Posts

Gophers Moving Up!

Image
Well, the 2017 spring game looms and I'm liking my Gopher football team to 2003 levels! If you recall we were 10-3 and beat Penn State! Also won the Music CityBowl in Nashville over Arkansas! We've got a whole new coaching staff led by Mr Energy, PJ Fleck! Defensively, were solid as ever and deep at linebacker and in the secondary but a bit thin on the D Line. We have Ryan Santuso back punting and our All BIG kicker is back! Special teams will be a plus. We just need to christen a QB (the big question mark) and let our Bam and Slash ( Brooks and Smith) loose behind a solid offensive line! We have four solid returning receivers with experience but need a couple newcomers to step in and shine! We're fine at tight end, too. That leaves us with the Schedule: a reasonable one but we need to beat Iowa at Kinnick and Bucky at home in the finale. At worst, we should be 6-1 heading to Iowa October 28th.  Wins are vs: Oregon State, Buffalo, Middle Tennessee, Maryland, Purd...
Post a Comment
Read more

2015: A Minnesota Football Season To Forget

Minnesota Gopher football fans are not holding their collective breath as the college football world sorts out the bowl picture as the season closes this coming Saturday. In fact, most would probably prefer that Gopher football ceased operation after a 5-7 season. If the Gophers make a lower tier bowl there is little chance a large contingent of fans will travel with the team to the two projected destinations -- Detroit or New York City. And you really cannot blame them.  Cold weather destinations, awful cities, and MAC or ACC opponents that don't really make fans grit their teeth. What a difference a year makes.  Remember the New Year's Day Citrus Bowl in Orlando? As one who attended all but the Ohio State, Northwestern and Purdue games, my reflections on Gopher football are as follows: Nineteen seconds spelled the difference between a 6-6 season and the 5-7 mark.  With a first and goal and 19 seconds and a timeout left against Michigan on Halloween Night --...
Post a Comment
Read more

No Huddle, QB Help and 'Most Talented Squad in West'

Not a whole lot of news out of Minnesota Gopher Football these days.  Today, however, I learned that BTN pundit Gerry Dinardo stated that Minnesota has the most talented team in the West this season. That is a huge thing for Dinardo to say as the BTN crew has visited Minnesota spring ball for a long time and usually come away predicting a so-so season. The Gophers picked up Adam Weber, the record-setting former MN QB, who went on to serve as a backup in the NFL for Peyton Manning in Denver and Josh Freeman in Tampa Bay.  Weber will be a graduate assistant and quarterback coach, helping starter Mitch Leidner to read plays more effectively and calm down during the game. A new wrinkle I wrote about earlier after the bowl loss has also been installed -- the no-huddle offense.  Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said the Gophers will still be smash mouth and use two-tight end sets and a fullback, but they will press the tempo up in certain situations next fall.  I ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Defense will shine for Gophers in 2015!

The 2015 Gopher defense will be the best it has been in more than 20 years.  Mark my words. It will improve on takeaways (24), passing defense (141) and points allowed (24.15) this coming season. It would be nice if the run defense could get under the 200-yard mark, too. That will be tougher. All three segments of the defense look to be improved. Despite playing probably the top two ranked teams in the nation in TCU and Ohio State in 2015, Minnesota’s defense should shine due to experienced and able linebacking and secondary play. The linebacker position, despite only one signed in the 2014 recruiting class, looks strong for the Gophers in 2015. We have starters Jack Lynn, Nick Rallis and Devondre Campbell back.  Rallis went down early last season with a knee injury but will return and probably be given sophomore status.  Lynn will be a junior.  Campbell is 6-5, 241 and the longest armed linebacker in the BIG.  He could have a really special se...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gophers Finish 8th in BIG Recruiting

Rivals.com lists Minnesota as the 8th best team in the BIG in football recruiting rankings for 2014.  The Gophers were led by strong additions to the defensive secondary and offensive line.  Each will lose a decent number of starters after the 2015 season. Coach Jerry Kill was probably most impressed with getting Demry Croft, an all-purpose quarterback from Rockford, Illinios.  Croft is 6-5 and a great passer who can run as well.  He should challenge for the starting job by 2016. Another  key addition is Jonathon Femi-Cole, a 5-11, 215-pound running back from Canada.  Folks there liken him to the next Adrian Peterson. He is built and looks the part of a BIG running back already just coming into Minnesota. Saftey Dior Johnson was the only four-star recruit the Gophers picked up.  He looks to play safety and might contribute right away.  The Gophers added a pair of defensive lineman, the one area they really need to shore up in 2015. Overall...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gopher Transfers, 2015 Schedule and Prediction

The Gopher football team opened up spots for three, new scholarship players after saying goodbye to transfers Desmaris Peppers (SO, DT)  Connor Krizanic (RS FR, WR) and Dimonic Mckinzy (RS FR, QB). Sites that track this stuff state that these transfers had been brewing before the bowl game and were most likely as a result of players not getting playing time or being so low on the depth chart that future playing time looked bleak. No worries for the Gophers.  Mckinzy was probably the most gifted athlete.  He arrived just last January after early graduation from high school and was  a speed demon, option-type quarterback.  Much faster than Leidner or Streveler, we were told. The Gophers should be good at wideout with a bevy of recruits and at least four players who redshirted.  Upgrading this position has to be No. 1 for offensive success.  Losing Maxx Williams to the NFL means we need a couple of go-to recievers to balance our run-heavy read optio...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gophers Cuffed in Citrus Bowl

Well, all have to admit I have been a pretty big Jerry Kill booster and kind of a Mitch Leidner critic to start this blog.  Those two items will be flip flopped today for good reason.  First, Leidner looked better than he has all year throwing the football with his 21 of 31 effort for 265-plus yards in the 33-17 Citrus Bowl loss to Missouri.  And no interceptions. Kill, well, where shall I start.  First, NEVER take three timeouts into a half.  ALWAYS take a damn timeout when your defense is reeling, wheezing and tapping their helmets to come out as the other team marches down the field, grabbing chunks of yards at a time in an uptempo offense.  For Christs sake, give our outsized and thin defensive line a freaking break, Jerry.  You blew it before the half by not spelling our defense.  Instead of regrouping and maybe making a stand, they got torched.  Then you squandered 1:06 before the half, just trying to get off the field.  Maybe we...
Post a Comment
Read more