Many Gopher fans knew Colorado State would be a formidable opponent. Just not that formidable. The Minnesota Gophers salvaged an overtime victory in Fort Collins Saturday in a sloppy contest highlighted by turnovers, dropped passes and a few questionable calls from the officiating crew. Here are some positive and negative aspects from week two:
Positives
The Emergence of “Woli”
Junior receiver Drew Wolitarsky emerged as Leidner’s most reliable option on Saturday. The California native had nine catches for 114 yards, both of which are career highs. His touchdown early in the third quarter provided the Gophers with some much-needed offensive momentum. Could “Woli” be the go-to wideout as Big Ten play looms?
Runnin’ Rodney
Redshirt freshman Rodney Smith continues to look the part of a Big Ten starting running back. He rushed 21 times for 108 yards, averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry. Smith has seemingly taken over the starting position from senior Rodrick Williams Jr. after only two weeks. Currently, Smith rightly deserves the starting role.
Opportunistic Defense
Hopefully we are starting to see a season-long trend. The Gophers’ defense caused four Colorado State turnovers, none more important than an overtime forced fumble due to a Cody Poock strip. The turnover eventually allowed Ryan Santoso to kick an easy 18-yard game-winning field goal. In addition, a Briean Boddy-Calhoun interception on the Ram’s first play from scrimmage set the tone early for the gritty Gophers defense. Through two games, Minnesota has six defensive turnovers. Look for timely turnovers to become the identity of this defense as the season progresses.
Negatives
Dilemna Under Center
The quarterback quandary continues into week three. Some are calling for freshman Demry Croft. Others continue to stress patience and support starter Mitch Leidner. I’ll just tell you the facts: The offense looked miserable in the first half as they failed to tally a first down in the opening six drives. Minnesota gained just 19 yards in the first quarter. The Gophers fumbled twice; both turnovers of which seemed completely preventable. Everyone watching the game, including the Colorado State defense, knew a run was coming each time backup Chris Streveler entered the game. The final offensive drive of regulation, which concluded when Mitch Leidner found receiver KJ Maye on a 22-yard touchdown pass, should provide a sliver of encouragement entering week three. There is no doubt that inconsistency at such a critical position will need to be answered before Big Ten play begins Oct. 3.
Trouble in the (Offensive) Trenches
During fall practice, it appeared the offensive line was going to be an asset of enormous proportions. After two weeks of play, it seems the injury-plagued group is more of a liability. Even worse, senior guard Jon Christenson left the Colorado State game with a knee injury. Hopefully the health of Christenson, Ben Lauer and others will improve quickly, because pass protection will need to improve in the coming weeks.
At the end of the day, Minnesota barely survived a road scare from a Mountain West Conference program. A win is a win. One can only hope victory will come easier on Sept. 19 when the Gophers take on a weak Kent State program at TCF Bank Stadium. With that being said, crazy things can happen on any given Saturday. Just ask Arkansas.