The Gophers play in the Big Ten's West Division, which means they face Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin every football season. If it seems as if they have another annual foe in that group, that's not far off. On Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Gophers will play Maryland for the sixth consecutive season.
Maryland again? Yes, the Gophers and Terrapins are meeting for the sixth straight year
Maryland might be in a different division than Minnesota, but the schedule keeps bringing them together. And P.J. Fleck is 1-3 against the eastern foe.
October 22, 2021 at 4:51PM
The Terrapins, a member the East Division, have been on Minnesota's schedule since the 2016 season and have won three of the five meetings. They'll rotate off the Gophers schedule next season, when Minnesota's three East opponents will be Rutgers (home), Michigan State (away) and Penn State (away).
The Big Ten has announced schedules through the 2025 season, and Michigan State will be on the Gophers slate in each of the next four years. Penn State and Rutgers will be on Minnesota's schedule twice from 2022-25, with Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State once each.
Here's a look at the Gophers-Maryland series, with its next matchup set for College Park in 2024:
2016, Gophers 31, Maryland 10: In the first meeting between the schools since the 1977 Hall of Fame Bowl (Terrapins, 17-7), Rodney Smith rushes for 144 yards and two TDs as Minnesota rolls in College Park. Freshman defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. caps the win with an 82-yard interception return for a TD.
2017, Maryland 24, Gophers 17: Ty Johnson's 34-yard TD run with 1:10 left in the fourth quarter gives the visiting Terrapins the victory in Fleck's first season. Winfield aggravates a hamstring injury from training camp and is lost for the season.
2018, Maryland 42, Gophers 13: The Terps average 49.2 yards on five offensive touchdowns in College Park, taking advantage of the absence of Winfield, who suffers a broken foot early in the game and is lost for the season. The Gophers were playing with heavy hearts, three days after the death of former teammate Nick Connelly because of a rare form of cancer.
2019, Gophers 52, Maryland 10: The Gophers amass 498 yards of offense in Minneapolis and get a 72-yard interception return for a TD from Coney Durr in routing the Terps. Winfield avoids the Maryland injury hex and finishes with six tackles and an interception.
2020, Maryland 45, Gophers 44 (OT): The Terrapins roll to 675 yards of offense and overcome a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against the visiting Gophers. Maryland goes up 45-38 in overtime before Seth Green scores on a 2-yard run for the Gophers. However, Brock Walker misses the extra-point attempt, ending the game.
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers’ three power play goals against the Irish.
