University of Minnesota Athletics
Game 1: TCU at Minnesota
8/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
| Minnesota (0-0, 0-0) vs. #2 TCU (0-0, 0-0) | |
| Date | Thursday, September 3 |
| Time | 8 p.m. Central |
| Tickets | Game Day Central |
| Location | TCF Bank Stadium |
| Parking | Game Day Central |
| Metro Transit | Get to the Game |
| Television | ESPN / WatchESPN / ESPN Skycam |
| Radio | Kool 108 / Gopher Radio Network |
| Internet | Listen Live / I Heart Radio App |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | TCU |
| Social Media | @GopherFootball | Facebook l Instagram |
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Minnesota welcomes No. 2 TCU to TCF Bank Stadium on Sept. 3 to start the college football season. The last time the Gophers played the No. 2 team in the nation was Nov. 6, 1999. Minnesota won 24-23 at No. 2 Penn State after Dan Nystrom connected on a 32-yard field goal as time expired. Minnesota is 2-3 all-time vs teams who are ranked No. 2. In addition to winning at Penn State in 1999, the Gophers won 20-17 at No. 2 Michigan in 1986. Minnesota's defeats to the No. 2 teams in the country came in 1996 (Ohio State), 1973 (Nebraska) and 1938 (Notre Dame). The last time Minnesota beat a top-10 opponent at home was Oct. 22, 1977, when the Gophers upset No. 1 Michigan 16-0 at Memorial Stadium.
2. TCU is the highest-ranked opponent that Minnesota will face to start the season since the Associated Press began ranking teams in 1936. The last team that Minnesota faced to begin the season with a top-five ranking was No. 4 Ohio State in 1974 at Memorial Stadium (Ohio State won 34-19). The Gophers have started the season against a top-15 team seven times and are 1-5-1 in those games. Minnesota won 26-14 at No. 12 Nebraska in 1960 and tied 20-20 at No. 7 USC in 1965. The Gophers lost to No. 9 Penn State (1994), at No. 3 Ohio State (1973), at No. 8 USC (1953) and against No. 8 Washington (1951).
3. The Gophers traveled to TCU last year and the teams met at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Sept. 13, 2014. The Horned Frogs won 30-7, and the schools are now 1-1 against one another all-time, as Minnesota won the first meeting, 9-7, on Sept. 28, 1974, in Minneapolis. Last year, TCU ended the season as the second-highest scoring team in the nation at 46.5 points-per-game. The 30 points scored by TCU against Minnesota last year were the fewest points that the Frogs scored all season and 16.5 points below their average. TCU scored three touchdowns and kicked three field goals against Minnesota. The Frogs' longest touchdown drive against the Gophers was 39 yards (other drives were 18 and 27 yards), while their longest field goal drive was 51 yards (other drives were 45 and 3 yards).
4. Minnesota is the only team in college football that is scheduled to play both No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 TCU in the regular season. The last time Minnesota played No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country in the same year was 1986. Minnesota lost 63-0 at No. 1 Oklahoma on Sept. 20, but then won 20-17 at No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 15.
5. Minnesota ended last season with games against four straight ranked opponents in the AP poll (ranking at time of game) in No. 8 Ohio State (L, 31-24), No. 21 Nebraska (W, 28-24), No. 14 Wisconsin (L, 34-24) and No. 16 Missouri (L, 33-17). The Gophers begin this season against No. 2 TCU, which means that Minnesota will play five straight games - spanning two seasons - against teams ranked in the Associated Press poll. Minnesota has never played five straight ranked AP opponents since the inception of the poll in 1936. Minnesota did play three consecutive games against ranked opponents in 2002, 1999, 1990, 1983 and 1981.
Minnesota's complete game notes can be found here.