Preview
I have said many times here that I believe every year we are going to the Rose Bowl and that every weekend we will win that game.
People around here, including Sid Hartman, are talking about how this is the first of a three game win streak to get to a bowl game. Huh, that seams like a bit of a stretch to me. Indiana is beatable, Michigan State looks lost, and Iowa has fallen apart.
OK, I will drink the Kool-Aid they are serving up. It’s colored maroon and gold. Count me in.
I have written in previous weeks that I had seen a few Indiana Hoosier football games on TV and they look good. They are young. I am concerned that they will play us like the Randle El teams of old and that never worked out well for us.
Kellen Lewis is a red shirt freshman and I sort of look forward to seeing him play his college career. I think he will be better than Randle El when it is all said and done. He was last weeks Big Ten Player of the Week.
James Hardy is around 6’ 6” and he will clearly have an advantage over our undersized secondary.
Marcus Thigpen is their running back and returner and he is quick.
Indiana’s defense is not very good.
Sounds like Matt Spaeth is returning this week. He will be fitted with a special brace and surgery will be required at the end of the season.
Spaeth is another reason I support this team. He could very well be a first round draft choice in the 2007 NFL Draft. Playing on a team that needs to win three games to go to a bowl game. Is seriously injured and is putting his team and university above his own self-interest.
Prediction
I do not think we can play as bad as we have the rest of the season. Indiana comes in on a roll and I am thinking they cannot keep it going. It will be interesting to see how the home crowd on a homecoming game reacts to Coach Mason if things do not go well.
Minnesota by 10. That’s my heart talking, not so much my brain.
Indiana Hoosiers blogs
Maybe I did not spend enough time looking but I did not find any blogs about Hoosier football.
Big Ten Predictions
Last weeks results, 5-1 (19-5)
Minnesota over Indiana
Wisconsin over Penn State
Iowa over Northwestern
Michigan over Ball State
Ohio State over Illinois
Purdue over Michigan State
Final
Minnesota Golden Gophers 63 and Indiana Hoosiers 26
Happy Homecoming!!!
Lost and now found, the Minnesota Golden Gopher football team. Also found, the pass first to open up the run we were promised back in August.
Better late than never.
Scoring 21 points in the first quarter and being up 35-0 half way through the second quarter is a good way to start a game. With all that has happened in recent weeks that was one of the best games on both sides of the ball I have seen. Yeah I know it was against Indiana but remember that they have been playing well in recent weeks and this season in general.
At halftime the Gophers had 355 yards, 303 by air.
By the end of the game Minnesota had 541 total yards on offense.
Logan Payne and Ernie “I used stick ‘em this week” Wheelwright had 200+ yards between them.
The defense had multiple sacks and interception.
As the season has moved on and at least in the Dome, Joel Monroe has been doing a much better job of kicking the ball into the end zone, limiting the number if kick returns.
That was a lot of fun and yes I feel much, much better.
Notes
-Bryan Cupito is named Co-Offensive Player of the Week sharing the honor with Tyrell Sutton, Running Back from Northwestern University.
-Bryan Cupito was nominated as one of four players for this week’s Cingular All-America Player of the Week Award.
-Bryan Cupito is #2 in career passing yards, passing Asad Abdul-Khaliq.
-Ernie Wheelwright is now tied for 6th in career touchdown receptions.
Statistics
Rushing
Jay Thomas, 79 yards and 2 touchdowns
Amir Pinnix, 68 yards and 1 touchdown
Receiving
Logan Payne, 137 yards
Ernie Wheelwright, 116 yards and 2 touchdowns
Eric Decker, 55 yards and 1 touchdown
Matt Spaeth, 30 yards and 1 touchdown
Passing
Bryan Cupito, 22-33 for 378 yards
Defense
Dominic Barber, 1 interception and 1 touchdown
DJ Jones, 1interception
Mike Sherels, 1 interception
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