Gopher Football
First things first. 2003 ““ 2005 was an amazing run for the Gopher offense (Or maybe I should say “œhas been” to avoid putting it in past tense). These three previous seasons saw over 10,000 yards accumulated on the ground, over 100 rushing TD’s and an offense that consistently found itself ranked in the top 10 in the nation in several categories. What made this run all the more spectacular is that from year to year the offense really didn’t change very much. As a general rule of thumb, numbers 61, 68, and 22 lined up across from you, they ran at you, and they ran over you. But now for the first time since about 2002 there could be big changes on the horizon. The Gophers will lose six elements that have been key to the rushing attack over parts of the past few years: linemen Greg Eslinger, Mark Setterstrom and Mike Nicholson, running backs Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell and tight end Jared Posthumus. (Even though Gary Russell could be back by the fall, there is no doubt the coaches are proceeding as if he won’t return.) Three of these six players were All-Americans last season, and combined they provided over 16 seasons as contributors on the Gopher offense. They will be missed for sure, and in turn it will leave doubt as to whether the offense will be able to recover from their departures and sustain the pace set the past few years.
The most pressing concerns right now are at running back. After having three capable bodies to choose from last year, junior Amir Pinnix is the only one of those three currently on the roster, and he heads into spring as the clear number one guy. Pinnix has shown himself to be a capable back (As evidence by his 200+ yard rushing performance against Michigan State last year), but what he has not proven just yet is that he can carry the load for an entire season. You can bet that Amir has been working hard on his endurance since the end of the season. Easing the burden this spring will be Junior College transfer and former Lakeville High School star Brylee Callender. Luckily for Minnesota, Brylee was able to make himself eligible for the spring by taking on a huge class load during his last semester of Junior college. He’ll be counted on to share the load right away, and he should physically be ready to carry it. However, after Pinnix and Callender there are major concerns about depth. Sophomore back Jay Thomas, who figured to be a key guy in 2006, is currently rehabbing a torn ACL and it’s too early to say if he’ll be ready by the beginning of the season. Gary Russell (as you probably know by now) has been ruled academically ineligible for the spring semester and must improve his grades quickly in Junior College to be back by the fall. So if you exclude walkons, Minnesota is left with just two healthy running backs for the spring. For an offense that has run the ball A LOT over the past three seasons, that’s not enough bodies. The best case long term scenarios would bring some more bodies into the mix, but for now the coaches will probably be planning for the worst and start scheming an offense that relies a little more on the pass.
Concern number two this spring will be replacing the three departed seniors on the offensive line. Two of them, Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom, started every game of their Gopher careers. While it was enjoyable ride while they were here, the coaches now must focus on finding replacements at positions where they haven’t needed to since about 2002. Even though the depth on the offensive line is not tremendous right now, the good news is that there should be just enough left in the cupboard to put together another good unit. Tony Brinkhaus and Steve Shidell both return at tackle, Joe Ainslie has several games of experience as a starter, Tyson Swaggert will be a 5th year senior who has spent four years learning from the best center in Minnesota history, and youngsters Otis Hudson and Ryan Ruckdashel are rising stars that Gopher fans will soon be familiar with. The big task this spring will not necessarily be identifying the bodies to succeed on the line; but may likely be identifying the correct positions for those players that will allow the offense to function at the maximum level.
So with a new look at running back and offensive line, will we see the Gophers adopt a new offensive game plan over the next several months? Or will Browning, Adamle, Shaw and Co. be able to work their magic once again and pump out another top 5 rushing offense? Common logic would suggest that the personnel losses and subsequent lack of depth to key parts of the Gopher running game, combined with an improving passing QB would lead to more of a focus on the pass. But before I get too caught up in that, what I have to remember is that this group of coaches has been working together for several years now having produced exceptional results, so if there is a staff that’s capable of recovering from those kind of losses it’s this one. This spring should go a long way in determining just how good our new featured running backs are, as well as how much potential a revamped offensive line has.
Spring development priorities:
1. ESTABLISH THE BUILDING BLOCKS ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE. Over the past several years the Gophers have enjoyed the luxury of a stellar offensive line, but now for the first time in several years that stability may be in doubt. With the loss of three starters, there will be a big task in place to identify the right players at the right positions to keep the ball rolling. Expect some experimenting; as there appear to be a few different guys who could succeed at a couple of different positions.
2. TAKE THE PASSING GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL. On paper, this could be the best Gopher passing offense since 2000 when Travis Cole was at quarterback, and players like Ron Johnson and Jermaine Mays were at receiver. With three seniors and one junior among the major players in the passing game, this might be the year where we see it come back with a vengeance (especially with the questions surrounding the depth at running back). Look for the coaches to experiment with some new looks and new routes this spring.
3. FIND THE TIGHT END OF THE FUTURE. The Gophers return the best tight end in the Big Ten over the last two seasons in senior Matt Spaeth, but unfortunately long time second stringer Jared Posthumus has graduated. Posthumus was a key cog in the Gopher rushing attack for three seasons, a role in the successful Gopher rushing attack that is often overlooked. With Posthumus gone, sophomore Jack Simmons and freshmen Troy Reilly & Chris Mensen will be battling it out for the back spot opposite Spaeth. If the Gopher coaches decide that they need more of a vertical threat to compliment Spaeth, Simmons might be the guy. If they decide that they want the second tight end to focus on blocking as Posthumus did, it may go to Reilly or Mensen. Whoever performs well this spring will have a big leg up to be a major contributor this fall.
Projected Starters:
(bold denotes returning starter)
QB ““ Bryan Cupito (SR)
RB ““ Amir Pinnix (JR)
FB ““ Justin Valentine (JR)
WR ““ Ernie Wheelwright (JR)
WR ““ Logan Payne (SR)
TE ““ Matt Spaeth (SR)
OT ““ Steve Shidell (JR)
OG ““ Otis Hudson (FR)
C ““ Tyson Swaggert (SR)
OG ““ Ryan Ruckdashel (FR)
OT ““ Tony Brinkhaus (JR)
Projected Backups:
QB ““ Tony Mortensen (SO)
RB ““ Brylee Callender (JR)
FB ““ Jeremy Faue (JR)
WR ““ Micah Rucker (JR)
WR ““ Eric Decker (FR)
TE ““ Troy Reilly (FR)
OT ““ Joe Ainslie (SR)
OG ““ Ned Tavale (FR)
C ““ Brad Bultman (JR)
OG ““ John Jakel (JR)
OT ““ Matt DeGeest (SO)
Talk about Spring Practice on the Gopher Football Message Board.