Jim Souhan: In annals of ineptitude, U's 'Drive' will stand test of time

A pessimist might say the Gophers needed a freshman quarterback to fumble a fourth-quarter snap to beat a small school that lost the previous week by 19 points to Southern Illinois ...

That the Gophers were so frightened by the return team from South Dakota State that their coach ordered a squib kickoff late in the game, perhaps coining a new chant that will echo around TCF Bank Stadium for years: "Fear the Jackrabbit" ...

That 2 1/2 years after new coach Tim Brewster promised to take "Gopher Nation" to the Rose Bowl, he was celebrating a three-point victory at home over the hated Jackrabbits in which his team converted three of 16 third downs, passed for 94 yards, averaged less than 3 yards a carry when anyone other than specialty quarterback MarQueis Gray carried the ball, and won largely because SDSU missed a short field goal and threw the football as if it were filled with helium.

A pessimist, though, would be overlooking one of the great moments in Gophers football history.

A pessimist would be ignoring "The Drive."

Move over, John Elway. Your place in football annals has been supplanted by the chess-like maneuverings of first-year Gophers offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch.

It will be difficult to capture the drama of the Gophers' game-winning drive without the help of NFL Films and the rich baritone of the late John Facenda, but we'll try to live up to the moment.

Two plays later, Jackrabbits freshman quarterback Thomas O'Brien, erratic all day, fumbled a shotgun snap, and the Gophers recovered at the Jackrabbits 11.

That's when "The Drive" began.

First-and-10: Running back Duane Bennett took a handoff and writhed, sprinted, fought and twisted his way back to the line of scrimmage.

Second-and-10: Gray, bamboozling the Jackrabbits' undersized-yet-less-than-speedy defense, took a direct snap and slammed himself forward, driving the pile for a 3-yard gain.

Here's where Coach Brew took charge. He called a timeout with 2:31 remaining, then sent his offense onto the field well-prepared for the biggest play of the game.

The Drive had started in the shadows of the west goalpost at historic TCF Bank Stadium. Now, as dusk threatened to fall and the gloaming loomed, the Gophers had moved 3 yards closer to the west goalpost at historic TCF Bank Stadium, and Elway's legacy was in danger.

Given two timeouts to steel himself and finish his chemistry homework, quarterback Adam Weber dropped back, escaped the rush and lofted a high pass to the back of the end zone. You almost expected Dwight Clark to appear from nowhere and make "The Catch."

Instead, Weber threw high, giving us "The Incompletion."

Having guided the offense on a three-play, 3-yard drive that will live in infamy in Jackrabbits annals, Brewster and Fisch displayed mercy, and pulled their innovative, high-flying offense off the field.

You've heard of the "No huddle offense?" Fisch has invented the "No-offense huddle."

Beating the Jackrabbits by three points at home gave the Gophers a victory over a smaller school, producing a chance for a 6-6 finish and an invitation to the Insight Bowl.

Under Coach Brew, the Gophers barely resemble the program that, three years ago under Glen Mason, beat a smaller school (North Dakota State) by a smaller margin (one point) on their way to a 6-6 finish and an invitation to the Insight Bowl.

On the giddy avenues of Gopher Nation, this is called "progress."