It’s not all about the W
A win is a win. It’s all about the W. The only thing that matters is who comes out on top at the end of the game.
Following Saturday’s 10-9 victory over NDSU, Minnesota types took solace in several age-old sports clichés.
“ You can’t lose sight that the ultimate goal as a team sport is to win the game,” Minnesota head coach Glen Mason said following Saturday’s scare. “For that I am extremely pleased.”
Truth is, Minnesota won nothing in this game and the Bison can take the near upset for momentum into the conference season.
Earlier in the week, Mason said this was a lose-lose game for his team. If his team lost to a Division I-AA school, Mason may have been fired on the spot.
If Minnesota athletic director Joe Maturi didn’t cut Mason loose right on the field, he would surely have after the season was over.
The other side of the coin was that if the Gopher’s won, it wasn’t a big deal because they were supposed to win.
If the Gophers took anything out of this game, it should be the fact that they actually filled the Metrodome.
Er wait, maybe that isn’t such a good idea to have 62,845 people in attendance to see your once successful program get pushed around by some team from Fargo.
Isn’t Minnesota a team that has been to a bowl game six out of the past seven years? Isn’t this a team that has had two-1,000-yard rushers in each of the past three seasons? Didn’t it just narrowly lose to Joe Paterno and Penn State?
On Saturday, NDSU football played against a major college football team and didn’t disappoint. On Saturday, NDSU proved that they were a better football team than Big Ten school Minnesota.
With 131 more yards of total offense than the Gophers, the Bison were a lot more efficient with the ball than the Gophers.
NDSU quarterback Steve Walker was clearly the best on the field at his position.
Not to shabby since the other quarterback was Bryan Cupito, who has played three Big Ten seasons and a bowl game in each of those.
Walker completed 22 of 37 passes for 237 yards and was the talk of the press conference after the game.
“ That young man (Walker), I have been talking about him all week,” Mason said. “They have a really good quarterback; he is tough, he makes plays and he runs that offense. He is the glue that keeps them together. It was fun competing against him.”
On defense, the Bison proved they were no fluke.
The rushing defense has been stellar thus far, and despite a few big scampers in the fourth quarter by Gopher’s running back Amir Pinnix – including his game winning touchdown – the Bison held the Gopher’s running attack in check.
Led by the solid linebacker core of Mike Maresh, Ramon Humber and Joe Mays, NDSU held the Gophers to 99 yards rushing.
In each of NDSU’s seven games, they have held opponents to less than 100 yards.
The X-factor in Saturday’s game was special teams.
Neither team was anything special, but the Bison shot themselves in the foot on three occasions.
On a Minnesota punt in the second quarter, senior Travis White returned the ball for the Bison, but had it jarred loose.
Minnesota went from 4th and 9 from its own 40 to 1st and 10 from the Bison 18. This resulted in a field goal for Minnesota. The other two mishaps were in the place kicking game for NDSU.
A missed field goal from 21 yards in the third quarter and the game-ending blocked attempt proved costly for the Bison.
When the clock read zero at the end of the game, Gopher players showed little enthusiasm. They looked more relieved than anything.
Minnesota got the W and NDSU was tagged with its first L of the season.
However, this loss will help the Bison as they prepare to take on a tough Great West Football Conference schedule.
As for Minnesota, they play on national television this Saturday against No. 1-ranked Ohio State. Good luck Gophers.