GOLDEN GOPHERS AT MARYLAND
Date: Saturday, Oct. 15
Time: 11 a.m. Central
Location: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (54,000 capacity)
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Minnesota travels to Maryland on Saturday for a game against the Terrapins. It will mark the first conference game between the two Big Ten opponents, but is not the first meeting between the two schools. Minnesota and Maryland have played once before, at the 1977 Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. The game was contested on Dec. 22 and the Terrapins won 17-7. Minnesota’s lone points came in the first quarter when Marion Barber II rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. Maryland played its first Big Ten football game in 2014 and is 6-8 in league play since becoming a member.
2. Minnesota will host Maryland in 2017 and will also host new Big Ten member Rutgers next week on Oct. 22 for Homecoming. After Maryland and Rutgers play at TCF Bank Stadium, that means the only Big Ten team to not play a game at TCF Bank Stadium will be Indiana. The Hoosiers are not slated to visit TCF Bank Stadium – which opened in 2009 – until Oct. 27, 2018. The Hoosiers were however the last team that Minnesota beat at the Metrodome (16-7 on Oct. 4, 2008) before the Gophers moved to their on-campus stadium.
3. Minnesota lost 14-7 to Iowa last Saturday, but allowed only one touchdown to the Hawkeyes (Iowa kicked two field goals and converted a two-point play on its touchdown). It was the first time that Minnesota allowed only one touchdown in a Big Ten game since it beat Penn State 24-10 at home on Nov. 9, 2013 (span of 19 games). The 14 points allowed by Minnesota were the fewest in a Big Ten game since it beat Purdue 41-13 (Purdue points came off of two touchdowns) on the road on Oct. 10, 2015.
4. Drew Wolitarsky has caught 29 passes for 379 yards (13.1 average) and has scored three touchdowns this year. Wolitarsky had a career day against Indiana State, as he caught all eight balls thrown his way for a career high 125 yards and two touchdowns. He has caught a pass in 18 straight games and now has 93 career catches (17th in program history) for 1,286 yards (16th in program history). Wolitarsky ended last season with 39 catches for 524 yards and three touchdowns.
5. Shannon Brooks has rushed for 10 career touchdowns (has also passed for one career touchdown, 42 yards to Drew Wolitarsky at Iowa last season) and has covered 290 yards while doing so. That means the sophomore averages 29.0 yards per touchdown. His seven scores last year came from 75, 71, 40, 38, five and three yards (twice) and he has scored from 37 and nine yards (two times) this season. A year ago, he became the first Gopher since Laurence Maroney in 2005 to have four touchdown runs longer than 35 yards in one season, as Maroney had scoring runs of 93 yards (Wisconsin), 73 (Tulsa), 67 (Tulsa) and 38 (Florida Atlantic). For his career, Brooks has 156 carries for 949 yards and a 6.1 average. He needs 51 more yards to become the 45th Gopher ever to rush for 1,000 career yards. His classmate Rodney Smith, who has 1,116 career yards, became the 44th player earlier this year.
(courtesy of Gopher Sports)