University of Minnesota Athletics
Postgame Notes
9/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Sept. 16, 2017
TCF Bank Stadium
Middle Tennessee at Minnesota
TEAM / SERIES NOTES
• Today's game was the third meeting in the all-time series with Middle Tennessee State, with Minnesota now holding a 3-0-0 lead (2-1 at home). The Gophers defeated the Blue Raiders, 24-17, at MTSU in 2010 and won 35-24 at home in 2014.
• Minnesota improved to 34-24 all-time at TCF Bank Stadium, including 19-7 in non-conference games.
• The Gophers are 684-510-44 all-time since their first varsity game in 1882.
• Gameday Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 71 degrees, Wind W 7 mph
• PJ Fleck is the first Minnesota coach to start his Gophers career 3-0 since Murray Warmath opened his career with four-straight victories in 1954. Fleck improved to 23-3 over his past 26 games as a head coach, with only Alabama's Nick Saban (24-1) and Clemson's Dabo Swinney (23-2) having better marks. Fleck's fifth-year career mark is 33-22.
• PJ Fleck has won his past 16 regular season games, dating back to his tenure at Western Michigan. The last time his team lost a regular season game was a 27-19 setback at Northern Illinois on Nov. 18, 2015.
• MTSU won the coin toss and deferred. Minnesota received the kick and the Gophers defended the east end zone.
• This afternoon's temperature of 71 degrees at kickoff ties for 8th-warmest in TCF Bank Stadium history.
• Minnesota has started its season 3-0 for the second consecutive year and for the fourth time in the past six years.
• Today's attendance was 43,727. The Gophers are averaging 43,476 per game through two home games.
• MTSU's three points was the fewest allowed by Minnesota in the history of TCF Bank Stadium. The previous low had been seven points on five occasions, most recently versus Buffalo on Aug. 31.
• The last time Minnesota held an opponent to three points was during a 17-3 win at Illinois on Nov. 10, 2012.
• Minnesota has completions of 50 yards or more in all three games. Last year, the Gophers had two such completions all season.
• Minnesota had two players rush for 100+ yards for the first time since last season at Penn State on Oct. 1.
• The Minnesota defense limited MTSU to 11 first downs and 46 yards rushing. The rushing total ties as the fewest rushing yards allowed by the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. South Dakota State was held to 46 yards on Nov. 14, 2009.
• The Gophers were 4-for-4 on Red Zone possessions, with three drives resulting in TDs. For the season, Minnesota is 11-for-13 in the Red Zone, with touchdowns on nine possessions.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Rodney Smith's nine-yard run on the game's opening play pushed him past 2,000 career rushing yards. He is the 15th Minnesota player to reach that milestone.
• Smith had 16 carries for 107 yards (6.7 avg), all in the first half. It is his eighth career 100-yard rushing performance.
• Kobe McCrary rushed 23 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns. The three scores equaled his career total heading into the game. He rushed for 176 yards and two TDs versus Indiana State on Sept. 10, 2016.
• Smith (107) and McCrary (107) are the first duo to have 100-yard rushing games since Smith (104) and Shannon Brooks (104) accomplished the feat at Penn State on Oct. 1, 2016.
• Demetrius Douglas had a career-long 27-yard reception in the second quarter and finished with four catches for 43 yards.
• Nate Wozniak;s 50-yard reception in the fourth quarter was a career-long. He had two catches for 52 yards.
• Jonathan Femi-Cole gained four yards on his first career rushing attempt and finished with five carries for 16 yards.
• Jacob Huff's 67-yard interception return for a TD was the 10th-longest in program history, and was the first INT return for a score since Antoine Winfield's 82-yarder at Maryland on Oct. 15, 2016. Huff also had four solo tackles, including one TFL, and a pass breakup. The interception is his second of the season.
• Thomas Barber grabbed a deflected pass for his first career interception in the third quarter, while leading the team with a career-best nine tackles (six solo).
• Zo Craighton recorded a career-high five tackles and broke up two pass attempts.
• Emmit Carpenter connected on a 24-yard FG on the opening drive. He later connected from 47 yards, marking his fifth-straight conversion after missing his first two FG attempts this season.
• Ryan Santoso's 64-yard punt in the second quarter ties for 12th-longest in program history. He finished with five punts for a 47.0 yard average, including one downed inside the 20.
