Official 2013 Gopher Fall Camp Thread: Updates, Analysis, Links, etc.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Back at <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> practice. Kill calling this week a critical stretch of camp. 2nd scrimmage tomorrow, will be key to sorting lineup out</p>— Nate Sandell (@NSandell) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSandell/statuses/367785277630451713">August 14, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>CB Briean Boddy is going get a big opportunity to play this season, especially in nickel situations. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a></p>— Nate Sandell (@NSandell) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSandell/statuses/365665391508336641">August 9, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> coaches continue to rave about freshman RB Berkley Edwards. He'll get a look with the 1's and 2's in Thursday's scrimmage.</p>— JoeChristensen (@JoeCStrib) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeCStrib/statuses/367798693140783105">August 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>And here's Kill on freshman DE Hank Ekpe: "Every day, Hank steps on the field, he gets five pounds bigger and faster and stronger."</p>— JoeChristensen (@JoeCStrib) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeCStrib/statuses/367800094868783104">August 15, 2013</a></blockquote>
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AP: Minnesota momentum? Gophers feel good about progress, following bowl loss and 6-7 finish

After back-to-back 3-9 finishes, the Gophers won all four of their nonconference contests in 2012, blew out Purdue and beat Illinois on the road to return to the postseason with a decent showing against Texas Tech. In coach Jerry Kill’s third year, though, another 2-6 record in Big Ten play won’t perpetuate any optimism, no matter how competitive they might be or how tough the opponents are.

“The next step is we need to keep climbing the mountain,” Kill said, declining to specify a tangible measure of success for Minnesota this season.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...00dfe8-052a-11e3-bfc5-406b928603b2_story.html

Go Gophers!!
 


Lindy's: Big Ten preview: Minnesota

KEYS TO SUCCESS: The Gophers must find a replacement for quarterback MarQueis Gray, who was a dual threat before being injured early last season. Philip Nelson took over after Gray went down and appears to have fought off a challenge from Mitch Leidner for the starting job. Nelson started the final seven games last season as a freshman, but Leidner looked good at times during fall camp. The coaching staff may decide to go with both quarterbacks in some games. The offensive line, which has been battered by injuries the last two seasons, must stay healthy and develop some continuity. The defense, which gives up too many points against powerful Big Ten teams, must start holding its own on the line of scrimmage. The Gophers won’t match up talent-wise against most of their conference opponents. That’s why it will be important for the special teams to make a big impact.

http://lindyssports.com/college-foo...cle/headline/big-ten-preview-minnesota/122906

Go Gophers!!
 

PiPress: Gophers football: Mitch Leidner proving he belongs at quarterback

"He's still learning as we go," Kill said. "He needs this next week or two more than anybody does, to get him to where he's not thinking. For Philip, it's been a little bit faster, because he's done some of it. Mitch, there's no question about his skill level. But getting him comfortable, that's a real important thing to what we do."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci...rce=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
 

ESPN Big Ten Blog Minnesota Preview:

"The offense is shaping up to be somewhat impressive, but there are also a lot of gaps at crucial positions. The individual skill of Hageman and a few other players could land them on some All-Big Ten teams, but there just isn’t enough talent to go around to really lift this team into the upper echelon of Big Ten football quite yet."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/81288/minnesota-season-preview
 

sorry for the tardiness but I headed up north after the scrimmage last Saturday and forgot to post these first. Just got back in town and figured what the hell might as well post them and yes I didn't proof read and yes I say beast a lot.



Fall scrimmage notes:







Feel better about the season after seeing the scrimmage.







Our defense is really starting to look like it could carry us to a surprising season and we have capable LB's to fill in. Phil looked a lot more confident, consistent, and appeared to be the leader that the QB needs to be, and the overall athleticism and depth is leaps and bounds ahead of any Gopher team in the last 5 or so years. Incoming freshmen are more physically/athletically ahead of any class I can remember.







Still worry about if we will be able to score enough points offensively if we can't find ways to be more vertical with the ball. Our WR's and TE's couldn't get any separation and I lack confidence that if they do our QB(s) can hit them consistently. Luckily with Edwards now in our RB stable I'm less concerned, he can hopefully be the guy to provide the long, explosive plays on the ground to make up for the potential shortage of those through the air this year (could have pulled way ahead on TT in the bowl game if some of those long runs are TDs like they should have been). On the other hand, our running game looks like it could be something special and remind fans of years past and our offense will be a run to set up the pass and PA type of operation.







Most impressive player: TC. He is really starting to play like the stud he looks like and who we all want him to be. Was getting to the QB with different techniques, speed rush, spin, using his length and improving strength, most of it going against Campion.







Player who needs to step it up: Could go with E. Olson or even T.Olson but I'll go with Andre, he looks like a beast and is for sure the only WR on the roster with the potential to be that go-to big dominant WR that scares defenses but he didn't get any run with the 1s (could be wrong) and didn't go after a couple of balls aggressively enough and looked tentative going over the middle on routes. Also miss timed a ball/jump and on a different pass Marcus Jones made a nice play to break up a deep ball but I think Andre should not even let that be a possibility and go up and get it himself over a much smaller db like Jones. Still believe he will get it all figured out and be the guy come kick off for the UNLV game, he is after all still working himself back from his time away from the squad.







Most impressive group: DL. They had a really good day today. TC, Ameafula(sp), & Keith were getting after the QB all day. The DT position is really talented and deeper this year than I think people give them credit for. Roland, Timms were better and bigger than I remember and add in Botti and Ekype providing talent in the rotation behind Optimus & things look promising inside to say the least. Not to mention Owen, Hank and Peppers were better than people have advertised IMO, Peppers is easily big enough to play right now and most surprising frosh on the defensive side to us. All 3 showed flashes during the scrimmage and look talented enough and physically ready to play this year so red-shirting them could be tough.







Least impressive group: See vertical passing game WRs and TEs. Could include C in here as well because like Spring ball there was once again multiple really bad snaps that weren't even close to the QB.







Incoming recruit/random notes:







Wozniak stands out like I expected he would but man he is a lot more athletic and jacked than I thought possible for a 6-10ish frosh TE. Alligator armed a ball here and there but was surprised at his route running and athleticism on the line and I go back and forth on whether they should use him this year as a red-zone threat, he certainly could RS behind all our other talented TEs. I didn't see much if he actually is good at going up and getting the ball but with his height I can't imagine he wouldn't be able to beat dbs and grab his share of jump ball TDs.







Mayes, Peppers are huge.







Jones is a physical beast and a QB who can tuck it and run like hell but I didn't see much else to keep him at QB this year. He looked rawer than raw at WR but his natural athleticism when he split out there was very evident.







Strevy is more of a QB prospect to me than Jones based off today. His speed around the edge for the long TD run was right in front of us and boy that kid can fly.







McGee (sp) was all over the place from his Safety spot, could use a RS to have a year with Klein.







Woli is way bigger than I expected, he has spent his fair share of time in the weight room and stands out next to the other WRs.







And I can't believe I haven't mentioned the new LBs yet. Campbell is as advertised, still thinking a little bit but I think we will see a lot of big plays from him the next few years based solely on how big and fast he is now and after some more time with Klein he could be special.







Wilson is huge and looks like he loves contact. I expect him to be our starting MLB by UNLV but if not then he will be by the end of the year with his aggressiveness and attacking the line kind of play coming in handy big time for B1G season.







We didn't see any kicking but standing next to Santoso your jaw drops a little bit that he is a kicker. Looked stronger/leaner than expected, really would have liked to see him kick today.
 




good notes from Joe C on today's scrimmage:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/219815921.html

I don't know if Kill and company are teasing me, but nobody seems to have been praised more than D Campbell and, in my opinion, there has been no other position in greater need of praise-worthy players. Very excited about this.

That did it! I have no choice but to sign up for the Goal Line Club's lunch at Jax's on Wednesday the 28th. I need another Gopher football fix and I need it before the 29th. I am going to do it right now after I post this.
 

That did it! I have no choice but to sign up for the Goal Line Club's lunch at Jax's on Wednesday the 28th. I need another Gopher football fix and I need it before the 29th. I am going to do right now.

I did it and they had some interesting ads at their site. Check it out and see what you think.

http://goallineclub.com/
 

Actually, Wozniak made a very difficult catch in a practice last week. He was dropping balls in pre game drills and dropped that long pass. Just a bad day, I suspect. He does need to get stronger and quicker but has some potential.

sorry for the tardiness but I headed up north after the scrimmage last Saturday and forgot to post these first. Just got back in town and figured what the hell might as well post them and yes I didn't proof read and yes I say beast a lot.



Fall scrimmage notes:







Feel better about the season after seeing the scrimmage.







Our defense is really starting to look like it could carry us to a surprising season and we have capable LB's to fill in. Phil looked a lot more confident, consistent, and appeared to be the leader that the QB needs to be, and the overall athleticism and depth is leaps and bounds ahead of any Gopher team in the last 5 or so years. Incoming freshmen are more physically/athletically ahead of any class I can remember.







Still worry about if we will be able to score enough points offensively if we can't find ways to be more vertical with the ball. Our WR's and TE's couldn't get any separation and I lack confidence that if they do our QB(s) can hit them consistently. Luckily with Edwards now in our RB stable I'm less concerned, he can hopefully be the guy to provide the long, explosive plays on the ground to make up for the potential shortage of those through the air this year (could have pulled way ahead on TT in the bowl game if some of those long runs are TDs like they should have been). On the other hand, our running game looks like it could be something special and remind fans of years past and our offense will be a run to set up the pass and PA type of operation.







Most impressive player: TC. He is really starting to play like the stud he looks like and who we all want him to be. Was getting to the QB with different techniques, speed rush, spin, using his length and improving strength, most of it going against Campion.







Player who needs to step it up: Could go with E. Olson or even T.Olson but I'll go with Andre, he looks like a beast and is for sure the only WR on the roster with the potential to be that go-to big dominant WR that scares defenses but he didn't get any run with the 1s (could be wrong) and didn't go after a couple of balls aggressively enough and looked tentative going over the middle on routes. Also miss timed a ball/jump and on a different pass Marcus Jones made a nice play to break up a deep ball but I think Andre should not even let that be a possibility and go up and get it himself over a much smaller db like Jones. Still believe he will get it all figured out and be the guy come kick off for the UNLV game, he is after all still working himself back from his time away from the squad.







Most impressive group: DL. They had a really good day today. TC, Ameafula(sp), & Keith were getting after the QB all day. The DT position is really talented and deeper this year than I think people give them credit for. Roland, Timms were better and bigger than I remember and add in Botti and Ekype providing talent in the rotation behind Optimus & things look promising inside to say the least. Not to mention Owen, Hank and Peppers were better than people have advertised IMO, Peppers is easily big enough to play right now and most surprising frosh on the defensive side to us. All 3 showed flashes during the scrimmage and look talented enough and physically ready to play this year so red-shirting them could be tough.







Least impressive group: See vertical passing game WRs and TEs. Could include C in here as well because like Spring ball there was once again multiple really bad snaps that weren't even close to the QB.







Incoming recruit/random notes:







Wozniak stands out like I expected he would but man he is a lot more athletic and jacked than I thought possible for a 6-10ish frosh TE. Alligator armed a ball here and there but was surprised at his route running and athleticism on the line and I go back and forth on whether they should use him this year as a red-zone threat, he certainly could RS behind all our other talented TEs. I didn't see much if he actually is good at going up and getting the ball but with his height I can't imagine he wouldn't be able to beat dbs and grab his share of jump ball TDs.







Mayes, Peppers are huge.







Jones is a physical beast and a QB who can tuck it and run like hell but I didn't see much else to keep him at QB this year. He looked rawer than raw at WR but his natural athleticism when he split out there was very evident.







Strevy is more of a QB prospect to me than Jones based off today. His speed around the edge for the long TD run was right in front of us and boy that kid can fly.







McGee (sp) was all over the place from his Safety spot, could use a RS to have a year with Klein.







Woli is way bigger than I expected, he has spent his fair share of time in the weight room and stands out next to the other WRs.







And I can't believe I haven't mentioned the new LBs yet. Campbell is as advertised, still thinking a little bit but I think we will see a lot of big plays from him the next few years based solely on how big and fast he is now and after some more time with Klein he could be special.







Wilson is huge and looks like he loves contact. I expect him to be our starting MLB by UNLV but if not then he will be by the end of the year with his aggressiveness and attacking the line kind of play coming in handy big time for B1G season.







We didn't see any kicking but standing next to Santoso your jaw drops a little bit that he is a kicker. Looked stronger/leaner than expected, really would have liked to see him kick today.
 




It looks like Wilson, Hill, and Campbell will be your opening night starters at LB.
 

Gopher fall camp Day 12: Several key freshmen getting closer looks

by Nate Sandell

MINNEAPOLIS -- As Minnesota Gophers fall camp nears its two-week mark, depth chart decisions are starting to take form.

Saturday's full scrimmage, the Gophers' first of camp, was a key step in the process of sorting through the team's younger players and determining who has an opportunity to play right away this season or who will likely redshirt.

After evaluating the practice film from Saturday, the coaching staff pinpointed several freshmen who will get reps with the first and second team offenses/defenses on Thursday morning in the Gophers' second scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium.

Among those who will be getting closer look are a pair of freshmen in the secondary. Safety Daletavious McGhee and cornerback Jalen Myrick both are being pinpointed as possibilities to work into the backend of the Gophers' secondary.

McGhee, who defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said has "played awfully well," has spent the majority of camp learning the defense with the third team unit.

The Georgia native hasn't been immune to the typical freshman learning curve. In Saturday's scrimmage, McGhee and fellow freshman safety Adekunle Ayinde were caught coming inside the defensive box too aggressively and were burned on a 70-yard run by freshman running back Berkley Edwards.

But instead of shaking his head at the mistake, Claeys saw it more as a positive that his incoming safeties were showing a level of aggression one cannot always teach.

"When they're young I just want to know if they'll bite, and those two kids will bite," Claeys said after practice Wednesday.

Coming in at 5-foot-10, 200-pounds, Myrick has the size to develop into a physical corner similar to what the Gophers have now in locked-in starter Derrick Wells. Myrick has also being playing down in the secondary as a nickel corner, given he has the physicality to go with the speed needed blitz in the way Claeys likes to do in nickel packages.

While the coaching staff won't make any definitive statements, freshman defensive end Hendrick Ekpe, brother of defensive tackle Scott Ekpe, is a pretty safe bet to not take a redshirt this season. Up close to 30 pounds from where he was in the spring, Ekpe has been gaining consistent recognition for his progress. Look for the Gophers to continue throwing reps his way.

Demaris Peppers, another freshman on the D-line, has missed some practice time recently due to illness, but Claeys still wants to see how he matches up against the top two offensive units.

On the offensive side, Edwards is making an impact, with remarks about his speed and an almost constant subject when the running backs are brought up. Coach Jerry Kill expects to slot him in with both the first and second team groups Thursday to get a firmer grasp on where he could fit into the game plan in backfield going forward.

A lingering question on offense is what Kill will decide to do with freshman quarterback Donovahn Jones. The athletically versatile former high school standout from Stockbridge, Ga. has been slotted the Gophers' fourth quarterback in the early stages of camp behind Philip Nelson, Mitch Leidner and Chris Streveler.

The desire in-house to shift him to wide receiver has been in play since the onset of camp. But the Gophers haven't made a move yet largely because they hadn't settled on whom their No. 3 quarterback would be. Apart from taking fourth-team snaps at quarterback in Saturday's scrimmage, Jones was seen for the first time being used out wide on a go-route.

Kill projects a decision on what position Jones will end up in will be made during the Gophers' two-day break from practice this weekend.

• Junior college transfer De'Vondre Campbell continues to be a "very pleasant surprise" at linebacker, per Claeys. Campbell is currently alternating reps with senior Aaron Hill on the weakside, but Claeys said he can envision a scenario where either Hill or Campbell could be moved to the strongside in order to have both in the starting unit.

But that would mean bumping out James Manuel, who has held on to the first team strongside spot throughout camp. Claeys has liked what he's seen from Manuel, but insisted the senior linebacker has to stay on that track.

"He knows he just has to stay consistent," Claeys said. "That's James' issue. He knows that."

• Kill went with toned down, shorter practice in the evening session of the Gophers' two-a-day set in an effort to keep the players as fresh as possible for the scrimmage Thursday.

• The Gophers' tight end/fullbacks unit is a bit banged up. Tight ends Lincoln Plsek and Alex Bisch, as well as redshirt freshman fullback Tyler Hartmann were all in orange no-contact jerseys Wednesday afternoon. Kill mentioned that Plsek would have likely played if the scrimmage had been Wednesday.

Bisch injured his foot and was wearing a protective boot over it. Kill said it is "too early to say" when to expect Bisch back.

Freshman linebacker De'Niro Laster, who injured his knee last week, remains out.
Junior cornerback Derrick Wells (shoulder) is still being limited as a precaution

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/...veral_key_freshmen_getting_closer_looks081513
 

ESPN Big Ten Blog Minnesota Preview:

"The offense is shaping up to be somewhat impressive, but there are also a lot of gaps at crucial positions. The individual skill of Hageman and a few other players could land them on some All-Big Ten teams, but there just isn’t enough talent to go around to really lift this team into the upper echelon of Big Ten football quite yet."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/81288/minnesota-season-preview

The press finally starts to take real notice of the team. Go figure.
 

FSN: Gophers defensive lineman Harold Legania meets challenges head on

Harold Jr. was just 14 years old and was about to begin high school. He had to do so without a father figure in his life.

"It was a pretty hard thing to get through," Legania recalls. "The passing of my dad, and then my city going under water, that was a bit of adversity I had to push through also. ... As I look back, it was hard. It was really hard."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...man-Harold-Legania?blockID=929543&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!
 

STrib: U center Christenson keeps up blocking, studying, not posting

Christenson turned 21 in June and is entering his third year at the U. He’s on track to get his undergraduate degree in May and plans to spend the following two years getting a master’s degree in public health. After that, it’s on to med school.

In his family, that will just make him part of the club.

His father, Kurt, has a doctorate in physics. His mother, Margie, was a double major — elementary education and Biblical studies. His older brother, James, has his undergraduate degree from Minnesota and is working toward a doctorate in biochemistry.

The Christenson brothers have an aunt and uncle who are both physicians. Their paternal grandfather had a doctorate in ministry, and their paternal grandmother, Evelyn Christenson, was a best-selling author.

Her books — including “What Happens When Women Pray,” and “Lord, Change Me!” — have sold about 10 million copies.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/219871141.html

Go Gophers!!
 

STrib: U center Christenson keeps up blocking, studying, not posting

Christenson turned 21 in June and is entering his third year at the U. He’s on track to get his undergraduate degree in May and plans to spend the following two years getting a master’s degree in public health. After that, it’s on to med school.

In his family, that will just make him part of the club.

His father, Kurt, has a doctorate in physics. His mother, Margie, was a double major — elementary education and Biblical studies. His older brother, James, has his undergraduate degree from Minnesota and is working toward a doctorate in biochemistry.

The Christenson brothers have an aunt and uncle who are both physicians. Their paternal grandfather had a doctorate in ministry, and their paternal grandmother, Evelyn Christenson, was a best-selling author.

Her books — including “What Happens When Women Pray,” and “Lord, Change Me!” — have sold about 10 million copies.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/219871141.html

Go Gophers!!

Read this article this morning. I really liked it!
 

FSN; Long snapper Jake Filkins an underrated asset for Gophers

"I understand that completely. I don't think in three years of starting I have a single stat," Filkins said. "For me, what makes me happy is when our punter has a good game and they talk about the punters, because it's like, 'Well, I had a part in that.'"

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...ins-an-underrated-?blockID=929707&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!
 

George Thole: Third year could be the charm for coach Kill

Bring on Iowa (4-8) with coach Kirk Ferentz (112-95) on the griddle. Gophers win at home in a donnybrook, which means 5-0 heading into Ann Arbor and the Big Blue prevailing again. Michigan (8-5) has too much, despite graduating a dozen starters. We haven’t had much success at Northwestern (10-3) lately and that trend will continue on the road.

Nebraska (10-4) will take us for the second straight year. The Gophers will get their second Big Ten win at Indiana (4-8) before losing to Penn State (8-4) at home. Wisconsin (8-6) will be a toss-up at home, but I’ll take the Badgers. Good news, I think we will beat Sparty (7-6) in East Lansing to run our season record to 7-5, but a possible bowl loss leaves us at 7-6 (3-5 in the Big Ten).

There you have it, sports fans. Kill has a winning season with the best yet to come.

http://stillwatergazette.com/2013/08/15/thole-third-year-could-be-the-charm-for-coach-kill/

Go Gophers!!
 

Read this article this morning. I really liked it!

Smart Offensive Linemen = SUCCESS

I had no idea Christenson was as smart as he is. Having a mind like that, as the QB of the line, is absolutely monumental. Absolutely cannot be overstated.
 

STrib blog: Kill says cornerback Briean Boddy 'has certainly been eye-catching'

On Wednesday, Gophers coach Jerry Kill said the defense had made three nice interceptions in the team’s second scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium. Tonight, he expanded on that, saying two of them came from junior cornerback Briean Boddy.

“He’s had a great camp,” Kill said. “Yesterday in the scrimmage, he made big-time plays. Again it goes back to who he is. He’s a hard worker. They say he’s the best basketball player on our team.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/220007311.html

Go Gophers!!
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>All thumbs up from Philip Nelson as he signed the BTN bus this evening. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Ski&src=hash">#Ski</a>-U-Mah <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Gophers&src=hash">#Gophers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23YEAR3&src=hash">#YEAR3</a> <a href="http://t.co/LGxN5H1bVD">pic.twitter.com/LGxN5H1bVD</a></p>— Gopher Football (@GopherFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/GopherFootball/statuses/368535766827151360">August 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Go Gophers!!
 

1500: Gophers fall camp Day 14: Ed Olson still battling to reclaim LT spot

Notes

• The Gophers plan to treat their Saturday night scrimmage like a mock game day, keeping with the usual pregame run of meetings, locker room prep, etc. It is a way to help some of the team's newcomers get an idea of what to expect come Aug. 29. The scrimmage is not open to the public.

• Regardless of who wins the position at battle at middle linebacker, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys prefers that player to be largely a season-long fixture.

"I don't want to rotate a mike linebacker," Claeys said. "I think that's part of the reason why we've struggled in the past."

Redshirt freshman Jack Lynn and Jones County Community College transfer Damien Wilson are the two key contenders vying for the spot. Lynn was getting the bulk of the first team reps at the end of Week 1 of fall camp, but Wilson continues to make a strong impression on the coaching staff and has been alternating with Lynn. That starting spot will start to be firmed up early next week.

• Playing time is up for grabs in the Gophers' fluid receiver rotation, and freshman receiver Eric Carter is a potential candidate to earn plenty of looks in his first season. Carter's reps throughout the fall have come mainly with the first and second team offenses. And the Lakeland, Fla. native is quickly forming a solid on-field relationship with starting quarterback Philip Nelson.

"I think Eric Carter is doing a great job with learning the offense," Nelson said. "He's almost starting to know when even if we're supposed to run a certain route he can convert it to something else and get himself open. He's doing a great job of creating separation for himself."

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/...Olson_still_battling_to_reclaim_LT_spot081613

Go Gophers!!
 

per Sid:

Won’t alternate quarterbacks

Northwestern has enjoyed great success over the years running in two quarterbacks on offense.

With Philip Nelson and Mitch Leidner battling for the starting job, Gophers coach Jerry Kill was asked if he would consider a two-quarterback system.

“We’re not going to alternate every few series or anything like that,” Kill said. “We’ll have our plan. That’s all I say. We won’t be alternating quarterbacks every couple of series and things like that.

“I’ve never been real good at that, and I don’t think most people — they’re a little bit different on how they do it and everyone has their ways to do things and I’m not going to give ours away. But we’ll have a way. The best way to do it is we’ll utilize the talent we have.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/220066241.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 

PiPress: Gophers football: Donovahn Jones switching from QB to wide receiver

Freshman Donovahn Jones is making the switch from quarterback to wide receiver for the rest of fall camp, Gophers football coach Jerry Kill said after Saturday's scrimmage.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Jones continued to impress coaches with this athletic ability, but trying to learn two positions is slowing down his development process.

"We've got to sell out and get him to learn more things at receiver," Kill said. "Right now his head is swimming because we've got him doing a lot of things."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_23886039/gophers-football-donovahn-jones-switching-from-qb-wide

Go Gophers!!
 

FSN: Gophers defensive lineman Harold Legania meets challenges head on

Harold Jr. was just 14 years old and was about to begin high school. He had to do so without a father figure in his life.

"It was a pretty hard thing to get through," Legania recalls. "The passing of my dad, and then my city going under water, that was a bit of adversity I had to push through also. ... As I look back, it was hard. It was really hard."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...man-Harold-Legania?blockID=929543&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!

I always liked Harold. To overcome all that he has says much. I am hoping things really start to click for him. We need his size in the middle.
 





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