The fun returned for the Gophers football team on Saturday, which, considering all the negative vibes surrounding the program the past few weeks, is exactly what it needed.
Their backs are still against the wall and will remain that way until the final game, but the Gophers finally got a chance to smile and celebrate an elusive Big Ten victory after hammering upstart Indiana 63-26 before an announced homecoming crowd of 44,610 at the Metrodome.
With their season pushed to the brink of irrelevance by three consecutive bad performances, the Gophers scored their most points in a Big Ten game since 1916, claimed their first Big Ten victory (1-5) and kept alive their postseason hopes.
"We're still alive and still ticking," Gophers coach Glen Mason said.
At 4-6 overall, they still must win at Michigan State next week and against Iowa at home in the season finale to become bowl-eligible for the fifth consecutive season. It remains an uphill climb, but it appears less daunting after the Gophers showed some fight after being down on the canvas.
"I think it was obvious from the first quarter on that we were just out there having a good time," center Tony Brinkhaus said. "It's been a while since we've been able to joke around out there."
Said quarterback Bryan Cupito: "When you lose, no matter how hard you work, it's not fun. You can try and have fun all you want during the week, but when you come to the game and lose, it's miserable. To finally get a win is big."
It was no contest. The Gophers rolled over the Hoosiers on the strength of a monster performance by Cupito and the passing game and three turnovers from their defense.
Indiana (5-5, 3-3) failed miserably to live up to its pregame hype. Trying to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1993, the Hoosiers played with a deer-in-the-headlights look, particularly on defense.
"It's hard to put into words how we took such a big step backwards, defensively especially," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "It's back to the drawing board for us."
The Gophers caught the Hoosiers off guard by emphasizing the passing game from the start. Cupito feasted on Indiana's confused secondary to record one of his best performances.
He completed 22 of 33 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns. His numbers would have been better if not for several drops by wide-open receivers.
Ernie Wheelwright, missing in action for most of the season, had three receptions for 116 yards, including touchdown catches of 64 and 37 yards. Logan Payne added six catches for 137 yards.
"We had a lot of wide-open routes," Cupito said. "You could probably throw those routes in the fifth grade, they were so open. It was just one of those days where everything went well for us."
The Gophers did the best possible thing for a team that is struggling. They started fast and appeased their fans. Minnesota scored touchdowns on five of its first six possessions and had a 35-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
"The way our season has gone, we needed that," tight end Matt Spaeth said. "If they come out and get a lead, guys might be going, 'Here we go again.' It was huge for guys to get some confidence back."
The Gophers opened the game with a 58-yard pass play from Cupito to Payne, and it snowballed from there.
Cupito completed nine of 12 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. He had 304 yards passing at halftime and touchdown passes to three different receivers.
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