It's Official: Dwight Dasher Suspended in Season Opener

Quarterback Dwight Dasher has been indefinitely suspended and will miss the season opener. Why do we care? Because Dwight Dasher is the starting quarterback for the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. And, the MTSU Blue Raiders happen to be playing the Minnesota Gophers on Thursday night. The super talented quarterback will not be allowed to play until his situation with his gambling debt is resolved. He will have to wait until the NCAA reinstates him. This is a big advantage for the Minnesota Gophers. He had 2,800 passing yards and 1,150 rushing yards last season.

Minnesota vs. Middle Tennessee State Preview

On Thursday, September 2nd, the Minnesota Gophers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will go toe to toe in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This game won't be a "gimme" game like most Big Ten schools play in their opening game. The Blue Raiders went 10-3 last season and were the Sun Belt Conference Runner-Ups. They return a lot of players from that team, with 8 starters on offense including dual threat quarterback Dwight Dasher. However, Dasher is under investigation by the NCAA and may be suspended, but that remains to be seen (he owes an 80 year old $1,500 for a poker debt, seriously). Middle Tennessee State is considered the favorite to win the Sun Belt this season. The game is now one week away.

Minnesota Gopher Receivers Outlook

Eric Decker is no longer a receiver for the Minnesota Gophers. Someone will have to step up and become the go-to guy for the Gophers. Juniors Brandon Green, Troy Stoudemire, and Da'Jon McKnight are expected to catch a lot of passes this season. All of them have experience and should be ready to lead the receiver corps. Senior Hayo Carpenter and sophomore Bryant Allen will also be counted on for playing time. Out of the group of 5, it will be interesting to see who becomes the Gopher's #1 wide receiver. Go Gophers!

Trevor Mbwake Appears Staying at U

According to the Pioneer Press, suspended Minnesota Gopher Trevor Mbwakwe has been reinstated by the program and is willing to stay a Gopher. After not playing last season due to a trial process, Trevor Mbwakwe has now been reinstated by Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi. Mbwakwe avoided felony charges and agreed on a pretrial intervention program that warrants 100 community service hours. After rumors of Trevor Mbwakwe transferring, right now coach Tubby Smith believes Mbwakwe will stay a Gopher. Hopefully Trevor will stay and Minnesota can keep the talented player. For Minnesota Gopher basketball tickets check out Gopher Basketball Tickets!

New Offensive Coordinator Jeff Horton

The Minnesota Gophers are on their 3rd offensive coordinator in the last 3 years. The new man for the job is none other than Jeff Horton. Horton will try to establish a balanced offense so that the passing game won't be depended on for every play. He was the quarterback coach for the Detroit Lions last season. The last two seasons have seen the Gophers rank last in the Big Ten in rushing. Jeff Horton will try to develop plays to get positive rushing yards and mix in DeLeon Eskridge and Duane Bennett as the starters. Let's hope Jeff Horton can be here to stay. For any Minnesota Gophers football tickets check out Gopher Football tickets!

MarQueis Gray Waiting for Opportunities

Although Adam Weber is the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers, back up MarQueis Gray is ready for his chance to play. The prized recruit is a dual threat and athletic quarterback who got a taste of action last season backing up Weber as a freshman. Against Ohio State he went 5-6 with 51 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a total of 256 yards on the season. He lined up at both wide receiver and quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers. At Ben Davis High School in Indiana, he was rated the #3 dual threat quarterback in the nation and the #1 player in the state of Indiana by Rivals.com. If Weber struggles or gets injured, look for MarQueis Gray to get the call. Until then, he is the future starting quarterback of the Minnesota Gophers.

Expectations for 2010 Season?

Let's be honest - the Minnesota Gophers 2010 football schedule is not easy. The schedule features Southern California, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa. All of these teams are consistently tough teams and usually slotted somewhere in the AP Top 25. Throw in a solid Middle Tennessee State team and an improving Northwestern program, the schedule does not have many gimmes. The Gophers are going to have to come to play each week and play both ways solid. Many experts are pinning the Gophers on a low finish in the Big 10, but like I say, anything is possible! Take it one game at a time and good things can happen!

Texas - Minnesota Series Cancelled

To be the best you have to beat the best. That was the Minnesota Gophers intention of scheduling USC in 2010 and 2011 as well as Texas in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, that series against the Texas Longhorns will no longer take place. Last week, the University of Minnesota Athletic officials announced that the two game series had been cancelled due to a contract dispute involving video rights. TCF Bank Stadium would have played host in 2015, but now Minnesota says they will find another BCS quality opponent to replace Texas on the schedule. Gopher Head Coach Tim Brewster used to coach as an assistant at Texas.

Minnesota Gopher Football Season 1 Month Away!

The first Minnesota Golden Gopher football game is officially one month away! On September 2nd the Minnesota Gophers will take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Last season Middle Tennessee State went 10-3 and will look to take down a big program like the University of Minnesota. The next 4 games are all at home with South Dakota, Southern California, Northern Illinois, and Northwestern. Then at Wisconsin and Purdue consecutive weekends. Speaking of Purdue, check out the Purdue Boilermakers site for some tickets to catch the Minnesota game. The Minnesota Gophers will work hard this last month before the journey starts. The countdown has begun!