GOPHERS HEAD EAST FOR SEASON-OPENER WITH ORANGE

The Minnesota Golden Gophers lift the lid on the 2009 college football season Saturday, traveling to face the Syracuse Orange in Syracuse, N.Y. at the Carrier Dome. Kickoff is set for 12:02 p.m. (EDT).

The game kicks off the 126th season of intercollegiate football at Minnesota.

This will be the first time Minnesota has opened on the road since 2006, when the Gophers traveled to Kent, Ohio and rolled to a 44-0 win over Kent State. The Gophers have only opened on the road three times in the last 10 seasons and are 2-1 in those matchups. Minnesota has won 12 of its last 14 season-opening contests.

ESPN2 will televise the game. Pam Ward will call the play-by-play with Ray Bentley as the analyst in the booth.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster will open his third season at the helm of the Gopher program with a solid core of returning starters and experienced players. Minnesota returns 53 letterwinners from last season, including 18 starters (10 offense, 8 defense). In fact, the Gophers have more returning starters than any team in the Big Ten.

Junior quarterback Adam Weber returns after taking nearly every snap for the last two seasons. Weber holds numerous school records and is on pace for even more. He set the Minnesota single-season records for passing yardage (2,895), TDs passing (24), completions (258) and attempts (449) in 2007. He is just 26 completions away from the career record. Senior wide receiver Eric Decker set a new Minnesota record for receptions for the second consecutive season, grabbing 84 in 2008. Decker was a Biletnikoff Award finalist and an All-Big Ten selection in 2008. In the backfield, sophomore running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge return.

Defensively, the Gophers were opportunistic last season, ranking No. 11 in the nation in turnovers, creating 31. Up front, Eric Small and Garrett Brown will anchor the middle of the line. The linebacking corps will include returning starters Lee Campbell and Simoni Lawrence. The secondary will return three starters -- CBs Marcus Sherels and Traye Simmons and safety Kyle Theret.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE

Ironically, in the season when Minnesota goes back to outdoor football, the Gophers will open 2009 in a dome. The Gophers visit Syracuse and new coach Doug Marrone at the Carrier Dome to open the season.

Marrone is a first-time head coach. The Syracuse product came back to his alma mater after serving as the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

The Orange was 3-9 last season, posting wins over Northeastern, Louisville and Notre Dame.

Syracuse has named former Duke University basketball player Greg Paulus as its starting QB. Paulus will have a go-to target in WR Mike Williams, who sat out 2008, but had 60 receptions as a sophomore in 2007. The Orange will be led defensively by DT Arthur Jones, who recorded 13 tackles for loss last season. Syracuse’s punter, Rob Long, ranked No. 14 in the NCAA with an average punt of 43.9 yards in 2008.

QUICK HITTERS

> Minnesota is 87-32-6 all-time in season-openers for a winning percentage of .720.

> Minnesota is opening the season with an opponent from a Bowl Championship Series conference for the first time since 1994, when the Gophers opened with Penn State.

> Minnesota’s six-game turnaround in 2008 was the best in program history.

> The Gophers went undefeated (4-0) in non-conference play in 2008. It was the first time Minnesota won all its regular-season non-conference games since 2005, when the Gophers went 3-0.

> The Golden Gophers have outscored their last five season-opening opponents by an average score of 43.2-16.7.

> Minnesota ranked No. 16 in turnover margin last season, creating 31 and losing just 18.

THE SYRACUSE SERIES

Saturday’s game will be just the third gridiron meeting between the University of Minnesota and Syracuse University. The series is tied, with the home team winning both games of the series. Syracuse won the first meeting 27-17 on Sept. 23, 1995.

Minnesota’s 35-33 victory vs. the Orange on Sept. 21, 1996 was highlighted by then-freshman Tyrone Carter returning two fumbles for touchdowns in a span of 56 seconds.

EASTERN EXPOSURE

Saturday’s match up with Syracuse marks the first time since 1942 that the Golden Gophers opened a season with an opponent that is a current member of the Big East Conference. Of course, the Big East was founded in 1979.

Minnesota opened that 1942 campaign against Pittsburgh, which is the only other current Big East member (along with Syracuse) the Gophers have ever faced. Minnesota won that contest 50-7 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.

Minnesota is 13-10-3 all-time against current members of the Big East, including the 24 previous meetings with Pittsburgh and a pair with Syracuse. The Gophers are scheduled to play the Orange once again in 2012, with that game slated for Sept. 22 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Minnesota is 11-16 overall in the Eastern Time Zone over the past 10 years. In non-conference play (including bowl games), the Gophers have ventured to the Eastern Time Zone just six times in the past 10 years, compiling a 3-3 record.

The Gophers regularly play Big Ten opponents Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue, which reside in the Eastern Time Zone.

BAKING TURNOVERS

One of the biggest factors in Minnesota’s impressive turnaround last season was the Gophers’ ability to cause turnovers. The Gophers created 31 turnovers last season (16 fumble recoveries, 15 interceptions) to rank No. 11 in the nation. Only Iowa created more turnovers in the Big Ten, ranking No. 10 in the nation with 32.

The Gophers also ranked No. 16 in the nation in turnover margin (+0.92 avg.). The Minnesota offense had a big hand in that, taking care of the ball with nearly the same amount of success has the Gopher ‘D’ had taking it away. The Gophers turned it over just 19 times in 2008 (11 fumbles lost, eight interceptions).

PASSING FANCY

The Minnesota football team had two of its most productive seasons passing the football in school history over the last two seasons. The 2007 Gophers set team single-season records for pass completions and passing touchdowns. The 2007 team also had the No. 2 single-season passing yardage mark, throwing for 2,949 yards. Minnesota passed for 2,848 yards last season, which ranks No. 5 on the single-season list. The Gophers completed a school-record 262 passes in 2007 and 258 in 2008, the No. and No. 3 marks in school history, respectively.