Minnesota uses ‘Dramatic Chipmunk’ to distract opposing kickers

2015 update: This is still going, and it’s still good.

2013: The art of distracting free-throw shooters at college basketball games is well practiced. But the art of distracting field goal kickers at college football games, well, isn’t: many teams’ stadiums have big open spaces behind their end zone, and even those with seats back there often don’t do their best to shake the guy who has to focus all his effort on a single, difficult, technique-heavy task.

Enter the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who happen to have a handy Jumbotron at one side of TCF Bank Stadium.

Thoughts:

A) Some will take issue with the fact that the rodent in the video is a “chipmunk,” while the team is in fact the Golden Gophers. Well, problems with both. First off, the chipmunk in the video is in fact, a prairie dog. Second off, one of my pet peeves in life is the fact that Minnesota claims gophers -- ugly lil burrowing things -- while their mascot is an adorable chipmunk. This is actually a match made in heaven.

B) Wisconsin’s kicker is named Jack Russell. A very edible small mammal should have been good distraction, but they should have showed a chew toy or squeezy ball.

C) The gambit worked pretty well, as Russell missed a 38-yarder, although he hit the 20-yarder here. Per the BTN, they’ve been ready to do this since the start of conference play, but Saturday was the first time an opponent had kicked facing the board.

Keep being dramatic, Gophers. Or, um, chipmunks or prairie dogs or whatever.

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