Following a 0–4 finish and a 55–0 shellacking at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi says his football program is “going in the right direction.”
In his comments, Maturi noted how the Golden Gophers lost to four bowl teams, which was a far cry from last season.
“Every game we lost this year, except for Michigan, those four teams are going to a bowl game,” Maturi said. “So, what happened is that we’re in the middle now.”
In 2007, Minnesota finished the year with a 1–11 record. Included in the eleven losses were defeats to Bowling Green (32–31), Florida Atlantic (42–39) and North Dakota State (27–21).
Maturi also mentioned the excitement fans, coaches and players should be feeling going into 2009, which will be the Gophers’ inaugural season in TCF Bank Stadium.
“Next August we’re going to be 0–0, preparing for the 2009 season against a more difficult schedule, but in a new stadium,” Maturi said. “Fans will get excited again of the hope. The kids will be excited. Coaches will be excited.”
Minnesota concluded the regular season with a 7–5 (3–5 Big Ten) record after opening the season at 7–1. The Golden Gophers’ bowl fate will be decided on December 7, after conference championship games have been completed.
