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University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Travels to Michigan State Saturday
11/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota Game Notes - at Michigan State
GOPHERS PLAY SPARTANS IN EAST LANSING SATURDAY
The University of Minnesota football team will look to snap its eight-game losing streak Saturday, when the Gophers visit Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
Minnesota plays at Michigan State, which enters the game ranked No. 15 and No. 16 in the two major college football polls. Michigan State lost its first game of the season last week, falling to Iowa 37-6.
Michigan State leads the series with the Gophers by a 25-17 count. However, the Golden Gophers have won the last three meetings. Minnesota defeated the Spartans 42-34 on Halloween night last season. The Gophers also won in 2005 and 2006.
The Big Ten Network will air the game. Tom Hart, Anthony Herron and Lisa Byington will call the action. This week’s game will also air on Sirius/XM satellite radio (127/195).
QUICK HITTERS
> Minnesota is 17-25 in its history vs. Michigan State, but has won its last three vs. the Spartans.
> Minnesota is in its 127th season of college football in 2010. Only three other schools -- Rutgers (141), Michigan (131) and Navy (130) will have played more at the end of this season.
> Wide receiver Da’Jon McKnight has hauled in nine touchdown passes in nine games this season. He is just two away from tying the Gophers’ single-season record.
> Despite a school record time of possession of 45:34 in the season -opener, the Gophers have slipped to No. 5 in the Big Ten in average possession time after ranking No. 1 through the first six weeks.
> Quarterback Adam Weber became just the fifth Big Ten signal-caller to pass for 10,000 career yards two weeks ago.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME
A total of 19 Golden Gophers have made the first starts of their college football career this season. Fourteen of those student-athletes who have made their initial appearance in the starting lineup this season are on the defensive side of the ball.
WORLD WIDE WEB-ER
Adam Weber became just the fifth quarterback in the history of the Big Ten to pass for more than 10,000 career yards two weeks ago. Weber joined Iowa’s Chuck Long (10,461), Northwestern’s Brett Basanez (10,580), Purdue’s Curtis Painter (11,163) and Purdue’s Drew Brees (11.792) in that exclusive club. He could pass Long to move into No. 4 all-time this week.
ESKRIDGE EXPRESS
Before Minnesota’s game with Northwestern, junior running back DeLeon Eskridge hadn’t rushed for 100 yards or more in nearly two years. Now, he’s done it twice this season. Eskridge ripped off 119 yards vs. the Wildcats for his third career 100-yard game. He then went for 111 vs. Penn State. Eskridge now has a total of four 100-yard games to his credit.
COOP COMING ON
Sophomore linebacker Keanon Cooper matched a career-best and recorded a season-high with 10 total tackles vs. Ohio State last week. Cooper had six solo stops and four assists vs. the Buckeyes. He has now moved into the No. 3 spot on the team, with a total of 51 tackles. Cooper has also added three tackles-for-loss and a pass break-up.
COLLADO=COOL CUSTOMER
Senior defensive back Ryan Collado -- a native of Cincinnati, Ohio -- turned in one of the best games of his Gopher career against his home-state rivals of Ohio State. Collado recorded a game-high 11 tackles last week, which also matched a season- and career-best mark. He also grabbed his third career interception -- and his second this season -- against the Buckeyes.
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