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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Host Northern Illinois In 2008 Opener
8/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
GOLDEN GOPHERS HOST HUSKIES IN SEASON-OPENER
The Minnesota Golden Gophers lift the lid on the 2008 college football season Saturday night, hosting the Northern Illinois Huskies in the Metrodome at 6:03 p.m. (CDT). The game kicks off the 125th season of intercollegiate football at Minnesota.
This will be the third straight season that Minnesota has opened play against a team from the Mid-Amerian Conference (MAC). Two years ago, the Gophers opened at Kent State (W 44-0), while beginning last season by hosting Bowling Green (L 32-31 OT). It is the second consecutive Gopher opener to be played at home, after opening 2005 and 2006 on the road. Minnesota has won eight of its last 10 season-openers.
The Big Ten Network will televise the game. Wayne Larrivee will call the play-by-play with Chris Martin as the analyst in the booth. Ron Johnson will report from the sidelines.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster will open his second season at the helm of the Gopher program with a healthy mix of returners and newcomers. Minnesota returns 36 letterwinners from last season, including 16 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists).
Sophomore quarterback Adam Weber returns after taking nearly every snap last season and setting numerous school records. He set new Minnesota single-season records for passing yardage (2,895 yards), TDs passing (24), completions (258) and attempts (449). In addition to his record-setting arm, Weber hurt the opposition with his legs in 2007. He was the team’s leading runner, rushing for 617 yards and five scores. Junior wide receiver Eric Decker was on the receiving end of 67 of Weber’s completions, also setting a new Minnesota record. In the backfield, sophomore running back Duane Bennett will be the starter after starting seven games and rushing for 442 yards in 2007.
Defensively, the Gophers are expecting a boost in the secondary from junior college transfers Tramaine Brock and Traye Simmons. Up front, Willie VanDeSteeg, Eric Small and Garrett Brown all have starting experience. VanDeSteeg was a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore in 2006. The linebacking corp will include returning starters Deon Hightower and Steve Davis. Hightower was No. 2 on the team with 70 stops in 2007.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois visits the Metrodome Saturday with a brand-new head coach. Jerry Kill takes over the Huskie program after spending seven years at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Last season, Kill led SIU-E to the FCS (formerly I-AA) semifinals and a 12-2 mark.
Northern Illinois was 2-10 last season, picking up victories over Idaho and Kent State. The Huskies return an experienced squad, with 20 starters (9 offense, 9 defense, 2 specialists) coming back from last year.
NIU has had nine straight 1,000-yard rushers. Justin Anderson, who went for 1,245 yards last season returns to the Huskie backfield. QB Dan Nicholson is back after completing more than 60 percent of his passes in 2007. Linebacker Alex Kube led NIU with 111 tackles as a freshman last season. Defensive end Larry English returns as well, after posting 10.5 sacks in 2007.
QUICK HITTERS
> Minnesota is 86-32-6 all-time in season-openers for a winning percentage of .718.
> This is the fourth time in the last five years that Minnesota will open the season with an opponent from the MAC.
> The Gophers 2008 recruiting class was ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation and was a consensus Top 25 class. Numerous members of that class are on the depth chart.
> Minnesota lost six games by 7 points or less last season. No team in the country lost more games by a touchdown or less.
> The Golden Gophers have outscored their last five season-opening opponents by an average score of 45.6-14.6.
THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS SERIES
Saturday’s game will be just the second gridiron meeting between the University of Minnesota and Northern Illinois University. The Golden Gophers won that contest, taking a 31-20 decision back on Sept. 24, 1988.
That meeting was the third game of the season and was the third of three consecutive home games to open the 1988 campaign.
LAST TIME VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The University of Minnesota football team trailed Northern Illinois 20-17 heading into the fourth quarter of its matchup on Sept. 24, 1988. But the Golden Gophers stormed back with 14 fourth-quarter points to rally for a 31-20 victory over the Huskies.
With just less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Minnesota quarterback Scott Schaffner found wide receiver Chris Gaiters for a 13-yard scoring strike to give the Gophers their first lead of the second half. The Minnesota defense held the Huskies to four yards, forcing a three-and-out on NIU’s next possession.
Schaffner and running back Darrell Thompson ran all but 48 seconds off the fourth-quarter clock on Minnesota’s ensuing possession. The Gophers ran the ball on 11 of 12 plays in the drive, which was capped by a two-yard dive by Schaffner for the game-clinching score.
Schaffner was 7-of-10 through the air for 72 yards and two TDs. Thompson rushed for 102 yards on 25 carries. Gaiters had a 79-yard punt return for a score to go along with his receiving TD. Mac Stephens led the Gopher defense with 16 stops in the contest.
LAST TIME OUT
(Nov. 17, 2007) -- Gopher freshman Adam Weber set season passing records for the second straight week, but the Badgers kept Paul Bunyan’s Axe with a 41-34 victory over Minnesota at the Metrodome. Weber finished with 352 yards passing, giving him 2,895 for the season and putting him atop the Gopher single-season passing list. Weber also threw for three touchdowns, giving him a school-record 24 on the season.
Wisconsin held an early 3-0 lead, but the Gophers scored 13 unanswered points to go on top 13-3. Weber hooked up with Eric Decker for a 22-yard TD pass on the first play of the second quarter to go along with two Joel Monroe field goals. The Badgers pulled within three late in the first half on a Tyler Donovan TD run.
A Wisconsin TD and field goal put the Badgers up 20-13 in the third quarter. But Minnesota tied things up on a Duane Bennett 2-yard burst to paydirt late in the quarter. Wisconsin scored on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter to take a 34-20 lead. Minnesota sandwiched a pair of Weber TD passes around another Badger score and the Gophers trailed by seven, 41-34, with less than five minutes remaining. Minnesota got the ball back at its own 8-yard line with 1:25 remaining, but an interception on the second play of the possession secured the axe for the Badgers.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Saturday’s matchup with Northern Illinois marks the third straight Golden Gopher season-opener against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Minnesota opened the 2006 season with a 44-0 win over Kent State and dropped last year’s lid-lifter to Bowling Green, 32-31 in overtime.
The 2008 season marks the second straight year that the Gophers will play two MAC opponents. Minnesota played Miami (Ohio) along with Bowling Green last year. This season, the Gophers will face off with Bowling Green, this time on the road and in the second game of the season.
Minnesota has a long history with the MAC, dating back to 1969. In the Gophers’ previous matchups with MAC opponents, Minnesota has compiled an impressive 24-3-1 record, for an .893 winning percentage.
While the Gophers have a long history of playing MAC opponents, there currently is not a Mid-American Conference foe on Minnesota’s future schedules until a contest with Miami (Ohio) in 2011.
125 YEARS OF GOPHER FOOTBALL
There’s little doubt that the University of Minnesota is one of the most historically significant programs in all of college football. The Golden Gophers are celebrating their 125th season of college football in 2008. The Golden Gophers enter the 2008 campaign with an all-time record of 627-450-44 (.579 winning percentage).
Minnesota has played the fourth-most seasons in the history of college football. Only Rutgers (138), Michigan (128) and Navy (127) have played more. In fact, by the end of 2008, only nine schools in the nation will have completed at least 120 seasons of college football. Only four schools -- including Minnesota -- will have played 125 years of intercollegiate football by the end of this season.
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