Judd Zulgad: Worst blunders in Minnesota sports? There are plenty from which to pick

BleedGopher

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per Judd:

Gophers football: The clock is running, Oct. 31, 2015

Tracy Claeys’ first game as Gophers’ interim coach following Jerry Kill’s resignation looked like it was going to have a fairy tale ending. But Claeys’ clock management, or lack of it, made it a nightmare and his quarterback, Mitch Leidner, didn’t help matters.

Minnesota trailed 15th-ranked Michigan, 29-26, on Halloween night at TCF Bank Stadium, when Leidner directed a drive late in the fourth quarter that looked like it ended with a 23-yard pass to Drew Wolitarsky with 19 seconds left that initially was ruled a touchdown.

A review showed Wolitarsky’s knee hit the turf just before the ball crossed the goal line, meaning the Gophers had first-and-goal from a half-yard out with one timeout. The Gophers would have to work hard to lose this game. That’s exactly what they did.

The clock started after the review was complete, but Leidner clearly did not realize this and he wasn’t given any help when offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover sent in a play that included plenty of motion and shifts and ate up 17 seconds. Leidner then threw an incomplete pass, meaning the Gophers could either attempt a tying field goal or go for the win on fourth down.

Claeys did the latter and Leidner was stuffed on a sneak attempt as time expired. The fans in TCF Bank Stadium were stunned as Michigan sprinted to grab the Little Brown Jug. The Gophers, as they have done too many times, had turned what appeared to be sure victory into an agonizing defeat.

http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/06/zulgad-worst-blunders-minnesota-sports-plenty-pick/

Go Gophers!!
 

Of everything that went wrong on that final sequence, Claeys not playing for a tie was not part of it.
 

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I’m not sure the Limegrover gaffe deserves a top 5 billing even amongst Gopher collapses but yeah, it sting, it stings. In terms of pure gut wrenching hell for MN football its hard to choose between the Vikings failures in the NFC title games, or the Gopher game that shan’t be talked about.

In terms of WTF factor the Marshall wrong way run has to be one of the most hilarious moments in all of sports history. The Kent state coverage man that ran the kick back the wrong way and subsequently tackled by the Towson receiving team has to be #1.
 

I get that people don't like the Vikings around here, for whatever reason. But, the Vikings are actually one of the most successful franchises in NFL History in terms of winning percentage (6th overall behind the Cowboys, Packers, Bears, Dolphins, Patriots). I would compare the numerous NFC Championship and Super Bowl losses to the Gophers potentially losing a B1G Championship game. Sure, it's a bummer to lose those games, but it's by no means on the list of "worst blunders."

The Vikings are a lot like the Badgers. Great regular seasons, can't close the deal on a championship. The Gophers can't even put together a single great regular season (not since Apollo 1, anyway).

The single most embarrassing blunder in MN sports history isn't a single moment from a single game. It is a collection of last 14 games against the Badgers.

I disagree totally on the Michigan game. It was mentioned above that we're playing to win, not tie. Also, they had to be in position to win in the first place (kind of like losing an NFC Championship game), Michigan had an outstanding defense, and it was a coaches very first game as head coach. Limegrovers playcalling was kind of an abomination, but if it it would've worked it would be genius. "Can you believe the balls it takes to run those motions to throw off their defense, and it worked wonderfully," etc.
 






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