of 2007 and his ninth 20+ yard catch so far this season.
  • The fourth quarter touchdown also gives Decker five TD receptions this season. He has scored in four of the Gophers' six games thus far.
  • Ernie Wheelwright has now collected catches in 39 of 43 career games and has 122 during his time as a Golden Gopher. He needs nine catches to move past Omar Douglas for sixth all-time in Gopher history.
  • Wheelwright now has at least five catches in four consecutive games.
  • Saturday was the fourth 100-yard receiving game of Wheelwright's Gopher career. His last came against Indiana last season (three catches for 116 yards).
  • After notching seven catches for 101 yards Saturday against the Hoosiers, Wheelwright improved his season totals to 29 and 344. He now has 1,627 receiving yards for his career, good enough for fifth on the Gophers' all-time leaderboard. He needs 427 yards to move into fourth place.
  • Harold Howell's 31-yard kick return in the first quarter was his fifth 30+ yard return of the season.
  • Jay Thomas' 30-yard screen pass reception in the second quarter was a season-long and second-longest of his career (he had a 49-yarder vs. Iowa last season).
  • Thomas also broke off a season-high 36-yard gain in the fourth quarter. He finished with 107 total yards, the second highest total of his career.
  • Freshman running back Duane Bennett picked up his second rushing touchdown in the first quarter, a one-yard run on fourth down.
  • Dominique Barber's second quarter sack was the first of his career and Minnesota's fourth of the season. It marked the 10th sack allowed by the Hoosiers through six games.
  • Wille VanDeSteeg's three tackles for a loss Saturday was the most by a Gopher in 2007. It gives him a team-leading 7.5 for the season.
  • VanDeSteeg also notched his first sack of the season during the fourth quarter Saturday, nabbing Indiana's Kellen Lewis for a 10-yard loss. Minnesota's two sacks against the Hoosiers were a season-high.
  • Freshman cornerback Ryan Collado had a career-high nine tackles.
  • Kyle Theret's third quarter interception was the second of his career. His 34-yard return on the play was the Gophers' longest of 2007.
  • Kicker Joel Monroe notched two more touchbacks, giving him eight for the season.

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