BleedGopher
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per ESPN:
Life as a marked man can take a toll on personal numbers, but Theiren Cockran has no problem with the new math that came with becoming a target for offensive linemen.
The Minnesota defensive end watched his sacks total drop. He wasn’t around the ball as often to chip in as many tackles for loss last season following his breakout campaign as a sophomore. And in the process, the preseason hype and the awards spotlight dwindled as well.
But measuring his impact isn’t really possible with individual statistics, and with more on-field attention directed at Cockran, the Gophers around him more than picked up the slack on a unit that collectively was significantly improved. And if it takes some sort of statistical sacrifice to keep Minnesota in the picture as a Big Ten contender again this season, that equation works just fine for the rising senior heading into his final spring practice at Minnesota.
“When teams key on you a little bit, when they notice you have had a little success or something like that, they start to focus on you more,” Cockran said. “So, if you look at the stats, it might take away from them a bit. But the other part is that if you’re getting double-teamed, somebody is getting open.
“Some things changed, but there was nothing bad about it. I feel like it was a great year.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...heiren-cockran-looking-to-finish-on-good-note
Go Gophers!!
Life as a marked man can take a toll on personal numbers, but Theiren Cockran has no problem with the new math that came with becoming a target for offensive linemen.
The Minnesota defensive end watched his sacks total drop. He wasn’t around the ball as often to chip in as many tackles for loss last season following his breakout campaign as a sophomore. And in the process, the preseason hype and the awards spotlight dwindled as well.
But measuring his impact isn’t really possible with individual statistics, and with more on-field attention directed at Cockran, the Gophers around him more than picked up the slack on a unit that collectively was significantly improved. And if it takes some sort of statistical sacrifice to keep Minnesota in the picture as a Big Ten contender again this season, that equation works just fine for the rising senior heading into his final spring practice at Minnesota.
“When teams key on you a little bit, when they notice you have had a little success or something like that, they start to focus on you more,” Cockran said. “So, if you look at the stats, it might take away from them a bit. But the other part is that if you’re getting double-teamed, somebody is getting open.
“Some things changed, but there was nothing bad about it. I feel like it was a great year.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post...heiren-cockran-looking-to-finish-on-good-note
Go Gophers!!