This week is a milestone for Gopher football fans – it is the last “game week” that will witness the game being played inside the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. After the game this Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the next home game the Gophers play will be against the Air Force Falcons on September 12, 2009, in the new, ON-CAMPUS TCF Bank Stadium. Regardless of your feelings for the Metrodome, the fact is that this is the end of an era of Golden Gopher football. Many memories have been created in the time the Gophers have called this place home; some of them good, many of them bad. Here is GopherHole.com’s take on the last 27 years of Gopher football.


The 10 worst Metrodome memories

10. September 9, 2000: Ohio University 23 – Minnesota 17

After going 8-3 in Glen Mason’s breakout season of 1999, the Gophers returned much of their team in 2000, leading to hopes of a major bowl game that season. After winning their first game of the year against Louisiana-Monroe, the Gophers came home the next week and faced Ohio University. The game was supposed to be a cake-walk for three-touchdown favorite Gopher team, but Ohio U had other plans. The Bobcats got out to a 13-0 first quarter lead, and maintained this into halftime. The Gophers got 2 TD’s in the opening minutes of the third quarter to pull ahead 14-13, but the Bobcats came back, outscoring the Gophers 10-3 the rest of the way to pull out a 23-17 victory. The reason the Gophers lost was because they could not stop the Bobcat wishbone rushing attack, as Ohio U accumulated 363 yards on the ground, and holding a 2-1 time of possession advantage over Minnesota.


9. October 20, 2007: North Dakota State 27 – Minnesota 21

The Gophers gave up 394 yards rushing while losing to a to a 1-AA team. There’s not much more you can say about this one.

All-Metrodome Gopher football team
Offense
QB –	Ricky Foggie	(1984-87)
RB –	Darrell Thompson	(1986-89)
RB –	Laurence Maroney	(2003-05)
WR –	Ron Johnson	(1998-01)
WR –	Tutu Atwell	(1994-97)
TE –	Matt Spaeth	(2003-07)
OL –	Greg Eslinger	(2002-05)
OL –	Mark Setterstrom	(2002-05)
OL –	Ben Hamilton	(1997-00)
OL –	Troy Wolkow	(1984-87)
OL –	Rian Melander	(2001-04)
Defense
DE –	Karon Riley	(1999-00)
DT –	Jon Schlect	(1998-00)
DT –	Darrell Reid	(2001-04)
DE –	Lamanzer Williams	(1994-97)
LB –	Ben Mezera	(1997-00)
LB –	Peter Najarian	(1982-85)
LB –	Bruce Holmes	(1983-86)
DB –	Tyrone Carter	(1996-99)
DB –	Jack Brewer	(1999-01)
DB –	Willie Middlebrooks	(1998-00)
DB –	Sean Lumpkin	(1988-91)
Special Teams
K –	Chip Lohmiller	(1984-87)
P –	Adam Kelly	(1983-85)
Ret –	Chris Gaiters	(1987-89)

8. November 1, 2008: Northwestern 24 – Minnesota 17

Out of all the ways the Gophers have managed to lose heartbreaking games at the Metrodome, one of them had NOT been on a late interception return for a touchdown. Until this game. The Gophers came into the game at 7-1, and had a nice homecoming crowd of 54,000 in attendance. With the game tied at 17-17 late in the third quarter, the Gophers drove 92 yards down the field over 8:07, but kicker Joel Monroe ended up missing a 20 yard field goal. The game remained tied until the Gophers were attempting to drive for a game winning score with less than one minute left, when Northwestern picked off a pass that bounced off Eric Decker, and returned it through a crowd for a 54 yard touchdown with 12 seconds left, giving the Wildcats a 24-17 win. A win for the Gophers would’ve given them an 8-1 record for the first time since 1960.


7. September 29, 2001: Purdue 35 – Minnesota 28 OT

This was one of the most inexplicable comebacks in college football history. Down by 3 points, Purdue took possession of ball inside their own 5 yard line with 19 seconds left in the game and 0 timeouts. On the first play, Purdue completed a pass to the 30 yard line, and got up field in time to down the ball with 11 seconds left. On the next play, Purdue completed a 38 yard pass to the Gophers 32 yard line. In hindsight, Eli Ward should have not tackled the Purdue receiver, because when he did tackle him with 1 second remaining, it allowed Purdue to get their field goal unit out on the field. Somehow, whether it be good execution by Purdue or a lazy job of resuming the game clock by the officials, Purdue managed to not only get their field goal team on the field, but also to get them set by the time the game clock resumed. After the refs signaled to start the game clock, Purdue managed to snap the ball before the clock hit :00, and connected on the 48 yard FG, forcing the game to overtime. The Gophers back luck was not over though. After Purdue scored a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime, the Gophers were hosed out of an Antoine Henderson touchdown reception because the ref was confused by the end zone paint; calling Henderson out of bounds when he was clearly in. This was before there was instant replay in college football, so the Minnesota was out of luck. The Gophers could not find their way back into the end zone, and lost 35-28.


6. October 15, 2005: Wisconsin 38 – Minnesota 34

For over three and a half quarters this was a very good game. The Gophers built up a 20-10 lead mid-way through the third quarter, which included a memorable 93 yard Laurence Maroney touchdown run. The teams then traded scores for the next quarter, when with 3:27 remaining in the game, a 1 yard Gary Russell touchdown run gave the Gophers a seemingly insurmountable 34-24 lead. But Wisconsin responded quickly, driving the field to score a TD in just over 1 minute to pull to within 34-31. Making matters worse, the Gophers were called for a personal foul, which allowed Wisconsin to kick off from the 50 yard line. With only 2:10 remaining in the game though, Wisconsin chose to attempt an onside kick. The Badgers did not recover, but in a stroke of typical Gopher bad luck, the ball was kicked well down field and was not recovered by Minnesota until it was on their own 8 yard line. Three Laurence Maroney rushes could not get the Gophers the game-clinching first down, and Minnesota was forced to punt from its own 17 yard line. On the punt, freshman Justin Kucek fumbled the snap. And instead of trying to just fall on it, or kick the ball out of the back of the endzone take a safety (which would’ve kept the Gophers in the lead) Kucek tried to pick the ball up and kick it. But Wisconsin was able to easily block it, and recovered the ball in the end zone for the touchdown, taking a 38-34 lead. With 30 seconds remaining in the game there was still a glimmer of hope for Minnesota, but that was quickly extinguished when Jakari Wallace fumbled away the kickoff return.


5. October 28, 2000: Northwestern 41 – Minnesota 35

The Gophers started this homecoming game off well, building a 35-14 lead after a touchdown 10 minutes into the 3rd quarter. It was at this point that Northwestern, and their new spread offense, began their comeback. In desperation mode, the Wildcats got a touchdown with 2:08 left in the 3rd quarter, and then again with 12:35 remaining in the 4th. Northwestern eventually tied the game after another TD with just 1:24 remaining, and on that play the Gophers were then flagged for a personal foul on a late hit after the score. That allowed Northwestern to kickoff from the 50 yard line. They pooched the kick, pinning the Gophers deep in their own territory. The Gophers ran on the first play, indicating they may be trying to run out the clock and go to overtime. However on 2nd down, the Gophers threw a pass, which was dropped, and the clock stopped with 57 seconds left. The Gophers ran on 3rd down, and Northwestern then called their final timeout with 51 seconds remaining, forcing the Gophers to punt. Northwestern got the ball back, and on 4th down connected on a 45-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game to win, 41-35.


4. September 8, 1990: Utah 35 – Minnesota 29

Underdog Utah came roaring out of the gates, quickly building up a 19-0 first quarter lead over Minnesota. The Gophers righted the ship and got back into the game, eventually coming back to tie it up at 29-29. Late in the fourth quarter the Gophers blocked a punt at the Utah 35 yard line, giving them great field position and a chance to win. Minnesota pushed the ball to the Utah 11 yard line, where they called time out with enough time left for only one play. The Gophers lined up for the game-winning 28-yard field goal attempt, but the snap was low, the kick was blocked, and Utah picked the ball up and returned it the other way for a touchdown and a 35-29 win. The Gophers finished the season at 6-5, so this loss likely cost them a trip to a bowl game.


3. October 28, 1989: Ohio State 41 – Minnesota 37.

Many people think of the 2003 Michigan game (see below) as the worst loss in Metrodome history, but this game against Ohio State saw the Gophers blow an even bigger lead. Minnesota led 31-0 in the second quarter. Ohio State had the ball in Gophers territory a few minutes before halftime, but were forced into a punting situation. Things started unraveling at this point: The Gophers were caught with 12 men on the field, giving the Buckeyes a first down. Ohio State would go onto score a TD on a 4th and goal to cut the lead to 31-8 at half. Ohio State chipped away at the lead during the second half, eventually scoring a TD on another 4th and goal with 3 minutes remaining, and scoring a 2 point conversion to cut the lead to 37-34. OSU got the ball back again and scored with under a minute left to take the lead. The Gophers had one shot at the endzone on the final play of the time but the pass fell incomplete, and the Gophers lost 41-37. This was the first of several mind-boggling “ways to lose” the Gophers would invent over the next 20 years.


2. October 10, 2003: Michigan 38 – Minnesota 35.

This game actually wasn’t as big of a collapse as the Ohio State game, but was made it worse is that this one happened when the Gophers were 6-0, ranked in the top 20, and at a time when a win would’ve been a program changer. Due to a the possibility of a Minnesota Twins playoff game having an October 11th conflict, the Gopher-Wolverine matchup was moved up a day. ESPN picked up the Friday night prime-time broadcast, and the whole country looked on, wondering whether or not the Gophers were for real. Behind Laurence Maroney, Marion Barber III Thomas Tapeh and Asad Abul-Klahiq, the Gophers literally ran all over the Wolverines, finishing the game with 424 rushing yards. The brilliant running game pushed the Gophers out to a 28-7 lead late in the third quarter. It wasn’t enough though, as Michigan reeled off 31 points in the 4th quarter. After Michigan pulled within 28-14, Abdul-Khaliq threw an ill-advised pass while under pressure, which was picked by Michigan and run back for an easy TD. Asad made up for his mistake though, getting a memorable 52-yard TD run to put the Gophers up 35-21. Michigan scored the final 17 points of the game however, to beat the Gophers, 38-35. Besides being a monumental collapse, the game hurt even more because of how it instantly killed the momentum the Gophers had been building that season. This game was arguably the beginning of the end of the Glen Mason era.


1. September 17, 1983: Nebraska 84 – Minnesota 13

When you think of the dreadful moments of Gopher football in the Metrodome, nothing can top the Nebraska debacle of 1983. This was the worst loss in the worst season in Gopher history — the absolute low point of Golden Gopher football. Nebraska came into the game ranked #1 in the country, and played as such. The Huskers scored 21 points in each quarter, and finished the game with 790 yards of total offense; 595 of them coming on the ground. Never in their history have the Gophers been as outplayed or embarrassed as they were in this game. This loss would set the tone for the 1983 season, as the Gophers would lose their final 10 games of the year, giving up at least 50 points five more times.



The 10 best Metrodome memories

t10. November 21, 1998: Minnesota 49 – Iowa 7

Like the 1984 game against Iowa (see below), this game is on the list more for the statement that the Gophers made, rather than the excitement of what happened on the field. Glen Mason was hired as head coach of the Gophers for the 1997 season, expected to resurrect a program which had bottomed out (again) during the Jim Wacker era. Mason promised to bring a rushing-oriented offense back the Metrodome, which had seen a pass-happy offense not get things done the previous five years. The Gophers came into this particular game against Iowa at just 1-6 in the Big Ten in 1998, as did Iowa. Even though both teams looked evenly matching coming into the game, the result was anything but. The Gophers scored 21 points in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, rolling to an easy 49-7 win. Minnesota had 501 yards of total offense, which included 348 yards rushing. Thomas Hamner led the way with 148 yards on 14 carries, Byron Evans added 108 yards, and quarterback Billy Cockerham chipped in 57 yards. This win gave the Gophers off-season momentum, which helped propel them to an 8-3 regular season in 1999. This game was also a sign of things to come, as over the next six seasons the Gophers would become nationally known as one of the premier rushing teams in college football history. A side note: This was the last that Hayden Fry ever coached.


t10. November 17, 1984: Minnesota 23 – Iowa 17

The Gophers left the on-campus Memorial Stadium in favor of the off-campus Metrodome in 1982. Ironically, this move coincided with a severe downturn in the Gopher program. The excitement of moving into the dome was offset by a disastrous first season under the teflon roof. A rash of injuries helped to hold the Gophers to a 1-8 conference record in 1982, with the only win coming early in the season at Purdue. Things actually got worse in 1983, with the Gophers going winless in the Big Ten, and their only victory coming at Rice. But Lou Holtz replaced Joe Salem as the Gophers coach for the 1984 season, and it was then that things began to turn around. The Gophers finally got their first Big Ten win in the Metrodome on October 6, 1984 when they defeated Indiana (who would go on to finish 0-11 that season). But the first big win for the Gophers in the Metrodome occurred on the final day of the 1984 season when they defeated Iowa. The Hawkeyes had gone 24-8-1 in the Big Ten the previous four seasons, so this occurred when the Hayden Fry era was at its peak. The tight game was decided when a Hawkeye return man dropped a punt deep in Iowa territory late in the fourth quarter, and the Gophers recovered. Minnesota cashed in on the turnover when Gary Couch ran the ball in from 14 yards out with less than 5 minutes remaining, giving the Gophers a 20-17 lead. A late field goal pushed the lead to 23-17, and the Gophers hung on for the victory. This win brought the Gophers out of their '82-'83 doldrums and energized the fan base in a serious way. The momentum generated by this win set the stage for a bowl-qualifying 6-5 season in 1985.


9. October 24, 1998: Minnesota 19 – Michigan State 18

During the 20 years prior to 1998, the Gophers established a lot of streaks they would rather have done without. Not having beaten Michigan at home since 1977 (which will continue until at least 2012). Fourteen straight losses to Ohio State. One of the other lesser-known streaks of this era was a 17-game losing streak to the Michigan State Spartans, which began November 5, 1977. Fast forward to 1998. The Gophers took a 10-3 first quarter to lead, only to watch as Michigan State turned that into a 16-10 deficit. MSU recorded a safety with 9:54 remaining in the game, which put the Spartans up 18-10. At this point it looked like it would be the Gophers 18th straight loss to MSU, but with a few minutes remaining the Gophers made their move. Billy Cockerham threw a 24 yard TD pass to Luke Leverson with 1:47 to play, pulling the Gophers within 2 points at 18-16. The Gophers missed the 2-point conversion, but recovered the onside kick. Minnesota drove down the field and went ahead when Adam Bailey made a 37 yard FG with just 13 seconds remaining. The Gophers held on for a 19-18 win, giving coach Glen Mason his first statement win as Gopher head coach. Even though the Gophers would finish just 2-6 in the Big Ten that year, this game was the first real sign that Glen Mason may be turning the Gopher program around.


8. November 8, 2003: Minnesota 37 – Wisconsin 34

Beating your biggest rival is always memorable, but it’s not very often that you get to defeat them on the final play of the game. That is exactly what happened in 2003 though, when the Gophers beat the Wisconsin Badgers, 37-34. Minnesota raced out to a 17-3 lead in this game, and led at halftime 24-13. The Gophers suffered a bad break when starting quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq injured his shoulder just before halftime, and had to be replaced by seldom-used reserve Benji Kamrath. The Badgers started chipping away at the Gophers lead in the second half, eventually tying the game 27-27 with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. An 11 yard Marion Barber III TD run gave the Gophers a 34-27 lead four minutes into the 4th quarter, but Wisconsin tied the score a few minutes later on a 27 yard Owen Daniels TD reception. After the teams traded punts, the Gophers took over at their own 20 yard line with 2:49 remaining. Led by Kamrath (who is a Wisconsin native), the Gophers marched 61 yards down the field to the Wisconsin 19 yard line with 1 second remaining. Kicker Rhys Lloyd lined up for a 35 yard field goal attempt, and made it as time expired, giving the Gophers a 37-34 victory. What followed was one of the most memorable scenes in Gopher football history: Rhys Lloyd leading the Gopher team across the field to the Wisconsin sidelines and jumping over their bench to claim Paul Bunyan's Axe.


7. October 7, 1995: Minnesota 39 – Purdue 38

Just as the 1993 game (see #3 below) was an exhibition in passing, this game was an exhibition in running. The first half of the game was pretty normal, with Purdue taking a 17-7 lead into the locker room. But the second half would feature offensive explosions by both teams, which resulted in a back and forth, see-saw battle right until the very end. The two teams traded scores through the second half, and eventually Purdue took a 38-31 lead after a 4 yard TD run with 9 minutes remaining. The Gophers scored on a late Cory Sauter 1 yard run to pull within 38-37, but rather than kicking an extra point (this was before overtimes existed, when games ended in a tie), the Gophers decided to go for 2 and the win. They converted it on a Sauter pass to Ryan Thelwell to take a 39-38 lead. Purdue then advanced down the field and missed a game-winning field goal attempt as time expired, giving the Gophers an exciting win. The memorable aspect of this game was the rushing: The two team teams combined for over 600 yards on the ground. Purdue was led by bruising fullback Mike Alstott, who had 133 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. His performance could not touch that of Chris Darkins' however. Darkins put together an historical performance, rushing for 294 yards (a Gopher record), which included an astounding 231 yard second half.


6. September 24, 2005: Minnesota 42 – Purdue 35 (2 OT's)

The Gophers ended a 7-game, 10-year losing streak against then #11 Purdue with a gutty, come from behind win. With the Gophers trailing 28-20, Gopher QB Bryan Cupito hit tight end Matt Spaeth on an 8 yard touchdown pass with just 1:34 remaining in the game to pull within 2 at 28-26. The Gophers needed to get a two point conversion to tie the game, and they got it in a most unexpected way. Cupito, who was not known for his running ability, went right on an option and snuck into the end zone against a surprised Boilermaker defense. After the teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, Gary Russell scored on a 3 yard run to open the second overtime. The Gophers pulled out the 42-35 victory when a fourth down pass by Brandon Kirsch fell incomplete for Purdue. It was fitting that Gopher safety Brandon Owens provided the defense on the failed fourth down attempt, for it was the following week when his career came to an end after suffering a severe shoulder injury at Penn State.


5. September 21, 1996: Minnesota 35 – Syracuse 33

In this game the Gophers topped Syracuse 35-33 in Jim Wacker's biggest non-conference win as Gopher coach. The Donovan McNabb-led Syracuse team finished 9-3 in that season, so this game occurred in an era when Syracuse was actually still good. The Orangemen were leading the game 12-0, when shortly before halftime, Cory Sauter hit Tutu Atwell on a 50 yard touchdown to get Minnesota back in the game. Then, just over 6 minutes into the 3rd quarter, true freshman safety Tyrone Carter scooped up a Syracuse fumble and returned it 63 yards for touchdown. But Carter was not done there. Just 56 seconds later, Tyrone (or "Touchdown Tyrone" as he was called in high school), picked up another Syracuse fumble and returned it 20 yards for another touchdown. TC's 2 fumble returns in one game tied an NCAA record and gave everyone a glimpse of the star player he would become. The Gophers would go on to win the game 35-33 after a game-winning, 26 yard field by Adam Bailey with 42 seconds remaining.


4. 10/9/1993: Minnesota 59 – Purdue 56

This was the signature game of the Jim Wacker era, and one of the highest scoring games in Gophers history. The game was back and forth the whole way, with the Gophers scoring 7 - 14 - 28 - 10 through the four quarters. It was not decided until Mike Chalberg kicked an 18 yard, game-winning field goal with 8 seconds left in the game. Mike Alstott of Purdue had a huge game, rushing for 171 yards and scoring 5 TD's. For the Gophers, Scott Eckers threw 6 TD passes (a team record), 5 of which were caught by Omar Douglas (also a team record, and tied for a Big Ten record). The Gophers racked up 625 total yards of offense: 402 through the air, and 223 on the ground. The 115 total points scored are the most in Gophers history between both teams. All-in-all the 1993, 1994 and 1995 Gopher - Purdue games totaled 3,356 yards of total offense.


3. 11/24/1990: Minnesota 31 – Iowa 24

In one of the few signature wins of the John Gutekunst era, the Gophers upset a heavily favored Iowa Hawkeye teams in the final game of the 1990 season in front of 64,694 fans, the sixth largest crowd to watch a Gopher game in the Metrodome. The Gophers came into this game at 4-3 in the Big Ten, and 5-5 overall. Iowa came into the game at 6-1, and in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. Keswic Joiner was the star of the game for the Gophers, recovering a blocked punt in the end zone in the second quarter, and then catching a 28 yard Marquel Fleetwood touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. That TD gave the Gophers a 31-17 lead, and the Gophers held on for a 31-24 victory. The loss dropped Iowa to 6-2 in the Big Ten, putting them in a 4-way tie for first place. The Hawkeyes won the tie-breaker however and still went to the Rose Bowl. A win gave the Gophers a final record of 6-5 which was enough to qualify them for a bowl, but in an era where bowl games are not nearly as numerous as they were today, the Gophers were not selected. The opening-game 35-29 home loss to Utah (see above list) likely cost the Gophers their chance to go bowling.


2. 10/23/1993: Minnesota 28 – Wisconsin 21

Barry Alvarez took over a horrible Wisconsin Badger football program in 1990. In his first season the Badgers did not win a Big Ten game. In 1991 they went 2-6 in the Big Ten, and in 1992, 3-5. 1993 was Wisconsin's breakout season, and when they came to the Metrodome on October 23, 1993, they were 6-0 and thinking Rose Bowl and a possible National Championship. Perhaps the Badgers were caught looking ahead to their game against Michigan the following week, or maybe the Gophers just came out ready to play. In either case, the Gophers had a great first half, extending their lead to 21-0 when Jeff Rosga returned a Darrell Bevell interception 55 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin would mount a second half comeback, pulling within 21-14. Then came the turning point in the game. Wisconsin drove to the Gopher 8 yard line, and had a 4th and 1. The Badgers went for it, but Jerome Davis threw Brett Moss for a 3 yard loss, giving the Gophers possession of the ball. On the ensuing Gopher possession Rishon Early caught an 84 yard pass from Scott Eckers, setting up a 2 yard Chris Darkins touchdown run that gave the Gophers a 28-14 lead. The Gophers would hold on for a 28-21 victory. The Badgers went on to win the Rose Bowl 21-16 over UCLA to finish the season 10-1-1, so this victory by Minnesota likely cost the Badgers a national championship. This win was the biggest in Jim Wacker's tenure as Gopher coach, and helped Minnesota to a 3-5 Big Ten record in 1993; the Gophers best in the five years under Wacker.


1. 11/22/2008: Minnesota ? – Iowa ?

Even though this contest has yet to be played, I can't imagine any better game in the Metrodome than the last one. This game will mark the end of a dismal chapter of Gopher football history: One that saw interest in the Gopher program fall to an all-time low, one that saw Memorial Stadium be torn down and the game-day atmosphere on campus be destroyed, one that saw the Gophers go 1-11 in 1983 and be outscored 518-181, one that saw the Gophers lose several games in which they blew huge leads, and last but certainly not least, one that saw the Gophers fan base be brought to life by a head coach who promised great things, only to see that coach suddenly leave the team before finishing his second season, leaving the school nothing except NCAA violations. But thankfully as we move out of the Metrodome back on-campus to TCF Bank Stadium, we can leave the horrors of the last 27 years behind us and once again look forward to bringing the "Golden" back into "Golden Gophers Football".


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