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University of Minnesota Athletics
Weber Ties Career TDs Mark in Tough Loss
9/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Saturday's 41-38 loss to the University of South Dakota at TCF Bank Stadium was not the result the Gophers were looking for, especially with perennial power USC coming toThe Bank next weekend. But if there was a bright spot in the defeat, it was the passing of quarterback Adam Weber.
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound senior from Shoreview, Minn., had his eighth career game with three touchdown passes, giving him 55 for his career to tie with former Gophers Bryan Cupito (2003-06) and Asad Abdul-Khaliq (2000-03) for the most in a Minnesota uniform.
For the day, Weber completed 21-of-31 passes for 258 yards and no interceptions. In the second half, he was 14-for-19 with two of his three touchdown passes.
"This one hurts," Weber said. "Being a senior, when you picture your last season, you want to go out at home this season and we didn't live up to our expectations. This one hurts and we'll dwell on this one tonight, but starting tomorrow it's on to USC."
Weber ranks first all-time at Minnesota for career passing yards (8,646), career pass completions (735) and is now tied for the lead in passing TDs. He needs just 1,354 more passing yards to become just the fifth signal-caller in the history of the Big Ten Conference to throw for more than 10,000 yards.
On Saturday against the Coyotes, Weber spread his 21 completions around to six different targets, with sophomore MarQueis Gray grabbing a game-high nine passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Junior wideout Da'Jon McKnight added four catches for 55 yards and a TD. Junior Troy Stoudermire had three catches for 69 yards, including a 49-yard scoring catch in the opening half.
All of the passing the Gophers did today was probably not in the original game plan, though, as Minnesota fell behind 28-10 early in the second half and was forced to air it out during its comeback attempt. The Gophers were coming off of a 24-17 win at Middle Tennessee in which they rushed for 281 yards and controlled the ball for an amazing 45:34. Saturday's time of possession was much more balanced, as the Gophers had the ball for 31:17.
But when Minnesota needed to throw the ball during its second-half rally, Weber was efficient, which will make it more difficult for Southern California to prepare for the Gophers. The Trojans will know that the Gophers can run the ball, with Duane Bennett averaging 145.5 yards over his first two games this season. But USC will also have to be wary of Minnesota's ability to throw the ball, with one of the Big Ten's top career passers looking to continue his climb up the career passing charts.
"I can guarantee we're not going to go in there (against USC) scared," Weber said. "It's a home game, and another opportunity to go out in front of our fans and play football. Anytime you go into something and you're timid or scared, you've already lost the game. We're going to go in there 110 percent and give them the best we've got."
-Assistant Athletic Communications Director Michael Molde
