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University of Minnesota Athletics
Game 7: Rutgers at Minnesota
10/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
| Rutgers (2-5) at Minnesota (4-2) | |
| Date | Saturday, Oct. 22 |
| Time | 11 a.m. Central |
| Tickets | Game Day Central |
| Location | TCF Bank Stadium (50,805 capacity) |
| Bag Policy | Stadium Bag Policy |
| Parking | Game Day Central |
| Metro Transit | Get to the Game |
| Television | ESPNU l Watch ESPN |
| Radio | 100.3 KFAN | Gopher Radio Network |
| Internet | Listen Live | I Heart Radio App |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota | Rutgers |
| Social Media | @GopherFootball | Facebook | Instagram |
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Minnesota welcomes Big Ten opponent Rutgers to TCF Bank Stadium for Homecoming on Saturday. Minnesota and Rutgers, which played its first Big Ten football game in 2014, have never met on the gridiron. Saturday's contest will be Minnesota's 96th career Homecoming game. The Gophers are 56-36-3 all-time on Homecoming and have won their last two Homecoming games (27-24 against Ohio in 2015 and 39-38 against Purdue in 2014). Rutgers will become Minnesota's 16th all-time Homecoming opponent. Minnesota's three most common Homecoming opponents have been Northwestern, Iowa and Michigan. The Gophers are 8-8-2 against Northwestern on Homecoming and have records of 10-3-0 and 6-7-0 versus Iowa and Michigan, respectively.
2. Rutgers plays at Minnesota on Saturday and fellow Big Ten newcomer Maryland (Gophers won 31-10 at Maryland last Saturday) visits the Gophers in 2017. After Maryland and Rutgers play at TCF Bank Stadium, that means the only Big Ten team to not play a game at TCF Bank Stadium will be Indiana. The Hoosiers are not slated to visit TCF Bank Stadium - which opened in 2009 - until Oct. 27, 2018. The Hoosiers were however the last team that Minnesota beat at the Metrodome before moving to TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota beat Indiana 16-7 on Oct. 4, 2008, at the Metrodome.
3. The Minnesota defense has allowed only 34 points in the first half this season and 28 of those came in non-conference action (14 vs. Oregon State and 7 against Indiana State and Colorado State). The Gophers have not allowed a touchdown in the first half of a Big Ten game this year and have allowed only six points (3 to Penn State, 3 to Iowa, 0 to Maryland) in the first half of their three conference games. Minnesota has allowed one touchdown in each of its last two Big Ten games (vs Iowa and at Maryland). The last time Minnesota allowed one touchdown in consecutive Big Ten games was 2003, when it beat Illinois 35-10 and Indiana 55-7.
4. The Gophers have had a penchant for scoring in the final minutes of the first half or of the game this year. Minnesota has scored 183 points this season and 36 (3 TDs, 3 PATs and 5 FGs) of those (19.6% of total season points) have come in the finals 91 seconds of the first half or of the game. Minnesota scored points in eight of the 12 opportunities and registered points at the end of both halves against Oregon State, Penn State and Maryland and at the end of the first half against Indiana State and Colorado State.
5. The Gophers have scored 45 points off turnovers this season while allowing only seven. They are tied for second in the Big Ten with a plus six turnover margin. Against Maryland the Gophers scored 14 points off turnovers, which included an 82-yard interception return for by Antoine Winfield Jr. His touchdown marked the fifth longest interception return in school history and was the longest since Briean Boddy-Calhoun went 89 yards for a touchdown on Aug. 29, 2013, at home against UNLV. Winfield's pick six was the second longest ever on the road for the Gophers (Gary Hohman went 99 yards at Nebraska on Oct. 4, 1969).
