The 2007 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the first for new head coach
Tim Brewster
Tim Brewster (born October 13, 1960) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the tight ends coach for the University of Colorado. He also served as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the North Carolina ...
. They began play on September 1, 2007 at home against
Bowling Green
A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls.
Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on ...
and finished the season with a record of 1 win and 11 losses.
Preseason
On January 15, 2007 it was reported on
ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including: ...
that Tim Brewster was the choice of University of Minnesota
athletic director
An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
Joel Maturi Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to:
* Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name.
* Joel (surname), a surname
* Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...
to replace
Glen Mason
Glen Orin Mason (born April 9, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. Mason served as the head football coach at Kent State University from 1986 to 1987, the University of Kansas from 1988 to 1996, and the University of Minnesota ...
as the Gophers head coach. The following day, January 16, Minnesota associate athletic director Tom Wistrcill confirmed that Brewster was indeed the University's choice, with the contract signed in the early morning.
Brewster was officially presented as the new head coach on Wednesday, January 17 at the
McNamara Alumni Center
The McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Designed by Antoine Predock, it is one of the more architecturally striking buildings in the Twin Cities. The building, opened in 2000, con ...
on the University of Minnesota campus. At his first press conference, Brewster stated that his immediate goals for the program were to "win the Big Ten championship" and "take the Gopher Nation to Pasadena.".
Shortly thereafter, while addressing Gopher fans during a basketball game at
Williams Arena
Williams Arena is an indoor arena located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home arena for the University of Minnesota's men's and women's basketball teams. It also housed the men's hockey team until 1993, when it moved into its own building ...
, Brewster reiterated these goals, along with a vow to "Recruit, recruit, recruit."
Off-field incidents
On April 6, 2007, Gopher players Alex Daniels, Keith Massey, and E.J. Jones were arrested on suspicion of rape of an 18-year-old
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
woman at the University Village apartment complex. On April 9, 2007 they were released without being charged pending further investigation. On July 16, 2007, Dominic Jones was arrested and charged in
Hennepin County District Court with criminal sexual conduct after video of the incident was discovered. All four players involved were kicked off the team.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Bowling Green
In Tim Brewster's first game as Gopher head coach, Bowling Green flew out to a 21–0 first half lead. The Gophers finally got in gear midway through the third quarter, and proceeded to score four straight times, the final score being a 33-yard Jason Giannini field goal to give Minnesota a 24–21 lead with 2:12 remaining. Bowling Green then drove down the field and kicked a 35-yard field goal with 0:03 left in the game to tie the score at 24–24 and send the game to overtime. In the overtime session, the Gophers took the ball first and scored a touchdown, scoring on a 22-yard Amir Pinnix run, and converting the extra point to go up 31–24. Bowling Green followed that up with a touchdown of their own, but instead of trying to tie the game with an extra point, the Falcons went for two. They converted it on a Marques Parks reception to win the game, 32–31.
Miami (Ohio)
Tim Brewster got his first win as a college head coach in a 41–35, three overtime victory. After the Gophers pulled out to a 28–12 lead midway through the 4th quarter, Miami started a furious comeback, tying the game on a 36-yard Trevor Cook field goal with 11 seconds left in regulation. In the first overtime both teams traded touchdowns. In the second overtime both teams missed potentially game winning field goals. In the third overtime, Gopher cornerback Jamal Harris intercepted a Daniel Raudabaugh pass in the endzone. The Gophers then took the ball and scored the game-winning touchdown on an Amir Pinnix 2-yard touchdown run. Going back to
Insight Bowl
The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989.
Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 through 2001, then ...
last season, it was the third consecutive overtime game for the Gophers.
Florida Atlantic
The Golden Gophers took their first regular season trip to Florida. Their only previous game in Florida was in the 2000
MicronPC.com Bowl
The Pop-Tarts Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at Camping World Stadium. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Citrus Bowl and the Florida Classic ...
. A back and forth first quarter left the score tied at 14. FAU then scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, giving a 35–14 margin at the half. A field goal and touchdown from the Gophers in the third quarter brought the Gophers eleven points away from tying the score. The Owls scored the deciding touchdown with under 12 minutes left in the game. Minnesota scored two more touchdowns, but the lead eventually proved insurmountable. The Gophers turned over the ball seven times (four interceptions and three fumbles).
Purdue
Purdue scored early and often against the Golden Gophers. On the first play of the game, Purdue scored a special teams touchdown when
Dorien Bryant returned the opening kickoff the distance. Later in the first quarter Purdue scored an offensive touchdown on a
Curtis Painter
Curtis Jeffrey Painter (born June 24, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
High school caree ...
pass, and on the first play of the second quarter the Boilermakers scored a defensive touchdown on an interception return off an
Adam Weber
Adam Weber (born August 3, 1987) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Minnesota, where he finished his career as the Gophers' all-time lea ...
pass. Four first half turnovers made the Gophers comeback attempts difficult. Right before the half, Gophers cornerback Jamal Harris returned a blocked field goal and dropped the ball at about the 15 yard-line. Minnesota finally got in gear in the second half, scoring 28 points, but the Gopher defense could not stop Purdue, as the Boilermakers tacked on three more touchdowns to win the game 45–31.
Ohio State
The Golden Gophers entered their second Big 10 game of the season against the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes with nothing to lose. In an attempt to gain an element of surprise, the Gophers warmed up on the field in their standard maroon home jerseys, but switched to new gold jerseys before taking the field for the game (alternatively described by the media as "mustard" or "garish"). Although Minnesota played better than it had previously in the season, the outmanned team fell victim to numerous mistakes that cost the Gophers several opportunities. With the construction of the new TCF Bank Stadium scheduled to be finished by the 2009 season, the Buckeyes are assured of never losing in the Metrodome, finishing with an 11–0 record since the Gophers moved to the Dome in 1982.
[Campbell, Dave (September 29, 2007]
(8) Ohio St. 30, Minnesota 7
Associated Press.
Indiana
Minnesota entered their first Big Ten road game of the season looking for their first conference victory. The Gophers gathered 392 yards of offense in a losing effort. Gophers quarterback Adam Weber passed for 280 yards, but also had two interceptions. Indiana connected on four field goal tries, ranging from 25 to 47 yards in length. Two of Minnesota's drives into Indiana territory were turned over on downs. Six of Minnesota's 12 drives started at or behind their own 20-yard line.
Northwestern
The Gophers continued Big 10 play by visiting the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Before a crowd of 23,314, the Gophers took a 21-point lead in the 2nd half, ahead 35–14 with 6 minutes, 18 seconds left in the third quarter. However, the Wildcats were able to tie the game by taking advantage of two interceptions and making the tying score with a 4-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal with 8 seconds remaining. Going into the second overtime, Tim Brewster, who turned 47 that day, elected to for a two-point conversion and the win, but the conversion failed and Northwestern pulled out the victory.
The decision to gamble and go for two-points and the win instead of one-point and the next overtime period drew criticism for Brewster; as Northwestern defense appeared unable to stop the Minnesota offense.
The Gophers finished with 580 total yards while Northwestern had 589; they combined for 169 plays. Gopher quarterback Adam Weber finished with 25 of 38 passes for 341 yards and five touchdowns, with two interceptions, while also rushing for 89 yards and one touchdown on 13 carries; his total yards and 5 TD passes were the second most in school history. Receiver Ernie Wheelwright had a career best seven catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns. Jay Thomas rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries.
North Dakota State
The North Dakota State Bison of the
Football Championship Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...
(formerly Division I-AA), led by head coach
Craig Bohl
Craig Philip Bohl (born July 27, 1958) is an American college football coach and former player, currently the head football coach at the University of Wyoming. He was previously the head coach at North Dakota State University in Fargo from 2003 ...
, visited the Gophers for the second year in a row after nearly upsetting them in a 10–9 decision the previous season.
NDSU entered the game ranked No. 1 in I-AA (but ineligible for the playoffs due to its transition period from
Division II) and undefeated at 5–0, including a 44–14 win over FBS (D-IA)
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...
.
[FCS Coaches Poll (I-AA): Week 7]
Yahoo! Sports. The Bison were previously 0-6 all-time against the Gophers. Coach Tim Brewster stated in the week before the game that he did not see the recruiting value in the Gophers playing the match-up, and referred to the Bison as "the little guys in green."
The Bison defeated the Gophers 27–21 in front of 63,088, the most people to attend a Gopher game to that point in the season.
The Gophers were dominated in every facet of the game, by a team with 22 fewer scholarship players and none with scholarship offers by Minnesota. The game was considered a low point for the program as a whole.
NDSU rushed for 394 yards and totaled 585 yards with an edge in time of possession of nearly 14 minutes. Bison running back Tyler Roehl had a school-record 263 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. The defeat put the Gophers at 1–7 and official out of contention for a bowl game bid.
The victory extended NDSU's winning streak to 11-games, then the longest in all of
Division I football.
Approximately 30,000 of those in attendance were NDSU fans.
In addition, the North Dakota State received $300,000 from the University of Minnesota for appearing in the game.
Michigan
In the battle for the
Little Brown Jug, the Gophers held Michigan scoreless in the first quarter while building a 10–0 lead twelve seconds into the second quarter after a 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown by senior safety
Dominique Barber. That would be the last time the Gophers would score however, and Michigan responded by reeling off 34 unanswered points to win the game 34–10.
Ryan Mallett
Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...
had 233 yards passing for Michigan. 162 of those yards went to
Mario Manningham
Mario Cashmere Manningham (born May 25, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After receiving few opportunities in his rookie year, Manningham caught 1 ...
, who also hauled in a touchdown pass. The Wolverine running back duo of Carlos Brown and
Brandon Minor combined for 289 yards on the ground. Duane Bennett had 106 yards rushing for the Gophers while Adam Weber was limited to just 99 yards through the air. Minnesota was just 2 of 13 in converting third down opportunities.
Illinois
Illinois found success on offense early and often in defeating Minnesota in their
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
game, 44–10. The Illini led 14–0 after the first quarter, and expanded their lead to 34–10 at halftime. The Illini rolled up 655 yards of total offense, which included a season high 448 yards rushing.
Rashard Mendenhall
Rashard Jamal Mendenhall (born June 19, 1987) is a former American football running back and current television writer who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at Illinois and was drafted by th ...
led the Illini attack with 201 yards on the ground, with quarterback
Juice Williams
Isiah John "Juice" Williams (born November 19, 1987) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Illinois. After his senior year of high school in 2005, Williams was considered a top recruit for the quarterback po ...
adding 133 yards. Ernie Wheelwright led the Gopher attack with 9 catches for 133 yards and one touchdown.
Iowa
The Hawkeyes won a defensive battle, claiming the
Floyd of Rosedale
Floyd may refer to:
As a name
* Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
Places in the United States
* Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Floyd, Iow ...
and dropping Minnesota to 0–7 in the Big Ten. Albert Young rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Hawkeyes, while Jake Christensen threw a TD pass to Brandon Myers for the other score. Eric Decker caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Adam Weber with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter to make the game close, but the two-point conversion failed and Iowa ran out the clock for the victory.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers won the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe in a game featuring a lot of offense. Minnesota led the game 13–10 at halftime, but after the break Wisconsin outscored Minnesota 31–21 to win the game by 7. Freshman David Gilreath had two punt returns for 106 yards to spark Wisconsin. Running back Zach Brown led the Badger attack on the ground, rushing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Led by Adam Weber's 352 yards passing and 87 yards rushing, Minnesota rolled up 501 ones yards in total offense in defeat. The loss completed Minnesota's first winless Big Ten campaign since 1983.
Awards and honors
All-Big Ten
* Dominique Barber – 2nd Team All-Big Ten (Coaches & Media)
* Justin Kucek – 2nd Team All-Big Ten (Media)
Team awards
Bronko Nagurski
Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL), renowned for his strength and size. Nagurski was also a successful professional w ...
Award (Team Most Valuable Player)
* Dominique Barber
Bruce Smith
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...
Award (Outstanding Offensive Player)
*
Eric Decker
Eric Thomas Decker (born March 15, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football and college baseball at the University of Minnesota, and was dra ...
Carl Eller
Carl Eller (born January 25, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1979. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and played college football ...
Award (Outstanding Defensive Player)
* Dominique Barber
Bobby Bell
Bobby Lee Bell Sr. (born June 17, 1940) is an American former professional football player who played as an outside linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the College Football ...
Award (Outstanding Special Teams Player)
* Justin Kucek
* Nathan Triplett
Butch Nash Award (Competitive on the field and in the classroom)
* John Shevlin (Defense)
* Steve Shidell (Offense)
Paul Giel
Paul Robert Giel (February 29, 1932 – May 22, 2002) was an American college football and professional baseball player from Winona, Minnesota. He was an All-American in both sports at the University of Minnesota.
Collegiate career
Giel att ...
Award (Unselfishness and most concern about the U of M)
* Todd Meisel (Defense)
* Tony Brinkhaus (Offense)
Neil Fredenburg Award (Courage and Love of the Game)
* Mike Sherels (Defense)
* Justin Valentine (Offense)
Outstanding First Year Player
* Kyle Theret (Defense)
* Adam Weber (Offense)
Outstanding Scout Team Players
* Kyle Moore (Offense)
* Andre Tate’ (Defense)
Coaches Award for Career Achievement
* Ernie Wheelwright
Tony Dungy Character and Community Service Award
* Amir Pinnix, Sr.
References
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Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
Minnesota Golden Gophers football seasons
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its ince ...