Gophers showing signs of developing a true home-field advantage

Minnesota's home environment continues to improve every season.

Sep 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Koi Perich (3) celebrates his sack of Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis (16) as teammates look on during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Huntington Bank Stadium isn't known as one of the toughest places to play in college football, but the Gophers' home crowd was a big reason why they were able to come from behind and win their Big Ten opener in Week 5 against Rutgers.

It would've been easy for many Gophers fans to lose hope after falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter, but they bounced back and fed off the Minnesota faithful. A fumbled snap on Rutgers' final drive of the game helped Minnesota seal the deal, and P.J. Fleck agreed with Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano, who said the crowd noise played a huge factor.

"We drive right through Greek row as we get into the stadium, and they're letting it rip, that's for sure. This was eight in the morning, and I can't imagine what they were like at night," Fleck said. "That was a little different. That felt like a night game against a top-five team in the country type [of] atmosphere, in terms of how loud it was. I can't thank our fans enough, and that's the home field advantage that you want to create for your team."

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Huntington Bank Stadium is still a relatively new stadium, as it has only been 16 years since it opened in 2009. The game day atmosphere is continuing to get better every season and Fleck has taken notice.

"From where we were when we first got here, to where we are now. One, our fans, our season ticket holders, people who come to our game, work really hard throughout the week, buy tickets, bring their kids to games, and really enjoy our game day atmosphere, which I think has gotten tremendously better over the last nine years," he said. "[Two], I really, really love our student body. Our student section has improved so much since day one. I can't thank them enough. This is what college is all about."

A huge factor in building a college football program that consistently competes at a high level is the home environment. The Gophers' home crowd is drastically better than what it was at the Metrodome, and we saw that on Saturday.

After playing at Ohio State this weekend, the Gophers return home for back-to-back games against Purdue and Nebraska.