.EL PASO, Texas - It didn't take long for Minnesota defensive coordinator Greg Hudson to realize what his defense was up against in the 2003 Sun Bowl on Wednesday afternoon. Midway through the game's opening...

The game won't be played in the location Minnesota's football team had hoped for. And its opponent won't be from the conference of preference. But for all the would'ves and could'ves left unanswered since...

The question of exactly why the Alamo Bowl decided to select Michigan State over Minnesota will remain with Athletics Director Joel Maturi for at least one more day. The discussion between Minnesota's...

In hindsight, Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi saw it coming. Immediately after the Gophers football team concluded its regular season Nov. 15, Maturi made it a priority sit down with coach Glen...

Never one to suffer from a lack of confidence in himself, Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney admitted even he was surprised when he received a call on his cell phone late Tuesday morning informing...

Minnesota coach Steve Plasencia hesitated for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders when asked what he thought of his team's 26th-place finish Monday at the NCAA Division I cross country championships. "It...

It was shortly after midnight Nov. 16 when Minnesota cross country runner Luke Mullranin returned home to his Minneapolis apartment, physically and emotionally drained. A few hours later, Mullranin was...

As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi stood on the field shaking hands with Minnesota football players. Many Gophers...

For a few brief seconds in the second quarter of Minnesota's 40-22 loss against Iowa on Saturday, the 70,397 fans at Kinnick Stadium went quiet as running back Laurence Maroney burst through a pile of...

All week long, Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz has racked his brain to find a way to contain Minnesota's rushing attack. While some of Ferentz's Big Ten counterparts might suggest he would be better off...

Ten minutes after Rhys Lloyd's game-winning kick sailed through the Metrodome uprights for a dramatic 37-34 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday, Minnesota football players were still celebrating. Fans clad...

If it had not been for the estimated 35,000 Badgers fans who turned sections of the Metrodome into seas of red and the presence of Wisconsin's marching band on the sideline, it would have been easy to...

A smirk emerged on Ben Utecht's face when the question came up - almost as if he'd been waiting all year to hear it. So Ben, how would you evaluate the first 10 games of your 2003 season? The smirk quickly...

Minnesota senior linebacker Ben West is already making the necessary preparations for Saturday's game against Wisconsin. And not just on the practice field or in the film room. A native of Appleton, Wis.,...

By now, opponents of Minnesota's football team can basically expect that the Gophers will find a way to put their share of points on the scoreboard. Minnesota scored more than 40 points for the sixth time...

At 18 years old, Matt LoVecchio was living the dream. Just three months removed from Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey, LoVecchio began the 2000 football season as Notre Dame's third-string quarterback....

Minnesota is probably the last team in the Big Ten that should have any kind of complaint about its schedule. By virtue of the conference's rotating scheduling process, the Gophers have the good fortune...

Smiles abounded in the visitors' locker room of Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Minnesota football players congratulated each other on a much-needed 36-10 victory over Illinois. But there was...

Minnesota coach Glen Mason admitted he had forgotten about it. Luckily for him, his team didn't. After two unsuccessful attempts in previous weeks against Michigan and Michigan State, Mason earned the...

Tony Patterson was not about to say anything, but the frustration was palpable. Minnesota football coach Glen Mason could sense it brewing in his fifth-year wide receiver without ever hearing a word. So...

Heading into the final month of the regular season, Minnesota's football team finds itself in an uncomfortably familiar position. Saturday's loss to Michigan State leaves the Gophers with a 6-2 overall...

Minnesota football players had to wait seven days for a chance to get back on the field and avenge their fourth-quarter collapse against Michigan. But the Gophers had to wait just six seconds Saturday...

Even when his future appeared as though it couldn't get any bleaker, Jeff Smoker maintained a quiet confidence in himself. Surrounded by a Michigan State football program caught up in negative distractions...

In the moments following the Gophers' 38-35 loss to Michigan last Friday night, an emotional Asad Abdul-Khaliq predicted the tears probably would not stop until Tuesday. After three days to reflect and...

It was an innocent mistake. Early in the second quarter of Minnesota's Big Ten bout against Michigan on Friday night, the sound technicians at the Metrodome accidentally followed a Gophers first down by...

Based strictly on wins and losses, the Minnesota-Michigan football rivalry would hardly be considered one of the best in college football. But in terms of tradition, it ranks right near the top. Michigan...

For members of the Minnesota football coaching staff, it's a chance to get in on the action while reinforcing an important lesson. For players, the lesson has been more beneficial than they could have...

Any one of the 105 players on Minnesota's football roster might want to consider mailing Northwestern cornerback Jeff Backes a thank-you card this week. The sophomore's seemingly innocent misstep was just...

It hardly ever fails. When the name Jason Wright comes up in a conversation anywhere outside of Evanston, Ill., someone invariably asks the question - or at least thinks to himself - Jason who? For those...

Terry Jackson II waited patiently on Minnesota's sideline during the first quarter of Saturday's game against Penn State. The junior running back, who led the team in rushing last season with 1,317 yards,...

All week, Minnesota football players and coaches hinted there would be more to see from the Gophers' offense in Saturday's game against Penn State. This was supposed to be the game when coach Glen Mason...

It was early one morning in June when Jared Ellerson saw the light. He proceeded to crawl out of bed, get dressed and make the one-mile trip from his University Village apartment to the Bierman athletic...

Start fast, finish faster. Following that strategy would seem to give any team a pretty good chance to win. But in the case of Minnesota's football team, the process has been refined a step further. In...

Minnesota approached its final nonconference game of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette as a final tune-up for the Big Ten season. Judging from its performance Saturday night against the Cajuns, Minnesota...

At this point in a normal 11-game collegiate football schedule, Minnesota would be gearing up for its first real test of the season against a Big Ten opponent. But with an extra nonconference game on the...

Minnesota running back Marion Barber III answered questions outside of the visitor's locker room in Ohio's Peden Stadium on Saturday evening, wearing his usual straight face. There was nothing particularly...

Just when it looked as if Minnesota's defense was finally coming together, it surrendered 14 points in the first half of Saturday's game against Ohio. In the Gophers' previous two games, the defense only...

Midway through the third quarter of Saturday's game against Troy State, Minnesota quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq jogged lightly toward the sideline, unbuttoned his chin strap and exchanged congratulatory...

More than anything else, Minnesota freshman running back Laurence Maroney remembers one thing in particular from all the football games he's watched - the way players on special teams throw their bodies...

Complaints from anybody on the Minnesota football roster were hard to find late Saturday night after the Gophers wrapped up their second blowout victory in the past two weeks. Spurred by a dominant performance...

It's been a long and winding road for coach Larry Blakeney and Troy State's football team the past two years - literally. Since making the jump to Division I-A competition prior to the 2001 season, the...

Ben Utecht has been showcasing his talent in the Gophers' passing game for years. But Saturday night the tight end, named a 2003 preseason All-American by Athlon and College Football News, displayed his...

A quick glance at the 2002 season recap for Minnesota's men's cross country team would make it seem like the Gophers had it all figured out. The team climbed as high as 13th in the national polls and earned...

Tulsa head football coach Steve Kragthorpe was fortunate enough to have a front-row seat for the rushing exhibition put on by Minnesota on Saturday night at the Metrodome. Although Kragthorpe probably...

When Dan Monson hit the road the morning of July 8, it marked a new beginning for Minnesota's men's basketball program. Not to mention a long-awaited end. July 8 was the first day of the 2003 NCAA basketball...

For Keri Hehn, every lap in the pool, every rep in the weight room and every ounce of energy she's ever devoted to the sport of swimming paid off in one special moment earlier this summer. It was the day...

The blink of an eye. The snap of a finger. Six thousandths of a second. That was the difference between being a national champion and being second best in the men's 400-meter dash at the NCAA track and...

It's just a coffee mug, but to Minnesota's women's swimming coach Jean Freeman it serves as a constant reminder. "Things do not change," an inscription on the mug in her office reads. "We do." Not so long...

Minnesota sprinters Mitch Potter and Adam Steele have earned their share of frequent flyer miles this summer. Since competing in the NCAA championships in Sacramento, Calif., two months ago, Potter and...

Beginning this season, the Big Ten will experiment with a behind-the-scenes instant replay system to test the consequences replay might have on the college game and its officiating, Big Ten Commissioner,...

More than 100 bodies lay strewn about on mats inside the Bierman athletic complex on a muggy July afternoon, most of them motionless. A few kids sit up and joke quietly. Some listen to music. Most are...

For Rene Pulley, there's nothing new about seeing Adam Boone outsmart his opponents on the basketball court. He's been watching it happen for more than a decade. Boone, projected to be the starting point...

During his time as a diving coach in Australia, Mike Martens coached three Olympic athletes, six world junior finalists and 13 junior national champions. But despite all his success Down Under, Martens...

Seven months have passed since Minnesota's football team concluded its 2002 season with a 29-14 victory over Arkansas in the Music City Bowl. In that time, countless references have been made to the fact...

More than 100 bodies lay strewn about on mats inside the Bierman athletic complex Tuesday evening, most of them motionless. A few kids sit up and joke quietly. Some listen to music. Most are too exhausted...

For a guy who had never heard of Minnesota and never intended to become an athletics trainer, Jim Marshall had quite a career. After 42 years as a trainer and administrative services coordinator in the...

His professional career is barely a month old, but already former Minnesota men's golfer Simon Nash has gotten a taste of life on the PGA Tour. And it's been bitter. After carding a one-under-par 69 in...

When Dan Monson hits the road Tuesday morning, it will mark a new beginning for Minnesota's men's basketball team. Not to mention a long-awaited end. Tuesday is the first day of the 2003 NCAA basketball...

It's just a coffee mug, but to Minnesota's women's swimming coach Jean Freeman it serves as a constant reminder. "Things do not change," an inscription on the mug in her office reads. "We do." Not so long...

It's not where you'd expect to find some of the most talented basketball players of the Twin Cities. But rather than spending the offseason in state-of-the-art weight rooms or shooting buckets on freshly...

Even with all the question marks surrounding Rick Rickert in the weeks that led up to Thursday's NBA draft, no one could question his optimism. Since making his April decision to leave Minnesota after...

Based on past decisions in his young but eventful basketball career, it's a safe bet to say Rick Rickert is a gambling man. Two years ago, the Duluth, Minn., native opted out of a verbal commitment and...

Thomas Vanek made a name for himself at the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. Now, Minnesota's star left wing might make his living on the very same ice. The Buffalo Sabres selected Vanek with the...

Last Friday, William Humphries offered four words of wisdom regarding the intentions of his son Kris. "Just wait 'til Tuesday," Humphries said. For the University basketball program and Gopher fans everywhere,...

The blink of an eye. The snap of a finger. Six thousandths of a second. That was the difference between being a national champion and being second best in the men's 400-meter dash at the NCAA track and...

For a guy who is considered such a sure thing by many in the college basketball world, there certainly are a lot of questions surrounding Kris Humphries. After making a verbal commitment last spring and...

If it were up to him, Luke Appert might have spent one more summer discussing the details of his upcoming fall schedule at the University. Instead, he is ironing out the details of his first professional...

In December, Minnesota's volleyball team completed its most successful season in program history by winning its first Big Ten title and reaching the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Less than six months...

Minnesota's men's track and field team reclaimed its status as the conference's best team a week ago by winning the Big Ten outdoor championships in record-setting fashion. Competing on their home track...

A month ago, David Morgan narrowly won a playoff against teammate Ben Greve to determine the fifth and final spot on Minnesota's men's golf team. Last weekend at the NCAA central regional in Manhattan,...

Minnesota junior Ben Greve knows he's in some pretty select company. He is one of only 11 golfers in the country who can say they play for the defending national champion Gophers. But Greve might have...

Minnesota's men's golf team entered Sunday's final round at the 2003 Big Ten championships trailing tournament leader Illinois by six strokes. But the Gophers couldn't have felt better about their chances...

With four golfers ranked among the 100 best collegiate players in the country, Minnesota's men's golf team isn't exactly lacking in talent. And though the 14th-ranked Gophers have gone the entire spring...

When your team finishes in last place at the most important tournament of the season - as Minnesota's women's golf team did at the 2002 Big Ten championships - it doesn't exactly leave players and coaches...

All season long, Minnesota women's golf coach Katie Weiss has anticipated the Gophers' return to the Big Ten championships for the chance to measure her team's improvement from a year ago. Sophomore Terra...

Brad James sat in his office at the Bierman Athletic Building on Tuesday afternoon trying his best to relax in the half hour he had to himself before practice started. James, Minnesota's men's golf coach,...

It was barely more than a year ago when Karyn Stordahl first faced what she knew would be a life-changing decision. After hearing former University President Mark Yudof announce last April the women's...

Another week gone by, another tournament, and another finish in the middle of the pack for Minnesota's men's golf team. The defending national champion Gophers, currently ranked 14th in the nation, finished...

Minnesota's baseball team is quietly establishing itself as one of the best in the country, but its early-season dominance of conference opponents has reverberated loud and clear throughout the Big Ten. The...

A quick glance at the finishes of Minnesota's men's golf team in its last two tournaments won't reveal anything particularly encouraging. After starting the spring season with an impressive second-place...

Katie Weiss has been the head coach of Minnesota's women's golf team for nearly eight months, but it's not as if she's had much time to relax since accepting the job. Weiss inherited a program marked for...

Minnesota's men's basketball team won its third straight game and kept its postseason run alive with a 63-58 overtime victory against Temple on Thursday night at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Minnesota...

After enduring another forgettable performance by Minnesota's women's hockey team at the NCAA Frozen Four last weekend, head coach Laura Halldorson decided to take a day off Monday - probably in part to...

FDULUTH, Minn. or Ronda Curtin and Winny Brodt, this wasn't the way things were supposed to end. Heading into the NCAA Frozen Four over the weekend at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, the...

FDULUTH, Minn. or weeks, head coach Laura Halldorson and the rest of Minnesota's women's hockey team waited anxiously for the game when star forward Krissy Wendell would return to the lineup. The Gophers...

Although hockey is primarily a winter sport, Laura Halldorson has gotten used to seeing her teams play well into the month of March. Since Halldorson's arrival as head coach of Minnesota's women's hockey...

It was a sight Minnesota's women's hockey team has been waiting more than a month to see. Krissy Wendell emerged from the Gophers' locker room in full pads Tuesday afternoon and stepped on to the Ridder...

MGRAND FORKS, N.D. - innesota-Duluth head coach Shannon Miller called her team's rivalry with Minnesota the best in women's college hockey. The Gophers' Laura Halldorson doesn't disagree, but her enthusiasm...

IGRAND FORKS, N.D. - t's hard to find the silver lining when you've just surrendered your title as the reigning WCHA tournament champion to your archrival. But that's exactly the task Minnesota women's...

This time around, Laura Halldorson and Mark Johnson aren't expecting any surprises. The respective head coaches of Minnesota's and Wisconsin's women's hockey teams meet for the fifth time this season (and...

Kelsey Bills made the decision shortly after her team's pre-game meal Saturday afternoon to say something to teammate La Toya Clarke. As an alternate captain on Minnesota's women's hockey team, Bills knew...

MMIDDLETON, Wis. - innesota's women's hockey team traveled to Wisconsin last Thursday with a chance to solidify its spot as one of the top teams in the country heading into the postseason. By Saturday...

The WCHA women's tournament doesn't start until next Thursday, but for Minnesota and Wisconsin, the playoff atmosphere has already arrived. The Gophers and Badgers are in the unique situation of playing...

The clouded future of Minnesota women's hockey forward Kristy Oonincx became a whole lot clearer Tuesday afternoon when the sophomore revealed her plans to leave the team and transfer to St. Cloud State...

At the beginning of each season, Minnesota women's hockey coach Laura Halldorson sets the same three goals for her team. Win the WCHA regular-season title, win the conference tournament and win the national...

During the ride back from Duluth on Saturday night, Minnesota women's hockey coach Laura Halldorson was given a handwritten note passed up from the back of the team bus. The note politely requested the...

M innesota women's hockey coach Laura Halldorson said last week she thought the Gophers' weekend series at No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth could be a positive turning point in her team's season. Thanks to some...

It doesn't happen very often, but this weekend is one of those rare instances when Minnesota's women's hockey team heads into its series as the underdog. When you've won more than 82 percent of your games...

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced Wednesday afternoon that Ohio State's Heather Farrell would not be suspended for the hit that broke the collarbone of Minnesota forward Krissy Wendell...

Minnesota women's hockey star forward Krissy Wendell broke her collarbone Saturday night against Ohio State and will be out for the remainder of the regular season. She will be re-evaluated by team physicians...