Gray Adds Intrigue to Insight Bowl

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per David Shama:

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Gray Adds Intrigue to Insight Bowl

It’s likely that No. 2 quarterback MarQueis Gray will be a regular target for Adam Weber’s passes in Thursday night’s Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. Gophers coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners that the 6-4, 222-pound freshman will play both wide receiver and quarterback in the game against Iowa State.

“He is going to be a heck of a quarterback (one day) for us and in this game, he’s also going to be a wide receiver,” Brewster said. “We’re just going to do our best to utilize the things he can do to help us.”

Gray is probably the best athlete on the team. In limited play at both quarterback and wide receiver this season, he has rushed for 243 yards, passed for 51 yards on 13 attempts and had four receptions producing 21 yards and a touchdown.

Gray could even start the game at wide receiver and might finish among the team leaders in total receptions. He’s a potential production booster for a Gophers offense that didn’t have a single touchdown running or passing in the team’s last two regular season games.

The Gophers hope to duplicate the offensive results of earlier in the season as in the Michigan State game when they had 505 yards in total offense in a 42-34 win over the Spartans. “We were an outstanding offensive football team this year in certain games, and we were a poor offensive football team in others,” Brewster said. “The strive is for consistency.”

Brewster likes the preparation of his team for the bowl game including Weber who has been inconsistent this season. The Gophers, who arrived in Tempe on Christmas Day, will be a slight favorite to beat an Iowa State team that has the same record as Minnesota, 6-6.

Brewster’s to-do list after the Insight Bowl is expected to include continued discussions with athletic director Joel Maturi about a contract extension, and attending the BCS national championship game. Brewster has two years remaining on his original five year deal and an extension will help him recruit more effectively.

The bowl game? Brewster and his family will be in Pasadena on January 7 to watch son Nolan and his Texas teammates play Alabama for the national championship. He is a sophomore reserve safety for the Longhorns. Brewster said his son participates in 40 or more plays a game on special teams and at safety.

Go Gophers!!
 

Anybody else find this really weird? He's played QB all year and will compete next year for the starting QB job. But for a month he will prepare as a WR for a meaningless bowl game.
 

agree

I do agree that it is a little weird for him to be working at wide receiver. I've been thinking that he is losing some prep that could help him at QB. However, the more I thought about it the more I thought it might help him become a better QB because he would understand the receiver responsibilities more.
 

Remember Weber will be a senior and have a full year with this offense. With his preperation and review of the offense this winter, work in the spring and summer, I suspect he will win the job and look good doing it. Then what to do with Grey?......having him play some at receiver gives the offense a different dimmension, especially in the red zone when a tall receiver really helps. Also keeps Grey involved (and somewhat happy).
 

Gray is a multi-talented guy, he has shown ability to run, catch, and throw.
It's all about getting the best players on the field, and yes, Weber is one of our best players.

Gray will still play QB, WR reps don't diminish his learning the offense, in fact I would bet it helps.
He will compete at QB in the spring and the best man will emerge.

I'd also be careful to downplay the importance of the bowl game, which is not meaningless.
These players and coaches have something to prove, and I would imagine they are restless for a satisfying win after the last month of the season combined with the offseason time.
 


I am not an Xs and Os wizard, but wouldn’t there be a benefit from a strategy/personnel standpoint if Gray was more of an every down player, even if the majority of those snaps came at receiver? Often this year Gray would come in off the sidelines to be the QB and the defense would be able to adjust to his presence. If he was always on the field, it would seem to me that it would make those adjustments more difficult, especially if we worked in an occasional no huddle or quick tempo sequence. Weber could stay in at receiver (or come out in favor of another receiver, although that seems to add time for a defense to adjust). Am I wrong that such a scheme might have the potential to cause problems for a defense?
 



Weber should NEVER line up at WR....it's a waste of a player and a defensive tackle would have no problem covering him.

As far as Gray goes...he'll practice with the first team at WR and then he'll do his regular reps at QB with the second team. reps, reps, reps.
 



I'd like to see a few series with no Weber, Bennett, Eskridge or Whaley out there....I'd like to see Stoudermire line up at RB with Gray at QB.
 

GoGophers2005 said:
Weber should NEVER line up at WR....it's a waste of a player and a defensive tackle would have no problem covering him.

As far as Gray goes...he'll practice with the first team at WR and then he'll do his regular reps at QB with the second team. reps, reps, reps.
Click to expand...

I see you have an axe to grind with Weber, but if Gray wins the QB battle next year, they WILL be using Weber at WR to mix things up. Not every down, not as an electrifying downfield threat, but he'll be involved from time to time. We'll see who does his homework this offseason and emerges after next spring.
 

Ole said:
I see you have an axe to grind with Weber, but if Gray wins the QB battle next year, they WILL be using Weber at WR to mix things up. Not every down, not as an electrifying downfield threat, but he'll be involved from time to time. We'll see who does his homework this offseason and emerges after next spring.
Click to expand...


You're probably right that if Gray wins the job, Weber will line up as a WR sometimes next season. But whoever gets the majority of snaps next season, we will almost definitely see Gray line up as a receiver quite a few times.

I love the idea of using Gray as a WR. You can't be sure they'll use him like this, but next year, teams will have to scheme for at least 2 very different QBs, often on the field at the same time, and one of them likely a capable receiving threat. Then, down the line, it will help Alipate or other players get reps at QB with the (hopeful) starter and leader of the offense on the field as a wideout...and again making sure opposing defenses need to be ready for two very different QBs. The potential benefits of having this flexibility are pretty appealing.
 

I know this much, Gray looked very impressive running routes during practice the last few weeks. He ran a lot of quick slants and bubble screen type of passes and he is a load to tackle once he gets the ball in his hands. It will be interesting to see how it works out Thursday.
 



This is a ruse for ISU prep. I do expect to see Weber run the option more and more and this game might be the start of it.
 


Considering the number of people claiming Brewster should be fired or at least not get an extension if he doesn't win the bowl game, I think it makes sense from the coach's perspective to get your best athletes out there in some capacity. It's not a meaningless game.

As I recall crisp route-running hasn't exactly been something we've had an overabundance of this year. If Gray can run some good routes, who knows, maybe Weber's passing numbers will look a little better too.
 

I think it's better that Gray is on the field more. The defenses will have a tougher time knowing when he might line up at center. Til now everyone knew if he was in the game he was going to get the ball in some capacity.
 

91 CLA Grad said:
Considering the number of people claiming Brewster should be fired or at least not get an extension if he doesn't win the bowl game, I think it makes sense from the coach's perspective to get your best athletes out there in some capacity. It's not a meaningless game.

As I recall crisp route-running hasn't exactly been something we've had an overabundance of this year. If Gray can run some good routes, who knows, maybe Weber's passing numbers will look a little better too.
Click to expand...

Agree on the meaning of the game.

I'm confident that next year, the route running will be better; maybe even better in the bowl game. Most of Fisch's routes are based on reads, which makes it hard for the QB and receiver to be in sync. The more they work at it, the better it will get.
 

I'd like to see some option thrown into the mix. It's not normally part of a pro offense, but it works in college football. I'd love to see them line up for a couple plays in the Wishbone!
 

I like Gray playing WR for the bowl game. This offense depends on a pre-snap read for both the QB & receiver. Gray getting a look at reads on the WR side might help him as a QB.
 

I don't have an axe to grind with Weber at all. If we are going to use both Gray and Weber on the field at the same time it only makes sense for Weber to be under center. He is not athletic enough to be anywhere else.
 

This whole thing is like the Twilight Zone and the biggest concern I have about our coaching situation. Let's see, Gray is likely our most talented athlete so we can play him almost anywhere. He's a potential gamebuster from a variety of positions. We must ramp up our offensive production by finding places for him on the field when the ball is snapped. Fine, we're tracking so far. My question is, why was all this not true beginning last September? The answer creates a bleak picture of our QB situation, but I'll let you all chew at it a bit.
 

I think they had a development plan for Gray. They've completed it for the year.

Do you really think they ever brought him in this year for tactical reasons?? He had an assignment. he was put in to make a certain type of a read for a specific situation. it's why he always seemed to do the same thing when he came in.

"Today we are going to work on this, this is what you'll watch for, and then you'll do this. I'll get you into the game in those situations and you make the right choices." an imagined conversation between Fisch and Gray.
 

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