PP: Can freshman sensation Koi Perich also play offense?

[Word]

We are the Minnesota Gophers...take chances, play him all over, play him as much as you can...my gosh, what have we got to lose?

I suppose he could get injured???

 

[jonnyganas]

He has enough on his plate. Being a Freshman just trying to find his way around campus. Doesn’t need more football schemes. Plus who would he replace on offense? Playing more won’t keep him as a Gopher - at least for the first year.

He finished his plate is demanding more! He's hungry.

 

[jonnyganas]

I suppose he could get injured???

Any player can get injured at any time. I suppose we shouldn't play football anymore?

 

[Word]

Any player can get injured at any time. I suppose we shouldn't play football anymore?

I knew it wouldn't take long for someone to make this sort of reply.

Someone asked "what have you got to lose?" so I threw out the main thing you could lose as a response. One could argue that playing double the minutes would make the chance of injury at least double (possibly more than double if you subscribe to the theory oft-spouted on here that fatigue is what has led to all our running back injuries).

It's the same reason Winfield wasn't used on special teams after his freshman year. It's also probably why players like Hunter at CO are so rare - most coaches agree it's an issue. Ultimately a coach has to decide is it worth the risk to get him injured or fatigued, not to mention the practice time he would lose with the defensive side of the ball. Koi is a great defensive player - another question is would he really be that big of an upgrade as a WR compared to what we have.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

I say take him off the kick-offs. Put him on defense and have him return punts and kicks.

Geez, can you make up your mind? One sentence it's take him off kick offs and the next sentence you want him returning punts and kick offs....

 

[Otis]

Physical conditioning isn’t the main factor in determining if Perich should/could play both ways.

Big difference between playing both ways in HS and College.

Even I played 100% of the snaps in HS!

College defenses are way more complex and you have to understand multiple packages to ensure you don’t have blown coverages. This is also true in HS just going from class A up to the highest level. He wasn’t in the Lake Conference with a college level defense.

That’s just the defensive side.

College offense is the same, blocking packages, audibles, changes at the line are all very dynamic.

Add in that all the players are very high level athletes and the mental game is magnified to create a separation.

Don’t expect a freshman to be able to master all aspects of college football 5 games into their freshman season.

He may be smart and sponge up information at a high rate, but playing a major role on defense and being situationally aware on special teams at the most important position for punt returns is already asking a lot.

He seems to be handling it at an elite level so far.

And he sure is fun to watch.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Not the experience I have witnessed from Fleck. He's ready and the secondary has thinned and needs a spark.

And you know he is ready how exactly? Because at his position if he makes a mistake it leads to 6 points for the other team.

They are playing him as a true freshman which means they like what they see out of him. They aren't going to hold him back if they feel he is ready to be the starter, that wouldn't make any sense at all.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Geez, can you make up your mind? One sentence it's take him off kick offs and the next sentence you want him returning punts and kick offs....

Ha! Off kick-off coverage...

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

We are the Minnesota Gophers...take chances, play him all over, play him as much as you can...my gosh, what have we got to lose?

If he gets hurt we will hear about it too.

OMG WHY YOU PLAYING HIM LIKE THAT!?!!??

 

[MNVCGUY]

If he gets hurt we will hear about it too.

OMG WHY YOU PLAYING HIM LIKE THAT!?!!??

A few people have tossed out the "what have you got to lose" line. Some have said that in relation to playing Lindsey as well.

I mean I get that we aren't making the playoff or winning the Big Ten this year but there is still a lot of season left and plenty to play for. It isn't time to kick the vets to the curb and just start playing young guys whether they are ready or not.

Not sure why some fans here are so ready and willing to just throw in the towel right away.

 

[Wally]

If he’s not starting on defense, I would immediately utilize him on offense similar to how Michigan used Peppers.

Get the ball in his hands.