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Palermo's a great guy. i enjoyed talking to him when he first got hired and supposedly he's already made a tremendous difference with the D-line.

In addition to him, we're breaking in new Defensive Coordinator Randall McCray, who spent the past few seasons with Wisconsin. I'm hoping his past experiences against the Gophers (not to start a fight, but he's 4-0 against Minnesota in his coaching career) will help us out in planning for this game.
 

kmf2h said:
Palermo's a great guy. i enjoyed talking to him when he first got hired and supposedly he's already made a tremendous difference with the D-line.

In addition to him, we're breaking in new Defensive Coordinator Randall McCray, who spent the past few seasons with Wisconsin. I'm hoping his past experiences against the Gophers (not to start a fight, but he's 4-0 against Minnesota in his coaching career) will help us out in planning for this game.
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Sounds like this may be somewhat of a chest match. I am starting to really like the fact that we open up with a good opponent that will require gameday adjustments and strategy. Both teams will benefit from same in the conference schedule.
 

They lose to MTSU and a 4-8 or 3-9 finish is a distinct possibility.
 

jovs said:
They lose to MTSU and a 4-8 or 3-9 finish is a distinct possibility.
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I know you can give us something more than that; anything is possible dude. I'm sure you heard that before.
 

Stargenes, I've read your posts and you seem, more than any one else, to be very high on Watkins. I like him as a player and do think that he will start the first two games because of Theret's suspension and Royston's leg. Royston is still not able to run and who knows when he will be ready. He's missing the conditioning and 7 on 7's that the other players are currently participating in. With that in mind, I believe that Collado could be one of the starting safeties for the first two games. Also, do not forget about C Lewis. The person Whom I think could very well end up being the best safety is James Manuel. From what I've heard, he looks like an absolute stud and is impressing everyone so far. Brock Vareen looks like he will be a player, too. I saw Carter this morning and he has gotten a lot bigger. However, I think this year could be tough, because I do not think our offense will keep pace with the defense, but next year, with a more polished M. Gray, more talented O-line and better Rb's this team will be one of the best we've had in many years. I predict that Vareen and Carter; Manuel and Watkins will eventually become the best secondary group, as a whole, that we've ever had at the U. The same for the LB's, Tinsley, Rallis, Cooper and Beal. Bank on it!
 


kmf2h said:
As far as our lineman go, we recruit smaller, quicker lineman (not sure where you get that they're slow to be quite honest). It works for our system. There's no reason to have these big uglies who can block like there's no tomorrow. Our O-line is perfectly built for the type of system we run and they're likely going to have their best year in Stockstill's tenure.

Obviously I'm picking an MTSU victory, however it's not out of the realm of possibility for their to be a close game. To say the Gophers have this one by two scores is a bit silly, though.
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Yeah, I didn´t mean to say that they were particularly slow. They are incredibly small and should get pushed around by our linemen, who are much bigger, (and on defense, faster).

And I believe it will be a hard fought game. But again, as the game grinds into the second half the Gophers superior size (on both lines) and athleticism across the whole Defense will take control of the game. I´m not predicting a blow out. But it is certainly not silly to think the Gophers will win by 10+ points. I´d be surprised by any other outcome.
 

Dasher is legit, he will be an NFL player someday (probably not a QB). I am not sure if the MTSU front 7 is capable of playing with a Big Ten team. The gopher linebackers will be faster than any that MTSU

On one side, the team is in the Sun Belt with easy non-conference, so 10 wins is not as great as it sounds.
On the other side, How many teams have won 10 games in a season the past 10 years? You have to respect them regardless of who you play. There is a chance that we come out and dominate them, there is also a chance of them doing the same to us. Especially with so many unknowns on this gopher team. One thing I do know, if the gophers come out and dominate MTSU, they are much improved. MTSU is good enough where the gopher could not fluke their way into a blowout win.


When is the last time the gophers won by 20+?
 


I still think you guys are relying on your conference too much. Big 10 speed, strength, etc. I know the perception is that athletes in the Big 10 are better than the Sun Belt, and that's likely true for a majority of the teams. Stockstill is no slouch when it comes to recruiting, though. He's very good and smart about it. He goes after a particular type of guy that fits his system and it's done wonders.

As far as speed goes, we had one of the fastest (if not THE fastest) guys in the country last year as a true freshman. On top of that, we've got one of the fastest incoming guys in D-1 this year (4.31). We might be small, but we're fast and disciplined. Our defense will be even more disciplined this year thanks to Palermo and McCray.

Also, the speed of the Gopher defense might not be as efficient as you guys are thinking. We run an extremely fast-paced no huddle spread. We literally wear the other teams out by the second half (look at USM in the Bowl game) and we just eat away bit-by-bit until the D slips and we go for a big gain. That's the formula and it worked pretty well last season.
 



Sean Lumpkin said:
Stargenes, I've read your posts and you seem, more than any one else, to be very high on Watkins. I like him as a player and do think that he will start the first two games because of Theret's suspension and Royston's leg. Royston is still not able to run and who knows when he will be ready. He's missing the conditioning and 7 on 7's that the other players are currently participating in. With that in mind, I believe that Collado could be one of the starting safeties for the first two games. Also, do not forget about C Lewis. The person Whom I think could very well end up being the best safety is James Manuel. From what I've heard, he looks like an absolute stud and is impressing everyone so far. Brock Vareen looks like he will be a player, too. I saw Carter this morning and he has gotten a lot bigger. However, I think this year could be tough, because I do not think our offense will keep pace with the defense, but next year, with a more polished M. Gray, more talented O-line and better Rb's this team will be one of the best we've had in many years. I predict that Vareen and Carter; Manuel and Watkins will eventually become the best secondary group, as a whole, that we've ever had at the U. The same for the LB's, Tinsley, Rallis, Cooper and Beal. Bank on it!
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Its not that I am higher on Watkins than others but it may appear that I am though. I just watch too much Youtube and I get nightmares looking at Terrelle Pryor, Javid Best and others highlights showing Theret get destroyed and I just hope Watkins saves us from the same thing happenning this year. However, I must admit, there are a lot of Theret followers out there and he has done fairly well in his career at The U. But be careful what you ask for. I also like Manuel, Vareen and Bouie. Just would like to try and red-shirt as many Frosh as possible. And Collado is definitely versatile. We'll see how things work out this year, but the future definitely looks bright.
 

We'll see. Until then, I hope you don't mind if we don't quake in our boots. I don't think our defense will be worn down, we've faced fast paced offenses before. I don't think we'll be looking ahead to South Dakota, so MTSU will have our full attention. None of us are treating this game like a gimme, we just reasonable confident that we will do well. It's a good place to be, you need to respect an opponent enough that you take the game seriously, but not shake in your boots at playing them.
 

kmf2h said:
I still think you guys are relying on your conference too much. Big 10 speed, strength, etc. I know the perception is that athletes in the Big 10 are better than the Sun Belt, and that's likely true for a majority of the teams. Stockstill is no slouch when it comes to recruiting, though. He's very good and smart about it. He goes after a particular type of guy that fits his system and it's done wonders.

As far as speed goes, we had one of the fastest (if not THE fastest) guys in the country last year as a true freshman. On top of that, we've got one of the fastest incoming guys in D-1 this year (4.31). We might be small, but we're fast and disciplined. Our defense will be even more disciplined this year thanks to Palermo and McCray.

Also, the speed of the Gopher defense might not be as efficient as you guys are thinking. We run an extremely fast-paced no huddle spread. We literally wear the other teams out by the second half (look at USM in the Bowl game) and we just eat away bit-by-bit until the D slips and we go for a big gain. That's the formula and it worked pretty well last season.
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Definitely sounds like an effective game plan. Northwestern runs a similar spread but tends to be a bit more controlled. Your spread looks mor like what CMU ran (fast pace). Cosgrove and Lee will have a definite task on hand to slow you down. The Offense will have to sustain drives to keep the D fresh or Dasher will cut loose I see. Going to love this game; should be very competitive.
 

Sean Lumpkin said:
Stargenes, I've read your posts and you seem, more than any one else, to be very high on Watkins. it!
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Here is a good reason why:

Dear GI, Which players do you see making the biggest strides in the weight room between last season and the up coming season. --stlgopher

ZJ: I am sure we are just a couple of months away from hearing all the players and coaches saying they are impressed with how much bigger, faster and stronger everyone is since the end of the last season. I have been hearing that since the late 90's. Although it is pretty much true, the same can and will be said on every other college campus across the country.

Although I am not allowed to workout with the Gopher football team, I have been impressed with two individuals who redshirted last year. Both of these players came in as recruits that were going to need to add muscle to their frame to contribute at the major college leve. Kendall Gregory-McGhee came to the U as an undersized 214 pound potential defensive end. KGM now passes the eye ball test. The last time the rosters were updated on GopherSports.com he was listed at 241 pounds. I am just guessing now but I would bet by the time the season starts he will be in the 260 range.

The other redshirt freshman that has obviously bought into Coach Hill training program is Kenny Watkins. The safety from Detroit came in at 185 pounds and was listed at 187 pounds during the last roster update. However, Watkins now looks like a physical specimen and appears to be a solid 200-205 pounds.
As far as returning players, one player that definitely needed to add size to his frame was Keanon Cooper. To be an every down linebacker Cooper desperately needs to get to at least 225 pounds. Currently Cooper is the biggest he has been and it is rumored he is now just over 220 pounds.

Also, keep your eye out for a new and improved Michael Carter. Last year, as a true freshman Carter played at 145 pounds, yes that is correct 145 pounds. From what I have heard Carter is a solid 180 pounds heading into summer workouts. Gaining 35 pounds might not be believable but that is what I am hearing and I was also told that includes 5% body fat.

There are definitely a lot more that have gotten bigger, faster and stronger, but those four definitely caught my attention.
 



kmf2h said:
Palermo's a great guy. i enjoyed talking to him when he first got hired and supposedly he's already made a tremendous difference with the D-line.

In addition to him, we're breaking in new Defensive Coordinator Randall McCray, who spent the past few seasons with Wisconsin. I'm hoping his past experiences against the Gophers (not to start a fight, but he's 4-0 against Minnesota in his coaching career) will help us out in planning for this game.
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(In a whispering voice) shhh, I don't want anyone else to hear this. This is just between you and I. Most guys don't go from the Big Ten at a nationally ranked football program to..... the Sunbelt. If they do, there is a reason why. What reason do you think it is?

The other coaches that left Wisonsin in recent memory were Jim Hueber and Brian Murphy (left the same time as Palermo), they landed in the NFL with the Vikings and Kerry Cooks who landed with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. I'm not saying I'm just saying.........:confused:
 

Sportsfan24 said:
(In a whispering voice) shhh, I don't want anyone else to hear this. This is just between you and I. Most guys don't go from the Big Ten at a nationally ranked football program to..... the Sunbelt. If they do, there is a reason why. What reason do you think it is?

The other coaches that left Wisonsin in recent memory were Jim Hueber and Brian Murphy (left the same time as Palermo), they landed in the NFL with the Vikings and Kerry Cooks who landed with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. I'm not saying I'm just saying.........:confused:
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Ouch! It's True; It's True! It may just be a pit stop to keep his skills sharp. And that would make him more motivated to prove he is just as good. Uhhhhhh, can't think of anything else.
 

AhliBobwa said:
Yeah, I didn´t mean to say that they were particularly slow. They are incredibly small and should get pushed around by our linemen, who are much bigger, (and on defense, faster).
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Since I couldn't find an updated depth chart for 2010, I took the 2009 Rivals Depth Chart and updated with the 2010 weights from goblueraiders.com, subtracting seniors and placing the second string in as the starter if a senior graduated/other starter gone due to attrition.

OT Mike Williams - 260
OG Evon Lettsome - 260
C Chris Hawkins - 285
OG Brandon McLeroy 0 305
OT Mark Fisher - 272

DE Jamari Lattimore - 231
DT Dwight Smith - 272
NT Sacoby Carter - 284
DE Emmanuel Perez - 236

Compare that with our offensive and defensive lines: (note -- these are my guesses to who starts the season, not necessarily who remains the starters. I think the term "starter" is especially meaningless for our DE's where we have depth and rotate quite frequently).

OT Dom Alford - 336
OG Chris Bunders - 332
C DJ Burris - 290
OG Matt Carufel - 302
OT Jeff Wills - 365
Dark Horse - Ed Olson (OG) - 288, Brooks Michel (OT) - 295, Jimmy Gjere (OL) - 300

DE DL Wilhite - 233
DT Brandon Kirksey - 295
NT Jewhan Edwards - 333
DE Ra'Shede Hageman - 272
Dark Horses/rotation guys Matt Garin (DE) - 220, Kendall Gregory-Mcghee (DE) - 241, Anthony Jacobs (DE/DT) - 289

Looks like we have a serious, serious size advantage here...especially when pitting our offensive line against their defensive line. I like that we have some depth so that we can rotate guys in if they are getting tired against a fast paced offense. I would not be surprised at all to see us play a very grinding style of offense (at least in the first) half where we simply push the ball down the field rather than trying to get fancy and ask Adam Weber and our inexperienced WR's to do too much. I'm getting really excited.
 

So what's better? Position coach in the Big 10 or coordinator at a non-AQ school? He moved to a lower conference, but he got a promotion . . . Doesn't bother me.

Also, the size advantage might be a big deal if we were trying to run it down your throats. Since we aren't, and our QB won't take one single snap under center, it's not as much of an advantage as it looks on paper. We were "outmatched" by Maryland the past two years, too.
 

kmf2h said:
So what's better? Position coach in the Big 10 or coordinator at a non-AQ school? He moved to a lower conference, but he got a promotion . . . Doesn't bother me.

Also, the size advantage might be a big deal if we were trying to run it down your throats. Since we aren't, and our QB won't take one single snap under center, it's not as much of an advantage as it looks on paper. We were "outmatched" by Maryland the past two years, too.
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Like Deon Sanders would say, Both. Our position coaches are coordinators and assistant head coaches; an option your guy apparently did not have. Not sure why; do you know?

How did you do against Maryland and what kins of record did they end up with each year you beat them?
 

He was actually spoken very highly of leaving Wisconsin. I'm not sure of the circumstances of leaving, but he's big on family and our HC is big on coaches being able to bring their kids to the stadium for practice and such. I know Wisconsin wasn't, so that could be one issue. I'm not gonna fault the guy for it, but you can if you'd like.

And Maryland has been 9-15 over the past two seasons. Two of those 15 losses were against us. Likewise, Minnesota seems to be 13-11 in the regular season over the past two years. Not too far removed from one another.
 

Stargenes said:
Like Deon Sanders would say, Both. Our position coaches are coordinators and assistant head coaches; an option your guy apparently did not have. Not sure why; do you know?

How did you do against Maryland and what kins of record did they end up with each year you beat them?
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You have to be Bailz.:cool02:
 

kmf2h said:
He was actually spoken very highly of leaving Wisconsin. I'm not sure of the circumstances of leaving, but he's big on family and our HC is big on coaches being able to bring their kids to the stadium for practice and such. I know Wisconsin wasn't, so that could be one issue. I'm not gonna fault the guy for it, but you can if you'd like.

And Maryland has been 9-15 over the past two seasons. Two of those 15 losses were against us. Likewise, Minnesota seems to be 13-11 in the regular season over the past two years. Not too far removed from one another.
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I agree with Kmf. leaving the Big Ten for a coordinator position at a good team in a non-AQ conference is not necessarily a step down.
 

Good thing he's big on family, because people up here hate families. :rolleyes: I've always considered statements like being big on families to be rather meaningless fluff. Not letting people bring their families to practice has nothing to do with hating families, it's more a matter of treating practice like something top secret. Whether it actually makes sense to keep practices so secretive is another matter. If coaches at MTSU thought it really mattered, I doubt they would say "This is going to hurt our team, but family is so important, they can come even though it puts our team at risk".
 

kmf2h said:
So what's better? Position coach in the Big 10 or coordinator at a non-AQ school? He moved to a lower conference, but he got a promotion . . . Doesn't bother me.

Also, the size advantage might be a big deal if we were trying to run it down your throats. Since we aren't, and our QB won't take one single snap under center, it's not as much of an advantage as it looks on paper. We were "outmatched" by Maryland the past two years, too.
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Randall McCray has already answered your question. He was a D-coord at Murry State, Illinois State along with stops at Toledo and Rice. He then took a Asst coaching position at Wisconsin. I would think he could have done better than to go backwards.

Double Ditto with Palermo, I'm sure after beating Auburn in a major bowl game 5-years ago if someone would have told him he would be coaching at Middle Tennesee 5 years later (also as a d-line coach) he would have punched them.:D
 

Optimism

If there's any reason for optimism in this game it appears on the surface to me to be the MTSU defense.

In glancing at their schedule from last year, they did not completely shut down ANYBODY. Even if you want to argue that SOME of the teams on that schedule were in the neighborhood of respectable, they never gave up less than 14 points. To put it in perspective, they gave up an average of OVER 21 points per game in the games that they WON.

Not to disparage the Sunbelt Conference but if you're touting yourself as a "10-win team", you should be able to put the clamps down on the likes of 0-12 Western Kentucky or 2-10 North Texas?

I also like the fact that this will be the first game, plenty of preparation time. No doubt, the Blue Raiders will feel compelled to throw a few gadget plays at the Rodents and THAT, if anything, could swing the needle in favor of MTSU.

Bottom line; if the Rodents can rack up more than 150 yards on the ground, they should win this game. If Minny can't run the ball against these guys, they don't deserve to win this one.
 

kmf2h said:
He was actually spoken very highly of leaving Wisconsin. I'm not sure of the circumstances of leaving, but he's big on family and our HC is big on coaches being able to bring their kids to the stadium for practice and such. I know Wisconsin wasn't, so that could be one issue. I'm not gonna fault the guy for it, but you can if you'd like.

And Maryland has been 9-15 over the past two seasons. Two of those 15 losses were against us. Likewise, Minnesota seems to be 13-11 in the regular season over the past two years. Not too far removed from one another.
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9-15 in the pitiful ACC ain´t anywhere near 13-11 in the Big Ten. The Big Ten is college football´s greatest conference, and is never worse than 2nd in the overall pecking order. By far the deepest conference in America with 11 (soon to be 12) teams that can beat anyone on any given day.

Again should be a good game. But the Gophers are much bigger and faster in the in the front 7. I stated before that MTSU has major conference caliber talent and speee at the skill positions. I just believe games are ultimately won and lost in the trenches.

I just can´t believe that our improved O-line won´t be able to run the all down the throats of MTSU and control the game from that standpoint. But if we can´t then you blue raiders deserve to win.
 

Sportsfan24 said:
Randall McCray has already answered your question. He was a D-coord at Murry State, Illinois State along with stops at Toledo and Rice. He then took a Asst coaching position at Wisconsin. I would think he could have done better than to go backwards.

Double Ditto with Palermo, I'm sure after beating Auburn in a major bowl game 5-years ago if someone would have told him he would be coaching at Middle Tennesee 5 years later (also as a d-line coach) he would have punched them.:D
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Well according to this logic then what does it say about Cosgrove who was volunteering at a high school two years ago after getting canned from a better job and is now a co-coordinator. You could also add in Coach Davis who was at one time at USC. Both went from more prestigious jobs to less.
 

Sportsfan24 said:
Randall McCray has already answered your question. He was a D-coord at Murry State, Illinois State along with stops at Toledo and Rice. He then took a Asst coaching position at Wisconsin. I would think he could have done better than to go backwards.
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Jeez, the asshattery is getting thick on this topic. There is nothing "backwards" about moving from a Coordinator position at 1-AA to a position coach at a 1-A BCS school to a Coordinator position at a 1-A non-BCS school.

Sportsfan24 said:
Double Ditto with Palermo, I'm sure after beating Auburn in a major bowl game 5-years ago if someone would have told him he would be coaching at Middle Tennesee 5 years later (also as a d-line coach) he would have punched them.:D
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Palermo beat Auburn? Were you the guy who wrote Brewsters W/L record a couple years back? Regardless, Palermo was a Coordinator, not position coach, so your example doesn't even make sense.
 

GopherGod said:
Well according to this logic then what does it say about Cosgrove who was volunteering at a high school two years ago after getting canned from a better job and is now a co-coordinator. You could also add in Coach Davis who was at one time at USC. Both went from more prestigious jobs to less.
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I'm only having some fun with our opposition. I personally know both coaches and they are very good at what they do. I'm well aware of what happened to and with Palermo. While he brought it (you shouldn't verbally abuse your future boss in public) on himself, nobody can question his ability and track record as a coach.
 

GhostofBronko said:
Jeez, the asshattery is getting thick on this topic. There is nothing "backwards" about moving from a Coordinator position at 1-AA to a position coach at a 1-A BCS school to a Coordinator position at a 1-A non-BCS school.



Palermo beat Auburn? Were you the guy who wrote Brewsters W/L record a couple years back? Regardless, Palermo was a Coordinator, not position coach, so your example doesn't even make sense.
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I was only joking. I was just having some fun and friendly panter. He could have easily responded that in fact John Palermo landed with the Miami Hurricanes after he left Wisconsin before moving on to the NFL's Washington Redskins. And no he was not a D-coordinator with the Badgers (does that make sense now), he held the title Asst head coach and he coached the d-line.

John is well respected in the coaching ranks and if he wants I'm sure he could land a more prestigious job.

In the future never question my sports knowledge because I'M SPORTSFAN24 AND I KNOW ALL ABOUT SPORTS (see I'm joking again).:D
 

Sportsfan24 said:
I was only joking. I was just having some fun and friendly panter. He could have easily responded that in fact John Palermo landed with the Miami Hurricanes after he left Wisconsin before moving on to the NFL's Washington Redskins. And no he was not a D-coordinator with the Badgers (does that make sense now), he held the title Asst head coach and he coached the d-line.

John is well respected in the coaching ranks and if he wants I'm sure he could land a more prestigious job.

In the future never question my sports knowledge because I'M SPORTSFAN24 AND I KNOW ALL ABOUT SPORTS (see I'm joking again).:D
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They say a good comedian layers the jokes and slips some truth in there. Sportsfan24 really does know his stuff. But getting back to gameplanning, I still believe we have the upper hand on coaching. Don't believe me, ask Mark Dantonio. He endorsed Coach Brewster and his staff last year on Holloween. REALLY! No Joke.
 

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