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The Little Brown Jug: One of college football’s oldest trophies on the line for Michigan and Minnesota

NBC Sports
·7 min read
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The Minnesota Gophers (3-2) host the #2 Michigan Wolverines (5-0) Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium to play for the Little Brown Jug, one of college football’s oldest traditions. With history in mind, the 2023 Minnesota squad is hoping for the upset win against undefeated Michigan on tome turf.

Origins of the Little Brown Jug

While the rivalry dates back to the late 1800s, the Little Brown Jug itself traces back to 1903 in a game that ended 6-6. Before the game, Michigan purchased a five-gallon jug of drinking water for the game, reportedly due to suspicions about potential Minnesota sabotage, and left it behind after the end of play.

As the story goes, Oscar Munson, a custodian, found the jug the next day and brought it to Minnesota Athletic Director Louis Joseph Cooke, also known as “Doc”. The jug was emblazoned with the 6-6 game score and when Fielding Yost, Michigan’s head coach, attempted to retrieve it, the two schools decided to let it go back and forth with the winner of the game.

The Wolverines have kept the Jug since 2015, winners of the last three matchups.

NCAA Football: Michigan at Minnesota
NCAA Football: Michigan at Minnesota

Minnesota defensive lineman Danny Striggow acknowledged that this game has meaning beyond a regular season matchup to the universities and their fans.

“Obviously, we are playing to win; we’re playing as a team, but at the end of the day, we are playing for something bigger than a win on the scoreboard,” Striggow said. “It is a rivalry, it’s a trophy we’d love to get back in Minneapolis.”

Before every rivalry game, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck teaches his players the history of the rivalry and what each trophy means to the university. The importance of this game is not lost on this Gophers team, and they look to bring back the Little Brown Jug for the first time in almost a decade.

After the jug’s inception in 1903, the schools next met in 1909, the first matchup with the newly minted trophy on the line. Michigan won the first faceoff for the trophy 15-6 and has since dominated the rivalry.

Currently, Michigan leads Minnesota 76-25-3 in the all-time series (including games played both before and after the Little Brown Jug era). The rivalry reignites on Saturday in Minneapolis on NBC and Peacock for these two old foes.

Keys to 2023 Michigan vs Minnesota Matchup

The two teams pride themselves on complimentary football, where strong rushing attacks lead to better throwing lanes for their quarterbacks.

In a press conference on September 4th, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that the team is a single unit not separated into three phases.

“The number one job you have is making sure that the decisions you’re making are complimentary on all three phases,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no offense, no defense. It's a we-fense.”

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Harbaugh’s emphasis on a team mentality has paid off so far in 2023: the Wolverines enter Saturday with a 5-0 record despite missing their head coach for the first three games of the season amidst a school-imposed suspension.

Fleck praised Harbaugh’s “we-fense” in a press conference Monday morning, saying it was evident watching Michigan’s tape that they all play for the team and strive for wins over individual statistics.

The Gophers are coming off a bounce-back win over Louisiana in Week 5 after losing back-to-back road games against North Carolina and Northwestern.

In that Week 5 win, Minnesota was without star running back Darius Taylor, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week three straight times from Week 2 to 4 (Taylor was sidelined with a leg injury). However, redshirt freshman Zach Evans took advantage of the open touches, putting up 85 yards and a touchdown and winning the Gophers the Big Ten Freshman of the Week distinction for the fourth straight week.

Big games are what storied programs like Minnesota and Michigan live for, and Fleck said taking on one of the best teams in the country is what college football is all about.

“I mean, this is why you play the game,” Fleck said. “This is what college football is all about … Michigan’s got a heck of a ball club, maybe the best one since [Harbaugh] has been there. I don’t think that’s a secret.”

Minnesota improved offensively against Louisiana, putting up their highest point total of the season. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis continues to improve each week he is behind center.

Kaliakmanis, during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, said that he feels more confident with his preparation than he did in the past, which is translating to better play on the field.

“Now I look back, I don’t think I was doing it the right way,” Kaliakmanis said. “I was preparing, but now what I think I’m doing is helping me a lot more. It’s giving me a lot more confidence. I’m seeing everything coach [Greg] Harbaugh is seeing.”

Minnesota’s Harbaugh (no relation, different pronunciation), the Gophers’ co-offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, raved about the improvement he saw from Kaliakmanis after a rough 31-13 loss against North Carolina in Week 3. Kaliakmanis responded in the game at Northwestern, a narrow 37-34 loss in overtime, and stacked another great game against Louisiana in Week 5.

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Minnesota looks to control the game on third down

The Gophers are preparing for their toughest test of the season to date and looking to secure a statement win on Saturday in primetime.

One critical part of the game will be third down for Michigan’s offense. The Gophers have allowed a 50% conversion rate so far in 2023, tied for 123rd in the country, and are going up against Michigan, whose 56.6% conversion rate ranks them 5th best in the nation.

Joe Rossi, Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, said Wednesday that third down will be critical against the Wolverines.

“I think the reason they are so successful on third down has to do with they run the ball so well … they get into third-and-two or third-and-three,” Rossi said. “It’s something that we’ve got to do a really good job of because that’s how we can get our offense possessions, is to be able to get third down stops.”

Third-down stops will be crucial for Minnesota’s defense, with their offense facing one of the top defenses in the country.

Michigan has the top-ranked defense in the FBS, allowing just 6.0 points/game and a total of 30 points on the season.

No team has scored in the double digits on the Wolverines in 2023. The Gophers, however, are coming off a bounce-back win and are fueled by the dream of bringing the storied Little Brown Jug back to Minnesota.

About the Author
Andrew Cornelius is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota and has been on the staff of The Minnesota Daily, the university’s student newspaper, since his freshman year. With The Minnesota Daily, Andrew has covered women’s basketball, baseball, and other sports. He has been on the football beat since the summer of 2023. Check out one of his favorite stories, a profile of two Minnesota recruits.

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