So all you want is 52 carries and a downfield passing game. OK.
Unless we are talking about now very rare Barry Switzer Oklahoma teams,GA Tech, Ohio, or Navy (or one off exceptions like that), great running teams tend to put up good passing numbers or at least bust a couple of big play action plays.
If the Gophers win big 52 runs is not a huge stretch., with plenty of passing yards. Being unpredictable is the bigger point I was trying to make. Too often under Kill, we ran two very predictable running plays followed up by a predictable third down throw followed by a punt. Whenever Kill was not around, even Limegrover was able to make the Offense better and more balanced. All of those very strong offensive performances against good teams in losses in the second half of last year showed this. In the Mason years, Caputo and Assad put up great passing numbers in lots of games where the rushing yardage was huge and the carries were at a high number.
I think that this O line and Jay Johnson will make a big difference. I just hope they make the running game the backbone, and I think they will. I do not want to see some sort of Brewster spread, with an anemic and inconsistent running game and I do not think we will.
I mentioned Femi-Cole because he really finishes runs, is fast and looks fairly imposing. 6 foot, 225 pound running backs are considered large by most rational people. I did not mention the Fargo kid because I mistakenly thought he was a true Fr., and might get held back for that reason. James J. from Fargo looks to be very tough as well and the playing time could change over time. I am sure we will see both this year, especially if anyone gets dinged. We have not had this type of RB depth and potential in many years. This reminds me of 2003 with Barber, Maroney, Tapeh and Jackson, and I do not think anyone could have predicted how that all played out.
I just really like Brooks a lot. I have watched the CMU game in Detroit a lot and Brooks really stepped up. I like his toughness and attitude a lot. He has a lot of MBIII in him. #21 a Safety for CMU was talking a lot of trash early in the game and doing a lot of crap after the whistle. (grabbing, wrestling, twisting, barking) Brooks started to abuse the Central Michigan D a few times for big gains and great finishes, and he was smiling a lot and talking a bit back to #21. Brooks mainly let his play do the talking though, especially when he have the "dead leg" move to #21 and gained 7 more yards after he whiffed on the tackle. If you see the replay, pay attention to what he did after gaining the first down down, to seal the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmktJdxYbcI
