Iceland12
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LOOKING AT THE GOLDEN GOPHERS:
Thursday's contest is the first game of the 2018 season for Minnesota, who is coming off of posting a 5-7 overall record with a 2-7 mark in conference play. The Golden Gophers bring back five offensive starters and six from the defensive side of the ball this year.
This is the third all-time meeting between NM State and Minnesota and the series is tied 1-1. Minnesota won the last meeting, 44-21, on Sept. 7, 2013 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Aggies picked up their first ever win over a Big Ten team with a 28-21 victory on the road against Minnesota back on Sept. 10, 2011.
Minnesota is 6-3 all-time in season-openers at TCF Bank Stadium and won head coach P.J. Fleck's debut last year 17-7 against Buffalo. The win made Fleck the school's first head coach to win his debut since John Gutekunst in 1986.
Saturday's game for the Aggies was a season opener that saw NM State and Wyoming combine for 16 penalties that totaled 117 yards, but that trend may change on Thursday. The Gophers ranked first in the nation last season in fewest penalties (39), fewest penalties per game (3.25), fewest penalty yards (340) and fewest penalty yards per game (28.33).
The talent returning for the Golden Gophers has been recognized nationally with players represented on 12 watch lists for the 2018 season. Rodney Smith is on the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and the Paul Hornung Award Watch Lists. Emmit Carpenter found his name on the Lou Groza Watch List for his play on the field and he is also on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and is an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee and Witten Award nominee for his work off of it. Thomas Barber is on the Butkus Award Watch List and the Bednarik Award Watch List after his breakout season last year. For the second straight year Jared Weyler is on the Rimington Trophy Watch List and he also earned a NFF National Scholar-Athlete nomination. For the second straight year Jacob Herbers has landed a spot on the coveted Mortell Holder of the Year Award Watch List.
With all the talent coming back, there are still a lot of new faces in Minnesota. The Gophers have 113 players on the roster this season and 60 of those players – or 53.1 percent – are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. That total is the highest number in college football.
https://nmstatesports.com/news/2018/8/28/first-road-trip-for-nmstatefootball-heads-to-minnesota.aspx
LOOKING AT THE GOLDEN GOPHERS:
Thursday's contest is the first game of the 2018 season for Minnesota, who is coming off of posting a 5-7 overall record with a 2-7 mark in conference play. The Golden Gophers bring back five offensive starters and six from the defensive side of the ball this year.
This is the third all-time meeting between NM State and Minnesota and the series is tied 1-1. Minnesota won the last meeting, 44-21, on Sept. 7, 2013 at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Aggies picked up their first ever win over a Big Ten team with a 28-21 victory on the road against Minnesota back on Sept. 10, 2011.
Minnesota is 6-3 all-time in season-openers at TCF Bank Stadium and won head coach P.J. Fleck's debut last year 17-7 against Buffalo. The win made Fleck the school's first head coach to win his debut since John Gutekunst in 1986.
Saturday's game for the Aggies was a season opener that saw NM State and Wyoming combine for 16 penalties that totaled 117 yards, but that trend may change on Thursday. The Gophers ranked first in the nation last season in fewest penalties (39), fewest penalties per game (3.25), fewest penalty yards (340) and fewest penalty yards per game (28.33).
The talent returning for the Golden Gophers has been recognized nationally with players represented on 12 watch lists for the 2018 season. Rodney Smith is on the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and the Paul Hornung Award Watch Lists. Emmit Carpenter found his name on the Lou Groza Watch List for his play on the field and he is also on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and is an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee and Witten Award nominee for his work off of it. Thomas Barber is on the Butkus Award Watch List and the Bednarik Award Watch List after his breakout season last year. For the second straight year Jared Weyler is on the Rimington Trophy Watch List and he also earned a NFF National Scholar-Athlete nomination. For the second straight year Jacob Herbers has landed a spot on the coveted Mortell Holder of the Year Award Watch List.
With all the talent coming back, there are still a lot of new faces in Minnesota. The Gophers have 113 players on the roster this season and 60 of those players – or 53.1 percent – are either true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. That total is the highest number in college football.
https://nmstatesports.com/news/2018/8/28/first-road-trip-for-nmstatefootball-heads-to-minnesota.aspx
