Minnesota brings
bruising offense
to bowl in El Paso
Minnesota’s effective ground
attack will be on display
against Oregon in the Sun
Bowl in late December
By Jon Roetman
Sports Reporter
There's nothing fancy about Min
nesota's style of offense.
The Golden Gophers (9-3 overall,
5-3 Big-10 Conference) have pound
ed their way to a top 25 — they're
24th — ranking with the nation's
third-best ground attack, which av
erages 293.3 yards per contest.
While Minnesota's smash-mouth
style of a run game has driven many
opponents into the Hubert H.
Humphrey Metrodome AstroTurf, it
will have a difficult time finding
holes in an Oregon defense that
ranks 12th in the country against
the run.
The game will match nation's third
best rushing offense against the coun
try s 12th-ranked rush defense.
It's time to line them up and see
which team has more heart.
If Oregon head coach Mike Bellot
ti didn't already know Minnesota
was dangerous on the ground, he
was enlightened by members of the
Michigan coaching staff.
The Michigan coaches "said Minneso
ta can run the ball against anybody," Bel
lotti said. "They're that talented."
While there are certainly worse
positions to be in than a trip to the
Sun Bowl, Minnesota had much
higher hopes early in the season.
The Gophers entered an Oct. 10
showdown against Michigan with a
6-0 record and the nation's No. 17
ranking. The Gophers dominated
the Wolverines at home for three
quarters and entered the fourth with
a 28-7 lead.
The next 15 minutes all but end
ed Minnesota's Bowl Championship
Series hopes as Michigan outscored
the Gophers 31-7, with the final
blow coming on a 33-yard field goal
by Garrett Rivas with 47 seconds re
maining. Another home loss the fol
lowing week to Michigan State offi
cially put an end to BCS hopes.
Minnesota won its next three
games but dropped its season finale
to Iowa, 40-22.
Gopher defensive coordinator
Greg Hudson said the team is just
happy to be playing in a bowl game.
"We're excited to play in the Sun
Bowl," Hudson said. "It's an oppor
tunity to extend our season."
Despite ending their conference
schedule on a sour note, the Go
phers have the weapons to put a
dent in Oregon's holiday season.
Minnesota's backfield is loaded with
talented running backs. Sophomore
Marion Barber has rushed for a team
leading 1,159 yards and 17 touch
downs while touching the ball on
Craig Houtz Centre Daily Times
Minnesota’s Laurence Maroney (22) and Greg Eslinger (61) celebrate the Golden Gophers’ 20-14 victory against Penn State on Sept. 27.
The Golden Gophers finished fifth in the Big Ten Conference with a 9-3 overall record and 5-3 in their conference.
only 30 percent of the team's rush
ing attempts.
The Gophers have also gotten a
strong contribution from freshman
Laurence Maroney, whose 990 yards
would place him ai the top of the list
at seven other Big-10 schools. Senior
Thomas Tapeh has added 530 yards
and eight touchdowns.
"Our tailbacks, they'll go around
you or they'll go through you,"
Hudson said. "They handle the suc
cess they've had very well. They're
very humble."
Minnesota can also get it done
through the air — the Gophers are
second in the nation in total offense
at 501.4 yards per game. Senior
quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq has
thrown for 2,229 yards and 17
touchdowns while compiling the
nation's fourth-highest passer effi
ciency rating (165.65).
The Gophers receiving corps is led
by sophomore Jared Ellerson, who
has 909 yards and five touchdowns
on 44 receptions. Senior Aaron Ho
sack has caught 45 balls for 707
yards and eight touchdowns.
"I didn't know how good of a
team they were until I looked at their
stats," Bellotti said. "It's a daunting
task (playing the Gophers.)"
On the other side of the ball, Min
nesota ranks in the top 30 in rush
defense, pass efficiency defense and
total defense. The Gophers are also
10th in the nation in punt returns.
The Dec. 31 match up will also be
a chance for Minnesota to avenge its
24-20 loss to Oregon in the 1999
Sun Bowl.
Minnesota "is going to be one of
the best teams we've ever played in a
bowl game," Bellotti said.
Contact the sports reporter
at jonroetman@dailyemerald.com.
SPORTS BRIEF
Sun Bowl tickets
expected to last
The University's Athletics Depart
ment was allotted 8,000 tickets for
the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, but it
doesn't expect to sell them all.
Tickets for the game went on sale
at the Casanova Center's Oregon ath
letic ticket office on Dec. 3, the day af
ter the Oregon football team received
the invitation to El Paso, Texas.
'1 wouldn't say we're expecting
to sell them all, but as many as pos
sible," assistant ticket manager Lau
ra Jorgensen said.
Reserved seats will be sold for
$35 each, plus a $ 15-per-order pro
cessing fee. Students will not be of
fered a discounted price.
The tickets are cheaper than last
year's Seattle Bowl, which totaled
$63, but Jorgensen still isn't expect
ing to sell a great deal because of
the distance of travel.
Through www.ticketmaster.com,
tickets come as cheap as $12 for
general admission and range as
high as $55 for the best seats.
The seats offered by the Universi
ty are on the East side of the Sun
Bowl Stadium in sections 18, 19,
20 and 24, 25, 26.
Tickets may also be purchased
through the University by phone at
(541) 346-4461 or 1-800-WEB
FOOT, as well as the Ducks' official
Web site at www.goducks.com.
The University of Oregon Alum
ni Association is offering a package
deal much like it has in the past.
The deluxe package includes
round-trip charter air service, two
nights accommodation, luggage
handling, pre-game party passes
and more, yet it does not include
tickets to the game. Prices begin at
$969 per person.
"We're going to have a good
crowd," said Dan Rodriguez, exec
utive director of the Alumni Associ
ation. "We're expecting a good rep
resentation of Duck fans.
Everybody can go on our tours. We
take alumni and friends."
The Alumni Association does of
fer a cheaper tour with prices begin
ning at $449. The "Land Only
Tour" includes nearly all the
amenities of the "Air/Land Tour,"
expert for flight accommodations.
"We work real close with the ath
letics in serving the needs of alum
ni," Rodriguez said.
The game against Minnesotas
tarts at noon MST.
— Jesse Thomas
HAGER
continued from page 2B
Oregon can learn a lot about itself in
El Paso.
Will Clemens be able to continue his
mastery of the offense? Will he be able
to find wide receivers Sarnie Parker and
Demetrius Williams like he has recent
ly, or will a defense from the Big Ten
Conference stifle those passing routes?
How about that young secondary?
Will Justin Phinisee and Co. be able
to stand up to a more physical of
fense, one that routinely plays against
tough defenses like Ohio State, Michi
gan and Iowa?
Then there's that Oregon offensive
line. Four of the fine members that
anchor the line — minus Dan Weaver
— will return next season. Two years
ago, the group was called too small,
too insignificant to stop the Colorado
defensive lineman.
The result? A stifling running game
made possible by an athletic group.
Can the Ducks repeat that perform
ance in late December?
Despite what happens, the game
represents a chance for the Ducks to
make a name for themselves on na
tional television.
"I was excited to go where it's a little
warmer than Eugene," linebacker Jerry
Matson s^id. "It will be a lot warmer
than the Seattle Bowl, that's for sure
"We have a different mindset on this
team than versus the Seattle Bowl
(team). Our record is better than last
year and we have a better outlook.
We're looking to compete against a bet
ter team."
That about sums it up.
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
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