BleedGopher
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per Randy:
Five days into training camp, Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck and his staff gave the players their stiffest test yet. Saturday was the day to install the all-important third-down packages.
In front of a crowd of about 1,000 for an open practice at the Gibson-Nagurski outdoor field, the Gophers' first and second teams on offense and defense took turns gaining an upper hand.
"It was a tough day for the quarterbacks, a real tough challenge for them," offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said. "I was looking forward to seeing how they would do because there's a lot more thinking. It's a completely different package you see on third down instead of first and second down.''
Sophomore Demry Croft and senior Conor Rhoda shared snaps with the first-team offense, and each went through ups and downs.
One positive that the players and coaches saw was the offense's and defense's quick answers. On back-to-back plays, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, followed by wide receiver Tyler Johnson catching a pass for a long gain.
"We got shut down a few times the first couple of drives, but then we had some guys step up and make a couple of plays," running back Rodney Smith said.
The first-team defense threw some complicated looks at Croft and Rhoda.
"Coach [Robb] Smith's got a fantastic package," Ciarrocca said of the defensive coordinator. "He takes you right to Calculus. He skips Algebra 1 and 2.''
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...sted-as-third-down-plays-installed/438779173/
Go Gophers!!
Five days into training camp, Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck and his staff gave the players their stiffest test yet. Saturday was the day to install the all-important third-down packages.
In front of a crowd of about 1,000 for an open practice at the Gibson-Nagurski outdoor field, the Gophers' first and second teams on offense and defense took turns gaining an upper hand.
"It was a tough day for the quarterbacks, a real tough challenge for them," offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said. "I was looking forward to seeing how they would do because there's a lot more thinking. It's a completely different package you see on third down instead of first and second down.''
Sophomore Demry Croft and senior Conor Rhoda shared snaps with the first-team offense, and each went through ups and downs.
One positive that the players and coaches saw was the offense's and defense's quick answers. On back-to-back plays, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown, followed by wide receiver Tyler Johnson catching a pass for a long gain.
"We got shut down a few times the first couple of drives, but then we had some guys step up and make a couple of plays," running back Rodney Smith said.
The first-team defense threw some complicated looks at Croft and Rhoda.
"Coach [Robb] Smith's got a fantastic package," Ciarrocca said of the defensive coordinator. "He takes you right to Calculus. He skips Algebra 1 and 2.''
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...sted-as-third-down-plays-installed/438779173/
Go Gophers!!