Signature Win?

Is the Michigan beatdown a signature victory?


  • Total voters
    188
How many signature wins do you get? I believe one. I thought Nebraska was the signature win. Now we're looking for the program changer. That could be one of the last three games.
 

Let me reiterate. October 10, 2003:


1 2 3 4 T
#20 MICH 0 0 7 31 38
#17 MINN 7 7 14 7 35


If you were there, you still absolutely remember what it felt like. You'll never forget what it felt like. I can still recall with perfect clarity being stalled in jammed concourse on the way out of the Metrodome afterwards, while a knot of Michigan fans chanted about how proud they were to be Michigan Wolverines.

Any win over Michigan (and there have only been two since then), is a signature win, no matter how bad Michigan is.

Damn right it is!!!!!!!!!! I was there and it was a kick in the gut. Anyone who questions the significance of beating Michigan doesn't realize how seldom we have the Jug!
 

The Jug doesn't know which team is up or down. If you are down, the trophy doesn't care. The trophy doesn't care where the game is played. The Little Brown Jug is the oldest Trophy in College. Both Coaches knew this game was scheduled, both recruited and trained for it. It is the first trophy game on the Gopher Schedule. And when you route the other side. It is a signature win. Scoreboard, man. or better yet check The Jug.
 

I started reading some posts here and had to stop before I threw up. Kudos to those of you who have a clue. I'm going to try to ignore the large (too large) percentage of idiots who find a way to minimize this win, in dominating fashion over a team the Gophers had beaten 3 times since 1968. You don't deserve to have it this good.
 



Great win for the program but not a "signature " win. Build on this and hopefully playing for a division title game at the end would be the "signature "

Brewster once called beating Illinois a signature win. Way too early.
 

Signature win.

We were two touchdown dogs in a stadium we've won in three times since 1968. Think about that for a moment.

It doesn't matter that Michigan is down.
 

Awesome win. Great game. It's really nice to win in the big house. Take way that it is Michigan, to me, a signature win is a road win against a highly ranked team. Or a home win against a great team. The takeaway is that we dominated a traditional powerhouse. That never happens around here.
 

We did just run all over a team that was supposed to be good at stopping the run
 





I don't think it's a signature win. Rare to win there in our history? Yes.

Let's just call it a big brick.
 

I call it a signature win because we dominated the game. In each of the wins since 1968 we won by a field goal, that does not destroy the Michigan mystique, this one does. The next step for this program is to beat the powers that have dominated us in the past. Last year we beat Penn St. and Nebraska, this year Michigan and who. We have to keep it going.
 



I call it a signature win because we dominated the game. In each of the wins since 1968 we won by a field goal, that does not destroy the Michigan mystique, this one does. The next step for this program is to beat the powers that have dominated us in the past. Last year we beat Penn St. and Nebraska, this year Michigan and who. We have to keep it going.

Beating Penn State wasn't anything special. It's just another conference opponent.
 

The crazy thing that you almost forget about at the end of such a dominating win is that we were down 7-0 in the first 18:50, before proceeding to go on a 30-0 run over the next 28:20.
 

It seems a lot of the national media, along with other teams Big Ten fans want to minimize this win for the Gophers, and turn it into a bigger deal for Michigan.

The Gophers just beat Michigan in the Big House. Huge win.

In my mind though, we have two more chances this season to top it. Beating a ranked tO$U, and beating a ranked, much hated rival in Wisconsin would be monstrous. Iowa would also obviously be a big win, but as a fan looking forward on the schedule, Becky and the Buckeyes definitely would top the Michigan win.
 

I always feel like you can't call a signature win a signature win the day after the win.
We'll need to look at the record books in 2020 and see what this Gopher team has done against Michigan since then.

Was this one win on a short tenure for Jerry Kill, or was it the first win our of a string of Minnesota defeating Michigan 4 or 5 out of 6 or 7 games.
If it's the latter, it's a signature win. If we don't beat Michigan for another 10 years, then it isn't.
 

It seems a lot of the national media, along with other teams Big Ten fans want to minimize this win for the Gophers, and turn it into a bigger deal for Michigan.

The Gophers just beat Michigan in the Big House. Huge win.

In my mind though, we have two more chances this season to top it. Beating a ranked tO$U, and beating a ranked, much hated rival in Wisconsin would be monstrous. Iowa would also obviously be a big win, but as a fan looking forward on the schedule, Becky and the Buckeyes definitely would top the Michigan win.

Yeah, we're kind of playing Rodney Dangerfield here. I hate labeling wins as "signature." I've been watching Gopher football since the early-1960s and I've heard the term or something like it tossed around at various points only to have things slip and slide shortly thereafter.

I think the great thing about this game is that we beat a team we should have beaten and we beat them soundly. To me, that's the mark of progress. I can only think of one or two games during the Kill era where we've really laid an egg and I think that is really important. Between Holtz and Kill, we've had so-called "signature" wins followed up shortly thereafter by a contest sponsored by the American Poultry Association.

I think it's less signature and more an endorsement of what Kill has been putting into place. He has a system. He recruits to that system. He works that system. And that system is working for us right now and I see no reason why that can't continue. Kill appears to inordinately stubborn at times, but I think we saw the playbook opened up a bit yesterday and we will continue to see wrinkles incorporated throughout the rest of the season. Kill takes the long view when approaching the season and things are unfolding nicely. Now we just have to keep it up.
 

Yeah, we're kind of playing Rodney Dangerfield here. I hate labeling wins as "signature." I've been watching Gopher football since the early-1960s and I've heard the term or something like it tossed around at various points only to have things slip and slide shortly thereafter.

I think the great thing about this game is that we beat a team we should have beaten and we beat them soundly. To me, that's the mark of progress. I can only think of one or two games during the Kill era where we've really laid an egg and I think that is really important. Between Holtz and Kill, we've had so-called "signature" wins followed up shortly thereafter by a contest sponsored by the American Poultry Association.

I think it's less signature and more an endorsement of what Kill has been putting into place. He has a system. He recruits to that system. He works that system. And that system is working for us right now and I see no reason why that can't continue. Kill appears to inordinately stubborn at times, but I think we saw the playbook opened up a bit yesterday and we will continue to see wrinkles incorporated throughout the rest of the season. Kill takes the long view when approaching the season and things are unfolding nicely. Now we just have to keep it up.

Yep.
 

winning the jug twice in 20 something years yes it is a signature win
now we need more of them
 

I think the term "signature" is overused and underdefined. To me, whether it is a signature win depends largely on what happens next, so I will reserve judgment on that issue.

That said, it is certainly a great win that has me excited. We won a trophy that we almost never win against a rival. We thumped them. We are 1-0 in conference play staring down the barrel of 4 weak conference opponents and a meaningful (albeit outside) chance to be 5-0 and in serious discussion for the west division champ a month or so down the road. If we can win the ones we should this next month, we have a chance to make this a really special year, and then I would look back and definitely identify this as a signature.
 


I don't believe it can be "signature" if it's over a bad team. I agree with all the other great things about this win, but (and I see that this makes me an idiot) signature win would require beating a good team.

Does South Dakota look at beating a bad 2010 Gopher team as a signature win? (this is meant as a real question - as I don't know)
 

Michigan may be down, but they are still Michigan, it's still the Big House, and they led the Big Ten in team d headed into this game and we tore them a new one. We heard all about how great they are vs the run and Cobb got 183 (helped by Leidner being on). If Leidner can play this way consistently - make enough plays, don't turn the ball over - it's going to be a fun season. We don't need him to pass for 300 and 3 TDs, just do what he did today. This game is definitely a major confidence boost to all the players - you could tell from comments made by Botticelli about shutting those Michigan fans up, and Leidner about how great a feeling it was to be beating up a helmet school.

My favorite plays?

1. Cobb carrying half of the Michigan defense on his back for a run at the end of the first half.
2. One handed grab by Maxx
3. The Campbell pick 6
4. Not a play, but the way the defense came back the next series after letting Gardner drive down the field with ease and shut him down
 

I don't believe it can be "signature" if it's over a bad team. I agree with all the other great things about this win, but (and I see that this makes me an idiot) signature win would require beating a good team.

Does South Dakota look at beating a bad 2010 Gopher team as a signature win? (this is meant as a real question - as I don't know)

This reminds me of Nebraska last year when they were deemed a dumpster fire. They then rattled off victories and played in a better bowl. We'll see how the little blue does for the remainder of the season. We were just that much better than all those highly regarded recruits yesterday. Fun to see us have a faster defense than them.
 

My father was in Minnesota between 1959 to 1963, we dominated them then. I was in Minnesota for 5 years (1988 onwards) Rutgers for five years (they are not BIG ten). Not once in my life have I seen Minnesota beat Michigan. 2005 had to read about it, yesterday had a good stream...so yes...for me a signature win.
 

In relative terms, it is a signature win. Given the name and history, plus our lack of recent success against them, beating Michigan is something that will get the Gophers and Jerry Kill a lot of attention at home and nationally. It may not quite be on the level of beating Penn State in 1999 when they were #2 or Ohio State in 2000 when they were #5, but it is still big. By the way, all three of those wins came away. Big as they were, a win of such magnitude at home would be an even bigger boost.

This.

It really doesn't matter how poor Michigan is this year. From a national perspective.....they are almost always good. Maybe not this year. But they are helmet school regardless of a few poor seasons.

For me......the Gophers could have beaten a bunch of gimps. We don't win the Jug nearly enough. To go into AA and dominate............what's left to say. Awesome.
 


Great win for the program but not a "signature " win. Build on this and hopefully playing for a division title game at the end would be the "signature "

Brewster once called beating Illinois a signature win. Way too early.

Why don't you tell us again how betting Michigan at the early line was the value bet? That was my recent favorite among your many terrible takes.
 

From 1968 on Michigan is 39-5 against the Gophers. Guess I don't care what it's labeled. Really happy to see it.
 




Top Bottom