University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota - Ohio State Postgame Notes
9/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota Series/Specialty Notes
Minnesota Individual Notes
- Today’s game was Tim Brewster’s fifth as a collegiate head coach and fourth at the Metrodome.
- Tonight’s game marked the 47th meeting between the Gophers and the Buckeyes. The Gophers have played Ohio State fewer times than any other team in the Big Ten except Michigan State (41 games) and Penn State (10 games).
- The Buckeyes have now won their past five match-ups with the Gophers. Minnesota has never defeated Ohio State at the Metrodome, where they began play in 1982.
- Saturday night’s attendance of 51,611 was Minnesota’s largest crowd of the year.
- The Golden Gophers now hold an all-time record 627-443-44. The 2007 campaign marks the 124th season of Minnesota football.
- Minnesota is now 316-335-28 all-time in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes successfully followed up on their 44-0 win over Minnesota in 2006. The Gophers’ last victory in the series came in 2000 when they defeated then-sixth ranked Buckeyes 29-17.
- Minnesota is now 24-119-3 all-time against ranked opponents, including 13-74-2 against those in the top 10.
- The last time Minnesota did not score at least 20 points in a game was last Oct. 28 against Ohio State.
- Minnesota’s touchdown in the second quarter was its first in five quarters against the Buckeyes, a streak that dated back to the fourth quarter of Minnesota’s 45-31 loss on Oct. 29, 2005.
- Ohio State’s two rushing touchdowns, both of them from running back Chris Wells, were the most the Gophers have allowed all season. Saturday marked the first time in 2007 that Minnesota has allowed multiple rushing touchdowns.
- The Buckeyes gained just 209 yards through the air on Saturday night, the fewest passing yards the Gophers have allowed in a game this season. The Gophers held Wisconsin to 193 yards through the air on Oct. 14 of last year.
- Saturday’s rushing total of 45 yards marked just the second time Minnesota did not break the 200-yard plateau this season. The Gophers have accomplished that feat in 33 of their past 54 games, a 61.1 percent clip.
- The Gophers racked up 196 yards of total offense in the first half of Saturday’s game. The Buckeyes entered Saturday allowing the second-fewest yards per game in the nation (177.75/game).
- Despite converting only one of their three red zone chances Saturday, the Gophers have scored on 17 of their 23 tries inside the 20-yard line so far this season (74 percent).
- Saturday snapped a streak of eight straight games in which the Golden Gophers had notched at least 350 yards of total offense.
- Minnesota has now amassed more than 300 yards of total offense in 52 of its past 57 games. The Golden Gophers have gained over 400 yards of offense in 35 of their past 49 games.
- Minnesota has now converted four of its eight fourth-down chances this season. Last season, Minnesota was successful on 64 percent (18/28) fourth down tries.
- The Gophers’ second quarter touchdown drive was just the second first-half TD allowed by the Buckeyes in 2007. Ohio State has surrendered just four touchdowns all season long.
- With just one sack surrendered Saturday, Minnesota’s offensive line has now allowed two or fewer sacks in its past 11 games. The Gophers have allowed just 68 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.
- The Gophers gained 279 yards of total offense Saturday. Minnesota was limited to under 300 yards of total offense just three times during all of 2006.
Minnesota Individual Notes
- With one more passing touchdown, Adam Weber now has 12 for the 2007 season. He remains on pace to break Bryan Cupito’s program record of 22 TD passes, set last season.
- Weber has now thrown a touchdown pass in the first five games of his Gopher career.
- Saturday marked the first start of tailback Duane Bennett’s collegiate career, snapping a streak of 14 consecutive starts by Amir Pinnix. E.J. Jones, also a true freshman, started the first game of the 2006 season.
- Weber’s 232 yards passing were the most allowed by the Ohio State defense this season (Washington’s Jake Locker had 204 on Sept. 15).
- Bennett also had four receptions for 39 yards. He entered Saturday with two career receptions.
- Trey Herndon’s 24-yard reception in the first quarter was the longest of his career.
- Harold Howell’s 36-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was the longest of his career and the second-longest of the season for Minnesota.
- Todd Meisel’s block of a PAT at the end of the second quarter marked the first time a Gopher had accomplished the feat since Willie VanDeSteeg did it against Indiana Nov. 4 of last year.
- Ralph Spry’s second quarter touchdown reception was the first of his Gopher career and the 12th of the season for Minnesota.
- Linebacker John Shevlin’s fourth quarter fumble recovery was the second of his career the first came in the 2005 Music City Bowl vs. Virginia. It was the Gophers’ second recovery of the season.
- Shevlin also paced Minnesota with nine tackles, the second-highest total of his career.
- After notching six catches for 38 yards Saturday against the Buckeyes, senior wideout Ernie Wheelwright improved his season totals to 22 and 243. He now has 1,526 receiving yards for his career, which ranks fifth on the Gophers’ all-time leaderboard. He needs 528 yards to move into fourth place.
- Wheelwright has now collected catches in 38 of 42 career games and has 115 during his time as a Golden Gopher, passing Matt Spaeth, Jared Ellerson and Aaron Osterman for seventh place on Minnesota’s all-time leaderboard. He needs 16 catches to move past Omar Douglas for sixth.
- Wheelwright now has at least five catches in three consecutive games.
- Wheelwright’s 15-yard gain on a reverse play was just the second rushing attempt of his collegiate career. His previous rush came against Ohio State on 10/29/05 (three yards).
- Justin Kucek’s 58-yard punt in the second quarter was his second longest of 2007 (following a 61-yard boot last week vs. Purdue). Kucek now has a career average of 40.2 for his career, the fourth-highest punting average in Gopher history.
- Kucek placed three of his nine punts inside the 20-yard line of Ohio State, giving him seven such punts on the season.
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/ FootballFleck Postgame Locker Room
Thursday, November 06
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Beat Spartans
Wednesday, November 05
Coach Fleck Postgame Interview
Sunday, November 02
Highlights: Gophers 23, Michigan State 20
Saturday, November 01