Rutgers Football at Minnesota: Everything You Need To Know

Big Ten punching bag Rutgers (2-5) pays a visit Saturday to Minneapolis, which is excellent news for the Golden Gophers (4-2). The Scarlet Knights have lost their last three games by a combined score of 160-7, including last Saturday’s 24-7 loss to an uninspiring Illinois team.

Minnesota, on the other hand, is on an upswing, having trounced Maryland 31-10 on Saturday after losing its two previous matchups. A win over Rutgers, which seems almost a certainty, will improve the Gophers’ Big Ten record to 2-2 (and 5-2 overall)..

Minnesota figures to be able to run against Rutgers, just as it did against Maryland. In Saturday’s game against the Terrapins, the Gophers ran for 229 yards and 2 touchdowns and were paced by sophomore backs Rodney Smith (18 carries, 144 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Shannon Brooks (22 carries for 86 yards).

Quarterback Conor Rhoda (who was filling in for Mitch Leidner, who was battling a concussion) wasn’t asked to do much against the Terrapins, as he attempted only 15 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He might not be asked to do much this week either as the Rutgers defense is porous (it ranks 13th in the Big Ten in total defense) and the Gophers should rack up big numbers on the ground.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Kickoff time: 11 a.m. CT
TV and radio: ESPNU, Minnesota sports radio network
Point spread: Minnesota is favored by 21 points, according to scores and odds.
Tickets: Tickets can be found on the Minnesota football website.

Parking
Available locations for single game parking
West Bank (limited availability): 19th Avenue Ramp and 21st Avenue Ramp (No tailgating allowed)
St. Paul: Lot S108 (Tailgating allowed)
East Bank: East River Road Garage and Church Street Garage (No tailgating allowed)

Shuttles

On home game days, Gopher Football Shuttles will connect parking on the St. Paul campus to TCF Bank Stadium.

Football shuttles will run every 10 minutes starting 3 hours before the game and increase to 3-5 minutes service starting 2 hours before the game.

During the game, shuttles will run every 10 minutes.

After the game, shuttles will run every 3-5 minutes until the crowd is gone. After the mass crowd is gone, 20 minute service will continue for one additional hour.

The St. Paul Shuttle will stop at Lot S108 (St. Paul fairgrounds): Paratransit Service is provided on the St. Paul shuttle route two hours before kick off. Drivers will take a break 15 minutes after kick and get back out in service at half time until the entire crowd is gone.

All Gopher Football Shuttles are low-floor, one-level buses and are equipped with wheelchair lifts.
The University's Campus Connector operates on its weekend schedule (every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m. until midnight). See a gameday map of the routes and stops.

Tips for Single Game Attendees

Find specific directions to campus and plan your commute before you leave home.
Arrive early. Parking facilities will be open 6 hours before the start of game, but not before 7 am. Waiting will not be allowed at any of the parking facilities before opening.

Please park in designated lots provided for game day parking. Illegal parking will be strictly enforced, on and off campus, and will be subject to tagging and towing at owner's expense.

Do not walk or drive across railroad property. It is dangerous to walk between rail cars. The Railroad Police will be issuing citations for trespassing.

Other Parking Information

RV Parking

RV and bus parking is available on game day only in Lot S108 (the state fairgrounds lot) in the St. Paul campus area. The cost is $40/game. Buses can drop off people on the corner of 4th St SE and 23rd Ave Se behind the Days Inn.

Gopher football shuttles will provide connections to the stadium from the St. Paul parking. Dedicated ADA accessible shuttles for those with disabilities or in need of extra assistance will be available on the St. Paul shuttle routes. The St. Paul disability shuttle, post-game, will load on the west side of 23rd Ave. where the shuttle drops off pregame.

RVs with season parking passes (only available to season ticket holders) will be in the Gateway Lot on the East Bank.

Disability Parking

Day-of-game disability parking is available in the University Ave. Ramp or Lot S108 on the St. Paul campus. For more information please call the Gopher Ticket Office at (612) 624-8080.

Image via lettawren, Flickr, used under Creative Commons