Gopher Football
As we all know, Minnesota has an outstanding running game, charged by one of the top 1-2 running back combos in the nation. But maybe more importantly the Gophers have a great offensive line to plow the way for the backs. Alabama on the other hand comes in very well equipped to stop a great rushing attack. The Tide has a top 3 caliber linebacking corps, which powers the #2 ranked defense in the nation. Alabama has not allowed more than 27 points to a team all season, while Minnesota has achieved or exceeded that total 6 times. This will be a great matchup of strength vs. strength.
Minnesota Backfield vs. Alabama Linebackers:
Alabama’s defense is centered around a very strong corps of linebackers. The group is lead by senior middle linebacker Cornelius Wortham. If you follow SEC football, Wortham is a name that seems like it’s been around for a while. After a nice sophomore season in 2001 in which he started the final 8 games, Cornelius established himself as one of the best linebackers in the SEC in 2002. But after the break out junior season in 2002, Wortham took a medical redshirt in 2003 after an elbow injury. The 6’1″ 235 lbs senior returned to the team this year and leads Alabama in tackles by a wide margin with 86. Not to be outdone are a pair of juniors, DeMeco Ryans and Freddie Roach. Each of these two players was named 2nd team All-SEC, and like Wortham, both bring a lot of experience to the table. Ryans was the Tide’s leading tackler in 2002, and Roach has started nearly every game since his redshirt freshman season in 2002. This is an all around great group of linebackers, and will rival Michigan & Iowa’s as the best Minnesota has seen this year.
The Gopher running backs will be capping off another successful season. After seeing Marion Barber get first team All-Big Ten honors in 2003, super sophomore Laurence Maroney raised his game up a level and took Barber’s spot among the top running backs in the conference. Maroney upped his yardage total this year to 1304 yards and 10 touchdowns. Like last season, Maroney turned in a staggering average with 6.6 yards per carry. Seeing that Laurence only got 37% of the teams carries, these are some great numbers. Getting 38% of the carries was Marion Barber. The junior had a fairly similar season as last year (minus the 17 TD’s), piling up 1140 yards,10 TD’s and a nice yards per carry average of his own with 5.6. As we all have heard by now, Marion Barber & Laurence Maroney have already become the first running back duo to each rush for more than 1000 yards in two consecutive seasons.
Starting every game at quarterback this year has been sophomore Bryan Cupito. After a great first few games to start off 2004, Cupito’s numbers stared to fade badly as the season went on. Instead of trying to make things easier by finding shorter passes, Cuptio never was able to break the temptation of throwing deep. This led to a very low completion percentage of just 47%, but also produced a pretty good yards/completion average of 17.6 yards. But the best numbers for Bryan this season were the 14 TD’s with just 6 interceptions. Though he has had problems finding the open receiver, Cupito has usually kept a level head and not forced many bad passes. Cuptio has had several weeks to try to straighten out the problems that plagued him as the Big Ten season went along, and the Gophers will need him to have a good game if they’re going to move the ball.
Summary:
This is the huge battle in this game. It’s Alabama’s strength against Minnesota’s strength. After watching the Iowa game, I’m convinced that Minnesota can run the ball on anybody if given a loose defense. Iowa has a great defensive line and great linebackers, and Minnesota still sliced through them for over 330 yards on the ground. The key for Alabama to stop the run likely won’t lie with their linebackers; it will probably lie with safety and cornerback support. Which brings us to Bryan Cupito. Bryan will need to regain his early season form if Minnesota is to move the ball. Minnesota will see their fair share of 1 on 1 matchups, and Cuptio must be able to take advantage of that. If he can, the O-Line, Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber know how to do their thing.
Advantage: Even
Minnesota Offensive Line vs. Alabama Defensive Line:
Alabama’s weak point on defense (if there is one) is on the defensive line. The best player appears to be defensive end Todd Bates. The 6’4″ 265 lbs Bates is the most experienced starter for Alabama, and their only senior. Bates is second on the team with 5.5 sacks, and leads all Tide linemen with 42 tackles. The best pass rusher for Alabama has been freshman Wallace Gilberry. Though he’s not listed as a starter, Gilberry will see the field a lot. He leads Alabama with 6.5 sacks. The two defensive tackles for Alabama are relatively inexperienced. Rudy Griffin is a JC transfer the Citadel, and Jeremy Clark is a freshman. Neither of those two should scare Minnesota too much.
The other big strength for Minnesota is the offensive line. Depending on who you read, the entire left side of Minnesota’s offensive line has been named 1st team All-Big Ten and All-American by one publication or another. Senior left tackle Rian Melander and junior center Greg Eslinger were named first team all conference by both the coaches and the media, while junior left guard Mark Setterstrom got the nod from the media. All three of these players, along with the rest of the starters are fairly similar. They don’t try to be over powering (though they’ve proven they can be), they just are all able to get downfield and make blocks. Minnesota has executed its run blocking schemes to near perfection the past two years, and this line is talented enough to make it happen if they don’t have to weave their way through safeties roaming in the backfield.
Summary:
This is the one spot on offense where Minnesota should have a decided advantage. Alabama’s defensive line is decent, but that’s about it. Minnesota’s offensive line on the other hand, is a veteran one and just plain good at what they do. I really don’t see the Gopher line having any problems containing the pass rush from the front four or getting them out of the way on running plays. Minnesota’s linemen have been to a bowl game for three straight years now, have a lot of starts between them, and will have the confidence and ability to do the job.
Advantage: Minnesota
Minnesota Receivers vs. Alabama Secondary:
When you have the top rated pass defense in the nation chances are you have a good secondary, and Alabama certainly does. They don’t have a lot of star power, but their starting lineup has been in tact all year, and all four are solid players. The best player in the Tide secondary is junior free safety Roman Harper. In 2003, Harper a very Tyrone Carter-like season, amassing 111 tackles from his strong safety spot. This year Harper moved over to free safety and another good season, getting 2nd team All-SEC honors. The best cover corner and only senior in the Tide secondary is Anthony Madison, a two year starter. In 2004 so far, Madison has 3 interceptions and 8 pass breakups. The downside for Madison is that he is only 5’9″, so it would make for an interesting matchup if he lines up against the 6’5″ Gopher receiver Ernie Wheelwright.
Minnesota wide receivers are a tough group to read. On the outside, you think there is more talent than the numbers show. The receiver who had the best year for the Gophers was the aforementioned Ernie Wheelwright. The tall and athletic receiver from Columbus beat out Paris Hamilton and Jakari Wallace for the starting spot, and ended up doing well and making a couple of freshman All-American teams. So far for the year Ernie has 30 receptions for 654 yards and 7 TD’s. Like I mentioned before, with Alabama’s cornerbacks averaging only 5’9 ½”, the opportunity will be there for Ernie to use his height and great leaping ability to make some big plays. The forgotten guy in the Gopher receiver corps is junior Jared Ellerson. After going for nearly 1000 last year, Jared’s totals dropped 470 yards and 3 TD’s this season. Jared is a better receiver than that though, so if Alabama focuses too much on Wheelwright, Jared can definitely get some things done in this game. This matchup looks like it could be a tough one (receiving wise) for TE Matt Spaeth. Alabama has very good linebackers and safeties; good enough where they won’t be fooled very often on play actions. If Spaeth does have a big game receiving, my prediction is that it will be a sign the offense is having a great game.
Summary:
From my perspective, this matchup tilts solidly to Alabama. I like Minnesota’s talent and potential at receiver, but so far this year they just really haven’t shown too much. Jared Ellerson leads the team in receptions at 34, Wheelwright leads in yards at 630, and in touchdowns at 7. Those just aren’t very good totals, especially when you’re going to be facing the top passing defense team in the nation. Unless the Minnesota running game can really open things up in the defensive backfield, Alabama should be able to control Minnesota’s passing game.
Advantage: Alabama
Overall Summary:
This is a matchup I have really been looking forward to. Minnesota has faced two really good defenses this year in Michigan and Iowa. In each case Minnesota has answered the call, averaging 26 points and 380 yards over those two contests. How good Alabama’s defense is in contrast to those two remains to be seen, but will soon be found out. Both teams’ strengths lie within these matchups, and both units will be healthy and well rested. So overall I will say this is too close to call. The key for Alabama will be to cover the Gophers receivers tightly with as much single coverage as possible. The key for Minnesota will be just the opposite, for Bryan Cupito to hit his open targets. I think the success or failure of the Gopher running game will be squarely on how well #3 can find his receivers.
Overall Advantage: Even
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