2005 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota
in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
. The team's head coach was Glen Mason
. Minnesota played its home games at the Metrodome
in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
. The most notable win of the season came as Minnesota defeated Michigan
to win the Little Brown Jug
for the first time since 1986.
was the eighth season under head coach Glen Mason. He led the team to an 7-5 record and an appearance in the Music City Bowl
. The Gophers won their first five games before falling in five of their final seven contests.
.
: 2-0-0
The Gophers open the 2005 season in dominating fashion. Laurence Maroney rushed for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryan Cupito added 235 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Gary Russell had only six carries but two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter.
: 2-0-0
The Gophers continued their high scoring ways to open the season, romping over Colorado State. Laurence Maroney had another big day, rushing for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns. Gary Russell had 2 touchdowns on seven carries. The Golden Gophers had fantastic average field position, starting at their own 40 yard line, but Tulsa averaged their starting at their own 21 yard line.
: 1-0-0
The Golden Gophers won the third game of the season, defeating the Florida Atlantic Owls. Bryan Cupito passed 10 for 17 and 230 yards, with 2 touchdowns. Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell each scored two touchdowns on the day. The Minnesota rushing attack accumulated 349 yards on the ground. The Gophers once again had better field position then their opponents, as the Gophers were 16 yards better than the Owls, starting at the 37 yard line.
: 31-28-3 (as of 2005)
The Golden Gophers won their fourth game of the season, winning in double overtime of Purdue. Laurence Maroney had another big day for the Golden Gophers, rushing for 217 yards. Bryan Cupito passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a two point conversion in the waning time of the fourth quarter, giving a tying score that would eventually force overtime. Logan Payne caught a touchdown in the first overtime, and Gary Russell scored the go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime, giving Minnesota the victory.
: 4-5-0 (as of 2005)
Penn State raced out to a 20-point lead on the way to a 30 point victory over the Golden Gophers. Minnesota's normally potent passing attack was held to 113 yards on the day rushing. Bryan Cupito passed for 174 yards on the day. The Golden Gophers turned the ball over twice, compared to no turnovers for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions regained the Governor's Victory Bell
for the first time since 1998.
: 24-67-3 (as of 2005)
The Minnesota Golden Gophers won the Little Brown Jug
for the first time since 1986. Laurence Maroney rushed for 129 yards on the day. Gary Russell ran for 128 yards on the day, nearly half the yards coming from one rush with under two minutes left in the game. That rush set up a final field goal by Jason Giannini. It was the first win for the Golden Gophers under Glen Mason. It was Michigan's was third loss on the season.
: 59-48-8 (as of 2005)
Coming off one of the biggest wins in recent memory, the Golden Gophers faced off against border rival, Wisconsin. The two teams traded the lead through the first half. With 3:27 left in the game, the Golden Gophers stretched the lead to 34-24. The Badgers then scored a touchdown, bringing the lead back down to a three point gap. With 30 seconds left, the Badgers blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. The Badgers kept Paul Bunyan's Axe
for the third straight year.
: 7-38-0 (as of 2005)
Minnesota dropped the game to Ohio State, despite a solid performance from the Golden Gophers offense. Bryan Cupito had 26 completions on 35 attempts, and had 395 yards passing. Laurence Maroney rushed for 125 yards. The Golden Gophers out gained the Buckeyes by 130 yards on offense, but had two several drives stall. Twice the ball was turned over on down, once on a missed field goal, and the Gophers had one fumble.
: 35-25-3 (as of 2005)
Minnesota's Gary Russell rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on the way to the first Gopher victory in Indiana since 1985. The Golden Gophers had 200 more yards of offensive production on the day. The Golden Gophers broke the game open, scoring four touchdowns. Gary Russell had three touchdowns on the day. Minnesota had no turnovers on the day. The Gophers were successful on seven of the twelve third-down attempts. The win made the Golden Gophers bowl eligible.
: 15-25-0 (as of 2005)
Amir Pinnix rushed for 206 yards as the Golden Gophers won, 41-18. Byran Cupito only passed 13 times, but connected on eight of those passes, and two touchdowns. The Golden Gophers had only two drives on the game that didn't result in a score. In addition, the Gophers dominated the time of possession, having offensive control for 36 minutes in the game. The Spartans missed two field goal attempts on the game.
: 58-39-2 (as of 2005)
In the 99th addition of the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry, the Golden Gophers dropped their fifth straight game to the Hawkeyes. Byran Cupito passed for 315 yards, but had two interceptions and barely more than a 50 percent passing completion. Defensively, the Golden Gophers gave up 615 yards of offense. Two different Hawkeye running backs eclipsed 100 yards rushing, and Iowa's Drew Tate threw for 351 yards passing and four touchdowns. Iowa continued to retain the Floyd of Rosedale
trophy.
: 0-1-0
In the Golden Gophers' third appearance in the Music City Bowl
, the Gophers dropped a close game against Virginia. Bryan Cupito passed for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day. Running back Laurence Maroney rushed for 109 yards. The Gophers lost the lead for the first time with 1:08 remaining as they gave up a 39 yard field goal try. The loss was the Gophers' first loss in a bowl game since 2000.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the least amount of controversy surrounding the Bowl Championship Series title game in many years.To an extent it was a return to classic football...
. The team's head coach was Glen Mason
Glen Mason
Glen O. Mason is an American football coach. Mason previously served as the head football coach at Kent State University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Minnesota, compiling a career college football record of 123–121–1.-Playing career:Mason played college football at...
. Minnesota played its home games at the Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The most notable win of the season came as Minnesota defeated Michigan
2005 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2005 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2005 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. That year Michigan Wolverines football competed in the Big Ten Conference in...
to win the Little Brown Jug
Little Brown Jug (football)
The Little Brown Jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the American college football rivalry game played annually by the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the university of Minnesota and the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan...
for the first time since 1986.
Previous season
20042004 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 2004 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the college football season of 2004-2005. The team's coach was Glen Mason. It played its home games at the H.H.H. Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota....
was the eighth season under head coach Glen Mason. He led the team to an 7-5 record and an appearance in the Music City Bowl
Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998.-Site:The first Music City Bowl was played at Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998...
. The Gophers won their first five games before falling in five of their final seven contests.
Polls
The 2005 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was not ranked in either the final Coaches' Poll or AP PollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Result | September 1 | @ | W | 41 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 10 | vs | W | 56 | 24 | ||
| September 17 | vs Florida Atlantic 2005 Florida Atlantic Owls football team The 2005 Florida Atlantic University Owls football team represented Florida Atlantic University in the 2005 college football season. The team was coached by Howard Schnellenberger and played their home games at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The Owls entered the season as a program in... |
W | 46 | 7 | ||
| September 24 | vs *Purdue 2005 Purdue Boilermakers football team The 2005 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2005 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Joe Tiller and played its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue played eleven games in the 2005 season, finishing with a 5-6 record and missing a... |
W | 42 | 35 | Game went to Double OT | |
| October 1 | @ *Penn State 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team The 2005 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2005–2006 college football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno... |
L | 14 | 44 | ||
| October 8 | @ *Michigan 2005 Michigan Wolverines football team The 2005 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2005 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. That year Michigan Wolverines football competed in the Big Ten Conference in... |
W | 23 | 20 | Gophers win Little Brown Jug for first time since 1986. | |
| October 15 | vs *Wisconsin 2005 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 2005 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2005 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Barry Alvarez, the Badgers completed the season with a 10-3 record, including a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference, good for a third-place tie with... |
L | 34 | 38 | ||
| October 29 | vs *Ohio State 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team The 2005 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented The Ohio State University in the college football season of 2005-2006. The team's head football coach was Jim Tressel. The Buckeyes played their home games in Ohio Stadium. The team finished the season with a win-loss record of 10 and 2, and... |
L | 31 | 45 | ||
| November 5 | @ *Indiana | W | 42 | 21 | ||
| November 12 | vs *Michigan State 2005 Michigan State Spartans football team The 2005 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in NCAA Division I-A college football during the 2005 season. Michigan State competed as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans... |
W | 41 | 18 | ||
| November 19 | @ *Iowa 2005 Iowa Hawkeyes football team The 2005 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa during the 2005 college football season. The Hawkeyes played their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa and were coached by Kirk Ferentz.... |
L | 52 | 28 | ||
| December 30 | vs Virginia 2005 Virginia Cavaliers football team The 2005 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia in the 2005 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's coach was coach Al Groh. They played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.- Schedule :... |
L | 31 | 34 | @ Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home... • Music City Bowl 2005 Music City Bowl The 2005 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl was a college football bowl game played between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.-Game overview:... |
|
| *Conference Game | ||||||
Tulsa
All-time record against TulsaUniversity of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
: 2-0-0
The Gophers open the 2005 season in dominating fashion. Laurence Maroney rushed for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bryan Cupito added 235 yards passing and 1 touchdown. Gary Russell had only six carries but two touchdowns, both coming in the fourth quarter.
Colorado State
All-time record against Colorado StateColorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
: 2-0-0
The Gophers continued their high scoring ways to open the season, romping over Colorado State. Laurence Maroney had another big day, rushing for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns. Gary Russell had 2 touchdowns on seven carries. The Golden Gophers had fantastic average field position, starting at their own 40 yard line, but Tulsa averaged their starting at their own 21 yard line.
Florida Atlantic
All-time record against Florida AtlanticFlorida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
: 1-0-0
The Golden Gophers won the third game of the season, defeating the Florida Atlantic Owls. Bryan Cupito passed 10 for 17 and 230 yards, with 2 touchdowns. Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell each scored two touchdowns on the day. The Minnesota rushing attack accumulated 349 yards on the ground. The Gophers once again had better field position then their opponents, as the Gophers were 16 yards better than the Owls, starting at the 37 yard line.
Purdue
All-time record against PurduePurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
: 31-28-3 (as of 2005)
The Golden Gophers won their fourth game of the season, winning in double overtime of Purdue. Laurence Maroney had another big day for the Golden Gophers, rushing for 217 yards. Bryan Cupito passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a two point conversion in the waning time of the fourth quarter, giving a tying score that would eventually force overtime. Logan Payne caught a touchdown in the first overtime, and Gary Russell scored the go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime, giving Minnesota the victory.
Penn State
All-time record against Penn StatePennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
: 4-5-0 (as of 2005)
Penn State raced out to a 20-point lead on the way to a 30 point victory over the Golden Gophers. Minnesota's normally potent passing attack was held to 113 yards on the day rushing. Bryan Cupito passed for 174 yards on the day. The Golden Gophers turned the ball over twice, compared to no turnovers for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lions regained the Governor's Victory Bell
Governor's Victory Bell
The Governor's Victory Bell is awarded to the winner of each college football game between Minnesota and Penn State.-History:It was first presented in 1993 to commemorate Penn State's entry into the Big Ten Conference, with their first league game coming against the Golden Gophers. Penn State won...
for the first time since 1998.
Michigan
All-time record against MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
: 24-67-3 (as of 2005)
The Minnesota Golden Gophers won the Little Brown Jug
Little Brown Jug (football)
The Little Brown Jug is an earthenware jug that serves as a trophy awarded to the winner of the American college football rivalry game played annually by the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the university of Minnesota and the Michigan Wolverines football team of the University of Michigan...
for the first time since 1986. Laurence Maroney rushed for 129 yards on the day. Gary Russell ran for 128 yards on the day, nearly half the yards coming from one rush with under two minutes left in the game. That rush set up a final field goal by Jason Giannini. It was the first win for the Golden Gophers under Glen Mason. It was Michigan's was third loss on the season.
Wisconsin
All-time record against WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
: 59-48-8 (as of 2005)
Coming off one of the biggest wins in recent memory, the Golden Gophers faced off against border rival, Wisconsin. The two teams traded the lead through the first half. With 3:27 left in the game, the Golden Gophers stretched the lead to 34-24. The Badgers then scored a touchdown, bringing the lead back down to a three point gap. With 30 seconds left, the Badgers blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown. The Badgers kept Paul Bunyan's Axe
Paul Bunyan's Axe
Paul Bunyan's Axe, named after the mythical giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan, is a prize awarded every year to the winner of the college football game between Minnesota and Wisconsin.-History:...
for the third straight year.
Ohio State
All-time record against Ohio StateOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
: 7-38-0 (as of 2005)
Minnesota dropped the game to Ohio State, despite a solid performance from the Golden Gophers offense. Bryan Cupito had 26 completions on 35 attempts, and had 395 yards passing. Laurence Maroney rushed for 125 yards. The Golden Gophers out gained the Buckeyes by 130 yards on offense, but had two several drives stall. Twice the ball was turned over on down, once on a missed field goal, and the Gophers had one fumble.
Indiana
All-time record against IndianaIndiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
: 35-25-3 (as of 2005)
Minnesota's Gary Russell rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns on the way to the first Gopher victory in Indiana since 1985. The Golden Gophers had 200 more yards of offensive production on the day. The Golden Gophers broke the game open, scoring four touchdowns. Gary Russell had three touchdowns on the day. Minnesota had no turnovers on the day. The Gophers were successful on seven of the twelve third-down attempts. The win made the Golden Gophers bowl eligible.
Michigan State
All-time record against Michigan StateMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
: 15-25-0 (as of 2005)
Amir Pinnix rushed for 206 yards as the Golden Gophers won, 41-18. Byran Cupito only passed 13 times, but connected on eight of those passes, and two touchdowns. The Golden Gophers had only two drives on the game that didn't result in a score. In addition, the Gophers dominated the time of possession, having offensive control for 36 minutes in the game. The Spartans missed two field goal attempts on the game.
Iowa
All-time record against IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
: 58-39-2 (as of 2005)
In the 99th addition of the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry, the Golden Gophers dropped their fifth straight game to the Hawkeyes. Byran Cupito passed for 315 yards, but had two interceptions and barely more than a 50 percent passing completion. Defensively, the Golden Gophers gave up 615 yards of offense. Two different Hawkeye running backs eclipsed 100 yards rushing, and Iowa's Drew Tate threw for 351 yards passing and four touchdowns. Iowa continued to retain the Floyd of Rosedale
Floyd of Rosedale
Floyd of Rosedale is the name of a bronze pig trophy that is awarded to the winner of the annual college football game between the Universities of Iowa and Minnesota...
trophy.
Virginia
All-time record against VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
: 0-1-0
In the Golden Gophers' third appearance in the Music City Bowl
Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998.-Site:The first Music City Bowl was played at Vanderbilt Stadium in 1998...
, the Gophers dropped a close game against Virginia. Bryan Cupito passed for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day. Running back Laurence Maroney rushed for 109 yards. The Gophers lost the lead for the first time with 1:08 remaining as they gave up a 39 yard field goal try. The loss was the Gophers' first loss in a bowl game since 2000.