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Sep4
Tramaine Brock: T-Brock is King of the Defensive Backfield
Filed under: Players; Tagged as: Gopher Football, JUCO transfers, Junior College Transfers, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Football, NIU Football, Northern Illinois football, Northern Illinois Huskies, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers, T-Brock, T-Rex, Tramaine Brock, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Tyrone Carter, University of MinnesotaIn the Gopher’s season opener versus Northern Illinois, a new defensive back terrorized the NIU offense. Whether it was stopping the ball carrier in the open field or covering receivers with agility and speed, safety Tramaine Brock was relentless and ferocious in his pursuit. At times it seemed that even when other Gophers made tackles, Brock was nearby and poised to be next in line to make a play.
In searching the internet for historical information regarding Brock, I frequently came across a nickname that I believe is fitting: T-Brock. I have no way of knowing the origins of this nickname (other than the obvious guess that the T is for Tramaine), but his play on the field is reminiscent of the legendary T-Rex. Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) was a hunter with an extraordinary sense of smell for prey from great distances away. T-Rex is estimated to have run at 25 mph or better, and upon catching prey had a bite that could crush the bones of elephant-sized prey in one bite. T-Brock instinctively senses plays from great distances away, has blazing speed in pursuit (4.37 in the 40 yard dash), and can lay bone-crushing hits upon his prey. “Tyranno,” the “T” in T-Rex, is a form of the word tyrannus. In the Ancient Greek language, tyrannus means ruler, monarch, or tyrant. Thus, I find the nickname of T-Brock to be fitting for Tramaine Brock.
Tramaine Brock is a junior college transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He led the Bulldogs to a 12-0 record and recorded seven interceptions in his first eleven games. He was a NJCAA first team All-American, a three-star Rivals recruit, and now he’s a Golden Gopher. I mentioned in my prior post that he reminds me of former Gopher safety Tyrone Carter but with better size and speed. Carter is now a nine year NFL veteran who has started for the Steelers and has a Superbowl ring. I see in Brock a unique combination of size, speed, agility, and intelligence that makes for a great safety and an imposing threat to opposing offenses.
I’m looking forward to watching T-Brock terrorize and prey upon opposing offenses for the remaining Gopher games this season. He makes the defense fun to watch again. Here’s a picture of how his presence must strike fear in the hearts of opponents:
5 Responses to “Tramaine Brock: T-Brock is King of the Defensive Backfield”
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Week 2 Recap: Minnesota 42 - Bowling Green 17 « Buck Bravo’s Gopher Football Blog September 7th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
[...] The defense definitely has a swagger in that they thrive off of hard hits and physical play. Tramaine Brock was all over the field. Simoni Lawrence was hitting like a Mack truck. The defensive line was [...]
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Week 3 Recap: Gophers’ Show Inexperience in Victory « Buck Bravo’s Gopher Football Blog September 14th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
[...] wearing maroon and gold last year. There is undoubtedly an upgrade in talent on the field with Tramaine Brock, Traye Simmons, Simoni Lawrence, Marcus Sherels and Cedric McKinley among others. On several of [...]
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[...] As I predicted after the first two games of the season, Tramaine Brock continues to be make an impact on both pass and run defense. Traye Simmons had his second interception of the year and broke up several pass plays that may have been completed last season. Marcus Sherels nearly had a pick on a long bomb from Rusty Smith, and linebacker Simoni Lawrence outran a FAU wide receiver while taking an interception to the house for a touchdown. This link is to a Star Tribune article about Traye Simmons and Marcus Sherels. [...]
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James Harris October 14th, 2008 at 10:09 am
The T in T-Brock stands for Tramaine.I played with him at MGCCC on the undefeated team.He’s a special talent man. Your coach made a wise choice in going after him.
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Buck Bravo’s Gopher Football Blog » Blog Archive » Jubilee for the JUCO Jamboree December 2nd, 2008 at 7:08 am
[...] transfer Tramaine “T-Brock” Brock is a safety who added speed, aggressive play, and solid tackling to the Gopher secondary. He [...]
