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News, Notes, Tid-Bits and Quotes: Gophers Turn Focus to Little Brown Jug
By Grant Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/295072?referrer_id=388419
Following a tough 23-7 loss to the rival Iowa Hawkeyes, Jerry Kill tried to put things into perspective during his weekly media tour. Kill noticed a number of mistakes from the game but was ready to move on in preparation for another trophy opportunity against the Michigan Wolverines.
Looking Back
As Kill watched the film from Minnesota’s most recent loss, he noticed that small mistakes led to a devastating loss for the Maroon and Gold.
“You go back and watch the film and it’s never as bad as you think it is and it’s never as good as you want it to be,” said Kill. “We got beat fundamentally; the placement of hands and feet, leverage, tackling, the little things. That’s the difference between winning. It didn’t have anything to do with schemes.”
Kill noted that his team may have been overly excited prior to Saturday’s homecoming contest.
“Our kids had a great Friday night, they had a great pregame, they were ready to play,” said Kill. “I think they were so excited about playing in front of a great crowd and all that, we played about half the time out of control. That’s why we fundamentally didn’t play as good. I think we lost it mentally a little bit and just went and played so darn hard that we played out of control…We know we’re better than what we played on Saturday.”
One of the main reasons for the Gophers’ loss was the complete lack of a rushing attack. Minnesota totaled just 30 yards on 27 carries against their rivals.
“Anytime you can run the ball you’ve got a chance to win,” said Kill. “Iowa did a good job. I’ve said all along, they’re a better football team than they were a year ago…Offense comes down to good execution and we just didn’t ever get in a rhythm and execute very well.”
Although the loss was tough to swallow, Kill and the Gophers have moved on and are looking forward to their matchup with the Michigan Wolverines.
“You have to have a short-term memory and we’ve moved forward,” said. “We got everything taken care of on Sunday and put all our focus towards the University of Michigan. That’s what we’re looking forward to. We’ve got a lot of good practice planned and look forward to getting better.”
Gophers Healing
The Gophers suffered two minor injuries to their secondary against Iowa as Brock Vereen and Derrick Wells were hampered during the game. Kill expects both to practice and be prepared to play in Ann Arbor.
“They’ll both be ready to play,” said Kill. “Brock practiced on Sunday and Brock had a great game [against Iowa]. He played really well. He and Derrick both practiced Sunday. Derrick’s got a sore shoulder and in the game if you get a shoulder [injury] you’re going to have some issues. He’s got to build some strength back in it but I think he’ll be ready.”
Running back Donnell Kirkwood returned to the field for a handful of snaps against the Hawkeyes. Kill noted that it was great to have Kirkwood back in live-game situations but is unsure if his workload will increase.
“It was good to get him back in there and sweating a little bit so we’ll see how this week goes,” said Kill.
Henry Missed
Mike Henry was injured against the Hawkeyes, which was one of the reasons for Minnesota’s lack of offensive execution.
“A lot,” said Kill emphatically when asked how much the team missed having Henry in the game. “He’s going to be riding the bike [on Tuesday]. Sometimes you never know until somebody’s gone how much you miss them. We had to move people around because of his injury.”
Inexperienced Linebackers
With a number of new linebackers on Minnesota’s defense, Kill noticed a plethora of costly mistakes by the group who were inconsistent at filling the gaps in the line.
“We didn’t play very good at linebacker,” said Kill. “We’ve got to get better at that. We’ve got some young guys playing there and sometimes they looked like a million dollars and others they see an open seam and hit it and the guy bounces it outside…We’ve got to do a better job of making sure they get the repetition.”
Young Receivers Improving
One position group that impressed Kill was the wide receivers. The freshman duo of Donovahn Jones and Drew Wolitarsky saw playing time against Iowa with Wolitarsky catching his first pass of his young career.
“He’s a 225-pound wide receiver that’s trying to learn what to do,” said Kill of Wolitarsky. “Donovahn got a few snaps. They’re young players and hopefully they’ll continue to do well for us so they can continue to play. I thought the receivers played well [on Saturday].”
Quote of the Day
Kill mentioned that the Gophers had a number of chances to make plays against the Hawkeyes but failed to execute when it mattered.
“If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts; we’d all have a Merry Christmas,” said Kill. “There were chances and we didn’t take advantage of them."
By Grant Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/295072?referrer_id=388419
Following a tough 23-7 loss to the rival Iowa Hawkeyes, Jerry Kill tried to put things into perspective during his weekly media tour. Kill noticed a number of mistakes from the game but was ready to move on in preparation for another trophy opportunity against the Michigan Wolverines.
Looking Back
As Kill watched the film from Minnesota’s most recent loss, he noticed that small mistakes led to a devastating loss for the Maroon and Gold.
“You go back and watch the film and it’s never as bad as you think it is and it’s never as good as you want it to be,” said Kill. “We got beat fundamentally; the placement of hands and feet, leverage, tackling, the little things. That’s the difference between winning. It didn’t have anything to do with schemes.”
Kill noted that his team may have been overly excited prior to Saturday’s homecoming contest.
“Our kids had a great Friday night, they had a great pregame, they were ready to play,” said Kill. “I think they were so excited about playing in front of a great crowd and all that, we played about half the time out of control. That’s why we fundamentally didn’t play as good. I think we lost it mentally a little bit and just went and played so darn hard that we played out of control…We know we’re better than what we played on Saturday.”
One of the main reasons for the Gophers’ loss was the complete lack of a rushing attack. Minnesota totaled just 30 yards on 27 carries against their rivals.
“Anytime you can run the ball you’ve got a chance to win,” said Kill. “Iowa did a good job. I’ve said all along, they’re a better football team than they were a year ago…Offense comes down to good execution and we just didn’t ever get in a rhythm and execute very well.”
Although the loss was tough to swallow, Kill and the Gophers have moved on and are looking forward to their matchup with the Michigan Wolverines.
“You have to have a short-term memory and we’ve moved forward,” said. “We got everything taken care of on Sunday and put all our focus towards the University of Michigan. That’s what we’re looking forward to. We’ve got a lot of good practice planned and look forward to getting better.”
Gophers Healing
The Gophers suffered two minor injuries to their secondary against Iowa as Brock Vereen and Derrick Wells were hampered during the game. Kill expects both to practice and be prepared to play in Ann Arbor.
“They’ll both be ready to play,” said Kill. “Brock practiced on Sunday and Brock had a great game [against Iowa]. He played really well. He and Derrick both practiced Sunday. Derrick’s got a sore shoulder and in the game if you get a shoulder [injury] you’re going to have some issues. He’s got to build some strength back in it but I think he’ll be ready.”
Running back Donnell Kirkwood returned to the field for a handful of snaps against the Hawkeyes. Kill noted that it was great to have Kirkwood back in live-game situations but is unsure if his workload will increase.
“It was good to get him back in there and sweating a little bit so we’ll see how this week goes,” said Kill.
Henry Missed
Mike Henry was injured against the Hawkeyes, which was one of the reasons for Minnesota’s lack of offensive execution.
“A lot,” said Kill emphatically when asked how much the team missed having Henry in the game. “He’s going to be riding the bike [on Tuesday]. Sometimes you never know until somebody’s gone how much you miss them. We had to move people around because of his injury.”
Inexperienced Linebackers
With a number of new linebackers on Minnesota’s defense, Kill noticed a plethora of costly mistakes by the group who were inconsistent at filling the gaps in the line.
“We didn’t play very good at linebacker,” said Kill. “We’ve got to get better at that. We’ve got some young guys playing there and sometimes they looked like a million dollars and others they see an open seam and hit it and the guy bounces it outside…We’ve got to do a better job of making sure they get the repetition.”
Young Receivers Improving
One position group that impressed Kill was the wide receivers. The freshman duo of Donovahn Jones and Drew Wolitarsky saw playing time against Iowa with Wolitarsky catching his first pass of his young career.
“He’s a 225-pound wide receiver that’s trying to learn what to do,” said Kill of Wolitarsky. “Donovahn got a few snaps. They’re young players and hopefully they’ll continue to do well for us so they can continue to play. I thought the receivers played well [on Saturday].”
Quote of the Day
Kill mentioned that the Gophers had a number of chances to make plays against the Hawkeyes but failed to execute when it mattered.
“If ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts; we’d all have a Merry Christmas,” said Kill. “There were chances and we didn’t take advantage of them."