SB Nation - Kyle Henderson

Gopher Football 2012 - Projecting the Defense

GopherNation — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:30:02 -0000

Football season is now officially over and we are just days into the 2012 season. Which means I am late on starting to preview the 2012 Gophers. I've been perusing other fine Big Ten blogs and have seen some interesting ways of previewing their respective teams.

Some teams in the Big Ten have some drama going on, whether it is coaching issues or NFL departures or transfers or significant graduations or other drama. Iowa losing five running backs over the last year and a half is dominating their headlines along with the departure of six seniors on defense and Riley Reiff at LT. Penn State is losing seven seniors on defense, most of their offensive line and their first coaching change in decades is causing a bit of drama. Wisconsin is also losing most of their entire offensive line and nearly all of their offensive coaching staff has moved to Pittsburgh.

Illinois and Ohio State have the usual coaching staff changes to fill their offseason discussion points. Northwestern and Michigan State each are losing their QB starters for the past 13 years. Then you have teams like Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, Nebraska and Minnesota who are bringing back their key pieces and can just start looking forward to the 2012 season; drama free (mostly).

Yes, for what feels like the first time in years (though it probably wasn't really that long) the Gophers enter an offseason that appears to be drama free. We return most of our starters, there will be no major coaching staff changes for what really IS the first time in YEARS and we can just look forward to the development of everyone on the roster which should hopefully lead to improved play on the field.

So let's start to take a look at the 2012 Gopher defense. I want to start with the pieces that we lose, in order of importance.

Players Lost

1 - Kim Royston - the Big Ten's second leading tackler, Kim Royston was the one guy in the secondary that Gopher fans could rely on. He also made two huge plays that essentially won games for us knocking down Miami (OH)'s final pass attempt in the end zone and then recovering the onside kick as we beat Iowa (again). Royston will be missed for his leadership as much as his talent.
2 - Gary Tinsley - The team's starting MLB, 2nd leading tackler, led the team with 9.0 TFLs and 4.0 sacks. He started the last 24 Gopher football games, was a very good linebacker for the Gophers and one of the more underrated MLBs in the conference. Hopefully there won't be a huge dropoff with the highly anticipated Brendan Beal or Aaron Hill who has received quite a bit of playing time over the last couple years waiting to step into his starting role.
3 - Anthony Jacobs - Jacobs was a player who certainly improved over his four years on the field. He made 26 starts over his career and finished with five sacks. The Northfield native was a four-star recruit out of high school and while he never was as dominant as some were hoping he'd be, he was a very solid DT.
4 - Brandon Kirksey - Really had a disappointing SR season in my opinion but considering what is behind he and Jacobs on the depth chart, he will be sorely missed as a valuable starter. As a JR he recorded 28 tackles and 5.5 TFLs, as a SR his numbers dropped to 19 and 1.

(below this line are guys who played a high number of snaps but their loss is less significant)

5 - Kyle Henderson - starting corner who will be replaced by our more talented corner who missed most of last year with a broken arm. After transferring from D2 Mankato, Henderson started 10 games over his final two years of eligibility. Solid player but I do not believe we will be yearning for the likes of Henderson in the future. The play of his career was probably the sack and forced fumble in the Iowa game that kick started the Gopher comeback and victory.
6 - Christyn Lewis - JUCO transfer who started most of the games at safety in 2011. Lewis had good size but often appeared to be the man to blame on broken coverages and big pass plays. Youth will be replacing Lewis and the hope is that it will be an improvement.

(below this line are guys who added depth but were not regular contributors)

7 - Johnny Johnson - appeared in just eight games as a senior recording six tackles.
8 - Shady Salamon - started 2 game and appeared in 10 as a senior but was rarely a factor. Good team guy who moved from RB to the defense looking for any way to contribute and get on the field.

Players Returning

Five starters to replace isn't usually a great place to be but considering Henderson will very likely be replaced by Troy Stoudermire, Tinsley's replacement may be just fine and replacing Christyn Lewis is a good thing; the only major holes on defense will be at DT. So let's move on to who will be returning (in order of significance of course) starting with the guys who are going to be starters and guys that I have the utmost confidence in...

1 - Troy Stoudermire - getting Stoudermire back after a medical redshirt will be a gift from the football gods. The secondary wasn't very good last year, getting Troy back will be huge for both the pass defense and the return game. His 2 picks led the team and he only played in four games.
2 - Keanon Cooper - fastest man on the team has started 22 games in his Sophomore and Junior years. He was playing very well by the end of last year and I expect that with an offseason without any coaching or scheme changes he will excel in 2012.
3 - Mike Rallis - Edina kid with 18 career starts in the last 2 years. Rallis is a hard working kid who often seems to be making plays just by being where he should be, when he should be there. Not the most athletic or big linebacker in the league but he is reliable.
4 - Brock Vereen - Made some very nice plays in 2011 but also gave up a handful of big ones, but Vereen improved throughout the year and I expect he will also benefit from an offseason hearing the same voices and schemes and drills as he heard a year ago.
5 - Ra'Shede Hageman - Former TE turned DE turned DT, Hageman and his improvement will be vital to the succes of the Gopher defense in 2012. With the loss of our two starting DTs Hageman must be able to step in and be productive from the inside. His final game of 2011 saw him record 2 sacks and force a fumble in the win over Illinois so maybe he is starting to get it and will be primed for a breakout JR season.

(after the jump are starters who just have more question marks than the ones above)

6 - Ben Perry - I never thought I'd be putting his two-star recruit up this high but the kid from Southlake, Texas started all 12 games at DE as a freshman. His numbers will have to improve but he clearly has enough talent and has the confidence of the coaching staff. A big year from Perry would help tremendously.
7 - Brendan Beal - Might be the starting MLB for your 2012 Gophers, might be a dominant force in the middle or he might not play much at all or he might be injured again. If Beal can finally live up to his reputation as a four-star talent who was good enough to earn a scholarship at Florida, then Beal will help this defense out a ton next year.
8 - D.L. Wilhite - Started 8 games as a sophomore and 8 games as a junior notching 3 sacks. Getting pressure on the QB is imperative and Wilhite will need to be helping in that department.

(positions of greater concern, starters who may lose their jobs to JUCOs or freshmen)

9 - James Manuel (S) - I assume that Manuel will be starting at safety, at least to start the spring. Good size and by all accounts is very athletic but for whatever reason he wasn't able to wrestle more playing time away from others in the secondary. I expect he'll get every opportunity this year but he'll also be pushed by the trio of JUCOs coming to the secondary.
10 - Eric Jacques (DT) - At this point I assume Jacques will be the starting DT. Saw action in seven games last year as a sophomore. There is probably a better chance that this starting spot gets taken by a JUCO transfer but that has yet to materialize.

(key reserves)

11 - Michael Carter (CB/S) - Not really sure where Carter will fit in the 2012 defense but if he could just improve a bit he could be very valuable. He may be your starting nickle corner and there are rumors that he will move back to safety. Or he'll be in Kill's doghouse (likely for good reason) and be an inconsistent DB. Him stepping up his game would be huge but he's getting three new JUCO DBs to compete with for playing time.
12 - Michael Amaefula (DE) - top reserve defensive end who started four games last year as a true freshman. Nobody saw that coming. Now with his first full offseason to get stronger and improve his craft, Amaefula should be an improved player who is a key part of the 2012 Gopher defense.
13 - Aaron Hill (LB) - Possibly could be your starting MLB and at the very least will be key reserve linebacker. Once healed up he appeared in the final nine games of the year.
14 - LaMonte Edwards (OLB) - Former RB turned DE turned OLB, I think Edwards will be a key contributor off the bench for the Gopher defense.
15 - Steven Montgomery (DB) - potentially a safety, possibly a corner but Montgomery was one of the more highly touted recruits in 2011 and might find his way onto the field this year in a reserve role.
16 - Spencer Reeves (OLB) - Reeves was not as productive in his junior year as he was as a sophomore, but he is still a solid depth guy who still has a chance to be a regular contributor.
17 - Kendal Gregor-McGhee (DE) - Fourth man in the DE rotation, appeared in 11 games last year as as sophomore.

There you have 17 names of returners who in my estimation are the most likely to contribute next year. The top of the list are guys that we absolutely have to be able to count on to be playmakers. They don't have to be All-Big Ten caliber guys but they do have to be guys who make fewer mistakes and are going to be the leaders on this defense. The next couple groups are guys who will either be starters or guys who play a lot of snaps off the bench and the more they can improve and become reliable the better this defense will be. There are, of course, others who may jump into the mix for playing time, particularly redshirt freshmen who will be ready to play. Guys like Cedric Thompson, Quinn Bauducco, Austin Hahn, Matt Garin, Kenny Watkins or Harold Legania might surprise and get themselves on the field on a regular basis. But I cannot list 30 people, that is just too much.

17 names is not enough for a full two-deep depth chart, fortunately we have some players coming in who may help.

Incoming Help

1 - Jeremy Baltazar (DB) - I expect that Baltazar will be given every opportunity to start as free safety. Apparently he was told that he was being recruited to come here and play corner, but safety is the biggest weakness on the field and if he has the skills to fill that role then I'm assuming he'll be happy to be on the field.
2 - Martez Shabaz (CB) - I really like Shabaz's speed and size for a corner. I don't know if he'll start but he may push Vereen to the nickel role and he'll get the starting nod. He will play a lot, you will see this young man in the secondary all year.
3 - JUCO DT? (DT) - Reportedly the staff is working hard at securing a JUCO who could contribute immediately.
4 - Briean Broddy (CB) - JUCO corner who comes in with sophomore eligibility. I think Broddy will play behind Stoudermire this year and then have the chance to start for the next two.

(thus ends the JUCO transfers, next are the true freshmen who may or may not contribute)

5 - Dinero Moss (CB) - incoming true freshman who will very likely redshirt but you never know.

all others will redshirt.

So now we have the players so let's take a look at a projected 2-deep for the 2012 Gopher Defense.

Projected Two-Deep

This would be my very early guess at next year's defensive two-deep. Obviously this is up for debate and much will likely change between now and August, but it gives us something to talk about.

An Early Look at the 2012 Gopher Football Team

GopherNation — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:00:03 -0000

When you end the season on a high note it is natural to start looking ahead to next season with renewed home and optimism (at least it is natural for me). So why wait till spring football or July positional previews to start looking at the 2012 Gopher football team?

The Offense

Based on Kill's history of rebuilding at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois typically there is a fairly dramatic increase in offensive production from year 1 to year 2. At Southern offensive rushing went up 70% from year 1 to year 2 and scoring went up 146%! I'm not expecting those kind of improvements next year but that is pretty remarkable. At Northern he went up 14% in rushing and nearly 16% in scoring. Assuming the modest NIU improvements that would put us about 5th in the Big Ten in rushing but still lagging around 9th or 10th in scoring.

My guess here is that rushing improves by around 12% putting us at about 180 yards rushing per game. Passing will also improve just because of the maturation and improvement from Gray to about 180 yards passing per game. And scoring will improve by quite a bit more. We may only score about 25 points per game next year but that would be about a 30% improvement over this year! That should be enough to win 2 or 3 more games, obviously depending on schedule, and it should make us more competitive in all of our games.

Quarterback

Gone: nobody
Returning: MarQueis Gray finally established himself as the unquestionable starter and will be returning to lead the Gophers in his senior season. Max Shortell was good for a true freshman and will certainly be a reliable back-up in 2012. This is a position of strength for the Gophers this year and Gray will certainly be the one garnering most of the headlines heading into the fall.
Incoming: Philip Nelson is arguably the prize of the 2012 recruiting class. Most believe he will redshirt this coming fall and then have every opportunity to compete with Shortell in the fall of 2013 to be the starter. The assumption is that Nelson is a better for Kill's offense than Shortell because of being a bit more athletic. But that decision won't have to be made by us for 18 months or so.
2012: This is Gray's team with Shortell backing him up. Having some consistency at QB will be incredibly valuable for this team. Gray's comfort with the offense seemed to come through beginning with the Iowa game and hopefully the playbook can now be expanded in his senior year.

Running Back

Gone: Duane Bennett was a 2,126 yard rusher for his career with 22 total touchdowns. Duane was incredibly valuable as a leader on this team and as a guy who made plays on special teams. Bennett was a well-liked guy on the team and will be missed but his production as a back was never dominant.
Returning: Donnell Kirkwood is a bowling ball who rumbles forward and occasionally knocks defenders on their butts. He does not project to earn the bulk of the carries left behind by Bennett's graduation, but Kirkwood is a hard runner who gets some tough yards. David Cobb was a true freshman who was injured or buried on the depth chart for most of the season. Also does not figure to be a featured back in the 2012 offense but he may surprise if healthy and has a good spring.
Incoming: Roderick Williams Jr is a back out of Lewisville, Texas who may be the feature back as a true freshman. Williams Jr rushed for just under 750 yards and 8 TDs as a senior on a team that went 2-8. James Gillum is a JUCO back coming into the program who figures to be a third-down type back. Gillum finished his JUCO season with nearly 1,300 yards and 16 TDs.
2012: Who gets the majority of the carries in 2012 is probably the biggest question mark facing the offense. Any one of the four backs mentioned could conceivably be the feature back. I'm not worried in the sense that we are screwed and void of any talent, but I really am not that worried because Gray will be leading the team in rushing next year. I don't anticipate that we will have any game-breakers, defenses will be focusing on Gray, but hopefully an improved offensive line will open up some holes that any capable back can run through to keep defenses honest.

Wide Receiver

Gone: Da'Jon McKnight is the only receiver not returning next year. Clearly he was our most talented and dynamic receiver, and had a very good year considering he was a throw-in recruit to try and land the rest of the Skyline-4. McKnight didn't play any football before his JR year of high school and now will likely have a shot at making an NFL roster. Many think his SR year was a bit disappointing but he did improve on his receptions and yards from his breakout JR season. McKnight will be missed.
Returning: Brandon Green, Devin Crawford-Tufts, Malcolm Moulton and Marcus Jones are all returning but Green is led this group in receptions last year with just 15. Green was consistent last year getting a catch or two every game except the NDSU game and scored a nice touchdown in the USC game. His problem has always been getting separation from defenders but he is a solid possession guy who is reliable though not a game-breaker. DCT's coming out party didn't happen until the Iowa game. The speedy freshmen showed some promise in the 2nd half of the year. Moulton looked pretty good at times during the year and seemed to have a knack for getting open. Unfortunately he also had a knack for dropping balls, correct that and he could be a real weapon next year. Jones is a perfect slot receiver for this offense. He is a dynamic player who unfortunately was injured for the last 5 games of the year.
Incoming: Isaac Fruechte is a JUCO transfer coming in with three years of eligibility. He is a big receiver (6-3, 220) who seems to be quite excited to start his Gopher career. Jamel Harbison is an incoming freshman who is still being hotly pursued inspite of his comittment to Minnesota. Some believe Harbison is one of the best kids in the incoming class.
2012: We are returning four guys who saw significant action this past year. Moulton and Green played virtually every game. Crawford-Tufts and Jones were true freshmen who were a certainly a part of the the offensive game plan. McKnight's 51 receptions are a lot to fill but I expect to see an increased role for DCT and if Moulton can shake the dropsies I think he'll have a bigger season too. Jones has a role as the slot guy and returner, if healthy he should have around 25 receptions. Overall this is a solid group that has a couple guys with potential to be more impact players.

Tight Ends

Gone: Eric Lair and Collin McGarry were solid tight ends for the Gophers this year. Lair's offensive production was less than anticipated but he was a good player. McGarry wasn't expected to contribute much at all but his 16 catches and 2 TDs were more than expected. He too was solid and both will be missed.
Returning: John Rabe will be the lone senior TE next year. Rabe's claim to fame is that half of his catches are for TDs. If he could just up his production from four catches on the season that might be a significant ratio. The Iowa native should see more snaps next year as a solid blocker and receiving TE. Drew Goodger was the true freshman who moved from DE to TE. Goodger had 2 catches last year and should see his role increase in 2012.
Incoming: Maxx Williams is the Waconia kid who figures to have a shot at playing time as a freshman. He has decent size at 6-4 and 225 lbs and he'll bring some athleticism. Williams played some QB, TE, WR, S, MLB, P and K for Waconia. Samad Hinds is a tall, athletic kid who will need to add some bulk before he becomes a pass-catching TE threat in the Big Ten.
2012: Rabe, Goodger and Williams are the guys expected to see time on the field as the Gopher TEs next year.

Offensive Line

Gone: Ryan Wynn, Chris Bunders and Ryan Orton. The senior trio struggled early in the season but eventually, after some juggling & jiggering they started to play pretty well. Bunders enjoyed the best season of the group after he moved to RT to replace the injured Jimmy Gjere. All three played a lot over their four years and you always notice when you lose three seniors along the OL. None were dominant but their leadership and experience will be missed.
Returning: Fortunately we return a lot along the line. Ed Olson will be entering his third year starting at LT. He will need to take some steps forward but he has been pretty good in his young career. Tommy Olson will be the starter at LG after starting there as a true freshman and performing well. RG was filled this year by Zac Epping when Bunders moved to tackle. The redshirt freshman got some valuable experience and is the presumed starter for 2012. Josh Campion missed the year due to injury but I'm guessing he'll be in the mix to start at G or maybe even C. Sophomore, Zach Mottla also got a lot of snaps at C when Wynn was injured. And finally Jimmy Gjere started the year as the starting RT before concussion issues derailed his freshman year.
Incoming: Jonah Pirsig is a big tackle from Blue Earth who chose the Gophers over offers from most of the Big Ten and Auburn. He is 6-9 and 300 lbs so he has the size to compete right away, but should benefit from redshirting and adding strength. Isaac Hayes projects to be an inside lineman. He too could be a very good lineman for the Gophers but will likely need a redshirt year.
2012: We have a lot returning and should have a lot of depth. We have four kids coming off their redshirt year to go along with several who saw playing time in 2011. Both tackle spots and LG are set for 2012 (and 2013). Center and RG are going to be up for grabs but there will be no shortage of competition for those starting spots. I expect to see this unit to make big strides next year and become a relative strength.

The Defense

The defense certainly improved throughout the 2011 season. Particularly the pass rush and run defense became more reliable. Most of the increase in sack numbers came from the LBs but the defensive line did a better job of at least getting pressure on the opposing QB. The secondary was still an issue but I think we saw some progress from a couple guys and it is obvious that a major focus with the 2012 recruiting class is to bring in a couple DBs who can contribute right away. The defense was giving up an average of 35.8 points per game through their first seven games. They finished the final five games allowing just 26.4. That is not a dominant number but it is certainly more manageable than 35+. I do not expect a dramatic defensive improvement next year, I just expect to see more similar numbers to what we saw in the final five games which should bring our overall numbers down a bit from the 2011 totals.

Defensive End

Gone: nobody
Returning: Michael Amaefula, Ben Perry, D.L. Wilhite, Kendal Gregory-McGhee and Matt Garin saw basically all of the snaps at end this past year and they all return. Down the stretch it was the true freshman Amaefula and the redshirt freshman Perry who were the starters with Wilhite getting a lot of snaps in the rotation. Those three combined for 5.5 sacks and 48 tackles. KDM and Garin also contributed plenty with each having 1.5 sacks.
Incoming: Alex Keith a 6-5 end out of Missouri who had offers from Northern Iowa and Missouri State with some interest from a few Big 12 schools. Expect a redshirt year for Keith.
2012: With everyone returning and Thieran Cockran coming off his redshirt year this group should at the very least be stable. Their production certainly increased as the year went on and the freshmen improved quite a bit to give us a young tandem. Amaefula came out of nowhere to be starting as a true freshman. Ben Perry, you may remember, came out of a Texas powerhouse yet saw little to no recruitment out of high school and was starting this year after redshirting last. Those two supplanted the two presumed starters of Garin and Wilhite. Very nice surprises and hopefully all of these guys continue to develop for next fall.

Defensive Tackle

Gone: Anthony Jacobs and Brandon Kirksey were both solid big men in the middle. They were easily our two most productive defensive linemen. I am concerned that we are graduating them but I am much more concerned that we have very little returning to replace them.
Returning: Ra'Shede Hageman is the one guy that gives me a little bit of comfort heading into 2012. Shede finished the season strong and looks to finally be on the path to being a productive and reliable starter on a Big Ten defense. Eric Jacques was also in the rotation this past year and he is the most likely guy to be starting unless one of the ends moves inside.
Incoming: I highly doubt that the coaching staff is finished recruiting this position. I fully expect that a JUCO tackle will make his way to the Gopher commitment list before this class is finished. In addition to the potential addition we are also bringing in Jordan Hinojosa from Miami and Scott Epke from Texas.
2012: This is going to be a dangerously thin and potentially very weak unit in 2012. I really was pleased with Hageman by the end of the season. He was a guy who seemed to be floundering for most of his Gopher career and now appears to be flourishing. He is a physical specimen and I think he will have a big year in 2012. After that it is time for someone to step up. As mentioned a JUCO player will likely be brought in, but who knows if that player will be starter material or not. Jacques got some time this past year and maybe with an offseason to prepare he'll be legit. This is an area of question on the D.

Linebacker

Gone: Gary Tinsley who finished his Gopher career with 198 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 1 INT. He had a solid senior season and two years as the starting MLB. I am happy that we are only losing one linebacker but Tinsley was pretty good replacing Lee Campbell after the 2009 season.
Returning: Keanon Cooper and Mike Rallis return at both OLB positions. Brendan Beal has been with the team for two years and has yet to play a snap but he will be returning from injury and hopefully will anchor the MLB position. Cooper is one of the guys on defense who really seemed to improve as the year went along. He is the fastest guy on the team and has accumulated some decent career numbers heading into his senior season (188 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 13 TFLs). Rallis was a surprise starter last year as a sophomore and has been very solid. Beal was formerly a big-time Florida recruit who some thought might challenge Tinsley to be the starter this year, but a knee injury kept him off the field for all 12 weeks. Spencer Reeves and Aaron Hill also saw significant playing time this year. Lamonte Edwards, Dwayne Mitchell, Brent Singleton, Quinn Bauducco, Jephte Matilus and Peter Westerhause are all going to be Sophs or redshirt freshmen who have a chance to get themselves into the LB rotation.
Incoming: Josh Ballesteros, Brian Nicholson, Drew Davis and Jack Lynn are all currently committed to the Gophers. Those four guys, plus possibly another one still considering the Gophers, plus six FR or SO listed above means we have a ton of young linebackers. I would be shocked if any of the four or five incoming freshman do anything other than redshirt next year.
2012: As mentioned we have a ton of young linebackers. This and QB might be the only positions that I have very little concern with now or in the near future. This position has some talented, experienced guys who will be relied upon in 2012 (Cooper, Rallis, Hill, Beal, Reeves) and several young guys who will have time to develop strength and learn the position. This was the strength of the 2011 D and I anticipate it will be a strength in 2012 as well. We aren't LB-U, I'm just not concerned that this unit will be a weakness.

Cornerback

Gone: Johnny Johnson and very likely Troy Stoudermire. Stoudermire was our best corner over the last two seasons but unfortunately spent nearly 8 games of his senior season sidelined with a broken arm. There is slim hope that he will be granted a medical hardship waiver and be he'll be back for the 2012 season. That would be awesome news but he did technically participate in 5 games so this one might be a tough sell to the NCAA.
Returning: Brock Vereen and Kyle Henderson were our starting corners for most of the year and will both be returning. Michael Carter saw significant action sometimes and was MIA others but he the former 4-star corner will also be returning. Cedric Thopmson saw some action as a true freshman, Tyrone Bouie will be s sophomore and Steven Montgomery will be ready to play after redshirting this year.
Incoming: Dinero Moss and Eric Murray are currently the only two incoming freshmen and hopefully they will both be able to redshirt. Jeremy Baltazar and Briean Boddy are incoming JUCO corners, I would not at all be surprised to see another corner commit to the Gophers in the near future.
2012: This is an area of great concern. This is a unit lacking in overall talent and depth. Returning our starters and primary backup is a good thing, but this unit still needs a talent upgrade. If Stoudermire is able to return I feel much better about this group for 2012 and then have the same concerns again in 2013. Stoudermire and Vereen starting with Henderson and Carter and Thompson backing them up would be OK. Maybe Baltazar will come in and make an immediate impact for two years, that would be a huge blessing for this defense.

Safety

Gone: Kim Royston is maybe the biggest loss of this ~~graduating class~~ class of players with eligibility expiring. He led the team in tackles and made some big plays, we were fortunate that he was granted that rare 6th year. Christyn Lewis is also graduating and he was a starter at FS for most of the year. Lewis frustrated Gopher fans with missed tackles and guys getting behind him or by him for big plays. There had to be other options right? Well apparently not, but we'll find out in 2012. Shady Solomon will also be graduating.
Returning: Kenny Watkins and James Manuel were two Brewster recruits who received lot of August praise as true freshmen. Neither has played their way onto the field yet but they will likely be relied upon in 2012. Manuel played in 10 games this year earning 11 tackles.
Incoming: Nick Rallis is currently the only safety commit but this is another area that may get a shot in the arm from the JUCO ranks. I do not expect that he will be contributing as a true freshman, even if this is a thin unit.
2012: This one could get ugly. I am trusting that the staff has something figured out for next year, or at the very least another offseason for Watkins and Manuel will put them in position to be solid contributors next season. There is also the possibility that this position gets one of the corners to move over and earn a starting spot. Possibly Thompson or Montgomery, but I'm just speculating.

I am not expecting that 2012 is going to be the big turn around year where we leap from 3 wins to 8, but I do think this team is in position to be better than the one that started the 2011 season. Not making any win predictions yet, but this team will be better. Areas of strength will be QB, LB, OL and I believe DE and getting Stoudermire back for another year would be a huge shot in the arm for the defense.

Should be a fun year with Gray as a senior leading the team.

Complete Gopher Effort Defeats Iowa (again)

GopherNation — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:49:24 -0000

For the second consecutive season the Minnesota Golden Gophers have taken down the Iowa Hawkeyes keeping Floyd of Rosedale home. Looking at the stat sheet this was a game that we had absolutely no business winning. Iowa had Marcus Coker rush for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Their star receiver had 100+ yards and a touchdown. Through three quarters Iowa held an 11 point lead and dominated the Gophers gaining 20 first downs to our 5 and running 59 total plays to our 29.

But the fourth quarter was dominated by the Gophers. Contributions from likely and highly unlikely sources helped to seal this W and keep Floyd of Rosedale in Minnesota's borders for another year. As today's game recap, let's look at the sources of significant contribution that led to this win over Iowa (again).

The Team Leaders

MarQueis Gray - one would expect that if we were to win a game in the Big Ten, it would require a big game from MarQueis Gray and he came through. And he did come through by throwing a touchdown pass in the first half and rushing for the game-winner late in the fourth. Gray was 11/17 passing and rushed for 62, this was his most complete game as a Gopher QB. But he also took steps as a leader of the offense today leading the offense on two fourth quarter drives for touchdowns. And 11-play, 80 yard drive for a touchdown and then a 12-play, 59 yard drive for the game-winner. On those final drives he was 4/5 throwing the ball for 53 yards and he rushed for 31 yards and the game-winner. Did I mention he rushed for the game-winning touchdown?

Kim Royston - The 12th-year senior led the team in tackles with an impressive 16 and was the one who secured the on-side kick. After the game Royston did mention that he and Marcus Coker did meet several times today and he was a little sore from hitting the hard-running back. Our secondary have quite a few issues but Royston is reliable and has made some significant plays, particularly in our two wins.

Brandon Kirksey - Although he was unable to score it, Kirksey was the one who snatched the fumble and rumbled to the 50 yard line setting up the Gopher FG.

Duane Bennett - The senior running back got stronger as the game wore on and finished with over 100 yards rushing, a 5.1 yard average and a touchdown. Bennett carried the ball 12 times for 53 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter alone!

Unexpected Contributors

Kyle Henderson - A former walk-on getting extensive playing time this year. Henderson sacked Vandenberg for a 12-yard loss forcing a huge fumble in the third quarter.

Devin Crawford-Tufts - the 61-yard catch was on thing, he was wide open. But the 39-yard catch was actually pretty difficult and the true freshman hauled it in. He is getting better and getting more and more playing time. But nobody here expected this true freshman to have a 100-yard game today and be a key contributor on two Gopher scoring drives.

Caleb Bak - Coach Kill was pointing out how during spring practice he was particuzlarly hard on Bak. But Kill admired how he stuck in there when he could have quit and today he was desperately needed filling in at LG for most of the second half when Tommy Olson went out with an injury. Coach Limegrover told coach to put in Caleb because he had confidence that he knew what he was doing. I'm sure he won't grade out perfectly but he filled in quite well for a walk-on freshman getting his first action at the Big Ten level.

Offensive Line - Not one sack allowed and the Gophers managed a 100-yard rusher for the day. The OL is a MASH unit right now and kudos to them for playing as well as they did today.

Jordan Wettstein - Be honest, before today you had no idea that Jordan Wettstein was even on the Gopher roster. The kid didn't kick in high school, not on scholarship, nailed a 28-yard FG, did well on kick-offs and then kicked a perfectly executed on-side giving Minnesota the ball back and a chance to win the game (which they did).

"We'll practice it on Friday and if we don't execute it on Friday then I'm not kicking it on Saturday. I felt our defense had been out on the field too much and we needed to pick up an extra possession."

Defensive Line - So I know that the defense gave up 269 yards rushing but the defensive line racked up 3 sacks! I don't expect to see that again this year, or maybe things are looking up for the Gopher defensive line.

The Band - I was standing next to the band on Iowan's final four-and-out drive. Since the Hawkeyes were backed up near the end zone where the band was, the band was playing a bit louder than usual in between plays making the things harder to hear in the huddle for Iowa. Plays were still called but making things difficult on the offense is always a good thing. Way to go band.

The Fans - coach Kill said the fans were a significant aid in the victory. Typcially this is just coachspeak and trying to keep the fans behind the program but this time he went on to explain exactly how they helped. On Iowa's final four plays the Gopher defense would show one coverage then slide into another pre-snap. The stadium was too loud for Vandenberg to check out of the called play and he was forced to run a play that wasn't ideal in that situation. Way to go fans.

"We had to give the ball back to them they had plenty of time and that quarterback is a good player and they took four shots. They went empty and we were walking in then we walked out of a coverage and switched coverages on him but he couldn't check. reason he couldn't check was because of the stadium, that's our stadium and our fans had as much to do with winning that game at the end as anything."

What a great game, it is too bad that we have to carry this momentum into Michigan State and then Wisconsin. We have been playing better, it would be nice to get Illinois or Northwestern next week. But right now I'm not worried about any other opponents, I'm enjoying this win. We have been through a lot over the last couple years. But as bad as we have been and as much crappy football as we have had to watch, we have a two-game winning streak over Iowa. We have three Big Ten wins in our last 14 and two of those are over a significant rival. It isn't like we are going to the Rose Bowl but it is something.

Corner Backs Positional Preview - Upgrade/Downgrade

GopherNation — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:49:04 -0000

You might not believe this but the Gopher pass defense actually ranked 4th in the Big Ten last year. 4th place appears to be a good number, one spot higher than the prior year when we finished 5th. But looks can be very deceiving. In 2010 we did finish 4th in overall pass defense, BUT...there were only 280 pass attempts against our pass defense. The next fewest attempts against was 345 against Indiana and 391 was the Big Ten average. 65 fewer attempts is an awful lot and the obvious answer as to why is that teams averaged over 5 yards per rushing attempt against our defense. When you can get a first down every other play on the ground there is very little reason to pass, regardless of how weak our pass defense is.

So a year ago when we did the CB upgrade/downgrade post we agreed that this group was somewhere in between a downgrade (36% of the vote) and neutral (38% of the vote). Gross stats indicate it was about neutral, even after the loss of Marcus Sherels and Traye Simmons. But looking deeper, i.e. far fewer attempts with same total yards allowed, indicates that the pass defense was worse. The 2010 defense gave up 8.6 yards per opponent's pass attempt. In 2009 that number was 7.0. Two things worth noting. The first is that even though we finished 4th overall in passing yards allowed, if teams would have thrown on us more they would have racked up a LOT more yards through the air (but again they gained 5 yards per rush so why bother throwing?). Secondly, it is obvious that corners are not the only guys responsible for slowing down opponents passing games. They are vital, but the safeties need to cover guys and provide help over the top to prevent big plays.

So the question is going to be, are the 2011 corners going to be an upgrade over the 2010 corners. The characters are essentially the same, will they be better? Last year was a revolving door at staring corner. Ryan Collado started quite a few games at corner as well as plenty at safety. Troy Stoudermire, Michael Carter, Kyle Henderson and Brock Vereen all had starting roles at corner throughout the season. I felt that Carter was the one, sure fire thing in the secondary but that was clearly wrong. This year?

The corners are anchored by a former wide receiver. This may sound really bad on the surface but I think we are fortunate that Troy Stoudermire made the move to corner last year. This move/experiment was successful with Marcus Sherels. That kid could cover and may even earn a roster spot with the Vikings this year; but he hit like he was a receiver. Troy Stoudermire is attempting to make the same transition. He has natural instincts, covers well, is quick and he likes to hit. There have been numerous reports during spring and fall camps that Stoudermire has been laying the wood. He has a chance to be very good and really help this defense out. He will be better than anything we had at corner a year ago.

Opposite of Stoudermire will likely be Brock Vereen to start the year. Vereen got valuable experience last year as a true freshman. Often times it wasn't pretty but he has nowhere to go but up and at least early in camp he appeared to be the leading candidate to start. I'd like to believe that Vereen is in position to take some big steps forward in his sophomore year to really help this defense out, but I was burned by that belief a year ago with Carter. I like Vereen's size and I think he has the tools to be pretty good. I expect better than last year.

The first guy off the bench is likely going to be Michael Carter. The junior had a very good freshman season followed by an awful sophomore season that saw him eventually get suspended and many assumed he would be a transfer casualty with the coaching change. But Carter stuck around through spring ball which saw him earn the dubious pink "Minnesota Loafers" t-shirt. Again, many assumed being in Kill's doghouse would end in Carter's transfer. But to his credit Carter has stuck it out and appears to have his head on straight. I believe that he will be out to prove his sophomore year was a fluke and he will at least become reliable and I won't be shocked if he is starting by the end of the year. He is one guy I'd love to see step up and surprise all of us.

Kyle Henderson appeared in all 12 games last year and started two of them. The former Minnesota State-Mankato Maverick proved last year to be a valuable depth guy. But I fear the more playing time he gets, the more dire our situation is in the defensive backfield. The senior is reliable and will certainly get playing time throughout the year.

Tyrone Bouie sat out last year as a redshirt and figures to be in the mix for a little playing time. The Florida native has good size as a 6 foot corner and at least out of high school he was known as a good tackler from the corner position. If he develops into a reliable pass defender he will get plenty of snaps and eventually will be a regular contributor, just not likely this year.

Derek Wells is a true freshman who has been having a good fall camp. He may earn PT as a true freshman but I would hope that he gets a year to develop and then still have 4 years of eligibility. If he can help? Let him play but he better get a lot of snaps.

Overall I think this unit will be a pretty good upgrade over last year. Troy Stoudermire has some real talent and could be one of the better corners in the conference. I also believe that Carter and Vereen are primed to take big steps forward from a year ago. I'm fairly confident in those three guys. Depth at corner, like every other position on the defense, is a significant issue but it was a year ago. Comparing 2010 to 2011, I believe this group will be an upgrade.

Poll

Will the corners be an upgrade over last year or a downgrade?

Upgrade - hard not to be

137 votes

Downgrade - it could actually be worse

9 votes

Neutral - Still unproven and no clear starters

27 votes

173 votes | Poll has closed

Gopher Football Practice Notes - Aug 9th

GopherNation — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:12:15 -0000

This was actually my first Jerry Kill practice. I was never able to make a spring practice but I left work early today to catch most of today's. As you have probably read in a number of different places, there is a lot of action at practice. Here were my thoughts...

This was obviously one practice session. It is entirely conceivable that one guy may have been working with the first team today and someone else will get that opportunity tomorrow. But with that said here is what I gleaned as interesting personnel tid bits or observations.

QB - Gray is obviously the #1. He looked very good at times and threw some ugly ones at others. I felt like he looked better throwing the ball on the run than he did in the pocket. Gary Tinsly made an outstanding interception on Gray late in practice and it wasn't the only pick thrown by MarQueise. Max Shortell looked pretty good and he ran the 2s late in practice in the 2-minute drill. I don't think this means anything about Shortell over Parish other than he got an opportunity today. Moses Alipate ran the scout team against the defense, if he is playing under center for the Gophers there will have to be several injuries.

RB - Nothing really stood out with this group. LaMonte Edwards had a couple of nice runs including a 10 yard run against the #1 defense to start the 2-minute drill at the end of practice.

TE - Again, nothing stood out to me. Eric Lair is very good and made a nice catch in an 11-on-11 drill, but we expect nice things out of Lair.

WR - Da'Jon McKnight practiced fully, but he didn't look like he was going 100%, he didn't look hurt but also didn't look quite like himself yet. Ge'Shun Harris and Malcom Moulton both look the part and both made a couple nice plays. Brandon Green was there but rarely seen. I'm not sure if he just did a few drills but not all of them or if he just is that un-noticable. One receiver did stand out. Marcus Jones is tiny but he will have an impact this year as our starting slot receiver.

OL - the first unit was as expected (Olson, Bunders, *Wynn* Orton, Gjere), minus Ryan Wynn who is away for a family funeral. The second unit had Josh Campion at LG and his name was called out a few times when a mistakes were made. Mark Lenkiewski ran at LT for the 2s and I didn't catch the rest.

DE - Matt Garin and D.L. Wilhite were the starting ends and both put a lot of pressure on the QBs during the 11-on-11 drills. Leston Simpson and Ben Perry were your back up ends.

DT - I'm liking this position group more and more. Brandon Kirksey and Anthony Jacobs will be two very find starting tackles and I feel good about Ra'Shede Hageman backing them up along with Eric Jacques. Those first three have good size, but as I overheard Glen Mason discussing, behind our starters we are very small.

LB - Gary Tinsley got nearly all of the reps at MLB with Brendan Beal leading the 2s. Beal looks big, strong and fast but so does Tinsley who had a great interception of Gray. I was actually impressed with Mike Rallis upper body strength. Dewayne Mitchell and Aaron Hill are likely going to be your backup OLBs. Spencer Reeves did not get reps with either the 1st or 2nd teams.

CB - Troy Stoudermire looked very good in one-on-one drills with receivers. He is just smoother than the rest of the defensive backfield and closes quicker on the ball/receiver. Brock Vereen is the opposite starter with Michael Carter and Kyle Henderson backing them up. Vereen looks nice out there and the more I see him the more comfortable I am with him as the starter. Carter has the tools and I think his head is in a better place now than it was last year but he hasn't earned a spot with the 1s yet.

S - There are two groups of starting safeties and it still isn't clear which one will start. The Minnesota combo of Shady Salamon and Kim Royston seem to have a slight edge over James Manuel and Christyn Lewis. Royston made some nice plays and Salamon was filling rushing lanes nicely during some 9-on-9 running drills.

Overall the defense dominated the offense. During 11-on-11 drills the defensive line forced QB runs on what seemed like 5 of the first 7 plays. They were consistently in the backfield and throws were hard to get off. I fear it was more of an indictment on the offensive line than it was the defensive pass rush. In the 2-minuted drill the #1 offense was able to get from their own 35 to the #2 defense's 44 where Chris Hawthorn nailed a 54-yard FG with 3 seconds on the clock. It was slightly wind aided but it easily cleared and would have been good from a few yards back.

It was a beautiful day and like you've read everywhere else practice was always moving. If you haven't taken advantage of the open practices to the public, you absolutely need to get down there.

EA Sports NCAA 12 Minnesota Rosters and Player Ratings

GopherNation — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:49:53 -0000

I am sure that some of you are rather excited about the release of EA Sports NCAA 12 on Tuesday. EA has had their teambuilder site available for a while now with each team's rosters. I took the time to go player-by-player and fill in the names so we have a complete Gopher roster. My team can be viewed here with the rosters and each player rating below.

The table, with plenty of comments and caveats (or where EA screwed up) below...

OFFENSE				DEFENSE
Pos	#	Player Name	Rating	Pos	#	Player Name	Rating
QB	5	MarQueis Gray	78	LE	97	Anthony Jacobs	79
QB	16	Tom Parish	65	LE	91	Kendall Gregory-McGhee	67
QB	10	Max Shortell	61	RE	49	Matt Garin	74
QB	13	J.D. Pride	57	RE	95	D.L. Wilhite	72
RB	23	DeLeon Eskridege	83	RE	93	Ben Perry	58
RB	22	Duane Bennett	79	DT	68	Jewhan Edwards	79
RB	20	Donnell Kirkwood	66	DT	96	Brandon Kirksey	78
RB	29	Lamonte Edwards	62	DT	90	Austin Hahn	71
RB	25	Devron Wright	59	DT	65	Eric Jacques	67
FB	44	Ed Cotton	66	DT	98	Ra'Shede Hageman	65
FB	87	Sahr Ngekia	56	DT	56	Josh Tauaefa	56
WR	6	Da'Jon McKnight	83	LOLB	26	Mike Rallis	78
WR	81	Xzavian Brandon	78	LOLB	43	Ryan Grant	73
WR	84	Victor Keise	71	LOLB	50	Jephete Matilus	60
WR	89	Quentin Gardener	61	MLB	51	Gary Tinsley	88
WR	88	Devin Crawford-Tufts	65	MLB	55	Brendan Beal	66
WR	83	Ge'Shun Harris	68	MLB	57	Quinn Bauducco	62
WR	1	Brandon Green	67	ROLB	4	Keanon Cooper	83
WR	82	AJ Barker	68	ROLB	8	Spencer Reeves	74
TE	85	Eric Lair	81	CB	11	Troy Stoudermire	78
TE	86	Collin McGarrry	65	CB	14	Kyle Henderson	78
TE	47	John Rabe	58	CB	21	Brock Vereen	71
LT	58	Ed Olson	74	CB	5	Johnny Johnson	63
LT	66	Jimmy Gjere	69	CB	36	Chase Haviland	58
LT	71	Joe Bjorklund	67	CB	35	Marcus Jones	51
LG	68	Chris Bunders	83	FS	9	Christyn Lewis	76
LG	77	Matt Eggen	65	FS	6	Michael Carter	71
LG	61	Luke McAvoy	60	FS	7	Tyrone Bouie	56
C	69	Jacob Glickstein	78	SS	24	James Manuel	73
C	52	Zac Epping	64	SS	40	Nathan Tow-Arnett	62
RG	78	Ryan Orton	74
RG	79	Johnathan Ragoo	64	K	43	David Schwermer	68
RG	67	Tommy Olson	61	P	41	Dan Orseske	74
RT	60	Ryan Wynn	73
RT	75	Brooks Michel	68
RT	74	Foster Bush	61

OFFENSE
Gopher official roster (for reference)

MarQueis Gray's speed is rated a 90 so he should be able to net you a lot of yards on the ground. Send your receivers on fly routes and if the defense is in man coverage you should be able to get 20+ yards!
The offense has four players with a rating above 80. DeLeon Eskridge, Da'Jon McKnight and Chris Bunders have a rating of 83. Eric Lair is rated at 81.
Joe Bjorklund (67) and Devin Crawford-Tufts (65) are the two highest rated incoming freshmen on the offense.
Maybe the most surprising is that Moses Alipate does not appear to be on the EA roster anywhere. The other guys were pretty obvious and the only sophomore QB on the EA roster was a 6-0, 190 lb scrambling QB. Maybe they were referring to Alipate but I'm pretty sure that was meant to be J.D. Pride.
Jacob Glickstein is starting at center? The problem is Ryan Wynn is listed as the starting RT. He should obviously move to the interior and Jimmy Gjere should move from backing up Olson at LT over to RT.
Johnathan Ragoo at guard is kind of funny too.
Xzavian Brandon is the #2 recevier? I would have assumed that Brandon Green would have earned that distinction but according to the EA roster #1 is 6-0, 190 lbs and that corresponds to Brandon Green according to the Gopher roster. I guess this makes some sense considering Green was injured last year. They also screwed up his eligibility making him a senior rather than a junior but it isn't surprising that there are some outliers.
Lastly, there are a number of guys who are listed as sophomores who really should be redshirt freshmen. Matt Eggen, Tom Parish, Donnell Kirkwood and others on both sides of the ball.

DEFENSE
Gopher official roster (for reference)

The big story with the defense is people missing. No Dwayne Mitchell, no Brent Singleton, no Stephen Montgomery, no Aaron Hill, no Harold Legania, no Leston Simpson and no Kenny Watkins.
Gary Tinsley (88) and Keanon Cooper (83) are the best defensive players on the roster.
Michael Carter as safety is wrong but I think having the expectation that someone at EA knows exactly where every DB plays on the Gopher roster is a bit much to ask.
Quinn Bauducco is the highest rated defensive freshman with a rating of 62.
other than that the defense wasn't too bad.

Fun to have the player ratings available, but I'm really looking forward to getting the game in my hands on Tuesday.