MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &045; A year later, it’s the same ol’ story for the Minnesota Gophers.

After a strong start, the Rose Bowl is out of the question and they have yet another steep mountain to climb if they want to play on New Year’s Day.

And in the last five years, they’re 0-4 against that mountain, settling for lower-tier bowl games. The task again staring them in the face: win their final three games.

&uot;The only chance is if we win out,&uot; coach Glen Mason said. &uot;The only thing I’ve always maintained from day one is you get what you deserve. No more, no less.&uot;

After Michigan and Michigan State virtually erased any hopes the Gophers had of a Rose Bowl appearance by beating them in back-to-back weeks, Minnesota (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) took a step in the right direction last weekend with a 45-0 homecoming victory against Illinois.

But if the Gophers slip against Indiana on Saturday, or against Wisconsin or Iowa to end the season, there’s a good chance they’ll be watching football on Jan. 1 instead of playing.

&uot;From here on out, every game is a must-win,&uot; safety John Pawielski said. &uot;In the Big Ten you can’t expect to go to a New Year’s Day bowl, which is our goal, with more than two losses. It’s not going to happen with the caliber of teams we’ve got.&uot;

The Gophers are at their best when both of their star running backs &045; Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney &045; are breaking tackles for big gains. But the Wolverines and Spartans limited Barber to 76 yards rushing combined in the two losses.

Barber and Maroney are trying to become the first duo in college football history to both rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

At their current pace, Maroney would run for 1,411 yards while Barber would end up with 1,220 yards. After a few rough weeks, Barber rushed for two touchdowns against the Illini on Saturday while churning out 138 yards.

His effort, which was his first 100-yard performance in conference play this season, earned him Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

&uot;It’s a credit to them and the offensive line,&uot; quarterback Brian Cupito said. &uot;The offensive line might want it more than them. But they are great players and show it every game. I can’t imagine how many yards they would have if it was just one of them.&uot;

When the two sat out the final quarter against Illinois last weekend, both cheered loudly from the sideline for Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell, the two freshman backup running backs.

Mason said that unselfishness is what will help the Gophers finish the season with just two losses.

The Hoosiers (2-5, 0-4) have lost five straight games including all of their Big Ten contests and have the conference’s second worst rushing defense at 211.2 yards per game.

The Gophers racked up 435 rushing yards against Indiana last year in a 55-7 victory.