Gopher Football
Minnesota Linebackers vs. Toledo Backfield:
On offense, Toledo is led by junior quarterback Bruce Gradowski (6’2″ 210 lbs). Despite having a great sophomore year in 2003 Gradowski did not make the All-MAC team. Don’t let that fool you through; Bruce is a great quarterback. His numbers of a 71% completion rate, 29 TD’s and just 7 interceptions last season prove that fact. Unfortunately for him, he is in a conference that had several great quarterbacks last year. Ben should be favored (along with Akron’s Charlie Frye) to be First Team All-MAC this year.
At running back for Toledo is a 2003 2nd Team All-MAC performer, junior Trinity Dawson. Dawson took over as the starter during 2002 and has held that spot ever since. Last year he just missed 1000 yards and scored 10 TD’s. He is a solid compliment to Toledo’s great passing game.
Minnesota will be playing their first game this season with a somewhat rebuilt linebacking corps. The only player returning to the same position is junior Terrance Campbell. Campbell has plenty of experience, having started more than half the games in his career. Another returning starter (albeit at a different position) is another junior, Kyle McKenzie. Kyle is moving to the middle from drop linebacker and should help bolster the speed of that position. At drop linebacker is senior Dominique Sims. After several years of position switching, Sims finally seems to have found a home and will no doubt be eager to prove himself. Minnesota will need his veteran presence against a strong Toledo offense.
Summary:
Bruce Gradowski is the real deal, and if he were in the Big Ten he would probably be the second best quarterback behind Kyle Orton. Since the Gophers don’t play Purdue this year, Gradowski might be the best QB the Gopher ‘D’ sees all season. Throw in Trinity Dawson at running back, and Toledo will present a very formidable duo in the backfield. However, I believe the Gopher linebackers will surprise this year. There appears to be a large upgrade in speed & depth. While I have some concern about the linebackers pass coverage skills (remember Michigan), they have proven to be an effective unit when it comes to stopping the run. Unless the linebackers absolutely collapse I expect this to be a good matchup.
Advantage: Even
Minnesota D-Line vs. Toledo O-Line:
Toledo prides themselves on having big, physical offensive lines, and this year should be no different. Across the line they average 6’5″, 304 pounds. Leading the way is possibly the best returning offensive lineman in the MAC, Nick Kaczur. The senior left tackle is looking to become a 4-time All-MAC selection, having garnered first team honors in 2002 and 2003. The other returning starter for Toledo is center David Odenthal. The Rockets will be breaking in 3 new starters in 2004; junior left guard Chris Wakeman, senior right guard Wael Jarbou, and freshman right tackle John Greco.
The Minnesota defensive line has the potential to be the best Minnesota has had in several years. The undisputed emotional and vocal leader of the line is senior Darrell Reid. After starting for three seasons at defensive tackle, the 6’3″ 280 pounder is moving to end for his senior season. At the other end is sophomore Eric Clark. Clark started four games for the Gophers last year and will have the opportunity to make some noise with Reid attracting attention on the other side. At tackles are a couple of really big guys, juniors Anthony Montgomery (6’5″ 300 lbs) and Mark Losli (6’6″ 290 lbs).
Summary:
This will be a good opportunity for Minnesota’s defensive line to show us how good we think they can be. This line has athleticism, size and experience. One matchup to keep an eye on is Darrell Reid vs. John Grego. The Toledo freshman will be making his first career start, and this is a matchup Reid should be able to dominate. Expect Toledo to double team Reid though, meaning more one on one matchups for the rest of the line. This will be a good opportunity for Anthony Montgomery to show us what he can do when he is healthy. Anthony has lost 15 pounds since last year and has been said to have increased his speed of the ball. With Minnesota returning all of the starters on the defensive line (minus the 8 games Paul Nixon started) and Toledo breaking in three new starters on the offensive side, this is a matchup that should sway in favor of the Gophers.
Advantage: Minnesota
Minnesota Secondary vs. Toledo Receivers:
For the second and third times in this preview, I’m going to be mentioning Toledo players that are the best at their position in the MAC. Let’s start at wide receiver with Lance Moore. The senior was 1st team All-MAC last year and is undoubtedly the best returning receiver in the conference. Moore’s impressive resume includes an NCAA leading 103 receptions in 2003. He also chipped in 1200 yards receiving and 10 TD’s. Another returning starter for the Rockets is sophomore Steve Odom. Odom had an outstanding freshman season, catching 68 balls for 838 yards and 6 TD’s. Like Moore, Odom doesn’t have a tremendous yards per catch average, but they each know how to get open and catch balls. At Tight End for Toledo is yet another returning 1st team All-MAC selection, Andrew Clarke. His 2003 campaign included 8 TD receptions included in his 35 receptions. He has great hands and is considered one of the elite Tight Ends in the country.
Minnesota will be breaking in two new safeties this Saturday with Justin Fraley and John Pawielski. Even though both starters are new, they each saw plenty of action last year and should not play like newcomers. Coach Mason has been very open in praising their development this fall. The Gophers do return both of their cornerbacks from last year. Sophomore Trumaine Banks and senior Ukee Dozier will definitely be called upon to turn in big performances this weekend, but they’ll have a tough task in front of them. Also expect the backups at corner to see lots of action since Toledo will likely run lots of 3 receiver sets. Jamal Harris and Mike Wojciechowski will get their chance and they’ll also be expected to come up big.
Summary:
Again, here is a position where Minnesota expects to be better in 2004. There is a lot of experience back there, and the depth is improving. But this is an area I feel Toledo might be able to exploit. Earlier in the week when asked to give a comparable offense to what Toledo runs, Coach Mason said Purdue. Within seconds, thousands of Gopher fans across the state broke out in a cold sweat. Since Mason took over as Gopher coach in 1997, Minnesota has never held Purdue to less than 28 points. For whatever reasons you want to come up with, Minnesota has had a tough time stopping the spread offense. Is it lack of speed? Lack of coverage skills? I don’t know and quite frankly I try not to think about it anymore in the hopes those days are past us. Regardless, we’re going to find out what the Gopher secondary is made up of on Saturday when they face a very good group of Toledo receivers. If the Gopher front can put good pressure on Gradowski this matchup could be even, but if he has time to throw, history tells us the Gophers are at a disadvantage. Until I see otherwise (which I hope we do on Saturday), I expect Minnesota to continue to struggle in defending the pass against a quick rhythm offense that has a good QB at the helm.
Advantage: Toledo
Overall Summary:
What else can you say, except Minnesota is about to learn really fast just how good this defense is. Will it be improved, as has been trumpeted about by the team the last few weeks? Or will we back to experiencing the same agonizing problems we’ve dealt with in trying to stop the pass in recent years? I do expect us to be very good against the run on Saturday, continuing the progress made in this area last year. But I still worry about our ability to stop the quick, short passing game. In the past, Minnesota has typically not taken a real aggressive approach in defending the pass in this offense. More often than not they stick with 3 and 4 man rushes and sit back in a soft zone. The problem with that approach is Minnesota has not been able to pressure the quarterback, nor have they haven’t been able to cover the receivers. While I do expect us to be improved in both areas this year, I think Toledo will have a little too much firepower for us to completely shut them down. Expect Toledo to score some points.
Overall Advantage: Toledo
Special Teams:
Toledo is pretty strong on special teams with Lance Moore handling both kickoff and punt return duties. But for as good as Moore is, Minnesota can match his productivity with Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney. Toledo has an average kicker and a first time punter, and Minnesota has one of the best kickers in the nation in Rhys Lloyd. Minnesota’s coverage units were a concern last year, but expect some improvements this season.
Advantage: Minnesota