At 107 years old, the Little Brown Jug predates even the forward pass.

The Jug, which is awarded to the winner of the game between the Michigan and Minnesota football teams, hasn’t seen daylight since the teams played in 2008. With another edition of college football's oldest trophy game coming Saturday, the rivalry might need a kick-start.

So Michigan coach Brady Hoke re-emphasized the importance of the game during the 19th-ranked Wolverines’ team meeting Sunday night.

“It’s an important part of the legacy of Michigan,” Hoke said.

Hoke had equipment manager Jon Falk wheel the Jug in on a cart. The players were given “Victors’ manuals,” which had a page dedicated to documenting the history of the Michigan-Minnesota rivalry, as senior tight end Kevin Koger explained.

The players hadn’t seen the trophy since beating the Golden Gophers, 29-6, at the Metrodome in 2008.

“(The rivalry game) a big part of our tradition,” said fifth-year senior defensive tackle Ryan Van Bergen. “That’s what makes Michigan what it is, that it has these little things that we’ve been a part of for so long.”

The legend of the Jug famously began in 1903 when Michigan coach Fielding Yost allegedly believed Gopher fans would contaminate the water supply. So Yost sent a student manager to purchase a five-gallon jug.

After the game ended in a 6-6 tie, Michigan stormed home, leaving the jug. Yost later demanded it be returned, but L.J. Cooke, head of Minnesota’s athletic department wrote, “If you want it, you’ll have to win it.”

Yost won it back in 1909. More than a century later, the Wolverines hold a commanding 66-22-3 all-time record.

But the Jug isn’t much of a looker.

“It’s good to see the old ugly jug,” fifth-year senior center David Molk said.

It’s still a five-gallon jug, but it’s not brown anymore and it hasn’t held water in years.

“You kind of picture in your mind what it looks like, but when you see it up close, it’s not the most beautiful jug you’ve ever seen,” Van Bergen said. “For fans who’ve never been close to it, I don’t think you’d ever want to drink any water out of that.

“You can tell by looking at the thing that it’s been around a long, long time. Big Jon (Falk’s) the one who presents it, so you see two things that have been around a long time.”

The Jug has been around for 107 years — Falk’s 37 years with the team account for nearly a third of the rivalry’s history.

TAKE CARE OF JERRY: While Michigan enters the Little Brown Jug game undefeated, the Gophers are struggling through a 1-3 start with heavy hearts.

First-year Minnesota coach Jerry Kill, formerly the coach at Northern Illinois, collapsed on the sideline with a seizure during a Sept. 10 matchup with New Mexico State. The coach, who has a history of seizures, had another bout on Sunday and later checked into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

“(We have) made the decision to do what it takes to find a solution,” Kill said in a statement released by the university. “I hope to be back to work soon, but we believe that taking some time away to get a handle on this is the right thing to do.”

Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi told the Pioneer Press (St. Paul) that he was unsure when the coach would return, and that there is no timetable set.

Understandably, Kill may miss the game at Michigan Stadium this weekend.

“Jerry and I competed against each other at the MAC level,” Hoke said. “He and his wife Rebecca are two of the finest people you’ll ever be around. Our prayers for him and his family are there. He’s a great person and a terrific coach.”

Hoke knows the Minnesota job even better than most. He was contacted by the Gophers late last November to gauge his interest in filling the void left when former coach Tim Brewster was fired.

When asked Monday if he was ever interested in the job, Hoke said he never was. When asked how formal his discussions were, he refused to speak of it.

INJURY UPDATE: Fifth-year senior cornerback Troy Woolfolk has been hampered by ankle and hand injuries. He went down on Saturday with a left ankle injury, but Hoke said he practiced Sunday and is day-to-day.

Redshirt junior guard Ricky Barnum went down early with an ankle injury against San Diego State.

Freshman running back Justice Hayes hasn’t seen game action, and Saturday was no different.