MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) -
Two major milestones were hit this weekend when the Gophers got a sold-out stadium full of fans to cheer them on during their undefeated start to the season.
Head Coach Jerry Kill has been front and center this week, handing out free tickets to students during the week after getting his team off to a 4-0 start that saw a dramatic win on Saturday night.
That game marked the first sell-out game at the Bank since November 2012, and the Gophers were welcomed by a sea of maroon and gold as they strolled into TCF Bank Stadium.
Kill told FOX 9 News he's been trying to rebuild the Gophers football brand and generate some buzz ever since he arrived on campus nearly two years ago.
"It needs to be the biggest thing in the state on Saturday," he said. "It's great for us, great for the kids."
Since his arrival, Kill has become everyone's favorite ticket broker at the U, giving out free seats to students on Fridays before home games.
"Coach Kill has done a great job getting in front of fans, encouraging them to come," said Jason LaFrenz, associate athletic director.
On Saturday evening, tailgates outside TCF Bank Stadium said there was a tangible sense that the Gophers are heading in the right direction.
"I feel it coming back, I sure do," said Mike Hafner.
The University of Minnesota offered thousands of tickets for $10 a piece to capitalize on the team's early success and fill the stadium for the primetime game against Syracuse. It worked, and now the team hopes the 50,000 attendees liked what they saw and will continue to hop back on the winning bandwagon.
"We think they'll come back again," said LaFrenz. "It's a great place to be."
Now that there's booze available for this season too, the new on-campus stadium has yet another exciting offering for fans of Big 10 football.
