The Gophers offensive line has quietly put up some of the best statistics in nation

[BleedGopher]

per GopherSports:

The Gophers offensive line has quietly put up some of the best statistics in the country.

They have allowed only five sacks this year, which is first in the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation. Even the sacks they have allowed have not been hurtful, as they have totaled 17 yards (lowest in B1G and third fewest in nation).

“Every single week on Friday before the game we get a tips and reminders sheet. Every week one of those bullets is no sacks and no hits,” Weyler said. “We take a lot of pride in protecting Mitch (Leidner) and that is a huge goal for us.”

They have also blocked for one of the most explosive running back tandems in the country. Rodney Smith has 701 rush yards with eight touchdowns. Shannon Brooks has scored a touchdown in each of his five games played this season and has 413 rush yards. As a team the Gophers are fourth in the Big Ten averaging 212 yards rushing per game.

Even more impressive is the fact that all this success is coming from a group that does not have much experience playing together or in this system. Against Rutgers, the offensive line had three starters who were all playing in junior college last season (left tackle Donnell Greene, right guard Vincent Calhoun and right tackle Garrison Wright) and only had one player who started on the Gophers line last season in center Tyler Moore.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102716aaa.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Now if we could just figure out 3rd and 1...we might be a serious contender for the West. (well as long as we play on the road so our starting dbacks can play)

 

[Governor Sibley]

Mitch is good at not getting sacked. That helps.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Mitch is good at not getting sacked. That helps.

Smith has also been very good at making that first guy miss but overall the line has been playing fine with the exception of all the false start penalties. Definitely illustrates the advantage of bringing in JC guys along the line as they have had a few years to develop and tend to be more physically mature. A little scary to think of what our line would look like right now without the JC guys in the mix.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

The big question is this - when the current crop of JUCO's graduates, will the younger linemen be ready to replace them, or will the Gophers be stuck in a cycle where they have to keep bringing in JUCO linemen? It's fine to bring in the occasional JUCO to fill a gap, but for long-term success, the Gophers need to be able to build an O-line from recruits who stay in the program for 4 or 5 years. When a team has 3 JUCOs starting on the O-line, that's a pretty significant indictment of the O-line recruiting. The team is essentially saying "hey, our O-Line recuits can't play, so we need to bring in JUCOs in order to field a halfway decent line." If the Gophers are going to remain a run-oriented team, they have to bring in better O-Line recruits.

 

[Tim Riggins]

Stats certainly don't tell the whole story. It sure seems Rodney has had to spin away from opponents in the backfield quite often and that the blocking has been inconsistent at best.

 

[GophersInIowa]

The big question is this - when the current crop of JUCO's graduates, will the younger linemen be ready to replace them, or will the Gophers be stuck in a cycle where they have to keep bringing in JUCO linemen? It's fine to bring in the occasional JUCO to fill a gap, but for long-term success, the Gophers need to be able to build an O-line from recruits who stay in the program for 4 or 5 years. When a team has 3 JUCOs starting on the O-line, that's a pretty significant indictment of the O-line recruiting. The team is essentially saying "hey, our O-Line recuits can't play, so we need to bring in JUCOs in order to field a halfway decent line." If the Gophers are going to remain a run-oriented team, they have to bring in better O-Line recruits.

The main reason they had to recruit so many JUCOs was because of players deciding to not play another season. Ben Lauer and Isaac Hayes each had one more season of eligibility left. Bobek transferred to Iowa St. All three of them would probably be starting if they were still with the Gophers and healthy.

 

[DoubleB]

is there a stat for hurry's? seems like Mitch had been able to get rid of the ball to avoid soe sacks
but the group has potential given another year with Miller

 

[Go4]

soft first quarter for the line. 2 sacks allowed already

 

[John Galt]

The main reason they had to recruit so many JUCOs was because of players deciding to not play another season. Ben Lauer and Isaac Hayes each had one more season of eligibility left. Bobek transferred to Iowa St. All three of them would probably be starting if they were still with the Gophers and healthy.

Hayes rarely played for us and probably wouldn't be starting. Lauer had injuries which is why he left early. Moore may have been starting over Bobek.

Bottom line, both recruiting and development were subpar under Limegrover which is why he's not here.