YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
gophers/ncaa
Insight Bowl: Historic collapse
- Article by: Chip Scoggins , Star Tribune
- Updated: December 30, 2006 - 6:00 AM
After spotting the Gophers a 31-point lead, Texas Tech rallied for a stunning overtime victory in the Insight Bowl, the biggest comeback in Division I-A bowl history.
Gophers safety Kevin Mannion (28) was surrounded by celebrating Texas Tech players, after the Red Raiders rallied from 31 points down to win 44-41 in overtime.
- 0
- comments
resize text 
- buy reprints
TEMPE, ARIZ. - Only the Gophers.
How else do you explain what happened here Friday night?
The Gophers football team played arguably its finest half of football this season before halftime and built a 38-7 lead against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the third quarter of the Insight Bowl ...
And then gave it all away.
Shannon Woods' 3-yard touchdown run in overtime capped the largest comeback in NCAA Division I-A bowl game history as Texas Tech stunned Minnesota 44-41 before an announced crowd of 48,391 at Sun Devil Stadium.
"Needless to say, that was a game of two different halves," Gophers coach Glen Mason said. "All coaches preach that no lead is sufficient until the clock says it's mathematically impossible to come back."
The second-half collapse had to bring back painful memories to Minnesota fans who endured that infamous fourth-quarter collapse against Michigan in 2003.
After building a 38-7 lead, the Gophers saw Texas Tech score 31 unanswered points -- including 24 in the fourth quarter -- to turn a rout into high drama.
Alex Trlica drilled a career-long and Insight Bowl-record 52-yard field goal as time expired to send the game into overtime.
The Gophers got the ball first in overtime and had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Joel Monroe.
The Red Raiders completed their remarkable comeback when Woods went up the middle for the touchdown.
"You hate to say it, but you could see guys were on Cloud Nine in the locker room at halftime," Gophers linebacker Mike Sherels said. "We didn't think we could be stopped. In retrospect, that was a mistake."
The 31-point rally eclipsed the previous record comeback of 30 points by Marshall against East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
"At halftime we felt like we had an opportunity to do something memorable," Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said. "Everybody recommitted and got focused. It became a body punch kind of deal. We were lucky enough to make them collapse."
That collapse looked eerily similar to the one against Michigan in which the Gophers lead 28-7 going into the fourth quarter, only to lose 38-35.
Been there, done that.
"When they cut the lead to 10 and we weren't moving the ball, I knew we were in trouble," Mason said.
The Gophers, who won their final three games of the regular season to become bowl eligible, finished the season at 6-7 -- their first losing season since 2001 -- and will have the entire offseason to stew about this latest collapse.
- 0
- comments
- resize text
- buy reprints
explore Gophers/college sports
ADVERTISEMENT
| LA Lakers | 88 | FINAL |
| Boston | 87 |
| Golden State | 109 | FINAL |
| Denver | 101 |
| Houston | 96 | FINAL |
| Phoenix | 89 |
| Oklahoma City | 101 | FINAL |
| Sacramento | 106 |
| St. Louis | 4 | FINAL(SO) |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| Montreal | 4 | FINAL |
| NY Islanders | 2 |
| Tampa Bay | 3 | FINAL(OT) |
| NY Rangers | 4 |
| Toronto | 3 | FINAL |
| Philadelphia | 4 |
| Winnipeg | 3 | FINAL(SO) |
| Washington | 2 |
| Dallas | 4 | FINAL |
| Columbus | 2 |
| Nashville | 3 | FINAL |
| Ottawa | 4 |
| Los Angeles | 1 | FINAL |
| Florida | 3 |
| Vancouver | 5 | FINAL |
| Minnesota | 2 |
| Calgary | 1 | FINAL(OT) |
| Phoenix | 2 |
| (21) Wisconsin | 68 | FINAL |
| Minnesota | 61 |
| Ole Miss | 60 | FINAL |
| (20) Miss State | 70 |
| Illinois | 71 | FINAL |
| (23) Indiana | 84 |
| Tennessee St | 72 | FINAL |
| (9) Murray State | 68 |
| (16) St Marys-CA | 59 | FINAL |
| Gonzaga | 73 |
| Old Dominion | 63 | FINAL |
| (12) Delaware | 76 |
| Wisconsin | 54 | FINAL |
| (18) Penn State | 69 |
| (5) Duke | 71 | FINAL |
| Boston College | 62 |
| (8) Maryland | 91 | FINAL |
| Clemson | 61 |
| Detroit | 70 | FINAL |
| (9) Green Bay | 58 |
| (10) Ohio State | 65 | FINAL |
| Illinois | 66 |
| (24) South Carolina | 47 | FINAL |
| Arkansas | 68 |
| Michigan | 63 | FINAL |
| (13) Nebraska | 52 |
| U-S-C | 52 | FINAL |
| (4) Stanford | 69 |
| (19) Gonzaga | 40 | FINAL |
| B-Y-U | 70 |
| (11) Tennessee | 79 | FINAL |
| Vanderbilt | 93 |
- Hartman: This loss might haunt Gophers
- Souhan: Taylor is homecoming king in return to the Barn
- Oh-vertime: U loses opportunity to Badgers
- U hockey faces tough road test at Denver
- Reusse: It's time for Williams Arena to go
- Rand: Arena is a classic, not a relic
- Fighting Sioux name is back, but debate lives
- UNLV wants to move up game with Gophers
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters
