Gopher Football
– Laurence Maroney
The strong group of Gopher running backs are led by Laurence Maroney, a true junior who everyone reading this preview should’ve heard of by now. Laurence is an extremely talented player who came to the Gopher two years ago from St. Louis, Missouri. Through his first two seasons Maroney has split the load of the carries with departed running back Marion Barber. Even though Barber actually carried the ball more than Maroney in each of the last two seasons, Maroney still was able to pile up 1100+ yards on each occasion. In his freshman year Laurence ran for 1121 yards on just 162 carries (for a whopping 6.9 yards/carry avg.) and 10 touchdowns. Last year Maroney’s carries went up to 217, and he responded with 1348 yards and 12 TD’s. At the end of last season Barber (only a junior) declared for the NFL draft, so that left Maroney as the clear cut number one feature back for 2005. With all of Barber’s potential carries suddenly available, whispers started up about the possibility of Maroney rushing for 2000 yards this season. Only time will tell if this will happen, but the Minnesota rushing “œsystem” would seem to be as favorable as any for a rusher to achieve this particular milestone.
So what does a running back have to do to rush for 2000 yards? Does Maroney fit this description? The short answer to these questions is “œGet a lot of carries” and “œYes”, but it does get slightly more complicated than that. Getting away from the stats and taking a closer look at the field, it doesn’t take long to figure out why there is so much “˜2000′ buzz going around with #22.
First is the Gopher rushing “˜system’. Minnesota has had a good rushing offense for several years now, but the past two seasons have seen things really kick into high gear. In 2003 the Gophers rushed 683 times for 3759 yards. In 2004, they rushed 572 times for 3082 yards. That means that in 2003, Maroney received 23% of the carries, and in 2004 he received 38% of the carries. So at the fall practice kickoff press conference when Glen Mason said to expect Maroney to get 75% of the carries this year, many a Gopher rube (including myself) whipped out the calculators to figure out just what kind of numbers were possible for Maroney this year. When I finished projecting my totals Maroney had rushed for over 5000 yards and 98 TD’s, just in the first three games! Well, it wasn’t that high, but you get the idea. The “œprojected” totals of what Maroney could rush for this year if past numbers hold true would send him into the upper echelons of NCAA football legends, but for many reasons that probably is not going to happen. It’s still fun to imagine though!
The second reason for the buzz is Laurence himself, along the guys he has blocking for him. The Gopher offensive line returns 3 of the 5 starters from last year, including 2 All American candidates. On top of the returning talent, even the two new starters this year already have good experience. Tony Brinkhaus saw some game action last year while filling in for injuries, and Mike Nicholson was actually a starter two years ago before he was beat out by Joe Ainslie. Simply put, there should be no reason why the Gopher offensive line should be any less talented than in years past, and there should be plenty of holes available for all the running backs to run though. Then we get over to Maroney himself. There isn’t much to a running backs game that Maroney doesn’t have. First and foremost, he is very fast. He explodes through the hole as well as any running back in college football, and he has breakaway speed that allows him to take short gains and take them the distance. Secondly, he has great patience. This is something that was apparent from the first game he played as a true freshman. He seemed to have a built in sense on when a hole was developing, and knew the time to pick his spot and explode through it. This is something that usually takes a college running back a couple years to master, but Laurence had this skill down pat right away. Third is his strength. This was not a strong point for him as a freshman, but each season since arriving at the “˜U’ Maroney has continued to add bulk (he is up to 215 pounds this year). Last season it was evident that Laurence was breaking more tackles than he did as a freshman, and I expect to see that aspect of his game get even better this year.
What are Maroney’s weaknesses then? There aren’t many, but there are some areas where Maroney hasn’t proven himself quite yet. The first question is, does he have what it takes to be the featured runner? In a few games during his career where Maroney had been struggling, Marion Barber (and in 2003 Thomas Tapeh) would come into the game and put a physical punishment on the defense. Once the defense was bruised and battered, Maroney would then come back in and drive the nail into the coffin. Does Maroney have the strength and will power to be the guy who will be called upon to wear down a defense? In other words, will he take on the roll of being a more physical player? The second weakness that I see is his ability to navigate through traffic. Most would say that Maroney is at his best when busting through a big hole. That much is true, and is nothing to be ashamed of. But big holes will not always be there. If he runs into a crowded defense, does he have what it takes to plow over a defender, make a guy miss, or have good enough vision to find his way out of the crowd? Though I would not call Maroney “œbad” in this area, I do think this is clearly an aspect where he is lacking compared to the rest of his game. Lastly is pass catching ability. Anyone who follows Gopher football closely knows that Minnesota has not exactly featured the running backs as receivers the past couple of years. A good running back (such as Chris Perry was for Michigan) can be just as dangerous receiving for 100 yards in a game as they can for rushing 100 yards in a game. So far in his career Maroney only has 4 pass receptions, so this is something that we’ll need to see more of if he is to become a more complete player.
So with all that said, what kind of year will Maroney have? To be honest, I really don’t know. Between teams stacking up against the run, Marion Barber not available to wear down defenses, a tougher schedule (especially tougher defenses), and the increased possibilities of injury, Maroney will almost certainly see his 6.5 career yards per carry average drop, and those factors could go against him in his quest for 2000. But IF Laurence can stay healthy, if the Gopher offense can establish a more respectable passing attack to keep defenses honest, if the offensive line stays healthy, and if Maroney himself has improved since last year and is up to the task of putting the offense on his shoulders, then YES… Maroney does have what it takes to rush for that many yards, and possibly many more. But there is no question that if the passing attack does not make itself a force to be reckoned with, Maroney may be running into 8 man fronts all year. So I really feel that that the evolution of the passing game could be the most important factor in determining just how successful Maroney will be this season. But cutting through all of the “œif’s” and “œmaybe’s”, what is clear is that the Gophers have a great running back to compliment their outstanding rushing system, and us Gopher fans will be in for a treat the next few months.
– Justin Valentine
Starting at fullback for the Gophers for the second year in a row will be sophomore Justin Valentine. I’ll try to hold back my excitement until I actually see him play, but I am really looking forward to what Justin can do this year. Last year Valentine looked a little overmatched as a fullback. He was a little small (around 220 pounds) and obviously inexperienced. However, this year it appears that young Justin has taken a big of a step forward as perhaps any other Gopher starter. First off, he has increased his bulk and is up to about 235 pounds. This should allow him to be a much more effective blocker. Second, as I mentioned above, is his increased experience and familiarity with the offense. The coaches have expressed so much confidence in Valentine’s development, there is talk that besides fullback he may also be used as a tailback, tight end, or perhaps even split out as a receiver from time to time. Justin has always been billed as a talented guy, so I think it’s just a matter of time before he becomes a very good player, no matter which position he ends up at.
– Depth
Minnesota doesn’t have a lot of depth numbers wise at running back, but there is certainly no shortness of talent. Backing up Maroney will be a two headed monster in Gary Russell and Amir Pinnix. Each of them is a sophomore, each saw spot action in mop up situations last year, and each showed enough on the field to get fans excited about the future. Both backs are good, but each in their own way. Russell is the proverbial bowling ball. He isn’t the quickest guy, but has very strong legs which enable him to break tackles, plow through the hole and finish off runs. Pinnix is kind of the opposite. He is a slasher who seemingly can always find the hole and can find the quickest way through a crowd. Mason said this fall that Russell & Pinnix will split the 25% of the carries that do not go to Maroney.
Should one of these players get injured, true freshman Jay Thomas may be called into action. From what I’ve heard, Thomas may have been underrated as a recruit and could be a future star in the Gopher rushing attack. Like Maroney, Thomas is a track star whose primary strength is his speed. But unlike Maroney, Thomas is a bit on the small side (as would be expected with a true freshman), so he will need to bulk up before he is ready to become a running back the offense can rely on. Backing up the fullback spot will be Jason Lamers. Jason has been in the program for a few years and has been called an excellent blocker, but Minnesota does not really run enough of the two back offense for the backup fullback to see the field.
Around the Big Ten . . .
Maroney’s mate on the All-Big Ten first team is back, Michigan’s Mike Hart. As a true freshman last year, Hart joined Michigan QB Chad Henne to give the Wolverines an all-true freshman starting backfield. Without downplaying Hart’s accomplishments, he was helped out greatly by the best offensive line in the conference as well as the best receiver in the county. If the Michigan offense can evolve without Braylon Edwards bailing them out of desperate situations, expect Hart to be very good once again. However, I don’t think Hart is quite good enough yet to carry a team to be a Big Ten championship on his own. — Wisconsin always has good running backs, and this year should be no exception. Homegrown product Brian Calhoun has returned to the land of cheese after committing to Colorado out of high school and will be Bucky’s first string tailback. After 7 seasons in a row of 1000 yard rushers, Wisconsin has struggled the last couple with injuries, arrests and suspensions.
One of the more quiet running back situation is in Illinois, where E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas give their team their own 1-2 punch on the ground. With Illinois new offensive minded coaching staff, Halsey & Thomas could be in for big years. — After seeing their running back corps depleted by injuries last season, Iowa will try to rebound on the ground this year to give QB Drew Tate some help. Senior Marques Simmons will try to help Iowa gain respect back on the ground after they finished 2nd worst in the NCAA in rushing yardage last season. — The best freshman running back on the horizon is Ohio State’s Erik Haw. If running a 4.3 forty wasn’t imposing enough, Haw is 6’1″, 210 pounds and could give the OSU backfield a big home run threat. There are several veterans lined up in front of him, but some OSU fans think Haw is good to pass all of them by the end of the season.
Last Year . . .
Once again, the Gopher running backs came through in fine fashion. Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney led the way as the Gophers rushed for over 3000 yards for the second consecutive season. Barber & Maroney will go down as one of the most prolific running back duos in college football history, as they became the first pair of teammates to rush for over 1000 yards in two consecutive seasons. The only disappointing thing was the lack of passing to the running backs, but this was due to scheme more than the inability of the backs to catch passes.
Bottom Line . . .
If you’re a fan of running backs (which I’m sure most Minnesota fans are by now), then this year should be as exciting as it comes. Even though Marion Barber left early for the NFL, Minnesota should not miss much of a beat in the running game because of the development of Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell. Like I mentioned above, the biggest issue I see between Maroney and a wildly successful season is whether or not he is up to the task of being a featured running back. Rushing for 3000 yards for the third straight season will be tough because of all the great linebackers in the Big Ten, but you never know, Minnesota’s running backs might be better than everybody else’s linebackers. The Gophers have talent across the board at the running back spot, so no matter who is the in the game it should be an exciting year for the fans.