Mention North Dakota State, and Adam Weber remembers the disappointment.
The Gophers starting quarterback was on the Metrodome field that October day of 2007. It was the eighth game of Tim Brewster's first season as Gophers coach. A Gophers team in transition took on the Bison, a team with a strong running game, an unbeaten record and a date waiting in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs.
North Dakota State led by three points at halftime, trailed by four entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 10 points for a 27-21 victory in front of a crowd that seemed to have as many fans for the Bison as for the Gophers.
"I remember the Metrodome being very loud, for the wrong reasons," Weber said.
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On Saturday the Gophers will play host to South Dakota State, a regional team in its sixth season in the FCS after making the jump from NCAA Division II, and on the verge of qualifying for the FCS playoffs for the first time.
The Gophers are intent on proving that is where the similarities with 2007 end. The Gophers believe they are a more athletic, deeper and more talented bunch than the 2007 team. Minnesota (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) also is one victory away from becoming bowl- eligible.
Linebacker Simoni Lawrence, one of several Gophers seniors who will be honored Saturday, remembers when he was in junior college. Once or twice a year, there would be the opportunity to play a team from a higher division.
"We would be so up for it," Lawrence said. "Way, way up for it. We would play our hardest. We gave those schools all they could handle, sometimes even beat them. We know they will come in here and it will be like their Super Bowl. They get to play in a great stadium, and they want to showcase their talent.