The following are Tracy Claeys comments to Sid and Dave's queries on today's Sports Huddle after Saturday's big win over Nebraska:
1) Dave opened the show mentioning that Nebraska had two weeks to prepare for yesterday's game: Tracy acknowledged the fact that Nebraska had a bye week; however, he immediately complimented the fans, "Great atmosphere - less Red in the stadium." He went on, "Kids played well, especially coming back from 10 down." The Gophers outscored the Cornhuskers 34-11 after the Cornhuskers jumped out to an early lead (first two possessions of Nebraska led to their early lead).
A few questions later, Tracy Claeys had additional comments about the crowd and the role they played in the victory. He said they were so loud, it was hard for the Gopher defense to hear their audibles at the line of scrimmage; however, he then said, the crowd had a lot to do with Nebraska feeling uncomfortable on offense: "If we couldn't hear our audibles on defense, they couldn't hear their audibles on offense."
He then talked about the importance of winning and getting more fans in the stands, "Win more and fill up the stadium with our fans and reduce the opposing fans."
As to the bye week, Claeys said Minnesota's week off after the Michigan game: "I think it came at a good time . . . (we) worked on fundamentals . . . we have a chance with teams on our schedule."
2) Sid made the comment that Jerry's presence had to be a big help in yesterday's game: Tracy replied, "No doubt." He added, "I'm a little uncomfortable, it's Jerry's team . . . he's the reason why we got here and the reason we'll turn this program around."
Tracy said Jerry had been around the team and with the coaches all week - as much as the medical professionals would allow.
3) Sid mentioned the play of the offensive line, yesterday: "Limegrover challenged them upfront . . . stop penetrations (by the defensive line)."
He also credited David Cobb's running and the patience he showed when carrying the ball. He would wait and hit the hole as it developed (not running into a pile of bodies). Tracy said the Nebraska defensive line was squeezing down the Minnesota blocks; however, Cobb took his time and was able to hit the openings that developed.
4) Sid said he thought Minnesota's defensive backs had a good game: Claeys remarked, "(Eric) Murray did a good job on Kenny Bell after the (Bell's) big catch on the first drive."
Overall, he thought the secondary had a good game defending the pass and in making adjustments (defensive schemes). However, he also acknowledged that Nebraska's receivers dropped some passes, which was very beneficial. Minnesota also played some zone and then switched to man coverage, said Claeys.
Claeys praised the defensive line's pass rush, which always helps the secondary. Minnesota's sacks of Martinez and his hurried passes helped to get the defense off the field. (Several three and out in the second half.)
5) Sid cited the play of Ra'Shede Hageman: Nebraska had lost their starter ("best lineman") opposite Hageman and played one-on-one: "I wouldn't want to play one-on-one with Ra'Shede," replied Claeys. Ra'Shede was in Nebraska's backfield with sacks and causing Martinez to pass before he had time to set up.
6) Dave mentioned the play of Donavahn Jones, the "jet sweep," 3-man shifts, the wildcat play with Donavahn Jones and Nelson then getting under center for a quick snap that led to a touchdown, and the play of Drew Goodger: Claeys specifically mentioned the play in which Ben Lauer went out as though he was an eligible receiver, which he was not. He said they did a lot of shifting/motion which caused the Nebraska defense to hesitate enough to allow the backs to run effectively. Additionally, the tight ends would act as though they were blocking (hesitation on Nebraska's part) and would slip out and be open for passes from Nelson.
He closed the question by saying they studied the film of Nebraska's game with Wisconsin last year and they developed some of their schemes (shifts, motion, etc. from the film).
7) Mona mentioned the injuries that Nebraska sustained in yesterday's game: Claeys said the players also noticed during the injury timeouts that they were for the Nebraska players. Minnesota physical play was taking a toll on the Cornhuskers. (In past games, especially last year, the opposite was the case.)
8) Mona cited the play of Donavahn Jones: Claeys replied, "He's a tremendous athlete . . . QB in high school has moved to wide receiver." He cited Jones speed and reading of the field when they ran the "Jet Sweep." He also said Jones has great hands in catching the ball and that they plan to get him the ball more in future games.
9) Mona mentioned redshirt Berkley Edwards and hopefully he 'll remind us of Nebraska's Abdullah: Claeys said that would be nice; however, his remarks were spent on Minnesota's holding the ball yesterday. The defense held Nebraska to sixty snaps; whereas they had been averaging about 85 snaps per game. Possession time was in Minnesota's favor by a large margin, as a result.
Minnesota averaged 7 1/2 on first down, which helped keep the Nebraska defense off-balance: "We hit them as they were going backwards." He was pleased with Minnesota's physical play in the line on both sides of the ball.
10) Sid asked about injuries: Claeys said, "We came out of the game pretty good." He didn't sound concerned about injuries. They'll get an injury report around three o'clock this afternoon.
11) Sid asked about next week's opponent, Indiana: Claeys said the offense will be a big part of the defense - keeping the Hossier offense on the sidelines, "They're scary on offense." He said Indiana is explosive and plays a no huddle, two quarterback offense. He added, "(The game) will come down to tackling in space." The Gophers must avoid giving up big plays and allowing the receivers to catch the ball in space and break tackles for long gains.
12) Dave Mona mentioned breaking a long losing streak against Nebraska: Claeys said they've told the players they're not responsible for what has happened in the past at Minnesota, "We've only been here a couple years . . . the past is not us." He added, the team that shows up and executes are the teams that win.
13) Mona mentioned the fact that Minnesota is bowl eligible in October: Claeys said last year was big year because of being bowl eligible, which didn't occur until late November. He also said, "If they (team) take time in preparation, we've got more wins in us . . . (the fans) they'll be rewarded." In his comment, IMO, he was referring to a good bowl for the Gophers, if they win some more games in the next few weeks. He expressed his appreciation for the fan support that they've received.
Go Gophers!!
1) Dave opened the show mentioning that Nebraska had two weeks to prepare for yesterday's game: Tracy acknowledged the fact that Nebraska had a bye week; however, he immediately complimented the fans, "Great atmosphere - less Red in the stadium." He went on, "Kids played well, especially coming back from 10 down." The Gophers outscored the Cornhuskers 34-11 after the Cornhuskers jumped out to an early lead (first two possessions of Nebraska led to their early lead).
A few questions later, Tracy Claeys had additional comments about the crowd and the role they played in the victory. He said they were so loud, it was hard for the Gopher defense to hear their audibles at the line of scrimmage; however, he then said, the crowd had a lot to do with Nebraska feeling uncomfortable on offense: "If we couldn't hear our audibles on defense, they couldn't hear their audibles on offense."
He then talked about the importance of winning and getting more fans in the stands, "Win more and fill up the stadium with our fans and reduce the opposing fans."
As to the bye week, Claeys said Minnesota's week off after the Michigan game: "I think it came at a good time . . . (we) worked on fundamentals . . . we have a chance with teams on our schedule."
2) Sid made the comment that Jerry's presence had to be a big help in yesterday's game: Tracy replied, "No doubt." He added, "I'm a little uncomfortable, it's Jerry's team . . . he's the reason why we got here and the reason we'll turn this program around."
Tracy said Jerry had been around the team and with the coaches all week - as much as the medical professionals would allow.
3) Sid mentioned the play of the offensive line, yesterday: "Limegrover challenged them upfront . . . stop penetrations (by the defensive line)."
He also credited David Cobb's running and the patience he showed when carrying the ball. He would wait and hit the hole as it developed (not running into a pile of bodies). Tracy said the Nebraska defensive line was squeezing down the Minnesota blocks; however, Cobb took his time and was able to hit the openings that developed.
4) Sid said he thought Minnesota's defensive backs had a good game: Claeys remarked, "(Eric) Murray did a good job on Kenny Bell after the (Bell's) big catch on the first drive."
Overall, he thought the secondary had a good game defending the pass and in making adjustments (defensive schemes). However, he also acknowledged that Nebraska's receivers dropped some passes, which was very beneficial. Minnesota also played some zone and then switched to man coverage, said Claeys.
Claeys praised the defensive line's pass rush, which always helps the secondary. Minnesota's sacks of Martinez and his hurried passes helped to get the defense off the field. (Several three and out in the second half.)
5) Sid cited the play of Ra'Shede Hageman: Nebraska had lost their starter ("best lineman") opposite Hageman and played one-on-one: "I wouldn't want to play one-on-one with Ra'Shede," replied Claeys. Ra'Shede was in Nebraska's backfield with sacks and causing Martinez to pass before he had time to set up.
6) Dave mentioned the play of Donavahn Jones, the "jet sweep," 3-man shifts, the wildcat play with Donavahn Jones and Nelson then getting under center for a quick snap that led to a touchdown, and the play of Drew Goodger: Claeys specifically mentioned the play in which Ben Lauer went out as though he was an eligible receiver, which he was not. He said they did a lot of shifting/motion which caused the Nebraska defense to hesitate enough to allow the backs to run effectively. Additionally, the tight ends would act as though they were blocking (hesitation on Nebraska's part) and would slip out and be open for passes from Nelson.
He closed the question by saying they studied the film of Nebraska's game with Wisconsin last year and they developed some of their schemes (shifts, motion, etc. from the film).
7) Mona mentioned the injuries that Nebraska sustained in yesterday's game: Claeys said the players also noticed during the injury timeouts that they were for the Nebraska players. Minnesota physical play was taking a toll on the Cornhuskers. (In past games, especially last year, the opposite was the case.)
8) Mona cited the play of Donavahn Jones: Claeys replied, "He's a tremendous athlete . . . QB in high school has moved to wide receiver." He cited Jones speed and reading of the field when they ran the "Jet Sweep." He also said Jones has great hands in catching the ball and that they plan to get him the ball more in future games.
9) Mona mentioned redshirt Berkley Edwards and hopefully he 'll remind us of Nebraska's Abdullah: Claeys said that would be nice; however, his remarks were spent on Minnesota's holding the ball yesterday. The defense held Nebraska to sixty snaps; whereas they had been averaging about 85 snaps per game. Possession time was in Minnesota's favor by a large margin, as a result.
Minnesota averaged 7 1/2 on first down, which helped keep the Nebraska defense off-balance: "We hit them as they were going backwards." He was pleased with Minnesota's physical play in the line on both sides of the ball.
10) Sid asked about injuries: Claeys said, "We came out of the game pretty good." He didn't sound concerned about injuries. They'll get an injury report around three o'clock this afternoon.
11) Sid asked about next week's opponent, Indiana: Claeys said the offense will be a big part of the defense - keeping the Hossier offense on the sidelines, "They're scary on offense." He said Indiana is explosive and plays a no huddle, two quarterback offense. He added, "(The game) will come down to tackling in space." The Gophers must avoid giving up big plays and allowing the receivers to catch the ball in space and break tackles for long gains.
12) Dave Mona mentioned breaking a long losing streak against Nebraska: Claeys said they've told the players they're not responsible for what has happened in the past at Minnesota, "We've only been here a couple years . . . the past is not us." He added, the team that shows up and executes are the teams that win.
13) Mona mentioned the fact that Minnesota is bowl eligible in October: Claeys said last year was big year because of being bowl eligible, which didn't occur until late November. He also said, "If they (team) take time in preparation, we've got more wins in us . . . (the fans) they'll be rewarded." In his comment, IMO, he was referring to a good bowl for the Gophers, if they win some more games in the next few weeks. He expressed his appreciation for the fan support that they've received.
Go Gophers!!
