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Gophers football Spring Game set for April 30 at Huntington Bank Stadium

By Jeff Wald
Published  February 17, 2022 11:46am CST
Sports
FOX 9
article

Maroon beat Gold 24-17 in the Gophers football Spring Game on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium to win Goldy's Cup. ((credit: University of Minnesota Athletics))

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota football team announced Thursday that the 2022 Spring Game is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. It will feature the Maroon team against the Gold team, with player captains on each side selecting the roster fantasy draft style. In last year's Spring Game, Lindsay Whalen and Ben Johnson were the honorary head coaches.

Gophers reclaim Paul Bunyan's Axe with 23-13 win over Wisconsin

The University of Minnesota football team beat No. 16-ranked Wisconsin 23-13 on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. It’s the Gophers’ first win over the Badgers since 2018, and the first at home since 2003. Wisconsin entered the game having won 16 of the last 17 meetings. Minnesota’s victory makes Iowa the winner of the Big Ten West, and the Hawkeyes will face Michigan for the Big Ten title next weekend in Indianapolis.

The winning team gets Goldy’s Cup, and a player will be named the Sid Hartman Spring Game MVP. Fans are encouraged to bring a decorated oar to the game. They’ll get added to the inside of the stadium, where the team walks out to take the field before games. The Gophers will also hold their annual diaper drive. 

Fans have donated more than 100,000 diapers in the last five years, and they’re encouraged to bring diapers to the game and drop them off outside the stadium near Tribal Nations Plaza (outside of West Plaza). These diapers will then be donated to the Diaper Bank of Minnesota, where they will then be distributed to families in need. 

PJ Fleck and the Gophers are coming off a 9-4 season in 2021 after beating West Virginia 18-6 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Fleck is entering his sixth season at Minnesota, and has a 35-23 record with the Gophers, including a 21-22 mark in Big Ten play. Minnesota went 6-3 in the Big Ten in 2021, including a season-ending 23-13 win over rival Wisconsin to take back Paul Bunyan’s Axe.c

Fleck signed a new seven-year contract last November to keep him in Minnesota through the 2028 season.