Minnesota
10th Big Ten3-9
Middle Tennessee
3rd Sun Belt6-6
Minnesota @ Middle Tennessee preview
Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium
Talk about bad timing.
Middle Tennessee coaches, players and fans have been waiting for months for Thursday night's season opener against Minnesota. Not only are the Blue Raiders hosting a Big Ten team for the first time, the game will be on national television, providing a perfect opportunity for an underrated program to show the country what it's all about.
Middle Tennessee's moment in the spotlight, however, has already taken a major hit. The Blue Raiders will play the game without star quarterback Dwight Dasher, who has been suspended indefinitely for accepting a $1,500 loan in violation of the NCAA's amateurism rules. It's unclear how long Dasher's suspension will be, but Middle Tennessee will be without a player who was a frontrunner for the Sun Belt's Conference Player of the Year.
Dasher did it all last season, as Middle Tennessee finished 10-3, becoming the first Sun Belt team to win 10 games in a season. The Blue Raiders defeated Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl. Dasher was a dual threat, throwing for 2,789 yards and rushing for 1,154 yards. The Blue Raiders averaged 32 points and 422 yards a game.
Logan Kilgore and Jeff Murphy - both junior college transfers - are the candidates to replace Dasher. Neither has started a game at the Division I level so Dasher's absence will leave a big void in the Blue Raiders' offense.
Minnesota is coming off a 6-6 regular season record and an appearance in the Insight Bowl, but the Gophers will be hard-pressed to repeat that in 2010. While the first game of the season can't be viewed as a must-win, a loss would set a negative tone.
Not only do the Gophers host Southern California in the non-conference schedule, the Big Ten portion of the schedule is imposing. Minnesota has been picked to finish near the bottom of the conference and the pressure is already on head coach Tim Brewster.
Dasher's absence is good news for the Gophers defense, which lost nine starters from last season. Strong safety Kim Royston, the top returning player, broke both bones in his left leg in spring practice and may not play in the opener. Royston had surgery at the time of the injury and had another operation last week.
While several key players return on the other side of the ball, the offense was plagued by problems last season. Quarterback Adam Weber, a three-year starter, leads the way, but he needs to show more consistency than he had last season when he threw only 13 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. The Gophers, who finished 111th in the country in rushing offense last season, must find a way to run the ball better.
Middle Tennessee coaches, players and fans have been waiting for months for Thursday night's season opener against Minnesota. Not only are the Blue Raiders hosting a Big Ten team for the first time, the game will be on national television, providing a perfect opportunity for an underrated program to show the country what it's all about.
Middle Tennessee's moment in the spotlight, however, has already taken a major hit. The Blue Raiders will play the game without star quarterback Dwight Dasher, who has been suspended indefinitely for accepting a $1,500 loan in violation of the NCAA's amateurism rules. It's unclear how long Dasher's suspension will be, but Middle Tennessee will be without a player who was a frontrunner for the Sun Belt's Conference Player of the Year.
Dasher did it all last season, as Middle Tennessee finished 10-3, becoming the first Sun Belt team to win 10 games in a season. The Blue Raiders defeated Southern Mississippi in the New Orleans Bowl. Dasher was a dual threat, throwing for 2,789 yards and rushing for 1,154 yards. The Blue Raiders averaged 32 points and 422 yards a game.
Logan Kilgore and Jeff Murphy - both junior college transfers - are the candidates to replace Dasher. Neither has started a game at the Division I level so Dasher's absence will leave a big void in the Blue Raiders' offense.
Minnesota is coming off a 6-6 regular season record and an appearance in the Insight Bowl, but the Gophers will be hard-pressed to repeat that in 2010. While the first game of the season can't be viewed as a must-win, a loss would set a negative tone.
Not only do the Gophers host Southern California in the non-conference schedule, the Big Ten portion of the schedule is imposing. Minnesota has been picked to finish near the bottom of the conference and the pressure is already on head coach Tim Brewster.
Dasher's absence is good news for the Gophers defense, which lost nine starters from last season. Strong safety Kim Royston, the top returning player, broke both bones in his left leg in spring practice and may not play in the opener. Royston had surgery at the time of the injury and had another operation last week.
While several key players return on the other side of the ball, the offense was plagued by problems last season. Quarterback Adam Weber, a three-year starter, leads the way, but he needs to show more consistency than he had last season when he threw only 13 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. The Gophers, who finished 111th in the country in rushing offense last season, must find a way to run the ball better.