Gopher Football
Quarterbacks
Bryan Cupito needed a big game to get himself settled down from two straight losses. He got what he needed against Illinois, putting up 247 yards and a touchdown, including a beautiful 82 yard strike to Hamilton in the third quarter. One downside on Saturday was that Cupito only completed 47.6 percent of his passes, often overthrowing his intended targets. While he was not faced with much pressure, he still could not always get the ball to the underneath receiver or tight end. However, his deep passes were more on in this game then they have been as of late, and he showed a good ability to get the ball to a receiver on a screen. Having a solid running game helped his numbers, but I feel that this was probably Cupito’s second best game in a Gopher uniform.
Grade: B+
Running Backs
Now this is what Minnesota fans were expecting this season: 339 yards on 49 carries, and average of 6.5 yards per carry. The Gophers showed a depth at running back that many of us haven’t seen since Toledo. Marion Barber had his best game since Colorado State, registering 140 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 11 carries. And while Laurence Maroney didn’t get his usual 100 yards, he did more than enough to contribute to the running game, going for 70 yards and a score. Backups Gary Russell and Amir Pinnix combined for 92 yards and a touchdown, and often looked like they were ready to step in should Barber or Maroney go down with an injury. With more playing time being given to Russell and Pinnix, the running game is even more dangerous, as more options are opened and more backs are fresh.
Grade: A-
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Minnesota’s wide receivers had a solid game overall, not providing many highlight reel catches, but providing a good performance. Paris Hamilton’s 82 yard touchdown catch was helped by the Illinois defender missing his tackle, but was impressive nonetheless. Ernie Wheelwright, a player who Minnesota fans have come to expect to have a big day, was held relatively in check, having only 1 catch on the day for 21 yards. However, it did go for a touchdown, and Wheelwright would have had another circus catch had he not stepped out of bounds during the third quarter. Jakari Wallace had a decent game, getting 91 yards on 4 catches, though he could have had more, as he dropped at least one pass which I can remember. Once again, tight end Matt Spaeth was disappointing, getting only 1 catch for 6 yards. The early season expectations for Spaeth seem to have gone out the window, and unless he can establish himself as a legitimate threat against Indiana next week, he can’t be considered a major part of this Gopher passing attack.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
The Gophers offensive line finally showed signs of life against a Big Ten opponent, manhandling Illinois’ front seven and giving the Minnesota backs plenty of room to run. Center Greg Eslinger looked great in this game, pulling, giving blocks for Maroney and Barber, and also taking care of blitzing linebackers from the Illini defense when Cupito dropped back to pass. Aside from the Toledo and Colorado State games, this was the best performance from the Gopher offensive line all season.
Grade: A-
Offense Overall
Finally the “œTC Train” is back on track (please excuse my terminology). When the running game is hitting on all cylinders and the offensive line is giving enough time for Cupito to throw, this is one of, if not the most, explosive offense in the Big Ten. A good start for the Gophers, accompanied with good play calling and a weak Illini defense, was just what they needed to get rolling again. One has to be worried about the two fumbles, but when the offense racks up 587 yards, it’s tough to be upset about anything. Now Minnesota needs to take their “˜A’ game on the road against Indiana, a team which the Gophers haven’t beaten in Bloomington since 1985 and a team which will be fired up for their homecoming.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
Oh what a difference a week makes. Against Michigan State, the defensive line couldn’t muster anything against a mobile quarterback and potent passing game. Against Illinois, however, the pressure on the quarterback was probably the best the Gophers have had all year. Darrell Reid played a big role in the pass rush, registering 1.5 tackles for a loss and often getting into the backfield to disrupt the timing on a passing route. Eric Clark also had a sack for the Gophers, who as a team put down Illinois quarterbacks Brad Bower and Chris Pazan a total of 4 times. I think it what helped the d-line the most in this game was that much of the game was run using the base defense, rather than the nickel. The biggest issue for the line was containing Bower as he ran from the pocket, gaining 39 yards on 9 carries. Nevertheless, he was held out of the end zone.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
For Kyle McKenzie, Saturday was the kind of day a player dreams about. The linebacker had 12 tackles (3.5 for loss), a forced fumble, and 2.5 sacks. All day long McKenzie was a dominating force on the field, leading the Gopher defense in their first Big Ten shut out in 14 years. The Big Ten recognized his stellar effort this Saturday, awarding him Defensive Player of the Week honors. Linebacker Terrance Campbell also did an excellent job containing Illinois, notching 7 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Dominique Sims didn’t have the game which his cohorts had, due to a few poor tackles, but he did do well enough to round out a great performance by the three. If I had to pick one group which improved the most from last week to this week, it would be the linebackers. Pressure on the quarterback, containing the running game, and all the things Gophers fans want to see from their linebackers came in bunches this week. Perhaps it was the feeling of urgency in the locker room, or perhaps it was running a base defense rather than a nickel; either way, the Gophers have to be pleased with their effort.
Grade: A+
Secondary
Minnesota was without cornerback Trumaine Banks and safety Justin Fraley. Minnesota’s banged up secondary was not supposed to be able to contain passing attacks for a full sixty minutes. Minnesota missed that memo. Great performances by backups Quentin White and Jamal Harris should make Gopher fans feel good about their two-deeps. Harris, who had an interception to go with 8 tackles, complemented fellow cornerback Ukase Dozier very well. The two played superb almost all game, wrapping up players when they needed to and playing the ball nicely when it was in the air. White, along with John Pawielski, prevented any long pass plays and assisted in covering the run. White had one tackle for loss on the day. If the Gophers secondary can come out with a performance like this the next few weeks, they should be in every single game and shouldn’t allow any big plays.
Grade: A
Defense Overall
Everything that went wrong last week went right this week. The defense gave the team its first shut out in a long time and had its best game of the year. The game was, in short, a turning point for the defense. If the difference was that Mason allowed Hudson to be more aggressive, the Gophers should plan on doing that in the last three games. If the change was more blitzes, they should try that too. Either way, whatever happened on and off the field this past Saturday needs to be reproduced in the next three weeks if the Gophers want a chance to finish 9-2. Minnesota proved that they can play Big Ten opponents using speedy linebackers and a good defensive scheme. Now they need to solidify that plan and execute it to perfection.
Grade: A
Special Teams
The Gopher kick return coverage was excellent on Saturday, giving up only 14.3 yards per kick return. Often times, the Illinois return man couldn’t get the blocks he needed as the “˜Golden Shirted Horde’ barreled downfield on him. Kicker Rhys Lloyd didn’t have much of a chance to show his stuff, but he did hit a 34 yard field goal and averaged 43 yards on his three punt attempts. For the Gopher return men, the crowd was restless when it came to fair catch calls from Marion Barber. Several times in the first half, he chose not to catch the ball only to have it downed within Minnesota’s own 5 yard line.
Grade: B
Overall Team Grade
The Gophers had one of the best, if not the best, performance of the past few years under Glen Mason. The offense clicked, the defense dominated, and the game was never in jeopardy. Should the Gophers play this way in the next three weeks, they will be in every single game. The running game was what every fan hoped it would be at the beginning of the year, Cupito didn’t make any mistakes, and the receivers were solid in helping the offense move the ball with ease. The defense got pressure, forced errors, and pitched a shut out. There is nothing bad to say about the game other than the team needs to keep this sort of intensity up week in and week out.
Overall Grade: A