Minnesota

University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have won six national championships and 18 Big Ten Conference championships in their long and storied history. The program played its first game in 1882. The team won five of those national titles under the stewardship of coach Bernie Bierman, including three straight titles from 1934-1936. In total, Minnesota has an all- time record of 626-439-44.

Minnesota is known for producing NFL running backs. Laurence Maroney of the Patriots and Marion Barber III of the Dallas Cowboys were both standouts at Minnesota and are the most recent graduates to explode in the NFL.

The Golden Gophers have played their home games at the Metrodome since 1982. The Maroon and Gold have four major rivals. Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin have played 116 games against each other, making it the most played rivalry in college football. The teams compete each year for the "Paul Bunyan Axe". Minnesota and Michigan battle for the "Little Brown Jug". The Golden Gophers and Iowa fight for the "Floyd of Rosedale and Minnesota and Penn State face off for the "Governor’s Victory Bell." The mascot is Goldy Gopher and is one of the most famous in the Big- Ten and the fight song, "Minnesota Rouser" is one of the nation's most popular.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 2007 Outlook

The Golden Gophers head into the season with a new coaching staff and a hole at quarterback. Three year starter Bryan Cupito is gone. Running back Amir Pinnix returns and should carry the load for the Gophers, especially early in the season. The defense returns 10 starters from a unit that allowed 26.0 points per game in 2006.  Minnesota has a pathetic non-conference that should muster four wins. The Golden Gophers are good for a few conference wins as well which means the team should go bowling in Tim Brewster’s first season at the helm.

2007 Minnesota Schedule

Date OPPONENT TIME (ET) Location Result
Sat, Sep 1st, 2007 Bowling_Green 08:00 PM Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Sep 8th, 2007 Miami-Ohio 12:00 PM Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Sep 15th, 2007 at Fla_Atlantic 01:00 PM Dolphin Stadium - Miami, FL  
Sat, Sep 22nd, 2007 Purdue 09:00 PM Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Sep 29th, 2007 Ohio_State 08:00 PM Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Oct 6th, 2007 at Indiana TBA Memorial Stadium  
Sat, Oct 13th, 2007 at Northwestern 12:00 PM Ryan Field  
Sat, Oct 20th, 2007 North_Dakota_St TBA Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Oct 27th, 2007 at Michigan TBA Michigan Stadium  
Sat, Nov 3rd, 2007 Illinois 08:00 PM Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome  
Sat, Nov 10th, 2007 at Iowa TBA Kinnick Stadium  
Sat, Nov 17th, 2007 Wisconsin TBA Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Coach Profile

Tim Brewster played in the Big Ten as a tight end at the University of Illinois from 1981-1984. After an unsuccessful and extremely brief stint in the NFL, Brewster turned to coaching. He worked as tight ends coach at the University of Texas from 1998-2001.

Brewster spent the last five seasons as a tight end coach in the NFL. He is credited with the rapid development of tight end Antonio Gates, who Brewster coached from 2002-2004. He held the tight end coaching position with the Denver Broncos when he was hired at Minnesota.

Minnesota Golden Gophers- Players to Watch/Key Departures

Senior running back Amir Pinnix is the player to watch on offense. He is a quick shifty back capable of racking up big yardage every game. Receiver Ernie Wheelwright has continued to improve and 2007 should be a terrific year for him. On the defensive side of the ball, junior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg should bring pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He had 10 sacks last season.

In 2006, the Minnesota secondary was the laughing stock of the Big- Ten. This year could actually be worse. Dominic Jones and Keith Massey have been dismissed for violating team rules. The 268- yards per game passing allowed by the Golden Gophers could actually reach 290 this year.