2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team American college football season
The 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season . They were led by fifth-year head coach Jerry Kill , who resigned on October 28, 2015 for health reasons. Tracy Claeys [ 1] [ 2] TCF Bank Stadium . They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference . Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 5–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. Despite finishing below .500, the Gophers were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl versus Central Michigan due to there not being enough bowl eligible teams and Minnesota's high Academic Performance Rating.[ 3]
Recruiting
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
40‡
Commit date
Beebe, Colton FB
Kansas City, KS
Piper HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
248 lb (112 kg)
4.75
Dec 17, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Brooks, Shannon RB
Jasper, GA
Pickens County HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
4.56
Sep 11, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Buford, Ray ATH
Southfield, MI
Southfield HS
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
4.65
Jul 19, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Connelly, Nick OL
Red Wing, MN
Red Wing HS
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
269 lb (122 kg)
5.04
Jun 24, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Craighton, Alonzo DB
Geismar, LA
Dutchtown HS
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
184 lb (83 kg)
4.60
Oct 13, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Croft, Demry QB
Rockford, IL
Boylan Catholic HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
4.66
Jun 30, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
DeLattiboudere, Winston DL
Ellicott City, MD
Howard HS
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
217 lb (98 kg)
4.78
Feb 1, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Dovich, Bronson OL
Chaska, MN
Chaska HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
290 lb (130 kg)
N/A
May 30, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Femi-Cole, Jonathan RB
Aurora, ON, CN
St. Andrew's College
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
218 lb (99 kg)
4.59
Jul 19, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Hall, Mose DL
Mobile, AL
Murphy HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
253 lb (115 kg)
5.03
Jan 27, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Hardin, Kiante ATH
Webb City, MO
Webb City HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
4.55
Oct 14, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Huff, Jacob DB
Bolingbrook, IL
Bolingbrook HS
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
201 lb (91 kg)
4.65
Jun 5, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Huff, Julian LB
Bolingbrook, IL
Bolingbrook HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
4.70
Jun 5, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Johannesson, James RB
Fargo, ND
Fargo South HS
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
216 lb (98 kg)
4.55
Aug 22, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Johnson, Dior DB
Southfield, MI
Southfield HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
N/A
Jan 28, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Moore, Tyler OL
Houston, TX
North Shore HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
317 lb (144 kg)
N/A
Dec 16, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Oseland, Quinn OL
Springfield, IL
Sacred Heart Griffin HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
303 lb (137 kg)
5.53
Aug 13, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Register, Hunter WR
Lafayette, LA
Ovey Comeaux HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
191 lb (87 kg)
4.58
Jan 21, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Rogers, Charlie DB
Iowa City, IA
Iowa Western CC (JC)
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
208 lb (94 kg)
4.47
Dec 3, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Shenault, Antonio DB
Roselle, IL
Lake Park HS
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
4.61
Oct 9, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Stieber, Ted OL
Akron, OH
Archbishop Hoban HS
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
298 lb (135 kg)
5.86
Jun 18, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Still, Rashad WR
El Paso, TX
Andress HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
4.50
Jan 24, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Waters, Jaylen LB
Copperas Cove, TX
Copperas Cove HS
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
230 lb (100 kg)
4.63
Jul 21, 2014
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Witham, Bryce TE
Grand Rapids, MI
West Catholic HS
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
240 lb (110 kg)
4.68
Jan 26, 2015
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : 56 Rivals : 52 247Sports : 63 ESPN : 62
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
Schedule
Minnesota faced all six Big Ten West Division opponents: Illinois , Iowa , Nebraska , Northwestern , Purdue , and Wisconsin . The Gophers also faced Big Ten East Division opponents Michigan and Ohio State .[ 4] TCU of the Big 12 Conference , Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference , and Kent State and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference . Minnesota had one bye week during the season between their games against Nebraska and Michigan.
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance Source September 3 8:00 pm No. 2 TCU * ESPN L 17–2354,147 [ 5] September 12 2:30 pm at Colorado State * CBSSN W 23–20 OT 32,500 [ 6] September 19 11:00 am Kent State * TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN W 10–752,823 [ 7] September 26 2:30 pm Ohio * TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN BTN W 27–2453,917 [ 8] October 3 11:00 am at #16 Northwestern BTN L 0–2730,044 [ 9] October 10 2:30 pm at Purdue ESPNU W 41–1333,780 [ 10] October 17 2:30 pm Nebraska TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry ) ESPN2 L 25–4854,062 [ 11] October 31 6:00 pm No. 15 Michigan ESPN L 26–2950,789 [ 12] November 7 7:00 pm at No. 1 Ohio State ABC L 14–28108,075 [ 13] November 14 7:00 pm at No. 8 Iowa BTN L 35–4070,585 [ 14] November 21 11:00 am Illinois TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN ESPNews W 32–2347,976 November 28 2:30 pm Wisconsin TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry ) BTN L 21–3152,850 December 28 4:00 pm vs. Central Michigan * ESPN2 W 21–1434,217 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
Roster
Players into the NFL
References
^ Christensen, Joe (October 28, 2015). "Jerry Kill Retires As U football Coach Due to Health Problems" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 28, 2015 . ^ "Tracy Claeys named University of Minnesota football coach" . Star Tribune . Retrieved November 29, 2015 .^ "Gophers could still be eligible for bowl berth" . Fox Sports . Retrieved December 29, 2015 .^ "2015-2016 Schedule" . University of Minnesota Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on March 26, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2015 .^ Christensen, Joe (September 4, 2015). "Gophers Drop Their Chances to Knock off Horned Frogs" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (September 13, 2015). "Gophers Need OT to Top Colorado State 23-20" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (September 20, 2015). "Signals About QB Are Mixed After Gophers Sputter in Win Over Kent State" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (September 27, 2015). "Gophers Score on Final Drive to Escape with Win Over Ohio" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Arnold, Jeff (October 4, 2015). "Gophers Drop the Ball in Big Ten Opener" . Post-Bulletin Associated Press . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Washburn, Jeff (October 13, 2015). "Purdue Seeking Answers at Season's Midway Point, Travel to Wisconsin Next" . Star Tribune the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (October 18, 2015). "Nebraska Overpowers Gophers for 48-25 Victory" . Star Tribune . Retrieved October 25, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (October 31, 2015). "Gophers-Michigan Game Recap" . Star Tribune . Retrieved November 4, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (November 8, 2015). "Too Little, Too Late As Gophers Fall 28-14 to Ohio State" . Star Tribune . Retrieved November 11, 2015 . ^ Christensen, Joe (November 15, 2015). "Iowa Keeps U Hog-Tied" . Star Tribune . Retrieved November 18, 2015 .
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