This season’s motto for the Gophers football team is “brick by brick.”
And for the first time in history, the team will open a season at the brick-laden TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday against Nevada-Las Vegas.
“There’s a high percentage of winning football games when you play at home,” head coach Jerry Kill said at a press conference Aug. 24. “If I had my choice we’d play eight home games every year.”
Kill has had moderate success playing at home in his tenure with the Gophers. In his two seasons with Minnesota he has a 7-7 home record compared to 2-8 record on the road.
Kill and the Gophers are also attempting to build a raucous home atmosphere that has been lacking at times since TCF Bank Stadium opened.
“You’ve got people packed in there — the cheerleaders, the band — I mean everybody is a part of it,” Kill said. “They’re a part of it when you win and it also tears them up when you lose.
“Our job is to make them feel good…so we’ll try to do our job.”
That job culminates Thursday when Minnesota kicks off the season against UNLV. The pair played in Las Vegas last season and the Gophers won 30-27 in triple overtime.
Both programs have endured their fair shares of change since then.
Minnesota graduated former quarterback MarQueis Gray — now an NFL hopeful at tight end — and wide receiver AJ Barker quit the team in the middle of last season.
This year, true sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson and junior running back Donnell Kirkwood look to lead a physical attack behind a veteran offensive line and unproven, but talented receiving corps.
UNLV, on the other hand, hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason and buzz behind the coaching change is that the Rebels could employ an up-tempo no huddle offense Thursday. That pace, combined with a 91-degree forecast at kickoff, could wear down the Minnesota defense.
This potential up-tempo style offense that UNLV runs is different from the typical Big Ten offense. Still, it provides an early test as Big Ten teams like Northwestern and Indiana run similar high-pace offenses.
The Gophers defense looked strong at times during training camp and though it graduated a handful of players from last season, it appears to be laced with depth this year.
“We’re going to play four or five teams that snap the ball 100 times a game, maybe 90,” Kill said. “And one guy isn’t going to play no 100 snaps or 90 in this day and age, so you’ve got to be two deep.”
This game against UNLV will provide an early test, but the defense has talent in the form of stud senior defensive linemen Ra’Shede Hageman, to go along with a strong secondary led by senior Brock Vereen and junior Derrick Wells.
Kill has preached the importance of opening the season at home in the past, and this is the first step for the team as they build toward its first winning season under Kill.
“I think it’s important to play at home,” Kill said. “I think it’s important for your fans, I think it’s important for your players and we’re to trying to make, you know, we’re trying to build our program so having a home opener is a great thing for [us].”
