BleedGopher
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per Sid:
If the Gophers, ranked No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, are going to beat No. 4 Penn State on Saturday in the biggest football game in decades for the program, they are going to need a resilient group of senior defensive players to be at their best.
The defense is as talented as any in the nation because of seniors such as rush end Carter Coughlin; linebackers Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin; defensive linemen Winston DeLattiboudere and Sam Renner, and cornerback Chris Williamson, who have stuck with this program through thick and thin.
Martin is tied with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. for the team lead with 46 tackles. Coughlin leads the team with 3½ sacks, with Renner right behind him with three. Williamson has done a little bit of everything with 42 tackles (third on the team), an interception, 2½ sacks and four tackles for loss. Barber is fourth on the team in tackles, has 3½ tackles for loss and has one of the Gophers three fumble recoveries on the season. DeLattiboudere, who has 19 tackles, has one of the other recoveries.
“They have been around a long time, they have seen a lot of things,” coach P.J. Fleck said. “They have seen a lot of highs, they have seen a lot of lows, they have seen a lot of different ways of doing it. Some of them have had three head coaches. To be able to see them grow up, to be the men that they really want to become, that is really special to me.
“They have earned everything that they have gotten. It’s a special group of seniors because of everything they have endured, everything they have accomplished and everything they have been through and how tight-knit of a group they are. If we didn’t have them, we would not be in the position that we are.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...play-vital-role-against-penn-state/564583742/
Go Gophers!!
If the Gophers, ranked No. 17 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, are going to beat No. 4 Penn State on Saturday in the biggest football game in decades for the program, they are going to need a resilient group of senior defensive players to be at their best.
The defense is as talented as any in the nation because of seniors such as rush end Carter Coughlin; linebackers Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin; defensive linemen Winston DeLattiboudere and Sam Renner, and cornerback Chris Williamson, who have stuck with this program through thick and thin.
Martin is tied with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. for the team lead with 46 tackles. Coughlin leads the team with 3½ sacks, with Renner right behind him with three. Williamson has done a little bit of everything with 42 tackles (third on the team), an interception, 2½ sacks and four tackles for loss. Barber is fourth on the team in tackles, has 3½ tackles for loss and has one of the Gophers three fumble recoveries on the season. DeLattiboudere, who has 19 tackles, has one of the other recoveries.
“They have been around a long time, they have seen a lot of things,” coach P.J. Fleck said. “They have seen a lot of highs, they have seen a lot of lows, they have seen a lot of different ways of doing it. Some of them have had three head coaches. To be able to see them grow up, to be the men that they really want to become, that is really special to me.
“They have earned everything that they have gotten. It’s a special group of seniors because of everything they have endured, everything they have accomplished and everything they have been through and how tight-knit of a group they are. If we didn’t have them, we would not be in the position that we are.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...play-vital-role-against-penn-state/564583742/
Go Gophers!!