Gopher Football
| Statistics | ||||||
| Sacks | ||||||
| Kyle McKenzie (JR) | ||||||
| Terrance Campbell (JR) | ||||||
| Dominique Sims (SR) | ||||||
Game To Forget
Michigan State. Nothing went right at all for the defense in this game, particularly for the Gopher linebackers. The Spartan offensive attack was able to do whatever it wanted for the entire game; taking advantage of several Gopher linebacker lapses along the way. There was poor tackling that aided Michigan State’s running game and there was poor coverage on passing routes, which turned small yardage passes into long gains and touchdowns. Of the many bad things that happened that day for the linebackers, the worst may have been Michigan State QB Drew Stanton rushing 13 times for 102 yards. When it was all over, the Spartan offense saw four different players rush for at least 50 yards, ten different players catch passes, and 51 points scored (31 of which came in the first half).
Game To Remember
Illinois. Perhaps it’s not that surprising, but the Gopher linebackers best game of the year happened exactly one week after their worst. Whatever the coaching staff did or said during the week paid huge dividends, as the Gopher linebackers responded with a great game. Lead by Big Ten Defensive Player of the week Kyle McKenzie, the Gopher defense shut out a good Illinois offense, which sparked Minnesota to a 45-0 win. Everything Minnesota was not against Michigan State, they were, and then some against Illinois. Kyle McKenzie lead the defensive onslaught with 12 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 of which were sacks. Terrance Campbell also had a very nice game in recording 3 tackles for loss. Illinois was held to 72 yards rushing on 33 attempts.
Relative Strength
Lateral Pursuit. One area where the linebackers have improved over the last few years is in their sideline to sideline coverage. Looking at the roster, it’s not hard to see why. Dominique Sims was a former safety, Terrance Campbell is a future safety, and Kyle McKenzie has decent speed for a bigger guy in the middle.
| 2005 Recruiting Commitments | |||||
| Alex Daniels | 6’2″ 225 lbs | Columbus, OH | |||
| Steve Davis | 6’2″ 215 lbs | Florissant, MO | |||
| Nate Triplett | 6’3″ 225 lbs | Delano, MN | |||
All three of those guys teamed up to give the Gophers very good unit speed. This is a huge change from about five years ago, and even from last year when Ben West was literally limping all over the field trying to chase down ball carriers. Because of this increased speed and ability to close, the strength of the Gopher run defense was stopping sweeps and stretch plays. Next season a goal will be to improve on the run defense straight up the middle.
Relative Weakness
Decision Making. This is kind of a broad area, but of the different mistakes I saw our LB’s make, mental issues seemed to take part in most of them. In watching our linebackers play, the one thing that almost always stood out to me was how many times they ended up finding themselves in the wrong position to make a play. Whether it was taking bad angles at a running play, plugging a hole that already had another player plugging it, or making a slow adjustments on a passing play, I think there were a lot of times where our LB’s took themselves out of the play before they even had a chance to make something of it. This is one area where I think a new coach can and should have a profound impact.
Looking Ahead
Next season will feature nearly an entire new look for the linebackers. If you include coaches and starters, Kyle McKenzie will be about the only one to return. After the Iowa loss in the regular season finale, linebacker coach and defensive coordinator Greg Hudson left the University and took a job with East Carolina. Senior to be Terrance Campbell will be moved to safety for his senior year. After the season, Campbell admitted that his below average size (6’1″ 205 lbs) make it very difficult to play linebacker in the Big Ten, and a position change was in everyone’s best interest. The other open starting spot will be vacated by the graduation Dominique Sims, and top backup Brian Smith also is out of eligibility. As a group, the opportunity will be there to improve, but much of what happens with next year’s unit will be hinging on the linebacker coach and defensive coordinator.
| Depth Chart Projection for 2005 | ||||||
| 1st String: | Kyle McKenzie (SR) | Leland Jones (FR) | John Shevlin (SO) | |||
| 2nd String: | Mike Sherels (SO) | Mark Mullaney (SO) | Mario Reese (JR) | |||
| 3rd String: | Steve Moore (FR) | John Sampy (FR) | Dion Hightower (FR) | |||
Summary
2004 will go down as a disappointing season for the linebackers; a fact that is a little disappointing when you consider that this unit was extremely experienced. Terrance Campbell & Kyle McKenzie were both 4th year juniors, and Dominique Sims, though a guy who has played multiple positions, was a 5th year senior. When you consider how undersized Sims and especially Campbell were by Big Ten standards, you can’t afford the kind of mental mistakes we saw if you want to play well. Coming into this season, I was hoping that the experience of this group would help to overcome the physical disadvantage we were at, but that really didn’t end up happening. One of the bright spots on the season for the linebackers, especially Dominique Sims, was that they were able to wrap up the year on a bright note with a nice showing in the Music City Bowl against Alabama. Hopefully that performance will energize the younger players to becoming better during the offseason.
Season Grade: C+
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