Minnesota Gophers: Fast fun facts for the season opener against #2 TCU
We were partying like it was 1999 the last time the Minnesota Golden Gophers were playing the number two team in the nation. The real party was the fact that the Gophers defeat #2 Penn State on November 6, 1999 by a score of 24-23. The Gophers will try to find that success against a dynamite looking TCU Horned Frogs squad.
The Gophers haven’t exactly fared well in matchups against the top 10. The last time the U of M beat a top 10 school at home was the last home field on campus, Memorial Stadium. The last instance of that was October 22, 1977 defeating #1 Michigan 16-0.
Another fun fact from the upcoming season is that the Gophers are the only team that are scheduled to take on the #1 and #2 teams in the nation. The good news is that that was back in 1986 and the Gophers beat the #2 team in the nation, again Michigan, 20-17. The bad news is that the Gophers got their rodent behind handed to them against #1 Oklahoma, 63-0, but TCU is #2 so let’s think positively.
Minnesota and TCU are familiar with each other after a matchup last season. The Gophers lost 30-7, but that was the lowest point total that the Horned Frogs tallied all season long. TCU averaged 46.5 points a game last season and should have another dynamic offensive system in 2015.
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Thursday’s meeting between the two schools will be the third in history. TCU won last year, but the Gophers won the first matchup. That first matchup was on September 28, 1974 and Minnesota won a barnburner, 9-7.
With TCU being ranked at #2, Minnesota continues to break their record of games against ranked opponents. The Gophers finished last season playing four ranked teams and TCU will make the fifth. The Gophers had never before played more than three consecutive ranked games which happened five times. The Gophers have won only one game in this streak of ranked games and that was against #21 Nebraska last season.
This will be the beginning of the fifth season at Minnesota for head coach Jerry Kill and he looks to have his best squad yet. Quarterback Mitch Leidner is in his third season in the Gophers’ system which paired with a kick-butt defensive secondary results in some great intrigue surrounding the squad.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. from TCF Bank Stadium from the campus of the University of Minnesota in beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can watch the game on ESPN with Dave Pasch and Brian Griese with the call. You can hear the game on KOOL 108 with the great Mike Grimm and Darrell Thompson on the call.
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