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Gophers tough in second half
Saturday, September 29, 2007
First-year University of Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster may need to polish up his pregame pep talks, but his halftime speeches seem to be hitting home.
The Gophers (1-3) have staged furious rallies in all three of their losses. They trailed Bowling Green 21-0 before falling 32-31 in overtime. They spotted Florida Atlantic a 35-14 halftime lead on the way to a 42-39 loss. And they let Purdue storm to a 24-3 advantage but outscored the Boilermakers 28-21 after intermission.
Extras
"We've played extremely well in the second half of all our football games," Brewster said. "I'm extremely proud of the way our kids have responded. We haven't played as well in the first half, and we have to fix that. But our attitude has been outstanding."
The Gophers have been outscored 89-31 in the first half this season but have a 91-48 edge in the final two quarters.
Kick returner No. 1
Sophomore Jay Thomas leads the nation in kickoff returns with a 39.2-yard average and has a 91-yard touchdown this season.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time in the classroom and on the field, working toward being a tremendous kick-return unit," Brewster said. "Jay Thomas is outstanding. He's got great speed. He's a strong guy — he can step through arms — and we've done a good job blocking for him."
The NCAA moved kickoffs back 5 yards to the 30 this year, and Brewster would be an advocate of the change even without Thomas.
"It's a good football play," he said, "and it's a tremendously exciting play for fans."
Ohio supplying talent
The Gophers have more players from Ohio (11) than any state except Minnesota.
Ernie Wheelwright, a Columbus Walnut Ridge High School product, is fifth in career receiving yards at the school with 1,864. Two other native Ohioans also start: fullback Justin Valentine (Columbus) and punter Justin Kucek (Canfield).
Offense prolific
The Gophers are 15th nationally in rushing (229.8 yards per game) and total offense (487.5) and 30th in scoring (35.5 points per game).
They're one of only 19 teams in the nation averaging at least 200 yards rushing and passing, but their offensive effort has been sabotaged by a minus-3 turnover margin per game.
Tidbits
• The Gophers haven't finished higher than a tie for fourth in the Big Ten in 20 years. They shared the league crown with Indiana in 1967, the last title for either team.
• Minnesota hasn't beaten a top-10 team since knocking off Ohio State in 2000. The Gophers are 13-74-2 overall against top-10 foes.
