Worst Gopher football memory

UpAndUnder43

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Can be a game, a coaching hire, a recruiting miss, a season, an era, etc.

I figured with an 0-3 start to the conference we should pull the bandaid, get all the negatives and pain out of the way...then start fresh on our march towards bowl eligibility.

A few come to mind for me (2006 insight bowl, Brewster era, Kill retiring) but the blocked punt in 2005 vs Wisconsin is the most painful. I am not sure I'll ever be comfortable beating the Badgers because of that. Could be up 21 with the ball, 10 seconds left and I'll remember that. Need the axe back for me to ever smile again.
 

The 1983 84-13 drubbing by Nebraska put the Gophers on a thirty-year slump.
 


October 15, 2005. #23 Minnesota -vs- #22 Wisconsin.

Gophers are leading 34-31 and have the ball. Fourth down in the fourth quarter - 30 seconds left in the game.

Lawrence Maroney has run 43 times for 258 yards and Gary Russell has run 19 times for 139 yards. As the Gophers send the punt team out on the field I'm yelling "Run the ball! Run the ball! Don't punt, run the ball!" I don't know why I felt this way; punting was obviously the smart move. But my heart sank when they lined up to punt.

Punt is blocked at the 5, recovered in the end zone by Wisconsin. Final score 38-34 Wisconsin.

I didn't watch the Gophers again until halfway through the 2006 season.
 




2003 vs Michigan

^ this. It felt like we were on the verge of something enormous. Like, we were going to be a top-10 team with an identity and well-known players and local adoration and everything. Then, over the course of about 15 minutes of game time, it all fell apart spectacularly. The program hasn't come close to feeling like a major player on the national stage since.

And because I'm a glutton for punishment, here's the drives and score from the end of the third quarter on. Minnesota had just scored to go up 28-7 with less than a minute to play in the 3rd quarter.

  • Michigan holds the ball from 0:58 in the third until 14:24 in the fourth, scores a passing TD. 28-14 Minnesota leads with 14:24 to play.
  • Minnesota throws a pick six on the third play of their next drive. 28-21 Minnesota leads with 13:50 to play.
  • Minnesota gets a 52-yard rushing TD from Abdul-Khaliq. Everyone exhales. 35-21 Minnesota leads with 11:35 to play.
  • Michigan responds with a 52-yard passing TD. Everyone clenches. 35-28 Minnesota leads with 10:25 to play.
  • Minnesota goes three and out but wastes some clock. 35-28 Minnesota leads with 8:35 to play.
  • Michigan marches down the field and scores a rushing TD. Tied at 35 with 5:48 to play.
  • Minnesota goes three and out again. Tied at 35 with 4:45 to play.
  • Michigan executes a masterful time-wasting drive that ends in a FG. 38-35 Michigan leads with 0:51 to play.
  • Minnesota throws an interception with 0:18 to play. Game over.
 
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What's sad is anyone on this message board that isn't in their 60's has way more bad memories than good ones and it isn't even close.
 

Can be a game, a coaching hire, a recruiting miss, a season, an era, etc.

I figured with an 0-3 start to the conference we should pull the bandaid, get all the negatives and pain out of the way...then start fresh on our march towards bowl eligibility.

A few come to mind for me (2006 insight bowl, Brewster era, Kill retiring) but the blocked punt in 2005 vs Wisconsin is the most painful. I am not sure I'll ever be comfortable beating the Badgers because of that. Could be up 21 with the ball, 10 seconds left and I'll remember that. Need the axe back for me to ever smile again.

This is probably my worst memory as well. I think I told this story before, I had something going on that day so I recorded the game. A friend of mine (who isn't a MN or WI fan) called me saying "Did you see that ending!!!" in an excited voice. I immediately told him I recorded it and hung up. So I'm thinking in my head that it was something exciting for MN. But then we had the lead late and I'm getting more and more nervous because at that point a crazy ending probably meant we lost. And then the blocked punt happened. I was so mad.

Worst memory I saw in person was the South Dakota QB running circles around our defense.
 

84-13
NDSU and South Dakota losses
2003 Michigan
Badger returned punt
2015 Michigan ending
 
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Searching Ask Jeeves for a Gopher football forum, and getting Gopherhole as a result.
 



2003 Michigan. Not close.

Yup. 2003 michigan is the absolute worst, most impactful loss of my lifetime and possibly ever. Where the team could have gone if they win was crazy. MN chokes and the team, program, and coach never recovers.
 

Yup. 2003 michigan is the absolute worst, most impactful loss of my lifetime and possibly ever. Where the team could have gone if they win was crazy. MN chokes and the team, program, and coach never recovers.

I forget about this game. Definitely old enough to remember it but for some reason that blocked punt vs wisconsin epitomizes being a Gopher fan for me...in the worst possible way
 

Why do we do this to ourselves?

The 2015 loss to Michigan at TCF... the blood is not yet dry for me.
Kill.... Claeys.... Leidner.... you wanted it so bad, you had it, and then your guts were ripped out.
Like going 120 MPH and hitting a brick wall.
 

Why do we do this to ourselves?

The 2015 loss to Michigan at TCF... the blood is not yet dry for me.
Kill.... Claeys.... Leidner.... you wanted it so bad, you had it, and then your guts were ripped out.
Like going 120 MPH and hitting a brick wall.

Worst part of this game was they called it a TD, overturned it, then we ran 1 play in 40ish seconds? Lots of weirdness, terrible clock management, etc.
 

Worst part of this game was they called it a TD, overturned it, then we ran 1 play in 40ish seconds? Lots of weirdness, terrible clock management, etc.

Michigan fan sitting next to me in Section 215 turns to me and says, with absolute smugness, "Order has been restored to the world".... I will not tell you what I said to him.
 
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Worst part of this game was they called it a TD, overturned it, then we ran 1 play in 40ish seconds? Lots of weirdness, terrible clock management, etc.

2015 and possibly 2005 WI- yes our hearts were ripped out at the end of the game when victory was almost assured. But we weren't playing for B1G title.

2003 may still be most impactful. We win and we likely are dont lose the next game (mich st I think) and we are possibly playing Iowa for B1G title and a spot in national championship...yuck, I'm gonna throw up now
 



2003 Vs Michigan, without a doubt. It's been summed up well here.

Like, we were going to be a top-10 team with an identity and well-known players and local adoration and everything. Then, over the course of about 15 minutes of game time, it all fell apart spectacularly. The program hasn't come close to feeling like a major player on the national stage since.

2003 may still be most impactful. We win and we likely are dont lose the next game (mich st I think) and we are possibly playing Iowa for B1G title and a spot in national championship...yuck, I'm gonna throw up now

Very likely win a share of the Big Ten title, if not having a shot for it outright. In that case, a trip to the Rose Bowl. The worst part is how well we were playing, too. If the Gophers had played that well through the end of the game, the team would definitely be in the top 10 and would impress a lot of people nationally. The Dome would probably be rocking the rest of the year, too.
 

Seems unfair that we have this many
84-13
2003 Michigan
Punt block
Insight bowl
2016 Michigan
Hotlz bolting
 
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Sneeky horrible was the Purdue game, forget what year, but they go like 70 yards in 10 seconds for game winning field goal. Even tho we're at home, refs let 's Purdue field goal squad come on to the field without letting a second tick off and get the kick off. Just a gut punch.
 


vs Ohio State in 1985 (Holtz's last year). Gophers down 23-19 late in the 4th qtr but driving. It was 3rd and short inside the 20. Rickey Foggie running the option and gets stopped a yard short and injures his knee. Roselle Richardson comes in for the 4th down and, of course, the gophers don't make the 1st down. Game lost, starting QB lost for season. Holtz leaves. Some years later, Wacker arrives.
 

Seems unfair that we have this many
84-13
2003 Michigan
Punt block
Insight bowl
2016 Michigan
Hotlz bolting

This is a good list. For me, if Michigan 2003 isn't #1, you haven't been a Gopher fan nearly long enough. We were soooooo close. Win that game and we probably go to the Rose Bowl. (If you give the Gophers the W and the Wolverines the L and nothing else changes that season, we DO go to the Rose Bowl.) Holtz would've gotten us there, too. I used to love Notre Dame; started hating them the day he left.

To that list I would add 1989 Gutey loss to Ohio State. Up 31-0 in the second half at the Dome and lost 41-37 on ABC in front of a rabid crowd of 34,000.
 

2003 Michigan and 2005 Wisky are 1.a and 1.b.

An under-remembered one is 1999 OT loss to Wisky. Win that game and we would have been Pasadena-bound, considering how the rest of the season played out. We had Dayne shut down all game, save for a series Tyrone missed with a minor injury.
 


One for the old timers: Wisconsin 1962. Bobby Bell gets called for roughing the passer( a terrible call) and the Gophers lose the Big Ten Championship to
the Badgers.
 




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