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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Chew Up Clock, Ground Out Yards
9/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster and co-offensive coordinator Jeff Horton have promised smash-mouth, clock-chewing, pound-the-rock offensive football ever since this past spring. The Gophers set the tone for the game –and perhaps the season -- on the first play of the game. Junior running back Duane Bennett burst into the Middle Tennessee secondary for a 32-yard gain.
One play into the 2010 season and the Gophers already eclipsed the longest run by any Gopher in 2009. Bennett finished the game with 187 yards rushing, part of a 281-yard performance on the ground for Minnesota. Bennett’s total was the highest since Amir Pinnix went for 206 in the 2006 Insight Bowl. It was the most team rushing yards in three years.
Thursday night’s ground assault was all about the offensive line, according to Bennett.
“They were huge,” Bennett said of his teammates up front. “I think the biggest thing for us was opening up and setting the tempo on the first play. After that, we really rallied around each other, trusted each other. We really stuck to game plan that Coach Horton had for us. It was a testament to what we’ve been doing all camp. The O line showed up today and everybody else did their job.”
As for the offensive line, senior tackle Jeff Wills was more than happy with the way the game played out. The big guys up front always love coming off the ball and run-blocking and they got to do it 67 times Thursday night.
“I thought we’d get 50 (running plays,” Wills said. “But that’s even better. Forty-five minutes of total possession, 280-some yards rushing, that’s all we really care about. We wanted to put this team on our back like we said we were going to.”
The defense certainly appreciated all the time that the offense was on the field, as well.
“That was incredible,” junior defensive tackle Brandon Kirksey said. “With (MTSU’s) hurry-up offense, it felt like we were out there a while. I can only imagine if we’d have been out there a little bit longer, we probably would have been half-dead. Congratulations to the offense. I really appreciate what they did, holding the ball so long.”
Despite picking up his second career 100-yard rushing game and turning in the best single-game rushing performance in the Brewster era, Bennett didn’t even want to talk about his personal statistics. He was just happy being 1-0.
“It’s a great accomplishment, but it’s all about the team,” Bennett said. “I’m glad we came out with the victory.”
In addition to all the yards, Bennett toted the pigskin 30 times. That was also the most for a Gopher runner since Pinnix’s Insight Bowl performance, when he rushed the ball 34 times.
“At the end of the game, I had a lot of adrenaline going,” Bennett said. “Initially, at the end of the game, I thought we could maybe go another round. It’s starting to hit me now. Ice and treatment is the main thing. So, we’re just going to go back to Minneapolis and make sure we get the body back right.”
-By Andy Seeley, Associate Athletic Communications Director
