Buck Bravo

In 2007, the Minnesota defense finished dead last in all of Division 1 football. Having given up 519 yards per game in 2007, the Gophers then lost standout safety Dom Barber to the NFL. 2008 brought in new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and five junior college transfers (JUCOs) for the defense. Many analysts doubted that significant improvements could be made for the defense heading into 2008. Michigan’s highly respected MGOBLOG ripped on Minnesota’s strategy of adding JUCOs in this article and predicted a record of 4-8:

The Gophers will probably swing an extra nonconference victory or two and may pick off an unwary, bad Big Ten foe, but bowl eligibility, or anything close to it, is not in the offing.

In 2008 the Gopher defense improved to 378 total yards allowed per game, which was in the middle of the pack for the Big Ten. Having replaced Everett Withers, Ted Roof has instilled a new attitude and effective game plans in his first year as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. However, Everett Withers is now the defensive coordinator for a North Carolina Tarheel defense that finished strong in the ACC. There is more to Minnesota’s defensive improvements than better coaching alone.

Ted Roof’s coaching, Willie VanDeSteeg’s rebound from injury, Lee Campbell’s move to middle linebacker, and Marcus Sherels’ move to defense all contributed to an improved defense. Although there were several contributing factors, the one change that differentiated the 2008 defense from 2007 was the play of three JUCO transfers.

Traye “Big Play” Simmons is a JUCU transfer cornerback who racked up four interceptions, 13 passes broken up, and 17 pass deflections. Simmons also finished out the season with second-team All Big Ten honors. Unless he decides to head to the NFL, Simmons should be back next season for the sequel, “Bigger Play.”

JUCO transfer Tramaine “T-Brock” Brock is a safety who added speed, aggressive play, and solid tackling to the Gopher secondary. He contributed 68 tackles, an interception, and three forced fumbles to the maroon and gold cause. Brock is one of the better Minnesota safeties in recent memory, and should also be back next year for an encore.

Simoni Lawrence, who transferred to Minnesota as a JUCO safety, had an outstanding year as an outside linebacker. Lawrence had 64 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns. Lawrence is a fast, hard hitting linebacker who can also play pass defense. Like Simmons and Brock, plan on seeing him on the field in 2009 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Where would the 2008 Gophers be without Traye Simmons, Tramaine Brock, ans Simoni Lawrence? Probably not headed to a bowl game. The Gopher Nation is likely venturing to either Tempe or Orlando to dance the jitterbug in jubilee for the JUCO jamboree.

- At Golden Gopher Football Blog, the following prediciton was made:

Juice, Benn, Vontae Davis, “Andy” Dufrene and company are a tall task for your Golden Gophers to overcome, and while I don’t see a big Ski-U-Mah upset, I do think they keep it interesting.

- The Daily Gopher has an in-depth interview with an Illinois blogger (Paint the Town Orange) that can be read by clicking here.  His feelings regarding the chances for a Gopher victory:

From what I saw last week against Indiana I have serious doubts as to how good Minnesota is. Illinois does not statistically rank very high but I would wager it is a much better defense than Bowling Green FAU or Montana State. If Minnesota is close or wins this game, I will frankly be shocked and very disappointed.

- Goldy from Down With Goldy…well…he isn’t in the mood for a prediction:

Want some Gopher news? Well it’s really too bad for you then. You should probably read a blog that isn’t written by a drunken retard.

Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune quotes a discussion with Tim Brewster in his blog:

“Everybody understands the deal with the homecoming opponent,” Brewster said. “You’re picked because, for the most part, you think that it’s a victory for your school. That’s age-old. That goes back 100 years. So it is what it is.”

- Kent Youngblood also has some interesting statistics for the gameday preview in an article that can be read by clicking here.

- Marcus Fuller quotes Traye Simmons ragarding Marcus Sherels’ shoulder injury in his Pioneer Press blog:

“I have to pick up the slack, as well as other guys in the secondary,” Simmons said. “The backups for Marcus also have to pick up the slack. We have to just go out and play. They have to me, the best receiving core that we’ve played thus far — size and speed wise. We have to stop the run, force them to pass and make plays on the ball.”

- Marcus Fuller also notes in this article that Eric Decker is leading the nation in receiving yards.

- Myron Medcalf of the Star Tribune has an up close and personal article about Juice Williams.

- Patrick Reusse wrote a Star Tribune article focusing on the improving Gopher defense.

- MNdaily.com has an article on kicker Joel Monroe.

- In another MNdaily.com article Adam Weber comments:

“I think a lot of people are concerned or nervous that we’re throwing to Eric too much,” Weber said. “I don’t think that’s a problem; kid catches the ball, what’s the problem with that?”

The Gopher Nation has been waiting for a convincing victory for over a year.  Last year, Florida Atlantic defeated the Gophers 42-39.  Not this year.  Saturday’s win over Florida Atlantic by a score of 37-3 was long overdue.  The Gophers had a solid offensive performance, but more importantly exhibited improvement on defense. 

The Gopher defense held the Owls to 3 points, 175 yards passing and 101 yards rushing.  When was the last time that the Gophers had four interceptions in a game?  As noted in this Big Ten Network article, it was a “pick party.”  The revamped Gopher secondary finally appears comfortable working together.  In the past, it seemed as if the Gophers would wait for a pass to be caught and then react.  With the added speed of new players, pass plays are being broken up before a completion is made. 

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.

Rusty Smith had a few dropped passes by his FAU receivers, including one that would have been a touchdown.  There is a video of Rusty Smith and other FAU players reacting to the loss at this link.  Adam Weber also gave up his first interception of the year on a pass that he tried to force to Eric Decker in the end zone.  Otherwise, the Gophers look to be an improved football team from last week.  Adam Rittenberg of ESPN sums up the Gophers’ performace in this blog entry:

“A new-look secondary continues to come up with big plays, as Minnesota has eight interceptions and 33 pass deflections this season. The offense continues to roll behind quarterback Adam Weber and wideout Eric Decker, and Minnesota heads into league play with plenty of momentum.”

The Gophers are a young team and should continue to improve throughout the year.  Next week’s challenge versus Ohio State is a story unto itself that I will review on Tuesday.  For now, savor the undefeated record and enjoy this Youtube video of the University of Minnesota Marching Band’s halftime performance:

3-0.  At the end of the season, that will be the only relevant statistic from this week.  After an emotional win on the road versus Bowling Green, the youth and inexperience of the Gopher Football team was apparent versus the Montana State Bobcats.  Despite numerous mistakes, Minnesota was still able to walk away with a win.  Perhaps a disappointing win versus Montana State will build character for the Gopher squad.  Here’s a few observations from Saturday:

Youth and Inexperience - The Gophers are one of the youngest teams in Division IA football.  In fact, they have the third fewest seniors of any Division IA team.  I can count ten true freshmen who have seen the field.  Most notable is that the offensive line has started and played a few redshirt freshmen.  Of any position in football besides quarterback, the offensive line benefits most from age and experience.

Defensive Chemistry - I’m able to count eight players who have seen the field on defense who were not wearing maroon and gold last year.  There is undoubtedly an upgrade in talent on the field with the addition of Tramaine Brock, Traye Simmons, Simoni Lawrence, Marcus Sherels and Cedric McKinley among others.  On several of the successful Montana State passing plays, including the first quarter touchdown, there were breakdowns in zone coverage.  The good news is that our defensive players were not beat by better athletes.  They made mistakes in coverage assignments.  It’s important to remember that many of these players have only been working together since August.  As the season progresses and players acclimate themselves to the system and to each other, expect fewer breakdowns in coverage.

Wide Receivers - Eric Decker is having an All American season.  Additional wide receivers need to step up and become threats before entering Big Ten play.  I’m still optimistic that the true freshmen quartet of Brandon Green, Xzavian Brandon, Brodrick Smith and Da’Jon McKnight are learning the complex Gopher spread offense and fine tuning their skills.  Adam Weber will need more options than Eric Decker and Jack Simmons to be successful in the Big Ten.

Deleon Eskridge - Deleon Eskridge had a great game with 114 yards rushing and three touchdowns.  When he was hit, he would continue to move forward.  He made great cuts and has Division I speed.  My previous post analyzed the options for replacing Duane Bennett, and it appears that the answer is Deleon Eskridge.

After last week’s victory at Bowling Green, it was easy to overlook that the Gophers are a young and inexperienced team.  Expect the Gophers to improve as the year progresses, but expect growing pains along the way.  The Golden Gopher Football blog gives a nice gameday recap including a statistical analysis.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Here’s a great video recap of the game:

The second long touchdown pass from Chandler Harnish to Nathan Palmer evoked nightmares of a year gone by for many in Gopher Nation.  But 1998 is not 1997, and Father Time and Fate granted a different outcome on the gridiron battleground.  The Gophers looked very good at times and shaky at others, but in the end pulled out a victory.

In my prior post, I predicted a 45-17 win for the Gophers.  I can speculate on what might have happened if Eric Decker’s touchdown hadn’t been taken away and Ryan Collado’s blown coverage hadn’t resulted in two touchdowns.  The bottom line is that the score of 31-27, while a win, was far different from what I expected.  Here’s my take on the offense:

Adam Weber appeared to be a more accurate passer than this time last year.  Besides Eric Decker, the options that Weber had as wide receiver targets were sparse.  Weber looked more mature and confident at quarterback, but he was telegraphing his passes.  Good linebackers and defensive backs key on the quarterback’s eyes, and Weber is giving them plenty of warning as to where he plans on throwing the ball.  While he had a great game versus Northern Illinois, teams with quicker defensive personnel could take advantage of this tendency.  If he can learn to avoid staring down his primary target, he could become an elite NCAA passer.  That’s a BIG IF, because if he continues to telegraph passes expect the interceptions to be numerous versus top tier opponents.  It’s important to remember that he’s only a sophomore and should continue to mature and develop throughout the season.

Jack Simmons looked every bit the part of an NFL tight end.  If he can avoid injury, expect him to be a first or second round draft pick this coming Spring.  Nick Tow-Arnett also had some big time catches, demonstrating that he’s more than just a blocking tight end.

Eric Decker had a great day with 89 yards receiving and a touchdown, but I expected to see a few of the new freshmen wide receivers see the field.  Ralph Spry and Ben Kuznia are servicable, but Weber will need the likes of Brandon Green and Brodrick Smith on the field in order to have multiple open targets throughout the season.

The offensive line has some new starters, and at times I thought that their youth and inexperience was apparent.  Defensive end Larry English of NIU looked like a man among boys out on the field.  It’s too bad he isn’t wearing maroon and gold this year.  Adam Weber didn’t have enough time in the pocket, and the O-line needs to gel as the season goes on and they gain experience.

Duane Bennett had a solid game with 92 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.  Most importantly, he didn’t fumble and he gave us proof of breakaway speed with a 61 yard touchdown run.  I did notice that on a few occasions he carried the ball with the inside hand.  Ahman Green has had a long career in the NFL while holding the ball in just his left hand, so as long as there aren’t any fumbles that’s a moot point (unless Bennett prevents himself from being able to stiff-arm a defender).  Bennett looks to have become a quick, elusive, and speedy back with good hands.  He’s a great fit for the Gopher’s spread offense.

If Adam Weber continues to develop while avoiding telegraphed passes, a few freshmen wide receivers step up and play to expectations, and the young offensive line gels, we could be in for another record setting offense in 2008.  I’ll be back to analyze the defense and conclude my game 1 recap Monday evening.  Until then, enjoy the following video link sent to me by a reader.

Come Saturday evening all of the news, hype, optimism, pessimism, and speculation will be irrelevant as the Gophers give us a showing of realism on the field.  The 2008 season opener will show Gopher Nation how much the returning Gophers have progressed since last year, how talented the junior college transfers are, and how the defense looks under new defensive coordinator Ted Roof.  Based upon this video of last year’s NIU team versus Tulane, I expect the Gopher offense to have a strong showing: 

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With a year of running the spread offense under his belt, I expect Adam Weber to have a strong showing at quarterback and showcase his skills.  Signs of progress from last year would be audibles that result in successful plays, checking down the first receiver option for secondary and tertiary options, and accurate passing on slant patterns and out routes.  Eric Decker should remain his primary target and have a solid game.  Expect Duane Bennett to receive the bulk of the carries, and keep an eye on Jay Thomas to see if he can make confident cuts with his reconstructed knees.

There are high hopes for the revamped Gopher secondary.  Junior college transfer Traye Simmons was touted as a shut-down corner, and hopefully will live up to his nickname of “Big Play Traye.”  Another junior college transfer, Tramaine Brock, will have a chance to legitimize his reputation as a ferocious hitter with blazing speed.  Kyle Theret is the only returning member of the defensive backfield who will be starting.  Marcus Sherels, who switched to cornerback from wide receiver, can affirm reports that the transition was for the best.  According to this blog, NIU has a question mark at quarterback.  I’d be very concerned if the Gopher secondary doesn’t have a strong showing.

The Gopher linebackers are somewhat of a question mark, with Steve Davis the only returning starter at the top of the depth chart.  Lee Campbell has the size to be a solid middle linebacker.  Simoni Lawrence, another junior college transfer, has been solid in practice as a hybrid defensive back/linebacker.  At just over 200 pounds, I just hope that he can hold up to the physical punishment of playing linebacker.  I will also be curoius as to how/if junior college transfer Rex Sharpe will be used in the linebacker rotation.

The defensive line will need to demonstrate improvement with the pass rush.  Hopefully junior college transfer Cedric McKinley will show that his size and speed can translate into performance on the field as a defensive end.  Eric Small’s added size, along with the addition of freshman Jewhan Edwards, should make a difference in run-stopping ability.  Justin Anderson of NIU had over 1200 rushing yards last year, and will be a good test for the defense.

I expect the Gophers to have a solid performance against NIU, and would be surprised if the game is even close.  Actually, I’d be VERY concerned if this game is close.  I’ll predict a final score of 45-17 in favor of the Gophers.