Following an impressive 42-39 victory at Indiana, the Gophers celebrated the victory but got back to work this week to prepare for Penn State. On Tuesday, Tracy Claeys fielded questions on the Big Ten conference call while Jerry Kill spoke with the local media at his weekly press conference.
Gophers Improving
During Kill’s tenure, fans have heard how the team has been improving and the results will come. After rattling off three straight conference victories, including two on the road, the Gophers will look for their fourth Big Ten win in a row, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in four decades.
“I think every [win] we get from here on out, if we’re able to add some more wins, it just shows the progress that we’re making,” said Claeys. “We’re trying to establish new standards here…It’s a tough conference in the Big Ten. Since early on in the 60’s, Minnesota has struggled. It’d be another great accomplishment just to show that we are making progress to get to where we want to be.”
Along with the Gophers current winning streak comes a boost of confidence for the team.
“I think they’re a young football team that’s gained some confidence,” said Kill. “We’ve had blind faith for a while but now they’ve started to have success. [At] Indiana, we’re in a situation where our backs against the wall and we’ve found ways to lose those games my first two years here and we found a way to win. I think that just builds confidence.”
With the potential to keep the winning streak going against Penn State, Kill will try to keep his team focused by not changing much in practice.
“We’re not changing anything,” said Kill. “We’re going to be doing what we’ve been doing. You need to stay focused and you need to go enjoy it on Saturday.”
Another way the coaches will keep things similar is to have Kill in the pressbox while Claeys handles the on-field duties.
“Me in the box, right now, is what’s best for our football team,” said Kill. “And best for the head coach. You have to have somebody operate down on the field and Tracy is the guy that needs to do that…We’re just going to win. That’s what we need to do. Just find a way to win.”
Offense Firing
After a physically dominant performance against Nebraska, the Gophers put up 573 yards of total offense against the Hoosiers. The young offensive players have responded to their coaches as they have continued to improve.
“Give all the credit to the players,” Kill said. “Without players you don’t win. Then you give credit to the coaches and Coach Limegrover and what he’s accomplished with the staff and execution of what we’re trying to do.”
One of the main reasons for Minnesota’s offensive success has been the play of quarterback Philip Nelson. The sophomore racked up 298 yards and four touchdowns on 16 of 23 passing against Indiana.
“He came in and we knew on offense that we’d have to score some points to keep up with Indiana’s offense,” said Claeys. “Philip did a great job of directing the offense and not creating turnovers. And what great composure he had. We had the lead most of the game and Indiana came back and made a couple great plays and took the lead and for him to keep his composure and lead us down and get us another touchdown to give us the score, I think it just shows all the more the development that he’s had offensively, and the confidence that our kids have to make those plays and win the game.”
Christenson Hurt
Starting center Jon Christenson went down last Saturday in the second quarter with a serious left leg injury and will miss the remainder of the season.
“That’s the toughest thing about the game of football is anybody that gets hurt,” said Kill. “Right now, he’s had surgery. He’s in a lot of pain like anybody would be. We hope that he’ll get out of the hospital possibly tomorrow or tonight.”
Although it’s never good to lose a solid starter like Christenson, the Gophers were fortunate to have Tommy Olson ready to take over on the line.
“The good thing is that Tommy Olson has played some and when he came in, boy he did a great job replacing Jon,” said Claeys. “We hate to lose Jon. Jon’s worked hard and has done just a great job up there with all the line calls. But we built this thing on preaching ‘next man up’ and we’ve always repped two huddles on offense and defense all through the week and Tommy got his opportunity and stepped in and did a great job. We feel bad for Jon. He’s a great kid and works hard but injuries are part of this game. It just so happened that it opened up an opportunity for Tommy and we’re looking forward to his performance on Saturday.”
A highly touted recruit out of high school, Olson has had to wait to see significant action on the line this season.
“He came in and had some injuries,” said Kill. “Therefore, through the injuries, he lost some flexibility. He’s spent a ton of time with Coach Klein getting all that back—it’s taken awhile. He was a team player. He went from guard to backup center. Never said a word, never complained. Did it for the team. He just kept working. He’s a prime example of, if you’re a good person, do the right things and you’re a team player, you’ll get your chance. When he got his opportunity he played very well.”
Injury Report
Philip Nelson left Saturday’s game, limping in pain from a hip pointer. Nelson returned against Indiana and will likely be ready to play this week despite some soreness.
“He’s going to practice [Tuesday],” said Kill of Nelson. “Anytime you have a situation with a hip pointer, you’re going to be sore. He’s moving around and we anticipate that he’ll be ready to go.”
Wide receiver Derrick Engel sprained his ankle going up for a pass late in the game in Bloomington. He will be questionable this week in practice and against Penn State.
“[Engel’s] going to be limited today and we’ll see how his progress goes through the week,” said Kill. “He’s got an ankle sprain and didn’t do much on Sunday. He ran a little bit [Tuesday] morning…He’s not running full speed today but we’ve got Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and I think he’ll do everything he can to be ready.”