South Dakota
N/A0-0
Minnesota
10th Big Ten3-9
South Dakota @ Minnesota preview
Huntington Bank Stadium
Minnesota will be playing with a heavy heart when it faces South Dakota Saturday in its home opener.
The team was informed this week that fullback Jon Hoese’s father had died Monday due to complications from a stroke he suffered the previous week. Hoese scored three touchdowns and recovered a key fumble on a kickoff in the Gophers’ 24-17 win at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 4 in his best game of his career. Hoese, who received the game ball and was lifted on the shoulders of teammates, had decided late in the week to play in the opener.
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster isn’t sure if Hoese, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior from Glencoe, Minn., will play against South Dakota.
The Gophers enter the game after what was for the most part a dominating performance versus Middle Tennessee. Outside of the second quarter, in which Middle Tennessee scored two touchdowns, Minnesota controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The offense clicked. Running back Duane Bennett gained a career-high 187 yards – the first Gopher to break 100 since 2006 – as Minnesota amassed 281 rushing yards and held a whopping 45:34-to-14:26 advantage in time of possession.
The defense played well for the most part. Middle Tennessee gained 318 yards, 174 of which came in the second quarter, during which it erased a 14-0 deficit. The Blue Raiders took a 17-14 lead before the Gophers took back the game in the second half.
Minnesota played without safety Kyle Theret and offensive lineman Dom Alford, who were suspended for the opener for unspecified reasons. Brewster has not said when the suspensions will be lifted.
South Dakota, a Great West Conference team playing in only its third season in the Football Championship Subdivision, was routed 38-7 in its season opener at Central Florida. The Coyotes, who went 5-5 last year, gave up 472 yards and 27 first downs to UCF.
The lone bright spots for the Coyotes were running back Chris Ganious, who rushed for 89 yards on 19 carries, and quarterback Dante Warren, who went 10-of-19 for 104 yards in his first collegiate start. Ganious’ second-quarter touchdown made the score 14-7, but UCF wore the Coyotes down the rest of the way.
South Dakota gained only 220 yards and had only 12 first downs in the opener.
Saturday’s game will be the 11th meeting between Minnesota and South Dakota. Minnesota leads the series 9-1, but this will be the first time the teams will play since 1930. The two teams played 10 times between 1904 and 1930.
The team was informed this week that fullback Jon Hoese’s father had died Monday due to complications from a stroke he suffered the previous week. Hoese scored three touchdowns and recovered a key fumble on a kickoff in the Gophers’ 24-17 win at Middle Tennessee on Sept. 4 in his best game of his career. Hoese, who received the game ball and was lifted on the shoulders of teammates, had decided late in the week to play in the opener.
Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster isn’t sure if Hoese, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior from Glencoe, Minn., will play against South Dakota.
The Gophers enter the game after what was for the most part a dominating performance versus Middle Tennessee. Outside of the second quarter, in which Middle Tennessee scored two touchdowns, Minnesota controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage.
The offense clicked. Running back Duane Bennett gained a career-high 187 yards – the first Gopher to break 100 since 2006 – as Minnesota amassed 281 rushing yards and held a whopping 45:34-to-14:26 advantage in time of possession.
The defense played well for the most part. Middle Tennessee gained 318 yards, 174 of which came in the second quarter, during which it erased a 14-0 deficit. The Blue Raiders took a 17-14 lead before the Gophers took back the game in the second half.
Minnesota played without safety Kyle Theret and offensive lineman Dom Alford, who were suspended for the opener for unspecified reasons. Brewster has not said when the suspensions will be lifted.
South Dakota, a Great West Conference team playing in only its third season in the Football Championship Subdivision, was routed 38-7 in its season opener at Central Florida. The Coyotes, who went 5-5 last year, gave up 472 yards and 27 first downs to UCF.
The lone bright spots for the Coyotes were running back Chris Ganious, who rushed for 89 yards on 19 carries, and quarterback Dante Warren, who went 10-of-19 for 104 yards in his first collegiate start. Ganious’ second-quarter touchdown made the score 14-7, but UCF wore the Coyotes down the rest of the way.
South Dakota gained only 220 yards and had only 12 first downs in the opener.
Saturday’s game will be the 11th meeting between Minnesota and South Dakota. Minnesota leads the series 9-1, but this will be the first time the teams will play since 1930. The two teams played 10 times between 1904 and 1930.