Gopher Football
Those few words should be enough for at minimum, the dozens of guys who were here for the 2007 debacle vs. North Dakota State. For the rest, a 6th win, and a trip somewhere in late December – still possibly Phoenix, or somewhere else warm ““ should suffice.
We get a primer on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits from beat reporter Terry Vandrovec of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
GH: We’ve heard for months how big a deal this game is for SDSU and its fans, many of which who are making the drive … can you expand on that?
TV: SDSU has only been competing at the NCAA Division I level since 2004 and this is just the second game against a BCS opponent. Plus, there are plenty of alums in the Twin Cities. The school got rid of its 3,000 tickets in short order.
But beyond that, the program is enjoying more success than it has in decades. Two years ago, it ended a 40-year conference title drought. It’s been recently ranked in the top 10. It is on the verge of its first playoff berth in 30 years. Home attendance has almost tripled in six years. Excitement is at an all-time high, and few people would have predicated that heading into the D-I transition.
GH: Tim Brewster on Tuesday, when heaping praise on SDSU, used this comparison: SDSU beat Northern Iowa, who had Iowa on the ropes, which oh by the way was opening day, so in turn the Jackrabbits are very talented, and to paraphrase, the Gophers have their guard up … does this comparison hold any weight with you?
TV: Yes and no. Yes, Iowa needed to block two field goals in the final 30 seconds to beat a UNI team that SDSU trumped by 10. Also, in 2007 the Jacks beat the same North Dakota State team that upset Minnesota.
But comparative scores are dangerous and sometimes misleading. My guess is that Brewster is using the UNI situation as a way to motivate his team, to keep the Gophers from mailing it in this week.
GH: I ask this question every week: Put on your defensive coordinator hat, how would you scheme to contain the Jackrabbits offense?
TV: For starters, I’d blitz about 80 percent of the time. SDSU is starting redshirt freshman Thomas O’Brien at quarterback, and although he has a cannon for a right arm, he’s still learning the offense and fine tuning his footwork. If you bring the house enough, you’re bound to create a turnover or two ““ even though O’Brien hasn’t committed one in three games as a starter.
Beyond that, keep it simple. If it looks like the Jacks are going to run up the gut, they probably are. The play calling has been pretty vanilla to this point in the season.
GH: Same question, but put on your offensive coordinator hat, how would you go about attacking the Jackrabbits defense?
TV: That’s a more difficult prospect. The front seven is exceptional ““ defensive end Danny Batten is a candidate for the FCS defensive player of the year and the linebackers are unusually experienced. Until last week, SDSU was leading the FCS in scoring defense, allowing just 11 points per game.
That said, the secondary ““ although solid by FCS standards ““ is comparatively the weakest portion of the defense, especially with interception leader General Parnell (yes, that’s his real name) out for the season due to injury. Meanwhile, Minnesota has done well with big passing plays this season.
Also, the Jacks have struggled with mobile quarterbacks. If I were Tim Brewster, I’d let MarQueis Gray get a good number of reps.
GH: You broke the news on Tuesday night that SDSU will go with the young QB on Saturday, Fr. Thomas O’Brien … tell us about him, and does he give them a better chance than the previous starter?
TV: Yes, I think that O’Brien is the right guy this week. First of all, he’s seen plenty of time, going 3-0 as a starter ““ with zero turnovers ““ and victories over North Dakota State and UNI. He has an incredible arm and the additional velocity may be important against a secondary that is considerably faster than those that the Jacks see on a regular basis. To wit, SDSU threw five interceptions against Iowa State last year.
It probably doesn’t hurt that O’Brien is from Winona and grew up going to Gophers games. This is a big deal for him and maybe he can ride that emotion to an improbable win.
****Questions 7 & 8 are from the GopherHole community “¦ Thanks for your participation
GH: How does their secondary look? Are the corners big enough to be physical with 6’3” Da’Jon McKnight? Could this be a situation where WR/KR Troy Stoudermire can really shine on kickoffs and the passing game due to his speed?
TV: The SDSU secondary has good numbers in that it hasn’t given up many deep passes with only one opposing receiver reaching the 100-yard mark. But it is prone to giving up lots of short balls at times. As started earlier, starting corner Parnell is out for the season and is replaced by an inexperienced sophomore in Rodkem Mathews. The other corner, Cole Brodie, is an excellent athlete, and safety Conrad Kjerstad is big, smart and well-positioned. However, there’s no doubt that Minnesota has a considerable edge in speed.
GH: What are the key positional mismatches the SDSU coaching staff is most worried about (if any) when lining up against the Gophers?
TV: The two biggest concerns for SDSU are size and speed. Minnesota has a huge offensive line, one spot where the Jacks ““ although plenty talented ““ are undersized. The Gophers also have considerably more speed on the edges on both sides of the football. That could show up in terms of coming up with interceptions, returning kicks, big pass plays or running the ball with Gray
GH: Who wins, and why?
TV: You can’t pick SDSU to win ““ no journalist is that much of a homer. Still, I think it has the potential to be fairly interesting mainly because the Jacks are so sound defensively ““ they just don’t give up a lot of points. In that regard, Minnesota QB Adam Weber might be the most important player on the field. The Gophers should be fine as long as he doesn’t turn over the ball.
The spread is about 8.5 points based on the Sagarin Ratings. I think that’s a tad conservative. Minnesota should win by two scores.
Talk about the matchup on Brew’s Crew message board.