2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

The 2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they lost to Missouri. It was their first New Year's Day bowl game appearance in 53 years, their previous was the 1962 Rose Bowl.

2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Citrus Bowl, L 17–33 vs. Missouri
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record8–5 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMatt Limegrover (4th season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorTracy Claeys (4th season)
CaptainMitch Leidner, Cedric Thompson
Home stadiumTCF Bank Stadium
(Capacity: 52,525)
2014 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 1 Ohio State x$#^  8 0   14 1  
No. T–5 Michigan State  7 1   11 2  
Maryland  4 4   7 6  
Rutgers  3 5   8 5  
Michigan  3 5   5 7  
Penn State  2 6   7 6  
Indiana  1 7   4 8  
West Division
No. 13 Wisconsin x  7 1   11 3  
Minnesota  5 3   8 5  
Nebraska  5 3   9 4  
Iowa  4 4   7 6  
Illinois  3 5   6 7  
Northwestern  3 5   5 7  
Purdue  1 7   3 9  
Championship: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
  • # College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Heading into their fourth off-season, Jerry Kill's coaching staff at Minnesota suffered their first departure as linebackers and assistant head coach Bill Miller accepted the linebackers coach position at Florida State.[1] After a brief coaching search, the Gophers named Mike Sherels the new linebackers coach. Sherels had an extensive history with the University of Minnesota, playing middle linebacker for the team from 2003-2007 and then serving as a special assistant and then defensive graduate assistant under Jerry Kill from 2011-2013.[2]

The Gophers also saw quarterback Philip Nelson leave the team, announcing his transfer to Rutgers University shortly after the conclusion of the 2013 season.[3] During the off season, Nelson was charged with first-degree assault after allegedly kicking Isaac Kolstad in the head during a late-night scuffle in downtown Mankato, Minnesota. These charges led to Nelson's dismissal from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program on May 14, 2014.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Melvin Holland
WR
Ashburn, VA Briar Woods HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.5 Jan 27, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jeff Jones[5]
RB
Minneapolis, MN Washburn HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 4.7 Feb 2, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Connor Mayes[5]
OL
Van Alstyne, TX Van Alstyne HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 335 lb (152 kg) 5.4 Jun 17, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Personnel

2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
WR 1 K. J. Maye Jr
QB 2 Dimonic Roden-McKinzy Fr
TE 3 Jerry Gibson Fr
WR 4 Donovahn Jones So
QB 5 Chris Streveler  Fr
QB 7 Mitch Leidner  So
WR 9 Eric Carter  Fr
WR 12 Will Reger Fr
WR 13 Desmond Gant Fr
WR 14 Isaac Fruechte  Sr
WR 14 Connor Cosgrove  Sr
QB 15 Conor Rhoda  Fr
RB 16 Jeff Jones Fr
WR 17 Logan Hutton  Sr
QB 18 Jacques Perra Fr
WR 19 Michael Conway  Fr
RB 20 Donnell Kirkwood  Sr
WR 21 Melvin Holland, Jr. Fr
WR 22 Jeff Borchardt  Fr
WR 23 E. J. Sardinha  So
RB 24 Rodney Smith Fr
WR 25 Devin Wright  Sr
WR 26 Brian Smith  Fr
RB 27 David Cobb Sr
WR 29 Louis Tuszynski  So
RB 31 Cole Banham  Sr
RB 32 Berkey Edwards  Fr
FB 34 Jephete Matilus  Jr
RB 35 Rodrick Williams, Jr. Jr
FB 41 Miles Thomas Jr
FB 43 Tyler Hartmann  So
RB 37 Josh Parks Fr
TE 39 Nate Wozniak  Fr
RB 44 Jacob Krisch  Jr
TE 47 Alex Bisch  Sr
TE 48 Matt Oldenkamp Fr
TE 49 Noah Scarver  Fr
OL 52 Zac Epping  Sr
OL 53 Luke Rasmussen Fr
OL 55 Connor Mayes Fr
OL 58 Tommy Olson Sr
OL 60 Matt Leidner  Fr
OL 62 Jared Weyler Fr
OL 63 Jon Christenson  Jr
OL 65 Josh Champion  Jr
OL 66 Luke McAvoy  Jr
OL 67 Brian Bobek  Jr
OL 68 Isaac Hayes  So
OL 70 Chad Fahning  Fr
OL 71 Kyle McAvoy  Jr
OL 73 Joe Bjorklund  Jr
OL 74 Marek Lenkiewicz  Sr
OL 75 Ernie Heifort  Jr
OL 76 Alex Mayes  Fr
OL 77 Foster Bush  Jr
OL 78 Ben Lauer  So
OL 79 Jonah Pirsig  So
WR 80 Aaron Marmer  Jr
TE 81 Duke Anyanwu  So
TE 81 Nick Hart  Fr
WR 82 Drew Wolitarsky So
TE 83 Drew Goodger Sr
WR 84 Isaiah Gentry Fr
TE 85 Lincoln Plsek Jr
TE 86 Brandon Lingen Fr
TE 88 Maxx Williams  So
WR 89 Connor Krizancic Fr
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 1 De'Niro Laster  Fr
DB 2 Cedric Thompson Sr
DB 3 Derrick Wells Sr
LB 5 Damien Wilson Sr
DB 6 Grayson Levine Sr
DL 9 Alex Keith Jr
DB 11 Antonio Johnson Jr
DB 15 Marcus Jones Sr
DB 16 Steven Montgomery  Jr
LB 18 Peter Westerhaus  Jr
LB 19 Cedric Dicke  So
DT 19 Gary Moore Fr
DB 22 Craig James Fr
LB 26 De'Vondre Campbell  Jr
DB 28 Jalen Myrick So
DB 29 Briean Boddy-Calhoun  Jr
LB 30 Chris Wipson  Fr
DB 31 Eric Murray Jr
DB 32 John McKelvey  So
DB 36 Cavonte Johnson  So
DB 40 Alexander Starks  Fr
LB 42 Dominic Schultz  Jr
DB 45 Adekunle Ayinde  Fr
DL 46 Cameron Botticelli  Sr
DB 48 Davis Alexander Fr
LB 50 Jack Lynn  So
DL 52 Yoshoub Timms  So
DL 55 Theiren Cockran  Jr
LB 56 Nick Rallis  So
LB 57 Everett Williams Fr
LB 59 Ray Dixon  Fr
DL 69 Justin Carr Jr
DL 87 Gaelin Elmore Fr
DL 90 Demaris Peppers  Fr
DE 91 Julien Kafo Fr
DL 92 Robert Nondo-Lay  Jr
DL 93 Ben Perry  Sr
DL 94 Harold Legania  Sr
DL 95 Hendrick Ekpe So
DT 96 Steven Richardson Fr
DL 97 Scott Ekpe Jr
DL 98 Michael Amaefula Sr
DE 99 Andrew Stelter Fr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K/P 18 Ryan Santoso  Fr
LS 25 Payton Jordahl Fr
K 33 Andrew Harte  Fr
P 34 Logan McElfresh Fr
P 37 Peter Mortell  Jr
K 38 Emmit Carpenter Fr
LS 40 Jared Hartmann  Jr
P 41 Christian Eldred Sr
K 42 Justin Juenemann  Fr
LS 49 Dave Ramlet  Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Tracy Claeys (associate head coach)
  • Matt Limegrover (assistant head coach / offensive line)
  • Brian Anderson (running backs)
  • Jeff Phelps (defensive line)
  • Pat Poore (wide receivers)
  • Rob Reeves (H-Backs / tight ends)
  • Jay Sawvel (defensive backs / special teams)
  • Mike Sherels (linebackers)
  • Jim Zebrowski (Quarterbacks / passing game coordinator)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 286:00 pmNo. 16 (FCS) Eastern Illinois*BTNW 42–2044,344
September 62:30 pmMiddle Tennessee*
  • TCF Bank Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
BTNW 35–2447,223
September 133:00 pmat TCU*FS1L 7–3043,958
September 203:00 pmSan Jose State*
  • TCF Bank Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
BTNW 24–747,739
September 272:30 pmat MichiganABC/ESPN2W 30–14102,926
October 1111:00 amNorthwestern
  • TCF Bank Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
BTNW 24–1749,051
October 1811:00 amPurduedagger
  • TCF Bank Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
BTNW 39–3851,241
October 2511:00 amat IllinoisESPNUL 24–2844,437
November 811:00 amIowa
ESPN2W 51–1449,680
November 1511:00 amNo. 8 Ohio StateNo. 25
  • TCF Bank Stadium
  • Minneapolis, MN
ABCL 24–3145,778
November 2211:00 amat No. 23 NebraskaNo. 25ESPNW 28–2491,186
November 292:30 pmat No. 14 WisconsinNo. 18BTNL 24–3480,341
January 112:00 pmvs. No. 16 Missouri*No. 25ABCL 17–3348,624

Game summaries

Eastern Illinois

1 234Total
E. Illinois 0 0020 20
Minnesota 7 7721 42

Middle Tennessee

1 234Total
Mid Tennessee 0 0177 24
Minnesota 7 2170 35

TCU

1 234Total
Minnesota 0 007 7
TCU 10 1460 30

San Jose State

1 234Total
San Jose St 7 000 7
Minnesota 10 707 24

Michigan

1 234Total
Minnesota 0 10173 30
Michigan 0 707 14
  • Date: September 27
  • Location: Michigan Stadium
  • Elapsed time: 3:15
  • Game attendance: 102,926
  • Game weather: Sunny; about 75 °F (24 °C); wind 15–20 mph (24–32 km/h) NE
  • Referee: J. McGinn

Northwestern

1 234Total
Northwestern 0 1007 17
Minnesota 7 7010 24

Purdue

1 234Total
Purdue 14 1770 38
Minnesota 14 6163 39

Illinois

1 234Total
Minnesota 0 3210 24
Illinois 14 077 28

Iowa

1 234Total
Iowa 7 007 14
Minnesota 7 2879 51
  • Date: November 8
  • Location: TCF Bank Stadium
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 49,680
  • Game weather: Overcast; 38 °F (3 °C); wind 12 mph (19 km/h) NNE
  • Referee: Shawn Smith

[7]

Ohio State

1 234Total
Ohio St 14 377 31
Minnesota 0 14010 24

Nebraska

1 234Total
Minnesota 7 0147 28
Nebraska 7 1430 24

Wisconsin

1 234Total
Minnesota 14 307 24
Wisconsin 3 10714 34

Citrus Bowl

1 234Total
Missouri 0 10914 33
Minnesota 7 0100 17

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
APRVRVRVRVRV22RVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRV24RVRVRVRV2225RVRV
CFPNot released25251825Not released

Players Drafted into the NFL

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
255Maxx WilliamsTEBaltimore Ravens
4127Damien WilsonLBDallas Cowboys
5138David CobbRBTennessee Titans
5150Cedric ThompsonSMiami Dolphins

References

  1. "FSU Hires Bill Miller to FB Staff". 247Sports. February 24, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  2. Mason, Tyler (March 7, 2014). "Mike Sherels Named Gophers New Linebackers coach". Fox Sports North. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. Fornelli, Tom (January 29, 2014). "Minnesota QB Philip Nelson Transferring to Rutgers". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  4. "Rutgers dismisses Philip Nelson". ESPN. May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  5. "GopherHole.com - Unofficial Home of Minnesota Gopher Sports". GopherHole.com.
  6. 2014 Minnesota vs. Michigan - Final Stats. Retrieved 2015-Aug-29.
  7. 2014 Minnesota vs. Iowa - Final Stats. Retrieved 2015-Aug-29.
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