Minnesota's first game of the 2012 season is nine weeks from tomorrow. We're here to whet your appetite for that game and all the Big Ten openers with our early Week 1 previews. Let's see what the Gophers have in store for them on Aug. 30:
Week 1 Opponent: at UNLV
Coach: Bobby Hauck (third year, 4-21)
2011 record: 2-10 (1-6 Mountain West Conference)
Returning starters: 13 (8 offense, 5 defense)
About the Rebels: UNLV was a bad team last year. Truly bad. The Rebels ranked 118th nationally out of 120 teams in scoring defense and 117th in points scored offense. They were outscored 40-17 on average. They lost nine games by at least 20 points and were blown out 51-17 by Wisconsin. Hauck was a highly successful FCS coach but needs to start showing something at Vegas or he'll be shown the door soon. He has had some very young teams and has only 11 scholarship seniors this year. The good news is that all five starters are back on the offensive line, along with leading rusher Tim Cornett and three quarterbacks who started games last year, though redshirt freshman Nick Sherry might beat them all out. Hauck changed both coordinators in the offseason in a search for improvement. He'll have a lot more of the guys he recruited on this year's team, but the Rebels still face an uphill climb toward respectability.
Random factoid: UNLV's stadium is named after Las Vegas gaming legend Sam Boyd, whose name was also the inspiration for the Sam's Town Hotel and an album title by The Killers. The stadium was the site of the first televised game in the XFL and was the home field for Rod Smart, better known as "He Hate Me."
Series with Minnesota: First-ever meeting
Totally unscientific percentage chance Minnesota wins: 64 percent. Minnesota isn't good enough yet to take any game for granted, as it surely should have learned after losses to New Mexico State and North Dakota State last season. Still, if you've got to play on the road against an FBS team, this is about an advantageous matchup as you could find. Unless UNLV's defense has made miraculous improvements in the offseason, MarQueis Gray and the Gophers should be able to move the ball effectively. Minnesota's nonconference schedule could allow the team to get off to a good start this season. But first the Gophers have to take care of business in a very winnable opener.
Week 1 Opponent: at UNLV
Coach: Bobby Hauck (third year, 4-21)
2011 record: 2-10 (1-6 Mountain West Conference)
Returning starters: 13 (8 offense, 5 defense)
About the Rebels: UNLV was a bad team last year. Truly bad. The Rebels ranked 118th nationally out of 120 teams in scoring defense and 117th in points scored offense. They were outscored 40-17 on average. They lost nine games by at least 20 points and were blown out 51-17 by Wisconsin. Hauck was a highly successful FCS coach but needs to start showing something at Vegas or he'll be shown the door soon. He has had some very young teams and has only 11 scholarship seniors this year. The good news is that all five starters are back on the offensive line, along with leading rusher Tim Cornett and three quarterbacks who started games last year, though redshirt freshman Nick Sherry might beat them all out. Hauck changed both coordinators in the offseason in a search for improvement. He'll have a lot more of the guys he recruited on this year's team, but the Rebels still face an uphill climb toward respectability.
Random factoid: UNLV's stadium is named after Las Vegas gaming legend Sam Boyd, whose name was also the inspiration for the Sam's Town Hotel and an album title by The Killers. The stadium was the site of the first televised game in the XFL and was the home field for Rod Smart, better known as "He Hate Me."
Series with Minnesota: First-ever meeting
Totally unscientific percentage chance Minnesota wins: 64 percent. Minnesota isn't good enough yet to take any game for granted, as it surely should have learned after losses to New Mexico State and North Dakota State last season. Still, if you've got to play on the road against an FBS team, this is about an advantageous matchup as you could find. Unless UNLV's defense has made miraculous improvements in the offseason, MarQueis Gray and the Gophers should be able to move the ball effectively. Minnesota's nonconference schedule could allow the team to get off to a good start this season. But first the Gophers have to take care of business in a very winnable opener.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Rittenberg
Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
Brian Bennett
Bennett joined ESPN.com in August 2008 after nine years at The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., where he covered college sports and the University of Louisville beat. He lives in Louisville.
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