Gopher Football
Minnesota Backfield vs. Toledo Linebackers:
Anthony Jordan leads an experienced group of Toledo linebackers. The 6’3″ 230 pound junior led the Rockets in tackles last year with 138. Along side Jordan are two other veterans, junior Keon Jackson and senior David Thomas. Jackson plays what Toledo calls “Rover”, which is a position somewhat similar to the drop linebacker that Dominique Sims plays for Minnesota. The Rocket linebackers played a big role in Toledo’s 4th ranked MAC rushing defense last season, and the unit as a whole figures to take a step forward this year. They will have to be at their best if they want to slow down Minnesota’s running game.
Leading the Minnesota backfield are a pair of star running backs, junior Marion Barber III and sophomore Laurence Maroney. Both backs rushed for over 1000 yards last year, and along with Thomas Tapeh they were the only trio in the NCAA to have three players rush for at least 10 TD’s on one team. Both Maroney and Barber are healthy and there’s no reason not to expect each of them to tear out of the gates on Saturday.
How Coach Mason and offensive coordinators Peterson and Browning choose to use the two backs this season is one of the more intriguing questions heading into Saturday. Last year Barber was the star early in the season, but as Maroney gained experience as the season went along. Laurence became the more dominant back by the end of the year and capped the season off by turning in a great performance in the Sun Bowl. One would expect that Barber & Maroney will split the carries pretty evenly on Saturday, with the hot hand getting the nod at the end if the game is close. Expect each of them to see at least 15 carries and approach (or surpass) 100 yards.
Behind center for Minnesota this year is QB Bryan Cupito (6’1″ 195 lbs). The redshirt sophomore will be making his first collegiate start. Much has been made of Cupito’s progression in taking control of the offense. If this is indeed true, it is certainly good news for Gopher fans. Minnesota has all the parts to make the offense work; they just need a guy who can steer it. Look for Cupito to come out throwing a lot of short passes. This really wouldn’t be a surprise since Mason has said many times this is what Cupito will be doing. But it makes sense anyway because it will give Bryan a chance to get in a rhythm and settle his nerves.
Summary:
The good news for Toledo is that one of the strengths of their defense is at linebacker. The bad news for Toledo is that Minnesota’s strength on offense is running back, and the running backs happen to be a couple of the best in the nation. If the Rockets linebackers are improved and they come out and play a fantastic game, they could potentially slow down the Gophers running game as Iowa did last year. But Iowa had one of the top 5 linebacking corps in the nation last year, something Toledo can not boast. On top of that, you have to figure that Barber and Maroney will be even better this year. Even on a bad day, Minnesota should be able to win this matchup.
Advantage: Minnesota
Minnesota O-Line vs. Toledo D-Line:
Toledo comes in to 2004 having lost all four of the starters from the defensive line, as well as two top reserves. Needless to say there is a bit of a rebuilding job in process here. The line is being rebuilt around defensive end Phil Alexander. The senior is the only projected starter who has any game experience playing on the defensive line, and he will be called upon to be the leader of this group. At the other defensive end spot for the Rockets is Seth Thitoff. Seth is moving to defensive end after playing linebacker and accumulating 7 tackles last year. At the defensive tackle spots are a couple of more young players, sophomore J.P. Bekasiak and redshirt freshman Tyree Pollard.
With 4 of 5 starters returning, the Gopher offensive hopes to pick up where it left off last year and prove themselves as one of the top offensive lines in the country. The line is led by All American center Greg Eslinger.
The North Dakota native has started every game in his career and has continued to get better and better as time has passed. He came to Minnesota as a skinny 250 pounder, but has since matured into an athletic 285 lbs. Eslinger is flanked by a pair of veterans at guard, junior Mark Setterstrom and senior Brandon Harston. Like Eslinger, Setterstrom came in and started as a true freshman, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten last season as a sophomore. Harston is a fifth year senior who is in his first year as a starter. At tackles, Minnesota features All Big Ten candidates Rian Melander and Joe Ainslie. Each of them had solid years in 2003, with Ainslie taking over the starting spot from Mike Nicholson halfway through the season.
Summary:
If there is one area where Minnesota has a distinct advantage over Toledo, it’s here. Minnesota returns 4 of 5 starters and goes Senior, Junior, Junior, Senior & Sophomore across the line. Meanwhile, Toledo is breaking in four new starters and has just one upperclassman in that group. The experience and talent of the Minnesota O-line should provide more than enough to make for an easy day against the Toledo defensive front.
Advantage: Minnesota
Minnesota Receivers vs. Toledo Secondary:
Toledo is in relatively good shape in the secondary, returning all of the starters from last year and having some talent to boot. The group is led by senior free safety Patrick Body. Not only does he have good size (6’2″ 200 lbs), he also has excellent speed and is the fastest player on the Rockets roster. At the strong safety spot is a Wisconsin transfer, senior Michael Broussard. Broussard was sixth in tackles for Toledo last season with 61 and also contributed 2 picks. A pair of juniors will start at cornerback, Antonio Malone and Jason Flowers. The Toledo D-Backs will be looking to improve on their 10th place MAC pass defense from a year ago.
Minnesota has a lot of potential and depth at wide receiver, but relatively little in the way of returning production. Leading the way for the Gophers is junior Jared Ellerson. Jared is ready to continue the coming out party he had in 2003, when he had 44 receptions for over 900 yards. The next couple guys are two of the most talked about WR’s in recent memory even though neither of them has played a game. Ernie Wheelwright will be making his much awaited debut as the Gopher’s other starting receiver. The 6’5″ Wheelwright will cause matchup problems for many teams this year, but Toledo seems as well equipped as anyone to handle him with a pair of 6 foot corners. Backing up Wheelwright is another big time talent, Paris Hamilton. After injuring his knee in 2003, Paris will look to go in and go out with a bang this year. News wise, all three of these guys were relatively quiet during practices. Could it be the calm before the storm?
Summary:
The Gophers are very deep and talented at wide receiver, but with relatively little experience. Toledo is very experienced in their secondary, and they also have some talent and athleticism to go along with it. This will make for a very interesting matchup. One would guess that Toledo is going to initially focus their effort on stopping the run, which if true could leave a lot of 1 on 1 coverage on the receivers. While Toledo does have experience on their side, my prediction is that the Minnesota receivers are going to be too talented for Toledo to hold a decided edge here. The X factor here could how well Cupito is able to deliver the ball. If his arm is as accurate as advertised, Minnesota should have its share of success throwing the ball.
Advantage: Even
Overall Summary:
This will be a very good first game test for the Gopher Offense. Toledo has been here before and they’re not going to back down at all. In fact, it will probably be just the opposite, and we’ll probably see a very aggressive defensive philosophy from Toledo. There is no question that across the field the Rockets are overmatched, so look for them to try and throw in as many tricks and as much confusion as they can to try and rattle Cuptio. However, Minnesota will have their way with the Toledo D because of the offensive line. The Gopher line is a group of guys who have been around the block and they won’t be distracted easily. Under the leadership of Greg Eslinger, I believe the Gopher line will be able to take whatever Toledo throws at them. Cupito will be well protected, and the running backs and receivers will do the rest. Minnesota should be able to have success both running and throwing the ball.
Overall Advantage: Minnesota