Out of the dome, into the cold

After 27 years in the Metrodome, the Minnesota Golden Gophers now live outdoors.

TCF Bank Stadium opened in 2009 and gave the Gophers a new identity. They were out of the sterile dome and into an on-campus outdoor stadium that holds 50,805.

All reviews Gopher have been glowing. Former Minnesota coach Glen Mason might've summed it up best.

"It went from the Dome being no factor to really disliking playing here," Mason told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "To me, it wasn't college football. It was like going to Las Vegas. You didn't know what time of day it was. . . . When you were inside, it was a dark feeling, kind of a depressing feeling, and it wasn't ours."

Of course, this is Minnesota in late November. Today's game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. The temperature will be between 32 and 19 degrees by the time the game is over.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz started at the UI as an offensive line coach in 1981, so he narrowly missed the days Minnesota played in Memorial Stadium (1924 to 1981). He does, however, remember some seriously cold days outside of the Metrodome during his days as O-line coach for the Baltimore Ravens (1993-98), when parking and walking inside was an act of bravery.

"I remember going up there in December of whatever year it was. I think they might have had -- oh, you can look it up -- I think 20,000 fans showed up. There were 30,000 no shows," Ferentz said. "It was one of those days when you walked from the hotel to the bus your nostrils froze. It was one of those freeze-dried moments. It was so bad, nobody went to the game."

So, it's dress warm for this afternoon's game.

"I think any quarterback, player, coach or fan would rather be in a dome," Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi said. "If you're sane, you would. If you wouldn't, I think you're trying to be too tough. But we're not in a dome this week, so you have to go out there and play in the cold."

For the record, Ferentz was love-hate with the Metrodome.

"When we won, I thought it was great," Ferentz said. "When we lost, I hated it. Like everything."