2009 minnesota game notes - at syracuse

SCHEDULE/RESULTSSEPTEMBER5 at Syracuse (ESPN2) 12:02 p.m. ET12 Air Force (BTN) 6 p.m. CT19 California (ESPN2) 11 a.m. CT26 at Northwestern* TBA

OCTOBER3 Wisconsin* TBA10 Purdue [HC]* 11 a.m.17 at Penn State* (ABC) 3:30 p.m. ET24 at Ohio State* Noon ET31 Michigan State* (BTN) 7 p.m. CT

NOVEMBER7 Illinois* TBA14 South Dakota State TBA21 at Iowa* TBA

All times local to site* - Big Ten Conference Game[HC] - Homecoming

GOPHER COACHESTIM BREWSTER (SL) Head CoachJEDD FISCH (SL) Offensive CoordinatorKEVIN COSGROVE (SL) Co-Defensive CoordinatorRONNIE LEE (SL) Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive BacksJOHN BUTLER (SL) Special Teams Coordinator/LinebackersTIM CROSS (SL) Associate Head Coach/Defensive LineTIM DAVIS (SL) Running Game Coordinator/Offensive LineTHOMAS HAMMOCK (SL) Running BacksRICHARD HIGHTOWER (SL) Wide ReceiversDEREK LEWIS (PB) Tight Ends

Gameday Locations: SL - Sideline; PB - Press Box

WEEK 1 SCHEDULEMONDAY, AUGUST 319-10 a.m. ............................... Brewster available for out of town media TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 111:15 a.m. ................................................................... Media LuncheonNoon .......................................................Tim Brewster Press Conference12:30-12:45 p.m. ............................ Press Conference Player interviews12:40 p.m....................................Big Ten Teleconference (Tim Brewster)3:45-6:15 p.m. ............................Practice (players available following)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23:45-6:15 p.m. .................Practice (Coach, Players available following)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 33:45-6:15 p.m. ............................................... Practice (no availability)7 p.m.................................Tim Brewster Show (Joe Senser’s - Roseville)

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4............................................................................Travel (no availability)

www.GOPHERSPORTS.com

MINNESOTA at SYRACUSEDate: Saturday, Sept. 5Time: 12:02 p.m. (ET)Site: Syracuse, N.Y.Stadium: Carrier DomeSurface: FieldTurfCapacity: 49,262Series: Tied 1-1Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 1996Minnesota 35, Syracuse 33Minneapolis, Minn.

MINNESOTAGOLDEN GOPHERS0-0

SYRACUSEORANGE0-0

BROADCAST INFORMATIONRadioTelevision Internet

ESPN2Pam Ward - Play-by-playRay Bentley - Analyst

Gopher Sports NetworkDave Lee - Play-by-playDave Mona - ColorDarrell Thompson - Analyst

Satellite RadioXM Radio - Channel 197 or 198

www.GopherSports.comGold Zone Audio

TicketsTicket Office: Mariucci ArenaPhone: 1-800-UGOPHERWeb: www.gophersports.com

GOPHERS HEAD EAST FOR SEASON-OPENER WITH ORANGE

The Minnesota Golden Gophers lift the lid on the 2009 college football season Saturday, traveling to face the Syracuse Orange in Syracuse, N.Y. at the Carrier Dome. Kickoff is set for 12:02 p.m. (EDT).

The game kicks off the 126th season of intercollegiate football at Minnesota.

This will be the first time Minnesota has opened on the road since 2006, when the Gophers traveled to Kent, Ohio and rolled to a 44-0 win over Kent State. The Gophers have only opened on the road three times in the last 10 seasons and are 2-1 in those matchups. Minnesota has won 12 of its last 14 season-opening contests.

ESPN2 will televise the game. Pam Ward will call the play-by-play with Ray Bentley as the analyst in the booth.

MINNESOTA FOOTBALL NOTES • GAME 1 MINNESOTA at SYRACUSE

www.GOPHERSPORTS.comPG. 2

MEDIA SERVICESMinnesota Athletic Communications516 15th Avenue S.E., Suite 244Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612.626.0299

Fax: 612.625.0359

Andy Seeley, Associate Director/Primary Football Contact e-mail: [email protected] mobile: 612.269.2706Garry Bowman, Director e-mail: [email protected]

ON THE INTERNETMinnesota’s athletics website, www.gophersports.com, provides the latest information on the Golden Gophers. All releases, game notes, results, statistics, box scores, schedules, rosters and coach and player information is available. Recaps and statistics are updated after each game.

WEEKLY RELEASEThe Minnesota Athletic Communications Office e-mails its weekly football release on Mondays. Fax versions of the update are sent by request only. The release is also available on the Internet at www.gophersports.com in both text and PDF formats. If you are interested in receiving the weekly release via e-mail, please contact Associate Athletic Communications Director Andy Seeley at [email protected] to be placed on the distribution list.

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIESSundayHead coach Tim Brewster will conduct a media briefing each Sunday in the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex from 12-12:30 p.m.

TuesdayHead coach Tim Brewster hosts a regularly scheduled news conference on Tuesday of each week. Media luncheons and news conferences will be held in the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex, beginning at 11:15 a.m. with lunch. Brewster will address the media beginning at 12 p.m. (Noon), with requested players available at 12:40 p.m. To request players for the weekly news conference, media should contact Andy Seeley with requests by noon each preceding Monday at 612.626.0299 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Practice schedules can change on a weekly basis. Please contact Andy Seeley for practice times. Gopher practices will take place on Rod Wallace Field. Tuesday practices are open to the media for the first 30 minutes. Requested players will be made available to the media following Tuesday practices.

WednesdayPractice schedules can change on a weekly basis. Please contact Andy Seeley for practice times. Gopher practices will take place on Rod Wallace Field. Wednesday practices are open to the media for the first 30 minutes. Coach Brewster and requested players will be made available to the media following Wednesday practices.

ThursdayNo media availability.

FridayCoach Brewster and requested players are available for network television pregame production packages only.

SCOUTING MINNESOTAMinnesota head coach Tim Brewster will open his third season at the helm of the Gopher program with a solid core of returning starters and experienced players. Minnesota returns 53 letterwinners from last season, including 18 starters (10 offense, 8 defense). In fact, the Gophers have more returning starters than any team in the Big Ten.

Junior quarterback Adam Weber returns after taking nearly every snap for the last two seasons. Weber holds numerous school records and is on pace for even more. He set the Minnesota single-season re-cords for passing yardage (2,895), TDs passing (24), completions (258) and attempts (449) in 2007. He is just 26 completions away from the career record. Senior wide receiver Eric Decker set a new Minnesota record for receptions for the second consecutive season, grabbing 84 in 2008. Decker was a Biletnikoff Award finalist and an All-Big Ten selection in 2008. In the backfield, sophomore running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge return.

Defensively, the Gophers were opportunistic last season, ranking No. 11 in the nation in turnovers, creating 31. Up front, Eric Small and Garrett Brown will anchor the middle of the line. The linebacking corps will include returning starters Lee Campbell and Simoni Lawrence. The secondary will return three starters -- CBs Marcus Sherels and Traye Simmons and safety Kyle Theret.

SCOUTING SYRACUSEIronically, in the season when Minnesota goes back to outdoor football, the Gophers will open 2009 in a dome. The Gophers visit Syracuse and new coach Doug Marrone at the Carrier Dome to open the season.

Marrone is a first-time head coach. The Syracuse prod-uct came back to his alma mater after serving as the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

The Orange was 3-9 last season, posting wins over Northeastern, Louisville and Notre Dame.

Syracuse has named former Duke University basketball player Greg Paulus as its starting QB. Paulus will have a go-to target in WR Mike Williams, who sat out 2008, but had 60 receptions as a sophomore in 2007. The Orange will be led defensively by DT Arthur Jones, who recorded 13 tackles for loss last season. Syracuse’s punter, Rob Long, ranked No. 14 in the NCAA with an average punt of 43.9 yards in 2008.

Sept. 5 Minnesota 12:02 p.m.Sept. 12 at Penn State NoonSept. 19 Northwestern TBASept. 26 Maine TBAOct. 3 South Florida* NoonOct. 10 West Virginia* TBAOct. 24 Akron TBAOct. 31 Cincinnati* TBANov. 7 at Pittsburgh* TBANov. 14 at Louisville* NoonNov. 21 Rutgers* TBANov. 26 at Connecticut* Noon

ORANGE SCHEDULE

TALE OF THE TAPE (2008 Stats, Rankings)

MINNESOTA (0-0/0-0 Big Ten)Team Statistics UM OPPPoints/Game 23.3 24.7First Downs 214 253Rushing/Game 103.9 143.3Passing/Game 219.1 240.3Total Off./Gm 322.9 383.6Time of Poss. 30:00 30:00

Returning Individual LeadersRushing Att Net Avg TD YPGEskridge 184 678 3.7 7 52.2Weber 127 233 1.8 4 17.9

Passing C-A-I TD YPGWeber 255-410-8 15 212.4

Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD YPGDecker 84 1074 12.8 7 89.5Simmons 36 331 9.2 2 25.5

Defense U-A-TT TFL FRCampbell 50-30-80 5.5 3Theret 59-19-78 2.5 2

SYRACUSE (0-0/0-0 BIG EAST)Team Statistics SU OPPPoints/Game 18.1 32.7First Downs 164 270Rushing/Game 148.7 189.4Passing/Game 121.5 225.1Total Off./Gm 270.2 414.5Time of Poss. 27:15 32:45

Returning Individual LeadersRushing Att Net Avg TD YPGBrinkley 237 1164 4.9 7 97.0Hogue 35 232 6.6 2 21.1

Passing C-A-I TD YPGDantley 121-251-5 11 118.0

Receiving Rec Yds Avg TD YPGDavis 29 312 10.8 2 26.0Owen 19 175 9.2 2 14.6

Defense U-A-TT TFL INTFlaherty 44-37-81 4.0 1Smith 36-37-73 5.0 1

NCAA TEAM RANKINGSCategory UM SURush Off. 104 (103.9) 55 (148.7)Pass Off. 55 (219.1) 113 (121.5)Pass Eff. 50 (127.9) 113 (94.9)Tot. Off. 91 (322.92) 114 (270.2)Scor. Off. 83 (23.23) 108 (18.1)Rush Def. 68 (143.3) 101 (189.4)Pass Def. 93 (240.3) 83 (255.1)Pass Eff. D 78 (131.7) 101 (141.1)Tot. Def. 80 (383.6) 101 (414.5)Scor. Def. 61 (24.8) 101 (32.7)Net Punt 38 (36.3) 22 (37.4)Punt Ret. 46 (9.9) 114 (4.5)KO Ret. 15 (24.0) 42 (22.0)TO Marg. 16 (+0.92) 67 (-0.08)Sacks T24 (2.54) 100 (1.33)Sacks All. 90 (2.31) 98 (4.67)Tack/Loss 25 (6.69) 98 (2.42)

MINNESOTA FOOTBALL NOTES • GAME 1


MINNESOTA at SYRACUSE

PG. 3

GOLDEN GOPHER HEAD COACH TIM BREWSTERIn two short years as the head football coach at the University of Minnesota, Tim Brewster has taken some big steps toward getting Golden Gopher program back to its rightful place in the world of college football.

Brewster has used his positive outlook and boundless energy to bring in two highly-regarded recruiting classes.

On the field, the Gophers returned to postseason play in 2008 and were ranked as high as No. 17 in the nation for part of the season.

In 2008, Brewster’s squad raced out to a 7-1 record to open the sea-son. The Gophers were ranked No. 17 in the BCS at the end of October. Minnesota took part in the 2008 Insight Bowl, as Brewster led the Gophers to one of the biggest single-season turnarounds of the year.

A renewed emphasis on recruiting may be the most visible phase of Brewster’s plan to help Minnesota football make history again.That was proven out in February of each of the past two seasons. Brewster and his staff signed a consensus top-25 recruiting class that some experts even rated among the nation’s top 15 in 2008. The significance of this accomplishment would be difficult to overstate at one the nation’s traditional recruiting powers let alone Minnesota, where the average Rivals ranking for the Gophers’ previous six recruit-ing classes was 54th. Brewster and his staff followed that up with a 2009 class that ranked in the top third of the nation.

But recruiting is just one building block of a blueprint Brewster devel-oped while helping Mack Brown turn North Carolina from ACC doormat into a national power and rebuild Texas into one of the country’s elite programs.

Brewster came to Minnesota after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach in the National Football League, including the 2005 and 2006 seasons as the tight ends coach of the Denver Broncos. In addition to his productivity as a college recruiter, Brewster has also built a strong reputation for developing players during his 23-year coaching career.

Last season, wide receiver Eric Decker and defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg both earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. Decker set a Minnesota record for receptions in a season for the second consecutive year and became just the third Gopher wideout to record a 1,000-yard receiving season. VanDeSteeg finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in tackles for loss and finished No. 4 all-time in sacks.

It marked the first time the Gophers had multiple first-team All-Big Ten selections since 2005. VanDeSteeg’s honor was also the first time a Minnesota defender had been voted to the first team since 2004.In his first season at Minnesota, Brewster mentored then-freshman quarterback Adam Weber, who broke nearly all of the Gophers’ single-season passing and total offense records during the 2007 season. Weber continued to improve in his sophomore campaign and was a 2008 second-team All-Big Ten selection.

In all, Minnesota had six athletes earn all-conference accolades in 2008, the most since the Gophers had a half-dozen on the 2005 All-Big Ten squad.

In 2007, Brewster helped coach safety Dominique Barber to second-team All-Big Ten accolades and personally worked with punter Justin Kucek, expanding his repertoire with the effective and efficient flop punt and helping him evolve into one of the conferences top punters.

Brewster was named Minnesota’s 26th head football coach on Jan. 17, 2007 after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant coach in the National Football League.

QUICK HITTERS

THE SYRACUSE SERIES

LAST TIME VS. SYRACUSE

LAST TIME OUT

u Minnesota is 87-32-6 all-time in season-openers for a winning percentage of .720.u Minnesota is opening the season with an opponent from a Bowl Championship Series conference for the first time since 1994, when the Gophers opened with Penn State.u Minnesota’s six-game turnaround in 2008 was the best in program history.u The Gophers went undefeated (4-0) in non-conference play in 2008. It was the first time Minnesota won all its regular-season non-conference games since 2005, when the Gophers went 3-0.u The Golden Gophers have outscored their last five season-opening opponents by an average score of 43.2-16.7.u Minnesota ranked No. 16 in turnover margin last season, creating 31 and losing just 18.

Saturday’s game will be just the third gridiron meeting between the University of Minnesota and Syra-cuse University. The series is tied, with the home team winning both games of the series. Syracuse won the first meeting 27-17 on Sept. 23, 1995.

Minnesota’s 35-33 victory vs. the Orange on Sept. 21, 1996 was highlighted by then-freshman Tyrone Carter returning two fumbles for touchdowns in a span of 56 seconds.

Freshman Tyrone Carter burst onto the national scene in just the third game of his career. In front of a national television audience on ESPN2, Carter scored on a pair of fumble recoveries just 56 seconds apart to help lead the Gophers to a 35-33 upset win over No. 23 Syracuse.

Syracuse jumped out to an early 12-0 lead, but the Gophers pulled back within one score just before halftime. Tutu Atwell hauled in a 50-yard scoring strike from Cory Sauter to make it 12-7 at the break.

In the middle of the third quarter, Carter’s two fumble returns put Minnesota on top 22-12. Thomas Hamner added a three-yard TD plunge and the Gophers led 29-12. But Syracuse answered with three straight TDs to grab a 33-29 advantage. Gopher placekicker Adam Bailey pulled his team back within one, 33-32 with just more than five minutes left. With 42 seconds remaining, Bailey gave the Gophers the lead for good, hitting a 26-yard field goal.

Hamner rushed for 98 yards and a score, whle Sauter passed for 193 yards and a TD. Syracuse was led by running back Malcolm Thomas with 168 yards and two TDs, while Donovan McNabb threw three INTs.

(Dec. 31, 2008) -- Minnesota held an early 14-7 lead and was tied with Kansas 14-14 after one quarter at the Insight Bowl. But the Jayhawks’ Dezmon Briscoe caught a game-record 14 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, and Todd Reesing threw for four scores in Kansas’ 42-21 victory.

After Minnesota took its 14-7 lead, Kansas scored 28 unanswered points to grab control of the contest. Reesing completed 27 of 35 passes, hitting on a school-record 14 straight passes in the first half. He threw for 313 yards and improved to 20-6 as a starter. He was intercepted once.

Kerry Meier caught one touchdown pass and threw another for the Jayhawks. Eric Decker caught eight passes for 149 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Gophers. Both marks are bowl game records for Minnesota.

Minnesota found itself down by a touchdown after 11 seconds. On the game’s first snap, Reesing rolled away from pressure and found Briscoe down the left sideline for a 60-yard score. The Golden Gophers responded quickly to the early deficit. On their first offensive snap, receiver David Pittman hit Decker for a 75-yard pass to the KU 12, and three plays later Jon Hoese bulled over from a yard out to tie it at 7. Nine minutes later, he scored again, on a 2-yard run, to give Minnesota a 14-7 lead.



USA TODAYTOP 25 - PRESEASONTeam (1st-Place Votes) Record Points 1. Florida (53) 0-0 1466 2. Texas (4) 0-0 1386 3. Oklahoma (1) 0-0 1358 4. USC (1) 0-0 1321 5. Alabama 0-0 1134 6. Ohio State 0-0 1126 7. Virginia Tech 0-0 1020 8. Penn State 0-0 988 9. LSU 0-0 917 10. Mississippi 0-0 889 11. Oklahoma State 0-0 861 12. California 0-0 711 13. Georgia 0-0 707 14. Oregon 0-0 694 15. Georgia Tech 0-0 559 16. Boise State 0-0 542 17. TCU 0-0 461 18. Utah 0-0 404 19. Florida State 0-0 371 20. North Carolina 0-0 293 21. Iowa 0-0 257 22. Nebraska 0-0 236 23. Notre Dame 0-0 194 24. BYU 0-0 178 25. Oregon State 0-0 165

Others Receiving Votes:Kansas 138, Michigan State 136, Texas Tech 114, Cincinnati 90, Pittsburgh 64, West Virginia 55, Rutgers 51, Miami (FL) 46, Missouri 44, Illinois 38, Clemson 30, South Carolina 18, UCLA 14, Auburn 12, South Florida 11, Nevada 11, Kentucky 9, North Carolina State 7, Wisconsin 6, Arkansas 6, Northwestern 5, Southern Miss 4, Wake For-est 4, Arizona 3, Boston College 3, Central Michigan 3, East Carolina 3, Colorado 2, Maryland 2, Navy 2, Tennessee 2, Troy 1, Minnesota 1, Michigan 1, Houston 1.

ASSOCIATED PRESSTOP 25 - PRESEASONTeam (1st-Place Votes) Record Points 1. Florida (58) 0-0 1498 2. Texas (2) 0-0 1424 3. Oklahoma 0-0 1370 4. USC 0-0 1313 5. Alabama 0-0 1156 6. Ohio State 0-0 1113 7. Virginia Tech 0-0 1054 8. Mississippi 0-0 1047 9. Oklahoma State 0-0 989 9. Penn State 0-0 989 11. LSU 0-0 914 12. California 0-0 746 13. Georgia 0-0 714 14. Boise State 0-0 659 15. Georgia Tech 0-0 593 16. Oregon 0-0 587 17. TCU 0-0 521 18. Florida State 0-0 307 19. Utah 0-0 289 20. BYU 0-0 267 21. North Carolina 0-0 261 22. Iowa 0-0 229 23. Notre Dame 0-0 225 24. Nebraska 0-0 207 25. Kansas 0-0 134

Others Receiving Votes:Oregon State 122, Illinois 105, Pittsburgh 103, Michigan State 100, Rutgers 83, Texas Tech 76, West Virginia 57, Cincinnati 44, Clemson 42, Miami (FL) 40, East Carolina 30, Tennessee 15, Arizona 13, North Carolina State 10, Boston College 9, Central Michigan 7, Auburn 7, UCLA 7, Northwestern 5, South Florida 3, Southern Miss 3, Vanderbilt 3, Missouri 3, South Carolina 2, Nevada 1, Arkansas 1, Houston 1, Troy 1, Tulsa 1.

EASTERN EXPOSURE

’CUSE CONNECTIONS

Saturday’s matchup with Syracuse marks the first time since 1942 that the Golden Gophers opened a season with an opponent that is a current member of the Big East Conference. Of course, the Big East was founded in 1979.

Minnesota opened that 1942 campaign against Pittsburgh, which is the only other current Big East member (along with Syracuse) the Gophers have ever faced. Minnesota won that contest 50-7 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.

Minnesota is 13-10-3 all-time against current members of the Big East, including the 24 previous meet-ings with Pittsburgh and a pair with Syracuse. The Gophers are scheduled to play the Orange once again in 2012, with that game slated for Sept. 22 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota is 11-16 overall in the Eastern Time Zone over the past 10 years. In non-conference play (including bowl games), the Gophers have ventured to the Eastern Time Zone just six times in the past 10 years, compiling a 3-3 record.

The Gophers regularly play Big Ten opponents Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue, which reside in the Eastern Time Zone.

vs. Cincinnati 0-0-0vs. Connecticut 0-0-0vs. Louisville 0-0-0vs. Pittsburgh 12-9-3vs. Rutgers 0-0-0vs. Syracuse 1-1-0vs. South Florida 0-0-0vs. West Virginia 0-0-0

GOPHERS vs. BIG EAST

Minnesota associate head coach/defensive line coach Tim Cross coached at Syracuse in 2005 and 2006. Cross was the defensive line coach with the Orange for those two seasons.

Cross helped the Orange lead the Big East and finished seventh in the nation in turnover margin in 2006. His front line helped Syracuse average 2.8 sacks per game, which ranked among the top 20 in the nation.

Cross mentored 2006 Big East sack leader Jameel McClain, who is on the roster of the Baltimore Ravens, along with another Cross product -- Minnesota’s Willie VanDeSteeg. In addition to McClain, Cross also coached James Wyche and Ryan LaCasse during his time at Syracuse. Both Wyche and LaCasse were selected in the NFL Draft.

Syracuse University is located in Syracuse, N.Y. The Gophers have one member of their squad who hails from the State of New York. Junior offensive lineman Jeff Wills lists his hometown as Laurelton, N.Y.

Despite the fact that Wills is the only Gopher from the State of New York, one other Minnesota student-athlete actually lives closer to Syracuse. Simoni Lawrence hails from Upper Darby, Pa. For Wills to drive from Laurelton to Syracuse, he would have to travel 270 miles. Lawrence’s hometown is just 253 miles from Syracuse.

126 YEARS AND COUNTING ...There’s little doubt that the University of Minnesota is one of the most historically significant programs in all of college football. The Golden Gophers are in their 126th season of collegiate football in 2009. The Golden Gophers enter the 2009 campaign with an all-time record of 634-456-44 (.578 winning percent-age).

Minnesota has played the fourth-most seasons in the history of college football. Only Rutgers (139), Michigan (129) and Navy (128) have played more. In fact, by the end of 2009, only 21 schools in the nation will have completed at least 120 seasons of college football. Only four schools -- including Min-nesota -- will have played 125 years of intercollegiate football by the end of this season.




PG. 5

2009 BIG TEN FOOTBALL2009 BIG TEN STANDINGSTeam Big Ten OverallIllinois 0-0 0-0Indiana 0-0 0-0Iowa 0-0 0-0Michigan 0-0 0-0Michigan State 0-0 0-0Minnesota 0-0 0-0Northwestern 0-0 0-0Ohio State 0-0 0-0Penn State 0-0 0-0Purdue 0-0 0-0Wisconsin 0-0 0-0

UPCOMING BIG TEN SCHEDULEThursday, September 3Eastern Kentucky at Indiana, 7 p.m. (BTN)

Saturday, September 5Northern Iowa at Iowa, 11 a.m. (BTN)Montana State at Michigan State, 11 a.m. (BTN)Minnesota at Syracuse, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)Towson at Northwestern, 11 a.m. (BTN)Navy at Ohio State, 11 a.m. (ESPN)Akron at Penn State, 11 a.m. (BTN)Western Michigan at Michigan, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)Northern Illinois at Wisconsin, 6 p.m. (BTN)

Saturday, September 12Western Michigan at Indiana, 11 a.m. (BTN)Iowa at Iowa State, 11 a.m. (FSN)Central Michigan at Michigan State, 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)Eastern Michigan at Northwestern, 11 a.m. (BTN)Syracuse at Penn State, 11 a.m. (BTN)Fresno State at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)Notre Dame at Michigan, 2:30 p.m. (ABC)Illinois State at Illinois, 6 p.m. (BTN)Air Force at Minnesota, 6 p.m. (BTN)Southern Cal at Ohio State, 7 p.m. (ESPN)Purdue at Oregon, 9:15 p.m. (FSN)

BIG TEN COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT INFORMATIONScott Chipman - primary contactAssistant Commissioner for [email protected]: 847.696.1010 ext. 141Cell: 630.936.6005

LaTonya Sadler - secondary contactAssociate Director of [email protected]: 847.696.1010 ext. 143Cell: 434.770.2004

Website: www.bigten.org

WEEKLY BIG TEN TELECONFERENCEThe weekly Big Ten coaches teleconference call will take place every Tuesday throughout the season beginning at 11 a.m. CST. Each coach will be available for 10 minutes to preview their upcoming game. Coach Brewster is scheduled from 12:40 to 12:50 p.m. Media should contact the Big Ten at (847) 696-1010 for call-in information.

All times are Central.

AYE, CAPTAIN!

PASSING FANCY

BAKING TURNOVERS

The Golden Gophers elected six captains prior to the 2009 season. Seniors Garrett Brown, Lee Campbell, Eric Decker, Simoni Lawrence and Eric Small join junior Adam Weber with that distinction this season.

Weber was the first sophomore ever to serve as a team captain at the University of Minnesota last season and is now a two-time captain. Decker is also a two-time team captain.

The Gophers have only had 13 players ever earn the distinction of captain twice in their career. Weber would be the first-ever three-year Gopher captain should he be voted as such next season.

The Minnesota football team had two of its most productive seasons passing the football in school history over the last two seasons. The 2007 Gophers set team single-season records for pass comple-tions and passing touchdowns. The 2007 team also had the No. 2 single-season passing yardage mark, throwing for 2,949 yards. Minnesota passed for 2,848 yards last season, which ranks No. 5 on the single-season list. The Gophers completed a school-record 262 passes in 2007 and 258 in 2008, the No. and No. 3 marks in school history, respectively.

One of the biggest factors in Minnesota’s impressive turnaround last season was the Gophers’ ability to cause turnovers. The Gophers created 31 turnovers last season (16 fumble recoveries, 15 interceptions) to rank No. 11 in the nation. Only Iowa created more turnovers in the Big Ten, ranking No. 10 in the na-tion with 32.

The Gophers also ranked No. 16 in the nation in turnover margin (+0.92 avg.). The Minnesota offense had a big hand in that, taking care of the ball with nearly the same amount of success has the Gopher ‘D’ had taking it away. The Gophers turned it over just 19 times in 2008 (11 fumbles lost, eight intercep-tions).

THE EARLY RETURNSThe return game was a definite strength for the Gophers in 2008. Minnesota was the No. 2 team in the Big Ten and ranked No. 15 in the nation in average kickoff return yards. The Gophers averaged 24.04 yards per kickoff return last season. The longest kickoff return last season was turned in by Troy Stoud-ermire, who went 60 yards at the Insight Bowl vs. Kansas.

The Gophers improved drastically returning punts in 2008. In 2007, Minnesota ranked 10th in the Big Ten and 112th nationally with an average of 5.1 yards per return. The Gophers nearly doubled their aver-age in 2008, averaging 9.94 yards per return. Minnesota improved its national ranking in punt returns to No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 46 in the nation.

BEHIND ENEMY LINESThe Minnesota defense struggled mightily in 2007, ranking 119th of 119 teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense. The Gophers allowed nearly 519 yards per game that season.

The Gophers rebounded in 2008. Last season, Minnesota ranked No. 80 in total defense and improved their average allowed per game nearly 150 yards. The Gophers allowed just 383.6 yards per game last season.

While turnovers played a big factor in that turnaround, another factor was Minnesota’s ability to pen-etrate the line of scrimmage. The Gophers ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging 6.69 per game in 2008.



GOPHERS’ RECORD... WEBER GRILLS UP RECORDS

QUARTERBACK NOTEBOOK

BENNETT BACK IN THE BACKFIELD

RUNNING BACK NOTEBOOK

STACKING THE DECK

u In his first two seasons, junior quarterback Adam Weber has re-written or is about to re-write virtu-ally all of Minnesota’s passing and total offense records. Weber set single-season and freshman records for passing yards (2,985), completions (258), attempts (449), touchdown passes (24) and total offensive yardage (3,512) in 2007. He also tied the Minnesota record for fastest to 2,000 yards passing, doing so in eight games. Weber needs less than 1,800 yards to break the career mark for passing yardage, less than 90 passes thrown to set a new career record for attempts, just 27 completions for the career record in that category and just 17 touchdowns to break the career touchdown pass record.

u Adam Weber is the only quarterback on the Minnesota roster who has ever taken a collegiate snap.u Weber threw 19 interceptions in his first season as a starter in 2007. He significantly improved that total in 2008, throwing just eight picks. Weber only had one game with multiple interceptions in 2008 (2 vs. Iowa), compared with six such contests in 2007.u Freshman MarQueis Gray will be Minnesota’s No. 2 quarterback. Gray was with the Gophers for a portion of preseason camp in 2008, but was unable to enroll in 2008. u Gray is a true freshman. He was rated as the No. 3 dual-threat QB in the nation coming out of India-napolis Ben Davis High School. u Two other signal-callers are listed on Minnesota’s roster -- freshmen Moses Alipate and Adam Lueck. u Alipate is a true freshman and was the No. 16 pro-style quarterback in the 2008 recruiting class.u Lueck is a red-shirt freshman walk-on.

u Sophomore running back Duane Bennett (pronounced Doo-ON) started seven games for Minnesota as a freshman. He started the first two games of 2008, before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Ben-nett enters the 2009 campaign expecting to share carries with DeLeon Eskridge. Bennett averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 70.0 yards per game in less than two full games last season. He scored two rushing touchdowns and had a receiving score before suffering a torn ACL.

u Sophomore DeLeon Eskridge was the workhorse of the Gopher backfield in 2008, after Bennett’s knee injury. Eskridge led the team with 678 yards rushing and seven TDs. He averaged 3.7 yards per carry and 52.2 yards per game.u Eskridge rushed for more than 100 yards twice in 2008, including a season-high 124 yards in Min-nesota’s 27-20 win at Illinois. He also had three multiple-touchdown contests.u Sophomore Shady Salamon saw a good deal of action in 2008 as well. He played in 12 of 13 games last season, rushing for 181 yards (3.7 yards per carry).u Senior Jay Thomas has overcome two ACL reconstructions in his career. He had just seven carries last season, but was an important special teams contributor, returning nine kickoffs.u Red-shirt freshman Kevin Whaley is also expected to contribute in 2009. He rushed for 63 yards (averaging 5.3 yards per carry) and one TD in the 2009 Minnesota Spring Game.

u Senior wide receiver Eric Decker was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver in 2008. For the second consecutive season, Decker set a new Minnesota single-season record for receptions. He hauled in 67 passes in 2007 and smashed that record with 84 receptions last season. Decker became just the fourth Gopher receiver ever to compile a 1,000-yard season in 2008, finishing with 1,074 yards to rank No. 2 on the school single-season chart. Decker missed spring football in 2008 and 2009, while playing baseball for the Gophers. He batted .319 with 13 doubles, three triples and four home runs in just his second season of collegiate baseball. Decker was an all-tournament selection at the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament and was drafted in the 27th round of the MLB Entry Draft.

Overall 0-0Big Ten 0-0Non-conference 0-0Home 0-0Away 0-0Neutral 0-0Current overall streak Lost 5Current home streak Lost 3Current road streak Lost 1Current neutral site streak Lost 2Current bowl streak Lost 2Last win 17-6, at Purdue (10/25/08)Last loss 42-21, vs. Kansas (12/31/08 - Insight Bowl)Day game 0-0Night game 0-0TV game 0-0 ABC 0-0 ESPN 0-0 ESPN2 0-0 Big Ten Network 0-0August 0-0September 0-0October 0-0November 0-0December 0-0January 0-0vs. Top-25 teams 0-0vs. non-ranked teams 0-0vs. 1-AA 0-0On artificial turf 0-0On natural grass 0-0Indoors 0-0Outdoors 0-0Scoring first 0-0Opponent scores first 0-0Leading after 1st quarter 0-0Behind after 1st quarter 0-0Tied after 1st quarter 0-0Leading at halftime 0-0Behind at halftime 0-0Tied at halftime 0-0Leading after 3rd quarter 0-0Behind after 3rd quarter 0-0Tied after 3rd quarter 0-0Overtime 0-0Scoring 0-14 points 0-0Scoring 15-28 points 0-0Scoring 28+ points 0-0Allowing 0-14 points 0-0Allowing 15-28 points 0-0Allowing 28+ points 0-0With 100-yd rusher 0-0Allow 100-yard rusher 0-0With 300-yd passer 0-0Allow 300-yard passer 0-0Outgain opponent 0-0Total offense 300+ yards 0-0Allow 300+ yards total offense 0-0Total offense 400+ yards 0-0Allow 400+ yards total offense 0-0No turnovers 0-0Less than three turnovers 0-0Three or more turnovers 0-0No takeaways 0-0Three or more takeaways 0-0Commit fewer turnovers 0-0Equal turnovers 0-0Commit more turnovers 0-0Control time of possession 0-0Opponent controls time of possession 0-0Games decided between 1-10 points 0-0Games decided between 11-20 points 0-0Games decided by more than 20 points 0-0




PG. 7

RECEIVER NOTEBOOK

SIZE MATTERS

OFFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK

BROWN BAGS ’EM

DEFENSIVE LINE NOTEBOOK

u Eric Decker was a consensus All-Big Ten selection and an honorable mention All-America selection by SI.com in 2008. He was chosen as a 2009 Preseason All-American by ESPN’s Ivan Maisel.u Decker caught nearly one-third (32.6 percent) of Minnesota’s completed passes in 2008. His 1,074 yards receiving accounted for 37.7 percent of the team’s receiving yardage.u Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Green caught 21 passes and scored one touchdown in 11 games of action in 2008. His 71-yard catch at Purdue was the longest of the regular season for the Gophers.u Senior tight end Nick Tow-Arnett will be the squad’s top tight end. Tow-Arnett caught 10 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown in 2008, backing up Jack Simmons, who is now with the New York Jets.u Senior wide receiver Ben Kuznia is the second-leading returning receiver from 2008. He grabbed 31 receptions for 310 yards in 2008. Sixteen of Kuznia’s 31 receptions last season went for first downs.u Sophomore wide receiver Da’Jon McKnight caught three passes, including one for a TD, in 2008.u Junior wide receiver Hayo Carpenter is expected to add to Minnesota’s receiver corps this season. Carpenter was rated as the top junior-college player in the country last season by Scout.com. He was rated as the No. 13 juco player in the country by Rivals.com.u Carpenter had 93 receptions for 1,675 yards and 16 TDs last season at College of the Canyons.

u Of the 10 offensive linemen expected to be listed on the Gophers’ two-deep and expected to see action in 2009, seven are 6-foot 3-inches or taller and five top the 300-pound mark. The average height and weight of the top 10 Minnesota offensive linemen is 6-4, 308 pounds. Senior tackle Matt Stommes and junior tackle Jeff Wills are both 6-7. Wills is the heaviest Gopher, tipping the scales at 365 pounds.

u Minnesota returns a combined 44 starts among all its offensive linemen from 2008. That number would jump to 57 if Ryan Wynn was included. Wynn’s status for 2009 has yet to be determined after back surgery he underwent on August 24. The Gophers lost only Jason Meinke’s eight starts from last year. u Guard D.J. Burris’ nine starts in 2008 was most among UM linemen.u Senior center Jeff Tow-Arnett returns after seeing action in nine games and starting eight last sea-son. Tow-Arnett compted on a torn ACL in six of his starts and seven of his games played last year.u Two projected offensive line starters for Minnesota have never played a game for the Gophers. Juco transfer Jeff Wills, a 6-7, 365-pounder starred at Lackawanna College in 2008. Notre Dame transfer Matt Carufel practiced with Minnesota, but sat out due to NCAA transfer rules, in 2008.u Senior left tackle Matt Stommes made the first start of his career at the Insight Bowl last year. Stom-mes came to Minnesota as a defensive lineman, but transitioned to the offensive side in 2008.

u Senior defensive tackle Garrett Brown could be the anchor of the Gophers’ defensive line. Brown started all 13 games last season and ranked No. 2 in tackles among Minnesota defensive linemen last season. Brown racked up 34 stops in 2008, including 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He also showed a nose for the ball, recovering a team-high three fumbles and forcing one.

u Senior DT Eric Small is anything but. Small was listed at 280 pounds in 2007. He’s up to 306 this season. Small forced one and recovered two fumbles to go along with his 25 total tackles in 2008.u With defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg and his 10.5 sacks and 19.0 tackles for loss gone to the NFL, the Gophers need someone to step up on the edge. Senior Cedric McKinley showed flashes of being the guy late in 2008. He recorded one sack Oct. 25 at Purdue and a pair vs. Kansas at the Insight Bowl. u Senior defensive end Barrett Moen came to Minnesota as a walk-on offensive lineman. But he worked his way into the rotation on the defensive line in 2008 and is slated to start in 2009.u Others in the mix for time in the defensive line rotation include senior sophomore DTs Brandon Kirk-sey and Jewhan Edwards. DE Anthony Jacobs will most likely see action as well.

CLIMBING THE CHARTSThe following is a look at selected statistical categories where current Gophers have the opportunity to climb the career leader chart over the course of the season:

CAREER PASSING YARDAGE1. Bryan Cupito, 2003-06 7,4462. Cory Sauter, 1994-97 6,8343. Asad Abdul-Khaliq, 2000-03 6,6604. Adam Weber, 2007- 5,6565. Marquel Fleetwood, 1989-92 5,2796. Rickey Foggie, 1984-87 5,1627. Mike Hohensee, 1981-82 4,7928. Tim Schade, 1993-94 3,9869. Tony Dungy, 1973-76 3,51510. Billy Cockerham, 1996-99 3,483

CAREER PASS COMPLETIONS1. Cory Sauter, 1994-97 5392. Adam Weber, 2007- 513 Bryan Cupito, 2003-06 5134. Asad Abdul-Khaliq, 2000-03 4815. Marquel Fleetwood, 1989-92 4656. Mike Hohensee, 1981-82 3927. Tim Schade, 1993-94 3228. Rickey Foggie, 1984-87 3119. Scott Schaffner, 1987-91 27810. Tony Dungy, 1973-76 274

CAREER PASSING TOUCHDOWNS1. Bryan Cupito (2003-06) 55 Asad Abdul-Khaliq (2000-03) 553. Cory Sauter (1994-97) 404. Adam Weber (2007-present) 395. Rickey Foggie (1984-87) 346. Mike Hohensee (1981-82) 337. Billy Cockerham (1996-99) 298. Tony Dungy (1973-76) 259. Tim Schade, 1993-94 22 Scott Schaffner, 1987-91 22

CAREER RECEIVING YARDAGE1. Ron Johnson, 1998-2001 2,9892. Tutu Atwell, 1994-97 2,6403. Ernie Wheelwright, 2004-07 2,4344. Eric Decker, 2006- 2,3615. Ryan Thelwell, 1994-96 2,2326. Jared Ellerson, 2002-2005 2,0547. Luke Leverson, 1996-99 1,8438. Omar Douglas, 1990-93 1,6819. Dwayne McMullen, 1981-84 1,62710. Aaron Osterman, 1990-94 1,598

CAREER TOUCDOWN RECEPTIONS1. Ron Johnson, 1998-2001 312. Ernie Wheelwright, 2004-07 263. Eric Decker, 2006- 19 Tutu Atwell, 1994-97 175. Jared Ellerson, 2002-2005 15 Ben Utecht, 2000-03 15 Dwayne McMullen, 1981-84 158. Ryan Thelwell, 1994-96 14 Omar Douglas, 1990-93 1410. Elmer Bailey, 1977-79 12 Matt Spaeth, 2003-2006 12



MARCUS MAKES HIS MARK

SECONDARY NOTEBOOK

CONSISTENT COLEMAN

SPECIALIST NOTEBOOK

GOPHER RADIO NETWORKThe Gopher Sports Network distributes its digital quality audio stream via satellite to 44 affiliates across the state of Minnesota. WCCO (830 AM) in the Twin Cities will serve as the flagship station for its 86th season in 2009.

Dave Lee will return behind the mic for his ninth season calling the Gophers’ play-by-play. Dave Mona is back as the network’s color com-mentator, with Darrell Thompson, the all-time leading rusher in school history, returning to the booth this season as the broadcast’s analyst. Mike Grimm will handle the studio duties including the pre- and post-game shows.

Golden Gopher Radio Network Affiliates:Market Station Freq.Alexandria KULO-FM 94.3Aitkin KKIN-FM 94.3Albert Lea KATE-AM 1450Austin KAUS-AM 1480Austin KAUS-FM 99.9Bemidji KBUN-AM 1450Benson KSCR-FM 93.5Brainerd KBLB-FM 93.3Crookston KROX-AM 1260Detroit Lakes KDLM-AM 1340Duluth WGEE-AM 970Ely WELY-FM 94.5Fairmont KSUM-AM 1370Fargo/Moorhead, ND KQWB-AM 1660Glenwood KMGK-FM 107.1Grand Rapids KOZY-AM 1320Hutchinson KARP-FM 106.9Little Falls KLTF-AM 960Marshall KMHL-AM 1400Minneapolis/St. Paul KBEM-FM 88.5Minneapolis/St. Paul WCCO-AM 830 (HD)Minneapolis/St. Paul WLTE-FM-HD2 102.9-2 (HD)Montevideo KDMA-AM 1460New Prague KRDS-FM 95.5Owatonna/Mankato KOWZ-FM 100.9Owatonna/Waseca KOWZ-AM 1170Park Rapids KPRM-AM 870Pipestone KLOH-AM 1050Red Wing KCUE-AM 1250Redwood Falls KLGR-AM 1490Rochester KROC-AM 1340Roseau KCAJ-FM 102.1Roseau KRWB-AM 1410St. Cloud KXSS-AM 1390Thief River Falls KTRF-AM 1230Wadena KVKK-AM 1070Walker KAKK-AM 1570Windom KDOM-AM 1580Windom KDOM-FM 94.3Winona KWNO-AM 1230Worthington KWOA-AM 730Yankton, SD KYNT-AM 1450

LEE-DING THE WAY

LINEBACKER NOTEBOOK

u Senior linebacker Lee Campbell led the team in tackling in 2008, recording 80 tackles. He tallied 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks last year. He also tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries with three. Campbell was a high school linebacker, moved to defensive end early in his Gopher career. He moved back to middle linebacker during 2008 preseason camp.

u Senior strongside linebacker Simoni Lawrence got his hands on the ball twice last season and took it to the house both times. He tallied a 50-yard interception return for a score against Florida Atlantic and brought a fumble back nine yards to paydirt at Illinois. u Lawrence was No. 2 on the team in tackles for loss in 2008. He made 10.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage last season. He also broke up two passes and forced a fumble.u Senior linebacker Nate Triplett is projected to start on the weak side. He played in 13 games last season, including one start, recording 31 total stops. u Triplett is also one of Minnesota’s special teams aces. He has won the Bobby Bell Award as the team’s top special teams player each of the last two seasons.u Red-shirt freshman Keanon Cooper and freshman Spencer Reeves are slated to see action in 2008. u After missing last season following open-heart surgery, freshman Sam Maresh is 100 percent healthy and working his way back into football shape.

u Senior cornerback Marcus Sherels was one of the most pleasant surprises of preseason camp in 2008. A former wide receiver and former walk-on, he moved to the secondary and was awarded a schol-arship prior to last season. Sherels showed he belonged in the secondary and had earned that scholar-ship, ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 25th in the nation with 13 passes defended (2 INT, 11 PBU).

u Opposing offenses will have to pick their poison with the Gopher cornerbacks. In addition to Sherels, opposing QBs will see senior Traye Simmons on the other side. Simmons was a 2nd-team All-Big Ten se-lection in 2008, ranking No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation in passes defended (4 INT, 14 PBU). u Junior safety Kyle Theret has started 18 consecutive games, dating back to the middle of his true freshman season. Theret ranked No. 2 on the team in total tackles in 2008, racking up 78 stops.u Theret also ranked No. 2 on the team with three INTs and No. 3 on the squad with eight pass PBUs. u Junior safety Kim Royston will finally be able to contribute to the Gophers’ secondary in 2009. Royston transferred from Wisconsin in 2008, had to walk-on was unable to compete due to Big Ten transfer rules.u Junior CBs Ryan Collado and freshman Michael Carter are both in the mix for playing time. Sopho-mores Tim Dandridge and Mike Rallis both saw action last season at safety and on special teams.

u Junior long snapper Ryan Coleman is the only specialist returning to the Gophers with experience in a collegiate contest. Coleman took over the long-snapping duties in 2008. He made 128 snaps, with just one bad snap, which came on a field-goal attempt. Coleman delivered 76 punt snaps, 16 field goal snaps and 36 PAT snaps.

u Junior Eric Ellestad is in line to take over the placekicking duties for Minnesota in 2009. Ellestad has never participated in a collegiate contest. He earned All-America honors as a senior in high school. Ellestad averaged 62.7 yards per kickoff and had a 47-yard field goal to his credit in his senior season. u Freshman Dan Orseske and senior Blake Haudan battled for the punting duties through preseason camp. Orseske, who has routinely hit punts of 60 and 70 yards in practice, has been named the starter.Dave Mona, Dave Lee, Darrell Thompson, Mike Grimm


www.GOPHERSPORTS.com PG. 9


TCF BANK STADIUM FACTS• TCF Bank Stadium was designed as an open-air, horseshoe-shaped bowl with a collegiate look and feel. The stadium is oriented to take advantage of the views of downtown Minneapolis.

• The brick façade and arches resemble that of Minnesota’s previous on-campus football venue, Memorial Stadium, which hosted its final game on Nov. 21, 1981.

• The University exceeded its initial fund-raising goal of $86 million.

• Construction began on TCF Bank Stadium on July 11, 2007. It took over 1.3 million work hours to complete the project by July , 2009.

• The main high definition video measures approximately 48 feet high by 108 feet wide and boasts Daktronics HD-16 technology.

• The main high definition video board is the third largest in all of college athletics in terms of square footage. Only Texas and Mississippi State have larger boards.

• The main video board screen is made up of more than four million LED lights that if placed end to end would extend for 47.5 miles.

• At the project’s peak, 750 construction workers were working on TCF Bank Stadium.

• The site of TCF Bank Stadium covers 1,194,645 SF or approximately 27.4 acres.

• The playing surface is FieldTurf and covers 92,132 SF or approxi-mately 2.1 acres.

• The home locker room at TCF Bank Stadium is 60 yards long by 25 yards wide. It contains 120 cherry wood lockers and is the largest in both professional and college football.

• The design of TCF Bank Stadium allows for expansion to 80,000.

• There are approximately 25,000 seats with permanent chairbacks. All seats between the goal lines have permanent chairbacks.• TCF Bank Stadium includes 1,000 handicap accessible and companion seats.

• There are 37 premium suites, 57 loge boxes, 259 seats in the indoor club and 1,250 seats in the outdoor club at TCF Bank Stadium.

• There are 113 restrooms in TCF Bank Stadium, which include 625 toilets and 268 urinals.

• TCF Bank Stadium has 10 network TV camera positions and seating for 165 members of the media.

• Populous (formerly HOK Sport) served as the primary architect for the building, while Mortensen Construction was the general contractor.

• In excess of 8,800 tons of structural steel was used in the project, with 97 percent recycled steel.

• TCF Bank Stadium contains 24,000 yards of cast-in-place concrete, which is enough concrete to pour a four-inch thick, five-foot wide sidewalk from Minneapolis to Rochester, Minn. (74 miles).

• The masonry includes 525,000 units of concrete block and 760,000 units of full and thin brick.

• There is 72,753 SF or approximately 1.7 acres of glass in TCF Bank Stadium, enough to cover more than 1.25 football fields.

• There are 9,185 Minnesota Block “M”s in TCF Bank Stadium.

• The foundation of TCF Bank Stadium is supported by 2,133 drilled piles, which is equivalent to 15.5 miles of piles.

GOPHER VICTORY WALKThe Golden Gopher football program saw a new tradition take shape in 2007, with the advent of the “Gopher Victory Walk.” Prior to each game, the entire Minnesota football team, led by the Minnesota Marching Band, will walk through the fans at the McNamara Alumni Center, cross Oak Street and head into TCF Bank Stadium.

Each Gopher Victory Walk will begin approximately two hours prior to kickoff.

The Minnesota Football program is encouraging fans to participate in the Gopher Victory Walk through-out the season, by lining the entire path from the McNamara Alumni Center to the stadium and greeting the players as they arrive on game day.

TAKE IT TO THE BANKNext week, when the Gophers host the Air Force Academy, it will mark the first time since Nov. 21, 1981 that college football has been played on campus at Minnesota.

TCF Bank Stadium will be the first Big Ten Stadium built in nearly 50 years. Beaver Stadium (Penn State) and Memorial Stadium (Indiana) were both built in 1960. TCF Bank Stadium will be just the second new stadium built in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) and the first in a BCS confer-ence since 1998. Akron is also on schedule to open a new stadium this season.

In May 2006, the Minnesota legislature made the stadium a reality, approving the $288.5 million facility. The stadium holds 50,805 fans and is an open-air facility. Construction began during the summer of 2007.

TCF Bank Stadium TimelineMay, 2006 - Legislature approves new stadium.

June, 2007 - Ground broken on TCF Bank Stadium.

January, 2008 - First steel rises from ground at stadium site.

April 7, 2008 - First brick laid at the stadium site.

Spring/Summer, 2009 - Scoreboards and lights in, exterior work finished.

Spring/Summer, 2009 - Scoreboards and lights in, exterior work finished.

May/June, 2009 - FieldTurf playing surface installed.

July, 2009 - University takes occupancy of TCF Bank Stadium.

Sept. 12, 2009 - First game at TCF Bank Stadium vs. Air Force.



2009 NUMERICAL ROSTER# Name Pos Ht Wt Ltr Yr. Hometown (Previous School)

1 Michael Carter DB 5-11 163 0 Fr. Pompano Beach, Fla. (Ely HS)

1 Brandon Green WR 6-0 183 1 So. Chicago, Ill. (Robeson HS)

2 Bryant Allen WR 6-0 167 0 Fr. Maplewood, Mo. (Maplewood-Richmond Heights HS)

2 Ryan Collado CB 5-9 175 2 Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio (Hills Christian HS)

3 Kim Royston DB 5-11 193 0 Jr. Minneapolis, Minn. (Wisconsin)

4 Hayo Carpenter WR 5-11 174 0 Jr. Lawndale, Calif. (College of the Canyons)

4 Keanon Cooper LB 6-0 210 0 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Skyline HS)

5 MarQueis Gray QB 6-4 222 0 Fr. Indianapolis, Ind. (Ben Davis HS)

5 Johnny Johnson DB 5-9 189 1 So. Chicago, Ill. (Robeson HS)

6 Kerry Lewis DB 5-9 179 0 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Lancaster HS)

6 Kevin Whaley RB 5-9 179 0 Fr. Virginia Beach, Va. (Salem HS)

7 Eric Decker WR 6-3 220 3 Sr. Cold Spring, Minn. (Rocori HS)

8 Spencer Reeves LB 6-2 221 0 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Skyline HS)

8 Adam Weber QB 6-3 221 2 Jr. Shoreview, Minn. (Mounds View HS)

9 David Pittman WR 5-11 190 1 Sr. Pasadena, Calif. (Pasadena City College)

11 Adam Lueck QB 6-0 187 0 Fr. Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)

11 Troy Stoudermire WR 5-10 183 1 So. Dallas, Texas (Skyline HS)

12 Moses Alipate QB 6-5 230 0 Fr. Bloomington, Minn. (Jefferson HS)

13 Michael McKelton DB 5-10 183 1 Sr. Royal Palm Beach, Fla. (Royal Palm Beach HS)

14 Damola Ogundipe DB 5-7 187 0 Jr. New Brighton, Minn. (Irondale HS)

15 Traye Simmons DB 5-11 180 1 Sr. Marietta, Ga. (College of the Sequoias)

16 Ben Kuznia WR 6-0 186 1 Sr. Olivia, Minn. (Bold HS)

17 Sam Maresh LB 6-3 247 0 Fr. Champlin, Minn. (Champlin Park HS)

18 R.J. Buckner RB 5-11 202 1 Jr. Keller, Texas (Harvest Christian Academy)

20 Jay Thomas RB 6-0 209 3 Sr. Oakdale, Minn. (Tartan HS)

21 Simoni Lawrence LB 6-1 221 1 Sr. Upper Darby, Pa. (Valley Forge Military Acad.)

22 Duane Bennett RB 5-9 203 1 So. Fairview Heights, Ill. (O’Fallon Township HS)

23 DeLeon Eskridge RB 5-11 198 1 So. San Francisco, Calif. (Junipero Serra HS)

24 Marcus Sherels CB 5-11 172 3 Sr. Rochester, Minn. (John Marshall HS)

25 Tim Dandridge DB 6-1 185 1 So. Detroit, Mich. (Highland Park HS)

26 Mike Rallis DB 6-2 210 1 So. Edina, Minn. (Edina HS)

27 Kyle Theret DB 5-10 193 2 Jr. Murrieta, Calif. (J.K. Mullen HS)

28 Kenny Watkins DB 6-0 187 0 Fr. Detroit, Mich. (Brother Rice HS)

29 Shady Salamon RB 5-11 203 1 So. S. St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall)

30 Lee Campbell LB 6-3 246 3 Sr. Naples, Fla. (Gulf Coast HS)

32 Nathan Triplett LB 6-3 247 2 Sr. Maple Plain, Minn. (Delano HS)

33 Rex Sharpe LB 6-1 231 1 Sr. Fairfield, Ala. (Arizona Western College)

34 Kyle Henderson DB 5-11 167 0 So. Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota State-Mankato)

35 Jon Hoese FB 6-2 233 2 Jr. Glencoe, Minn. (Glencoe-Silver Lake HS)

36 Chase Haviland DB 5-9 177 0 Fr. Thief River Falls, Minn. (Lincoln HS)

36 Nick Rengel FB 6-3 225 0 Fr. Sartell, Minn. (Sartell HS)

37 Eric Ellestad K 6-3 204 0 Jr. Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Armstrong HS)

37 Willie Schneider FB 5-11 216 0 Fr. St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall HS)

38 Blake Haudan P 6-1 210 0 Sr. Toledo, Ohio (St. John’s Jesuit HS)

38 Marcus Singletary DB 6-0 188 0 Sr. Hinesville, Ga. (Rainy River CC)

39 Nicholas Stommes DB 6-0 205 0 Sr. Owen, Wis. (Owen-Withee HS)

40 Nathan Tow-Arnett DB 6-1 199 0 So. Redwood Falls, Minn. (Redwood Falls HS)

41 Dan Orseske P 6-3 199 0 Fr. Chicago, Ill. (Brother Rice HS)

42 Logan U’u FB 5-10 230 0 Sr. Oakland, Calif. (Laney College [Calif.])

43 Ryan Grant LB 6-2 219 0 Fr. Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)

43 David Schwerman K 6-0 202 0 So. Kettle Moraine, Wis. (Kettle Moraine HS)

44 Ed Cotton FB 6-0 219 0 Fr. Champlin, Minn. (Champlin Park HS)

44 Brent Singleton LB 6-1 213 0 Fr. Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage HS)

46 Chris Severson DL 6-5 225 0 Fr. Wanaukee, Wis. (Wanaukee HS)

47 Ryan Coleman LS 6-1 225 1 Jr. Brookfield, Wis. (Brookfield East HS)

48 Bryan Klitzke DB 6-1 210 0 So. Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Chippewa Falls HS)

48 Nick Tow-Arnett TE 6-3 248 2 Sr. Redwood Falls, Minn. (Redwood Valley HS)

ALPHABETICAL ROSTER# Name Pos Yr

12 Moses Alipate QB Fr.

76 Dominic Alford OL Jr.

2 Bryant Allen WR Fr.

59 Joey Balthazor LB Fr.

81 A.J. Barker WR Fr.

22 Duane Bennett RB So.

80 Xzavian Brandon WR So.

63 Andy Brinkhaus OL Jr.

99 Garrett Brown DT Sr.

18 R.J. Buckner RB Jr.

53 D.J. Burris OL Jr.

68 Chris Bunders OL So.

30 Lee Campbell LB Sr.

4 Hayo Carpenter WR Jr.

1 Michael Carter DB Fr.

73 Matt Carufel OL Jr.

47 Ryan Coleman LS Jr.

2 Ryan Collado CB Jr.

4 Keanon Cooper LB Fr.

44 Ed Cotton FB Fr.

25 Tim Dandridge DB So.

61 Trey Davis OL So.

7 Eric Decker WR Sr.

92 Kyle Dykstra DL Fr.

68 Jewhan Edwards DT So.

37 Eric Ellestad K Jr.

23 DeLeon Eskridge RB So.

49 Matt Garin DE Fr.

69 Jacob Glickstein DL Fr.

43 Ryan Grant LB Fr.

5 MarQueis Gray QB Fr.

1 Brandon Green WR So.

91 Kendall Gregory-McGhee DE Fr.

86 Ra’Shede Hageman TE Fr.

64 Austin Hahn OL Fr.

38 Blake Haudan P Sr.

36 Ben Haviland DB Fr.

90 Raymond Henderson DE Sr.

34 Kyle Henderson DB So.

57 Aaron Hill LB Fr.

35 Jon Hoese FB Jr.

96 Curtis Hughes TE Jr.

97 Anthony Jacobs DE So.

94 Eric Jacques DL Fr.

5 Johnny Johnson DB So.

84 Victor Keise WR Fr.

96 Brandon Kirksey DT So.

48 Bryan Klitzke DB So.

16 Ben Kuznia WR Sr.

85 Eric Lair TE So.

21 Simoni Lawrence LB Sr.

6 Kerry Lewis DB Fr.

11 Adam Lueck QB Fr.

17 Sam Maresh LB Fr.

88 Collin McGarry TE Jr.

13 Michael McKelton DB Sr.

55 Cedric McKinley DE Sr.




PG. 11

# Name Pos Ht Wt Ltr Yr. Hometown (Previous School)

49 Matt Garin DE 6-4 220 0 Fr. Apple Valley, Minn. (Eastview HS)

50 Patrick Sveum LB 6-1 214 0 Sr. Rochester, Minn. (Century HS)

51 Gary Tinsley LB 6-1 220 1 So. Jacksonville, Fla. (First Coast HS)

52 Jeff Tow-Arnett OL 6-2 288 2 Sr. Redwood Falls, Minn. (Redwood Valley HS)

53 D.J. Burris OL 6-2 290 2 Jr. Kenton, Ohio (Kenton HS)

55 Cedric McKinley DE 6-6 282 1 Sr. Demopolis, Ala. (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)

57 Aaron Hill LB 6-2 210 0 Fr. St. Charles, Mo. (Lutheran HS)

58 Ed Olson OL 6-7 288 0 Fr. Mathomedi, Minn. (Mahtomedi HS)

59 Joey Balthazor LB 6-3 207 0 Fr. Hartland, Wis. (Arrowhead HS)

60 Ryan Wynn OL 6-5 296 1 So. Plymouth, Minn. (Maple Grove HS)

61 Trey Davis OL 6-2 281 1 So. Farmington, Minn. (Farmington HS)

62 Zach Mottla OL 6-2 274 0 Fr. Edina, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall HS)

63 Andy Brinkhaus OL 6-3 276 0 Jr. Bloomington, Minn. (Bloomington Jefferson HS)

64 Austin Hahn OL 6-4 275 0 Fr. Hartford, Wis. (Hartford HS)

66 Nedward Tavale OL 6-2 334 3 Sr. St. Paul, Minn. (Cretin-Derham Hall HS)

67 David Stommes DL 6-6 210 0 Fr. Eden Valley, Minn. (Eden Valley-Watkins HS)

68 Chris Bunders OL 6-3 322 1 So. Maple Grove, Minn. (Osseo HS)

68 Jewhan Edwards DT 6-2 333 1 So. Philadelphia, Pa. (Roman Catholic HS)

69 Jacob Glickstein DL 6-3 268 0 Fr. New Berlin, Wis. (Brookfield Central HS)

71 Jeff Wills OL 6-7 365 O Jr. Laurelton, N.Y. (Lackawanna College)

73 Matt Carufel OL 6-5 302 0 Jr. Forest Lake, Minn. (Notre Dame)

74 Ryan Ruckdashel OL 6-5 290 3 Sr. Apple Valley, Minn. (Eastview HS)

75 Brooks Michel OL 6-7 295 0 Fr. Carmel, Ind. (Carmel HS)

76 Dominic Alford OL 6-3 336 2 Jr. Cleveland, Ohio (Shaker Heights HS)

78 Ryan Orton OL 6-4 296 1 So. Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)

79 Matt Stommes OL 6-7 312 2 Sr. Richmond, Minn. (Eden Valley-Watkins HS)

80 Xzavian Brandon WR 6-3 188 0 So. Duluth, Ga. (Northfield HS)

81 A.J. Barker WR 6-1 178 0 Fr. St. Paul, Minn. (DeLaSalle HS)

83 Da’Jon McKnight WR 6-3 200 1 So. Dallas, Texas (Skyline HS)

84 Victor Keise WR 6-0 176 0 Fr. Coral Springs, Fla. (North Broward Prep HS)

85 Eric Lair TE 6-3 230 1 So. Houston, Texas (Lamar HS)

86 Ra’Shede Hageman TE 6-6 272 0 Fr. Minneapolis, Minn. (Washburn HS)

87 Sahr Ngekia WR 6-4 213 0 Fr. Richfield, Minn. (Academy of Holy Angels)

88 Collin McGarry TE 6-4 235 0 Jr. Stillwater, Minn. (Stillwater HS)

89 Barrett Moen DL 6-3 282 2 Sr. Bloomington, Minn. (Bloomington Jefferson HS)

90 Raymond Henderson DE 6-5 263 1 Sr. Oak Creek, Wis (Tennessee)

91 Kendall Gregory-McGhee DE 6-5 241 0 Fr. Aurora, Colo. (Cherokee Trail HS)

92 Kyle Dykstra DL 6-4 241 0 Fr. Princeton, Minn. (Princeton HS)

93 Derrick Onwuachi DE 6-5 262 2 Sr. Newhall, Calif. (College of the Canyons)

94 Eric Jacques DL 6-2 283 0 Fr. Pompano Beach, Fla. (Ely HS)

95 D.L. Wilhite DE 6-4 233 0 Fr. Lexington, Ky. (Bryan Station HS)

96 Curtis Hughes TE 6-4 249 1 Jr. Chicago, Ill. (Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep)

96 Brandon Kirksey DT 6-2 295 1 So. St. Louis, Mo. (Hazelwood East HS)

97 Anthony Jacobs DE 6-2 289 1 So. Northfield, Minn. (Northfield HS)

98 Eric Small DT 6-2 306 2 Sr. Naperville, Ill. (Joliet JC [Ill.])

99 Garrett Brown DT 6-2 310 3 Sr. New Haven, Conn. (Fairfield College Prep)

2009 NUMERICAL ROSTER# Name Pos Yr

83 Da’Jon McKnight WR So.

75 Brooks Michel OL Fr.

89 Barrett Moen DL Sr.

62 Zach Mottla OL Fr.

87 Sahr Ngekia WR Fr.

14 Damola Ogundipe DB Jr.

58 Ed Olson OL Fr.

93 Derrick Onwuachi DE Sr.

41 Dan Orseske P Fr.

78 Ryan Orton OL So.

9 David Pittman WR Sr.

26 Mike Rallis DB So.

8 Spencer Reeves LB Fr.

36 Nick Rengel FB Fr.

3 Kim Royston DB Jr.

74 Ryan Ruckdashel OL Sr.

29 Shady Salamon RB So.

37 Willie Schneider FB Fr.

43 David Schwerman K So.

46 Chris Severson DL Fr.

33 Rex Sharpe LB Sr.

24 Marcus Sherels CB Jr.

15 Traye Simmons CB Sr.

38 Marcus Singletary DB Sr.

44 Brent Singleton LB Fr.

67 David Stommes DL Fr.

79 Matt Stommes OL Sr.

39 Nicholas Stommes DB Sr.

11 Troy Stoudermire WR So.

98 Eric Small DT Sr.

50 Patrick Sveum LB Sr.

66 Nedward Tavale OL Sr.

27 Kyle Theret DB Jr.

20 Jay Thomas RB Sr.

51 Gary Tinsley LB So.

52 Jeff Tow-Arnett OL Sr.

40 Nathan Tow-Arnett DB So.

48 Nick Tow-Arnett TE Sr.

32 Nathan Triplett LB Sr.

42 Logan U’u FB Sr.

28 Kenny Watkins DB Fr.

8 Adam Weber QB Jr.

95 D.L. Wilhite DE Fr.

6 Kevin Whaley RB Fr.

71 Jeff Wills OL Jr.

60 Ryan Wynn OL So.

ALPHABETICAL ROSTER



2008 RESULTS/ATTENDANCEDate Opponent W/L Score Site Attend.Aug 30, 2008 NORTHERN ILLINOIS W 31-27 Metrodome 44029 Sep 06, 2008 at Bowling Green W 42-17 Bowling Green, Ohio 23184 Sep 13, 2008 MONTANA STATE W 35-23 Metrodome 43929 Sep 20, 2008 FLORIDA ATLANTIC W 37-3 Metrodome 41003Sep 27, 2008 at #14 Ohio State* L 21-34 Columbus, Ohio 105175Oct 04, 2008 INDIANA* W 16-7 Metrodome 40511Oct 11, 2008 at Illinois* W 27-20 Champaign, Ill. 62870Oct 25, 2008 at Purdue* W 17-6 W. Lafayette, Ind. 54215Nov 01, 2008 NORTHWESTERN* L 17-24 Metrodome 54122Nov 08, 2008 MICHIGAN* L 6-29 Metrodome 55040Nov 15, 2008 at Wisconsin* L 32-35 Madison, Wis. 81228Nov 22, 2008 IOWA* L 0-55 Metrodome 64071Dec 31, 2008 vs Kansas L 21-42 Tempe, Ariz. 49103* indicates conference game

TEAM STATISTICS MINNESOTA OpponentsSCORING 302 322 Points Per Game 23.2 24.8FIRST DOWNS 214 253 Rushing 82 99 Passing 122 137 Penalty 10 17RUSHING YARDAGE 1350 1863 Yards gained rushing 1733 2217 Yards lost rushing 383 354 Rushing Attempts 436 458 Average Per Rush 3.1 4.1 Average Per Game 103.8 143.3 TDs Rushing 20 13PASSING YARDAGE 2848 3124 Comp-Att-Int 258-415-8 245-415-15 Average Per Pass 6.9 7.5 Average Per Catch 11.0 12.8 Average Per Game 219.1 240.3 TDs Passing 15 21TOTAL OFFENSE 4198 4987 Total Plays 851 873 Average Per Play 4.9 5.7 Average Per Game 322.9 383.6KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 53-1274 55-1018PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 18-179 26-211INT RETURNS: #-Yards 15-247 8-207KICK RETURN AVERAGE 24.0 18.5PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 9.9 8.1INT RETURN AVERAGE 16.5 25.9FUMBLES-LOST 23-11 23-16PENALTIES-Yards 83-695 55-435 Average Per Game 53.5 33.5PUNTS-Yards 76-3114 58-2446 Average Per Punt 41.0 42.2TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 30:00 30:003RD-DOWN Conversions 63/182 69/177 3rd-Down Pct 35% 39%4TH-DOWN Conversions 12/20 6/13 4th-Down Pct 60% 46%SACKS BY-Yards 34-226 30-200MISC YARDS 6 0TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 38 37FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 12-16 20-27ON-SIDE KICKS 0-1 0-0RED-ZONE SCORES 36-41 88% 35-42 83%RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS 27-41 66% 21-42 50%PAT-ATTEMPTS 34-36 94% 36-37 97%ATTENDANCE/AVG. 342705/48958 326672/65334 Score By Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalMinnesota 55 85 64 98 - 302Opponents 59 108 67 88 - 322

2008 STATISTICS RECORD: 7-6 (HOME 4-3, ROAD 3-2, NEUTRAL 0-1); BIG TEN: 3-5 (HOME 1-3; ROAD 2-2)

RUSHINGPlayer GP Att. Gain Loss Net Avg. TD Long YPGEskridge, DeLeon 13 184 714 36 678 3.7 7 46 52.2Weber, Adam 13 127 518 285 233 1.8 4 39 17.9Salamon, Shady 12 49 193 12 181 3.7 3 19 15.1Bennett, Duane 2 32 147 7 140 4.4 2 61 70.0Decker, Eric 12 11 87 0 87 7.9 1 19 7.2Thomas, Jay 13 7 29 5 24 3.4 0 9 1.8Stoudermire, Troy 13 5 19 0 19 3.8 0 7 1.5Maciejowski, Mike 3 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 9 4.3Spry, Ralph 8 3 6 0 6 2.0 1 3 0.8Hoese, Jon 11 4 5 0 5 1.2 2 2 0.5Mortensen, Tony 3 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 2 0.7TEAM 11 11 0 38 -38 -3.5 0 0 -3.5Total.......... 13 436 1733 383 1350 3.1 20 61 103.8Opponents...... 13 458 2217 354 1863 4.1 13 53 143.3

PASSINGPlayer G Effic. Att-Cmp-Int Pct. Yards TD Long Avg/GWeber, Adam 13 126.93 255-410-8 62.2 2761 15 71 212.4Kucek, Justin 13 150.40 2-2-0 100.0 12 0 12 0.9Pittman, David 10 730.00 1-1-0 100.0 75 0 75 7.5Maciejowski, Mike 3 0.00 0-1-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Mortensen, Tony 3 0.00 0-1-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Total.......... 13 127.89 258-415-8 62.2 2848 15 75 219.1Opponents...... 13 131.74 245-415-15 59.0 3124 21 91 240.3

RECEIVINGPlayer G No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/GDecker, Eric 12 84 1074 12.8 7 75 89.5Simmons, Jack 13 36 331 9.2 2 53 25.5Kuznia, Ben 13 31 310 10.0 0 22 23.8Eskridge, DeLeon 13 29 181 6.2 0 23 13.9Green, Brandon 11 21 306 14.6 1 71 27.8Bennett, Duane 2 12 125 10.4 1 34 62.5Tow-Arnett, Nick 13 10 211 21.1 1 40 16.2Salamon, Shady 12 9 91 10.1 1 15 7.6Spry, Ralph 8 7 63 9.0 0 21 7.9Smith, Brodrick 12 5 50 10.0 1 43 4.2Pittman, David 10 4 32 8.0 0 13 3.2McKnight, Da’Jon 9 3 38 12.7 1 22 4.2Stoudermire, Troy 13 3 13 4.3 0 11 1.0Mannion, Kevin 13 1 12 12.0 0 12 0.9Total.......... 13 258 2848 11.0 15 75 219.1Opponents...... 13 245 3124 12.8 21 91 240.3

TOTAL OFFENSEPlayer G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/GWeber, Adam 13 537 233 2761 2994 230.3Eskridge, DeLeon 13 184 678 0 678 52.2Salamon, Shady 12 49 181 0 181 15.1Bennett, Duane 2 32 140 0 140 70.0Decker, Eric 12 11 87 0 87 7.2Pittman, David 10 1 0 75 75 7.5Thomas, Jay 13 7 24 0 24 1.8Stoudermire, Troy 13 5 19 0 19 1.5Maciejowski, Mike 3 3 13 0 13 4.3Kucek, Justin 13 2 0 12 12 0.9Spry, Ralph 8 3 6 0 6 0.8Hoese, Jon 11 4 5 0 5 0.5Total.......... 13 851 1350 2848 4198 322.9Opponents...... 13 873 1863 3124 4987 383.6




PG. 13

SCORING |----------------------PATs-----------------------|Player TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Pts.Monroe, Joel 0 12-16 34-36 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 70Decker, Eric 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 0 0 50Eskridge, DeLeon 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 42Salamon, Shady 4 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 0-0 0 0 26Weber, Adam 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 24Bennett, Duane 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 18Lawrence, Simoni 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12Simmons, Jack 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12Hoese, Jon 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12Smith, Brodrick 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6Green, Brandon 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6McKnight, Da’Jon 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6Tow-Arnett, Nick 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6Simmons, Traye 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6Spry, Ralph 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6Maciejowski, Mike 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1-1 0 0 0Total.......... 38 12-16 34-36 1-1 1 1-1 0 0 302Opponents...... 37 20-27 36-37 0-0 0 0-0 0 2 322

PUNT RETURNSPlayer No. Yds Avg TD LongSherels, Marcus 15 179 11.9 0 34Total.......... 18 179 9.9 0 34Opponents...... 26 211 8.1 0 44

KICKOFF RETURNSPlayer No. Yds Avg TD LongStoudermire, Troy 42 1083 25.8 0 60Thomas, Jay 9 172 19.1 0 35Hughes, Curtis 1 12 12.0 0 12Tow-Arnett, Nick 1 7 7.0 0 7Total.......... 53 1274 24.0 0 60Opponents...... 55 1018 18.5 1 100

INTERCEPTION RETURNSPlayer No. Yds Avg TD LongSimmons, Traye 4 81 20.2 1 35Theret, Kyle 3 65 21.7 0 41Campbell, Lee 2 11 5.5 0 10Sherels, Marcus 2 36 18.0 0 23Lawrence, Simoni 1 50 50.0 1 50Davis, Steve 1 0 0.0 0 0Brock, Tramaine 1 1 1.0 0 1Collado, Ryan 1 3 3.0 0 3

FUMBLE RETURNSPlayer No. Yds Avg TD LongBarber, Dom 2 53 26.5 1 46Total 2 53 26.5 1 46Opponents 3 3 1.0 0 3

ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGEPlayer G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg/GDecker, Eric 12 87 1074 0 0 0 1161 96.8Stoudermire, Troy 13 19 13 0 1083 0 1115 85.8Eskridge, DeLeon 13 678 181 0 0 0 859 66.1Simmons, Jack 13 0 331 0 0 0 331 25.5Kuznia, Ben 13 0 310 0 0 0 310 23.8Green, Brandon 11 0 306 0 0 0 306 27.8Salamon, Shady 12 181 91 0 0 0 272 22.7Bennett, Duane 2 140 125 0 0 0 265 132.5Weber, Adam 13 233 7 0 0 0 240 18.5Tow-Arnett, Nick 13 0 211 0 7 0 218 16.8Sherels, Marcus 12 0 0 179 0 36 215 17.9Thomas, Jay 13 24 4 0 172 0 200 15.4Simmons, Traye 13 0 0 0 0 81 81 6.2Spry, Ralph 8 6 63 0 0 0 69 8.6Theret, Kyle 13 0 0 0 0 65 65 5.0Smith, Brodrick 12 0 50 0 0 0 50 4.2Lawrence, Simoni 13 0 0 0 0 50 50 3.8McKnight, Da’Jon 9 0 38 0 0 0 38 4.2Pittman, David 10 0 32 0 0 0 32 3.2Maciejowski, Mike 3 13 0 0 0 0 13 4.3Mannion, Kevin 13 0 12 0 0 0 12 0.9Hughes, Curtis 10 0 0 0 12 0 12 1.2Campbell, Lee 13 0 0 0 0 11 11 0.8Hoese, Jon 11 5 0 0 0 0 5 0.5TEAM 11 -38 0 0 0 0 -38 -3.5Total.......... 13 1350 2848 179 1274 247 5898 453.7Opponents...... 13 1863 3124 211 1018 207 6423 494.1

PUNTINGPlayer No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 BlkdKucek, Justin 74 3103 41.9 60 7 24 22 2TEAM 2 11 5.5 11 0 0 0 0

KICKOFFSPlayer No. Yds Avg TB OB Retn Net YdLnMonroe, Joel 62 3994 64.4 7 2 Kucek, Justin 2 89 44.5 0 0 Total.......... 64 4083 63.8 7 2 1018 45.7 24Opponents...... 70 4405 62.9 9 4 1274 42.2 27

FIELD GOALSPlayer FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+ Lg BlkMonroe, Joel 12-16 75.0 0-0 4-6 5-5 3-5 0-0 42 0

FIELD GOAL SEQUENCE Minnesota OpponentsNorthern Illinois (40) (39),(49)Bowling Green - 34,(26)Montana State - 41,(49)Florida Atlantic (34),48 (35)Ohio State (33),(28) (22),(44),43Indiana 28,(29),(42),(38) -Illinois - 45,(33),(28)Purdue 44,(41) (31),(40),41Northwestern (21),20 (34),47Michigan (28),(32) (44),(34),(26),(48),(23)Wisconsin (30) 33,(47)Iowa - (35),(29)Kansas - -Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.



DEFENSIVE STATISTICSPlayer GP Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds Sacks Int-Yds PBU FR FF Blk SafCampbell, Lee 13-12 50 30 80 5.5-28 4.0-21 2-11 1 3-0 1 . .Theret, Kyle 13-13 59 19 78 2.5-4 . 3-65 8 2-0 . . .Brock, Tramaine 13-13 53 20 73 2.5-6 . 1-1 5 1-0 3 . .Hightower, Deon 13-13 39 28 67 8.5-31 2.5-16 . . 1-0 . . .Lawrence, Simoni 13-5 45 21 66 10.5-40 4.0-25 1-50 3 1-9 2 . .Simmons, Traye 13-12 45 17 62 1.5-2 . 4-81 14 . 1 . .VanDeSteeg, Willie 13-13 39 14 53 19.0-94 10.5-74 . 1 1-0 2 1 .Sherels, Marcus 12-12 33 13 46 0.5-1 . 2-36 11 . . . .Davis, Steve 13-6 32 13 45 6.5-19 2.0-10 1-0 2 . 2 . .Brown, Garrett 13-13 21 13 34 7.0-30 3.0-19 . 3 3-0 1 . .Triplett, Nate 13-1 18 13 31 1.0-2 . . 2 1-0 . 1 .Small, Eric 13-12 14 11 25 4.5-21 2.0-16 . 1 2-0 1 . .Collado, Ryan 13-1 16 6 22 . . 1-3 . 1-0 1 . .Rallis, Mike 13-1 14 6 20 1.0-1 . . . . . . .Mannion, Kevin 13-8 13 6 19 3.0-11 . . . . . . .Onwuachi, Derrick 11-8 12 4 16 4.0-8 . . 1 . 1 . .Thomas, Jay 13-0 6 3 9 . . . . . 1 . .Kirksey, Brandon 11-0 6 2 8 2.0-7 . . . . . . .McKinley, Cedric 12-0 7 1 8 3.0-21 3.0-21 . . . . . .Edwards, Jewhan 12-0 5 3 8 1.0-2 . . . . . . .Moen, Barrett 13-0 4 3 7 1.5-14 1.5-14 . . . . . .Jacobs, Anthony 10-0 3 4 7 1.0-3 0.5-2 . . . . . .Hoese, Jon 11-1 3 2 5 . . . . . . . .Eskridge, DeLeon 13-8 5 . 5 . . . . . . . .Johnson, Johnny 9-0 3 1 4 . . . . . . . .Brody, William 12-0 4 . 4 1.0-1 . . . . . . .Tow-Arnett, Nick 13-0 4 . 4 . . . . . . . .TEAM 11-0 4 . 4 . . . 1 . . . .Sharpe, Rex 11-0 2 1 3 . . . . . . . .U’u, Logan 4-0 2 1 3 . . . . . . . .Hennessey, Thomas 6-0 2 1 3 . . . . . . . .Simmons, Jack 13-12 3 . 3 . . . . . . . .Kuznia, Ben 13-12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .Stoudermire, Troy 13-1 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .McKelton, Michael 3-0 1 1 2 . . . . . . . .Monroe, Joel 13-0 1 1 2 . . . . . . . .Dandridge, Tim 12-0 . 2 2 . . . . . . . .Coleman, Ryan 12-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .McKnight, Da’Jon 9-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .Klitzke, Bryan 1-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .Henderson, Ray 4-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .Decker, Eric 12-12 . . . . . . 1 . . . .Total.......... 13-0 576 260 836 87-346 34-226 15-247 54 16-9 16 2 .Opponents...... 13-0 538 297 835 73.0-312 30-200 8-207 30 11-0 11 2 2




PG. 15

THE LAST TIME ...MINNESOTA INDIVIDUAL GAME250+ yards rushing: 258, Laurence Maroney vs. Wisconsin, 10/15/05200+ yards rushing: 206, Amir Pinnix vs. Michigan State, 11/12/05150+ yards rushing: 178, Amir Pinnix vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/07100+ yards rushing: 124, DeLeon Eskridge at Illinois, 10/11/082 players with 100+ yards rushing: 155, Alex Daniels and 114, Amir Pinnix at Kent State, 8/31/06200+ yards receiving: 228, Ryan Thelwell vs. Ball State, 9/14/96100+ yards receiving: 190, Eric Decker vs. Indiana, 10/4/082 receivers with 100+ yards rcvg: 137, Logan Payne and 116, Ernie Wheelwright vs. Indiana, 11/4/0650+ yard rush play: 61, Duane Bennett vs. Northern Illinois, 8/30/0850+ yard pass play: 71, Adam Weber to Brandon Green at Purdue, 10/25/0810 or more receptions: 13, Eric Decker vs. Indiana, 10/4/08300+ all-purpose yards: 333, Laurence Maroney vs. Purdue, 9/24/05200+ all-purpose yards: 290, Troy Stoudermire vs. Iowa, 11/22/08450+ yards passing: 478, Tim Schade vs. Penn State, 9/4/93400+ yards passing: 404, Cory Sauter vs. Michigan St., 10/21/95350+ yards passing: 378, Bryan Cupito vs. Indiana, 11/4/06300+ yards passing: 327, Adam Weber vs. Northwestern, 11/1/08Consecutive 300-yard passing gms: 2, Cory Sauter vs. Northwestern (303, 10/14/95) and Michigan St. (404, 10/21/95)Four or more TDs rushing: 4, Marion Barber III at Ohio, 9/13/03Three or more TDs rushing: 3, DeLeon Eskridge vs. Montana State, 9/13/08Two or more TDs rushing: 2, DeLeon Eskridge at Illinois, 10/11/08Five or more TDs receiving: 5, Omar Douglas vs. Purdue, 10/9/93Four or more TDs receiving: 4, Logan Payne vs. Temple, 9/16/06Three or more TDs receiving: 3, Ernie Wheelwright at Northwestern, 10/13/07Two or more TDs receiving: 3, Ernie Wheelwright at Northwestern, 10/13/07Six or more TDs passing: 6, Scott Eckers vs. Purdue, 10/9/93Five or more TDs passing: 5, Adam Weber at Northwestern, 10/13/07Four or more TDs passing: 5, Adam Weber at Northwestern, 10/13/07Three or more TDs passing: 3, Adam Weber at Wisconsin, 11/15/08Two or more TDs passing: 3, Adam Weber at Wisconsin, 11/15/08500+ yds. total offense: 536, Tim Schade vs. Penn State, 9/4/93 (school record)400+ yds. total offense: 439, Adam Weber vs. Wisconsin, 11/17/07Five or more field goals: 5, Dan Nystrom vs Arkansas, 12/30/02Four or more field goals: 5, Dan Nystrom vs Arkansas, 12/30/02Three or more field goals: 3, Joel Monroe vs. Indiana, 10/4/08Two or more field goals: 2, Joel Monroe vs. Michigan, 11/8/08Three or more interceptions: 3, Jeff Wright vs. Michigan St., 11/14/70Two or more interceptions: 2, Traye Simmons vs. Northwestern, 11/1/08Blocked punt: Dom Barber vs. Colorado State, 9/10/05Blocked punt return for TD: Alex Daniels vs. Colorado State, 9/10/05Blocked field goal: Willie VanDeSteeg vs. Montana State, 9/13/08Blocked FG return for TD: Fred Foggie vs. Indiana (98 yds.), 10/21/89Blocked PAT: Nathan Triplett vs. Montana State, 9/13/08PAT Return: Mario Reese at Wisconsin, 10/14/06Int. return for TD: Traye Simmons vs. Northwestern (23 yds.), 11/1/08Punt return for TD: Tellis Redmon vs. Northwestern (83 yds.), 10/28/00Kickoff return for TD: Jay Thomas (91 yds.) at Florida Atlantic, 9/15/07Fumble return for TD: Simoni Lawrence (9 yds.) at Illinois, 10/11/08Safety: UL-Monroe’s punt snap went out of end zone, 9/2/00Made 2-pt. conversion: Shady Salamon run, at Wisconsin, 11/15/08Missed 2-pt. conversion: Adam Weber pass attempt failed at Iowa, 11/10/07Missed PAT: Joel Monroe at Illinois, 10/11/08

MINNESOTA TEAM100 points: 146 vs. Grinnell (W, 146-0), 10/22/190480 points: 81 vs. Butler (W, 81-0), 11/13/2660+ points: 63 vs. Indiana (W, 63-26), 11/4/0650+ points: 63 vs. Indiana (W, 63-26), 11/4/0640+ points: 48 vs. Northwestern (L, 48-49), 10/13/0740+ points: 42 at Bowling Green (W, 42-17), 9/6/08

30+ points: 32 at Wisconsin (L 35-32), 11/15/080 points: vs. Iowa (L, 0-55), 11/22/080 points in first half: vs. Iowa (L, 0-55), 11/22/08No TDs in first half: vs. Iowa (L, 0-55), 11/22/08No offensive TDs in first half: vs. Iowa (L, 0-55), 11/22/08400+ rushing yards: 411 vs. Wisconsin, 10/15/05300+ rushing yards: 306 vs. Miami (Ohio), 9/8/07200+ rushing yards: 239 at Northwestern, 10/13/07700+ total net yards: 704 vs. Toledo, 9/4/04600+ total net yards: 704 vs. Toledo, 9/4/04500+ total net yards: 501 vs. Wisconsin, 11/17/07400+ total net yards: 441 vs. Florida Atlantic, 9/20/08

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL GAME400+ yards passing: 462, Juice Williams, Illinois, 10/11/08300+ yards passing: 462, Juice Williams, Illinois, 10/11/08200+ yards passing: 255, Ricky Stanzi, Iowa, 11/22/08300+ yards rushing: 301, Anthony Davis, Wisconsin, 11/23/02250+ yards rushing: 250, Zach Brown, Wisconsin, 11/17/07200+ yards rushing: 217, Mike Kafka, Northwestern, 11/1/08150+ yards rushing: 217, Mike Kafka, Northwestern, 11/1/08100+ yards rushing: 144, Shonn Greene, Iowa, 11/22/082 players with 100+ yards rushing: 203, R. Mendenhall, Illinois and 133, I. Williams, Illinois, 11/3/07150+ yards receiving: 181, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa, 11/22/08100+ yards receiving: 181, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa, 11/22/0850+ yard rush play: 53, Mike Kafka, Northwestern, 11/1/0850+ yard pass play: 50, Ricky Stanzi to D. Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa, 11/22/08Four+ field goals: 5, K.C. Lopata, Michigan, 11/8/08Blocked a punt: Chad Spann, Northern Illinois, 8/30/08Blocked a field goal: Alex Magee, Purdue, 9/23/06Missed PAT: Trevor Cook, Miami (Ohio), 9/8/07Blocked PAT: Usama Young, Kent State, 8/31/06Made 2-pt. conversion: Tyler Sheehan to Marques Parks, Bowling Green, 9/1/07Missed 2-pt. conversion: Mike Kokal pass failed, Miami (Ohio), 9/8/07Punt return for TD: Nick Dugas (68 yds.), UL-Lafayette, 9/7/02Blocked punt ret. for TD: Kiel Beltinck (rec. in end zone), Michigan State, 11/11/06Kickoff return for TD: Demetrius Crawford, 100 yards, Montana St., 9/13/08Int. return for TD: Amari Spievey, 57 yards, Iowa, 11/22/08Fumble return for TD: Jack Ikeguonu (50 yds.), Wisconsin, 10/14/06Fumble recovered for TD: Richard Willock (rec. in end zone), Iowa, 11/23/96Safety: Mike Newkirk, Wisconsin, 11/15/08

OPPONENT TEAM400+ yards rushing: 448, Illinois, 11/3/07300+ yards rushing: 325, Wisconsin, 11/17/07200+ yards rushing: 222, Iowa, 11/22/08< 100 yards rushing: 88, Illinois, 10/11/08400+ yards passing: 462, Illinois, 10/11/08300+ yards passing: 462, Illinois, 10/11/08<100 yards passing: 96, Temple, 9/16/06600+ total net yards: 655, Illinois, 11/3/07500+ total net yards: 550, Illinois, 10/11/08400+ total net yards: 483, Iowa, 11/22/08300+ total net yards: 483, Iowa, 11/22/08< 200 total net yards: 157, Temple, 9/16/0660+ points: 63, Oklahoma, (W, 63-0), 9/20/8650+ points: 55, Iowa (W, 55-0), 11/22/0840+ points: 55, Iowa (W, 55-0), 11/22/0830+ points: 55, Iowa (W, 55-0), 11/22/080 points: Temple, (L, 0-62), 9/16/06Safety: Wisconsin (two), (W 35-32), 11/15/08

2009 minnesota game notes - at syracuse

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