Thanks to NDSU, Gophers know not to take Jacks lightly

Mention North Dakota State, and Adam Weber remembers the disappointment.

The Gophers starting quarterback was on the Metrodome field that October day of 2007. It was the eighth game of Tim Brewster's first season as Gophers coach. A Gophers team in transition took on the Bison, a team with a strong running game, an unbeaten record and a date waiting in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs.

North Dakota State led by three points at halftime, trailed by four entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 10 points for a 27-21 victory in front of a crowd that seemed to have as many fans for the Bison as for the Gophers.

"I remember the Metrodome being very loud, for the wrong reasons," Weber said.

On Saturday the Gophers will play host to South Dakota State, a regional team in its sixth season in the FCS after making the jump from NCAA Division II, and on the verge of qualifying for the FCS playoffs for the first time.

The Gophers are intent on proving that is where the similarities with 2007 end. The Gophers believe they are a more athletic, deeper and more talented bunch than the 2007 team. Minnesota (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) also is one victory away from becoming bowl- eligible.

Linebacker Simoni Lawrence, one of several Gophers seniors who will be honored Saturday, remembers when he was in junior college. Once or twice a year, there would be the opportunity to play a team from a higher division.

"We would be so up for it," Lawrence said. "Way, way up for it. We would play our hardest. We gave those schools all they could handle, sometimes even beat them. We know they will come in here and it will be like their Super Bowl. They get to play in a great stadium, and they want to showcase their talent.

"That's why we have to put a stop to that early on. Don't let them hang around at all. I do not want to let this team hang around."

South Dakota State comes in 7-2, ranked 12th in the FCS poll. The Jackrabbits' strength would appear to be on defense, where they rank sixth in the FCS in points allowed.

"We obviously understand, and the players understand, the odds of winning a game like this are way against us," South Dakota State coach John Stiegelmeier said. "You go and try to play your best football against a good team and see how you do."

If the Gophers need any more reason to take SDSU seriously, consider the Jackrabbits beat Northern Iowa -- a team that took Iowa to the brink before falling 17-16 in the season opener. Plus, according to SDSU defensive end Danny Batten, the Jackrabbits will have a nothing-to-lose mentality.

"We won't lay down," Batten said. "It's all [about] what team comes to play."

Minnesota had one FCS team on the schedule last season. Montana State came to the Metrodome and took an early 6-0 lead before the Gophers scored 21 second-quarter points en route to a 35-23 victory. After South Dakota State this year, the Gophers will face one regional FCS opponents in each of the next two seasons: South Dakota next season and North Dakota State in 2011.

Brewster has talked often of upgrading his team's nonconference schedule, which includes upcoming home-and-home series against Southern California, Texas and North Carolina. Indeed, the Gophers will face at least one opponent from a BCS conference -- the ACC, Big East, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10 -- in nonconference play every year through 2018.

Back in 2007, Brewster questioned whether it benefited the Gophers program to play smaller, regional FCS teams.

"I feel the same way [now]," Brewster said. "I don't know how much it benefits the University of Minnesota to play South Dakota State. ... Again, as I've said, I'd like to see nonconference scheduling help us in recruiting. So I'm not certain how much it'll help us in recruiting."

A victory, though, could help get the Gophers a bowl bid. And unlike the 2007 game against NDSU at the Metrodome, this game will be played at TCF Bank Stadium, where the Gophers figure to enjoy a home-field edge.

"We were struggling back then," senior receiver Ben Kuznia said. "We didn't have a lot of depth, there were injuries. This program is in better shape than it was."