BleedGopher
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per Sid:
Gophers off to historic start
The Gophers are 5-0 after their 40-17 home victory over Illinois on Saturday. That improbable start shows that coach P.J. Fleck is accomplishing what he said he would here.
This team needed some luck and big plays to escape nonconference play 3-0, but the past two weeks Gophers have taken care of business in the Big Ten.
Tanner Morgan overcame a slow start Saturday to throw three touchdown passes, two in the second half.
And Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks all of a sudden look like the dynamic duo they were before injuries forced both to the sidelines last year. Smith gained 211 yards on 24 carries and Brooks had 111 yards on 16 carries.
The simple fact is that since Murray Warmath’s club won the national championship in 1960, only three Gophers teams have started the season 5-0. Glen Mason’s clubs did it in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004.
The 2003 team might have been the Gophers’ best in the past four decades. It started 6-0, finished 10-3 and beat Oregon 31-30 in the Sun Bowl. The 2004 club didn’t finish strong, going 1-5 to end the regular season before topping Alabama 20-16 in the Music City Bowl.
John Gutekunst started 5-0 in 1987, but the Gophers went 1-5 down the stretch and didn’t get to play in a bowl.
So Fleck and this young Gophers squad are in rare territory. If they can find a way to top Nebraska next Saturday, a prime-time matchup at home, they will be bowl-eligible before taking a loss.
http://www.startribune.com/young-twins-stars-emerged-to-put-together-a-historic-season/562300822/
Go Gophers!!
Gophers off to historic start
The Gophers are 5-0 after their 40-17 home victory over Illinois on Saturday. That improbable start shows that coach P.J. Fleck is accomplishing what he said he would here.
This team needed some luck and big plays to escape nonconference play 3-0, but the past two weeks Gophers have taken care of business in the Big Ten.
Tanner Morgan overcame a slow start Saturday to throw three touchdown passes, two in the second half.
And Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks all of a sudden look like the dynamic duo they were before injuries forced both to the sidelines last year. Smith gained 211 yards on 24 carries and Brooks had 111 yards on 16 carries.
The simple fact is that since Murray Warmath’s club won the national championship in 1960, only three Gophers teams have started the season 5-0. Glen Mason’s clubs did it in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004.
The 2003 team might have been the Gophers’ best in the past four decades. It started 6-0, finished 10-3 and beat Oregon 31-30 in the Sun Bowl. The 2004 club didn’t finish strong, going 1-5 to end the regular season before topping Alabama 20-16 in the Music City Bowl.
John Gutekunst started 5-0 in 1987, but the Gophers went 1-5 down the stretch and didn’t get to play in a bowl.
So Fleck and this young Gophers squad are in rare territory. If they can find a way to top Nebraska next Saturday, a prime-time matchup at home, they will be bowl-eligible before taking a loss.
http://www.startribune.com/young-twins-stars-emerged-to-put-together-a-historic-season/562300822/
Go Gophers!!