University of Minnesota Athletics

Minnesota-Bowling Green Postgame Notes

9/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football

Minnesota Series/Specialty Notes

  • Today's game was Tim Brewster's first as a collegiate head coach.

  • Tonight's attendance of 49,253 was the most in a Gopher home opener since Sept. 13, 1997 when they drew 55,943 against Iowa State.
  • All-time, Minnesota's previous head coaches have gone a combined 17-7-1 in their debut games.
  • Tonight's game kicked off the 124th season of football at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers enter the 2007 campaign with an all-time record of 626-439-44.
  • Minnesota now has a 1-1 record all-time with Bowling Green. In the last meeting, Minnesota opened the 1986 season with a 31-7 win over the Falcons (Sept. 13).
  • The Golden Gophers are now 23-3-1 all-time against schools from the Mid-America Conference.
  • Minnesota last lost to a MAC school was Aug. 30, 2001, a 38-7 defeat at the hands of Toledo.
  • Minnesota played its season opener at the Metrodome for the first time in three years.
  • Minnesota saw its five-game winning streak in season openers come to an end. The Gophers last dropped a season debut against Toledo in 2001.
  • The Gophers are 86-32-6 all-time in season openers.

Minnesota Team Notes

  • Seven Golden Gophers Adam Weber, Ryan Ruckdashel, Tray Herndon, D.J. Burris, Eric Small and Lee Campbell started their first games for Minnesota tonight.
  • Minnesota has now played in two straight overtime contests. The last time the Gophers won an overtime game was their 42-35 double overtime victory over Purdue on Sept. 24, 2005.
  • Saturday was the sixth overtime contest in Minnesota history. The Gophers have never won an overtime game in single overtime they are now 1-5 in overtime games.
  • The Gophers' 2006 Insight Bowl loss to Texas Tech marks the only other time in Minnesota history that they have gone into overtime with a non-conference opponent.
  • Over the past 50 games, the Gophers have topped the 200-yards rushing 31 times, including 18 games with over 300 yards.
  • Minnesota's offensive line has allowed two or fewer sacks in their past seven games, including two games with zero sacks allowed.
  • The Golden Gophers have notched 300 yards of total offense in their last five games.
  • Minnesota has notched three straight games with more than 400 yards of total offense.
  • Minnesota has amassed more than 300 yards of total offense in 49 of its past 53 games. The Golden Gophers have reached over 400 yards of offense in 32 of their past 45 games and over 500 in 16 of their last 44 outings.
  • Since 2000, Minnesota has been held below 40 points in season openers just one other time (2001). Since 1997, the Gophers are 31-4 when they reach the 40-point plateau.
  • The Gophers have scored 30 or more points in their past five games.
  • Minnesota now has had at least one rushing touchdown in 50 of its past 54 games.
  • Over the past 11 years, Minnesota has had a 100-yard rusher in a season opener eight times and in each of the past four seasons. Bowing Green's 53-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter was the first 50+ yard pass play allowed by Minnesota since Iowa's Andy Brodell's 50-yarder on Nov. 18, 2006.
  • Bowling Green's 14 first quarter and 21 first half points were the most the Gophers have allowed in their past six games. Wisconsin scored 14 first quarter and 28 first half points against Minnesota on Oct. 14, 2006.
  • Minnesota was held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since Nov. 5, 2006 against Michigan State. The last time the Gophers were held scoreless in the first half was against Ohio State last season.
  • The last time the Gophers were held scoreless in the first half against a non-conference opponent was Sept. 9, 2000 when they trailed Ohio University 13-0.
  • The Gophers' 21-point first half deficit was their largest in non-conference play since Minnesota fell behind Pittsburgh 31-6 on Sept. 26, 1992.

Minnesota Individual Notes

  • Amir Pinnix has now collected multiple touchdowns in three consecutive games and has four in his career. He now has 16 career touchdowns.
  • Pinnix has posted 100-yard rushing totals in each of Minnesota's last four games. He now has seven in his career, tying him for 11th all-time in Minnesota history.
  • With 168 yards Saturday night, Pinnix joins Tellis Redmon as the only Minnesota running backs to top the century mark in four straight games. Only three Gophers Laurence Maroney (streaks of seven games and six games), Thomas Hamner (five) and Paul Giel (five) have put together longer streaks.
  • Pinnix's 168 yards moved him past Thomas Tapeh and Wayne “Red' Williams and into 12th place on Minnesota's career rushing yards list. Tapeh amassed 1,983 yards on the ground from 2000-03, while Williams managed 1,999 from 1942-45. Pinnix now has 2,044 rushing yards for his career and needs 106 to move into 11th place.
  • Pinnix's 58-yard rush in the first quarter was a career-long. The last Gopher to record a rushing play of over 50 yards was Laurence Maroney, who did it against Ohio State on Oct. 29 of 2000.
  • Nick Tow-Arnett's 55-yard reception in the fourth quarter was the first of his career and Minnesota's longest pass play since Ernie Wheelwright caught a 64-yard touchdown against Iowa last year.
  • Adam Weber's pass to Ernie Wheelwright in the first quarter was his first pass as a Golden Gopher and the first completion of his collegiate career.
  • Ernie Wheelwright's 50 receiving yards puts him past Omar Douglas and into sole possession of 6th place on Minnesota's career receiving yards list. Wheelwright now has 1,709 receiving yards for his career and needs 134 to move into 5th place.
  • Wheelwright's fourth quarter touchdown catch moved him into sole possession of second place in career TD receptions with 18. He now has six TD catches in his last five games.
  • Trey Herndon's catch in the first quarter was his first career collegiate reception.
  • Harold Howell recorded the first kickoff and punt returns of his collegiate career in the first quarter.
  • Duran Cooley's pass break-up in the first quarter was the second in his Minnesota career. He recorded one all of last season.
  • Duane Bennet's reception near the end of the second quarter was the first of his Minnesota career.
  • Eric Small's sack of Tyler Sheehan in the third quarter was the first of his career and the first sack of the 2007 season for Minnesota.
  • Willie VanDeSteeg needs 0.5 sacks to move into 9th place on the Gophers' all-time sacks leaderboard. He will past Jon Schlecht, who amassed 11.0 sacks from 1998-2000.
  • Steve Davis needs 0.5 sacks to move into 9th place on the Gophers' all-time sacks leaderboard. He will past Jon Schlecht, who amassed 11.0 sacks from 1998-2000.
  • Justin Kucek's 57-yard punt in the second quarter against the Falcons was the third-longest of his career. His longest was a 59-yard boot against Penn State earlier in 2006.

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