Buck Bravo

Former Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove has been named the Gophers’ co-defensive coordinator along with Ronnie Lee, who was promoted from his current position as the Gophers defensive backs coach. Both Cosgrove and Lee are proven recruiters, and Cosgrove has extensive experience as a defensive coordinator at both Nebraska and Wisconsin. Ronnie Lee has been on the Gopher staff since Tim Brewster’s hiring in 2007, and likely earned a well-deserved promotion. Cosgrove has a wealth of experience to analyze. Let’s take a look at Cosgrove’s track record at Nebraska:

Cosgrove’s defenses were solid in 2005 and 2006, and below Nebraska standards for 2004 and 2007. Nebraska fans have been dissatisfied with the Cornhusker football program for years, and some speculate that Cosgrove may have been targeted as a scapegoat. The question that remains to be answered is whether the Gophers can expect the solid Cosgrove defenses of 2005-2006, or the questionable Cosgrove defenses of 2004 and 2007. Cosgrove left Nebraska after a 2007 season in which his defense gave up 37.9 points per game. One statistic that indicates Cosgrove may have been unfairly judged is that the 2008 Cornhuskers, under a new defensive coordinator, still gave up 29.2 points per game. It’s quite possible that Nebraska’s defense had dwindling talent during the Cosgrove years in a strong Big 12.

Gopher fan reactions can be viewed in the comment section of Kent Youngblood’s blog at the Star Tribune, and Cornhusker fan reactions can be viewed at the Journal Star football blog. Ronnie Lee coached a strong defensive backfield in 2008 that featured aggressive play and fundamentally sound tackling. I expect that the defensive backfield will be even stronger in 2009 with all four starters returning, Kim Royston and four star junior college transfer Taikwon Paige added to the mix, and Ronnie Lee’s continued guidance as co-defensive coordinator. Time will tell if Kevin Cosgrove can help to build a stronger defense as co-defensive coordinator with Ronnie Lee.

Based upon Everett Withers’ success at North Carolina, it is fair to assume that much of Ted Roof’s success in bringing the Gopher defense back to mediocrity was due to an influx of JUCO talent. Expect the 2009 Gopher defense to be bigger, stronger, faster, and older than the 2008 team. There is no reason that Lee and Cosgrove shouldn’t be able to field an improved defense in 2009.

Yesterday saw the departure of both offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar and defensive coordinator Ted Roof from the Gopher football program. The Golden Gopher Football blog and The Daily Gopher have posted insights regarding the circumstances and future options for replacements. Let’s look forward to what could be possible with new coordinators.

New Offensive Coordinator

Moving forward, Minnesota will have some very dangerous weapons on offense. Adam Weber, Marquies Gray, Moses Alipate and David Pittman are all very capable at passing the football. Gray and Pittman have wide receiver speed, and Weber and Alipate are by no means slow. Imagine a spread offense formation with Weber and Gray side-by-side in the shotgun and Pittman in motion…any one of the three could either pass or receive the ball. Defensive backs and linebackers watch the eyes of the quarterback. Even the most talented college defenses would be frustrated without one quarterback to focus upon.

One positive development from the Insight Bowl were the new power running formations for the Gopher offense. Returning to a 1920’s running game is unlikely, but having the option of a power running game would be beneficial for goal line and short yardage situations. Imagine a dynamic, innovative spread offense with multiple quarterbacks on the field that can also switch things up and ram the ball up the middle. Such an offense would be a nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators. Minnesota needs an offensive coordinator that will utilize talent appropriately, teach precision execution, and call plays that will continually surprise the opposing defense.

New Defensive Coordinator

Overall, Ted Roof was successful as the Gophers’ defensive coordinator. Auburn fans’ reaction to Roof can be viewed by clicking here, or follow this link for a more in-depth Auburn analysis. While Roof is a talented defensive coordinator, I wouldn’t expect him to stay at Auburn any longer than it takes him to receive another head coaching offer. After losing his head coaching job at Duke he accepted an assistant coaching job at Louisville, shortly thereafter jumped to be defensive coordinator at Minnesota, and now has jumped for a hefty pay increase at Auburn. Honestly, I don’t know of too many people who could turn down an opportunity to nearly double their salary. Based upon his track record, Roof is likely trying to return to the head coaching ranks.

Defense is not terribly difficult to coach. Defensive schemes are rather simple to teach and to learn. The challenge for a defensive coordinator is to respond to offensive formations and strategies with appropriate defensive formations and coverages. Defensive coordinators must be able to intuitively predict the opposing offensive coordinator’s intentions. Additionally, good defensive coordinators will be able to teach and inspire players to be aggressive and to play good fundamental football. Basically, the Gophers need another Ted Roof, but one that isn’t looking to make career moves towards a head coaching spot for a least two years.

Minnesota is looking to build a solid recruiting class for 2009, and Detroit duo Kenny Watkins and Jeremy Gainer would be valuable additions to the program. Both players initially committed to Indiana, but have yet to make their final decisions.

Kenny Watkins is a 6′0, 185 pound safety with a 4.47 forty time. I couldn’t find video of Watkins on Youtube, but from what I’ve read his size, speed, and aggressive play would be a great addition to Ted Roof’s Gopher defense. Tramaine Brock and Kyle Theret have put up strong numbers in Roof’s defensive scheme, and hopefully Watkins will decide to spend his college years in Minneapolis to do the same.

Jeremy Gainer is a quarterback and linebacker who at 6′1 with a 4.56 forty time and a broad frame could develop into a talented Big Ten linebacker. With Deon Hightower and Steve Davis graduating, the Gophers need strong linebacker prospects moving forward. Here’s a Youtube video of Gainer in action:

Hopefully Watkins and Gainer decide to wear maroon and gold for a Gopher defense that should continue to improve in years to come.

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.

Following are videos of players that may still be on the radar for Minnesota’s 2009 recruiting class:

Taylor Lewan is a four star recruit scheduled to be visiting Minnesota this weekend, and would be a great commit for the Gophers.  The Gophers need offensive linemen and Lewan looks like the real deal:

Daryl Robinson is rumored to be visiting this weekend, and his highlight video justifies all four of those Scout.com stars:

Jeremy Gainer is another four star recruit who is also rumored to be visiting, and lays some vicious hits on defense in this video:

Bryant Allen visited Minnesota recently, and runs the 40 in a blazing 4.3 seconds:

Edward “Eddie” Nuckols is still undecided and could end up in Maroon and Gold.  A 290 pound four star recruit who is also a fullback, Nuckols’ video is impressive to say the least:

Delano Johnson is playing at College of the Sequoias with Clint Brewster.  He would be ready to play next year:

Anthony “Juice” Leon is a 6′3, 230 pound four star safety also playing at College of the Sequoias.  Leon hits like a truck and would be a perfect fit for Ted Roof’s aggressive defense:

Randall Dent is also uncommitted, and still lists Minnesota as a school of interest:

Predictions and previews for the upcoming game between the Gophers and the Illini will soon be available at many different blogs, newspapers, and websites.  This article will not cover the formidable talent of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams, the dangerous passing duo of Adam Weber to Eric Decker, or the similarities of the Tim Brewster and the Ron Zook rebuilding strategies.  Instead, this article will attempt to compare both teams in a fair, unbiased, and unemotional manner.  How is that possible?  Let’s try something new and different…comparing team statistics.  Sound like fun?  Why not give it a try? 

Let’s take a look at the strength of the opponents that both Minnesota and Illinois have faced.  Rankings are from the CBSsports.com Top 120 rankings updated on Tuesday.  Neither Eastern Illinois or Montana State were in the top 120, so both were assigned a rank of 121:

Illinois has faced a tougher schedule based upon both the average and the median of opponent rankings.  Minnesota’s most highly rated victory was against 75th ranked Indiana, while Illinois’ was against 53rd ranked Michigan.  Illinois was also in a week 1 shootout with 3rd ranked Missouri, losing by just 10 points in a game that featured 94 points scored.  With the stronger portfolio of wins, a victory versus a more highly rated team, and a close game with a top 5 team it is fair to surmise that Illinois has a slight advantage.  Advantage Illinois.

Now for an offensive comparison.  Both teams have productive spread offenses, as can be viewed in the following table:

* Illinois statistics are prorated to match the Gophers’ 6 games.

Illinois has a clear advantage for rushing yardage.  Interestingly, Minnesota has committed nearly half as many turnovers on offense.  Total passing yardage only differs by 42 yards, which is too close to declare a definitive difference.  With superior rushing yardage and an extra five points per game, Illinois has stronger numbers.  Offensive advantage Illinois.

Minnesota defensive coordinator Ted Roof has the Gopher defense playing fundamentally sound, aggressive, flat-out nasty defense.  How does the new look Gopher defense stack up against Illinois?:

* Illinois statistics are prorated to match the Gophers’ 6 games.

Minnesota has a clear lead in defending the run, while Illinois has a slight lead in defensing the pass.  Minnesota has forced more turnovers, and has allowed significantly fewer points per game with 18.5 versus 29.6 for Illinois.  Defensive advantage Minnesota.

CBSsports.com’s Top 120 ranks Minnesota 33rd and Illinois 35th.  Looking at statistics for strength of schedule, offense and defense Illinois looks better than Minnesota in two of the three categories.  Also, the offensive and defensive statistics are likely skewed since Illinois faced more difficult opponents.  Throw in home field advantage, and the Gophers are definitely the underdogs in this matchup. 

Based solely upon available statistics, Illinois is the favorite.  That shouldn’t suprise anyone.  Besides an improved Gopher defense, there is one other wild card statistic that could give the Gophers hope.  The Gophers have a turnover margin of + 10 while the Illini are only + 1.  What does that mean?  The Illini are far more likely to throw an interception or fumble away possession than the Gophers.  If Juice Williams could just throw a few interceptions or if the Gophers could recover a few fumbles…anything could happen.

Despite losing their first game of the season last week against Ohio State, the Gophers were able to bounce back on Saturday with the first Big Ten win of the Tim Brewster era.  The hangover effect from the Ohio State loss was the likely culprit for Minnesota’s flat play on offense.  Watching the plethora of Gopher mistakes was the equivalent of a three hour root canal without Novocaine.  Luckily, Indiana’s offense had even more bloopers and blunders than Minnesota.  Come January, all that will matter from this week will be a Gopher win.

There is good news from Saturday.  Very good news.  Indiana came into the game averaging 31 points per game.  The Gopher defense held a talented, dynamic, potent offense to seven points.  Indiana was only able to muster 49 yards rushing and 244 yards passing.  The only Hoosier touchdown and 77 of the passing yards came from one lapse in coverage by the Gopher secondary.  In the first five games of the season, the Gophers had given up an average of 21 points per game.  The defense is definitely looking up.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof has the Minnesota defense playing with a level of confidence that I’ve never seen before.  I wrote a previous entry about Roof that you can view by clicking here.  Ted Roof was a star linebacker for the 1985 and 1986 Georgia Tech defense nicknamed the Black Watch.  The intensity, ferocity, and aggressive relentlessness that the Gopher defense exhibited seems similar to the legendary Black Watch.  The Black Watch defense was famous for intimidating opponents with vicious hits and the swagger of gladiators.  If the Minnesota defense continues to play like they did on Saturday, perhaps they will earn a nickname of their own.

The Gopher offense made mistakes that were primarily due to either inexperience or Indiana’s strong defensive line.  Coming off of a loss to Ohio State in Columbus probably contributed to inexperienced players’ fundamental lapses.  Troy Stoudermire’s fumbled punt return was likely due to thinking about the run before the catch.  Deleon Eskridge’s fumble was due to carrying the ball on the wrong side.  Eskridge’s mistake was also noticed by The Daily Gopher as noted in their game reaction.  Besides Eric Decker, the young Minnesota wide receivers were generally unable to get open and make plays.  As they learn the offense and the art of route-running they should improve.  The Indiana defensive line and pass rush was impressive, with Jammie Kirlew blasting past the line on nearly every pass play.  Adam Weber had little time to pass from the pocket and was often forced to scramble or hurry his throws.  Having seen the Gophers’ offensive line face a few other teams, I credit Indiana for having a strong pass rush.

Minnesota must learn from their mistakes on offense and continue to play formidable defense as they prepare to face Illinois.  For now, a win is a win.  For tomorrow, it is imperative that Saturday’s victory teaches two lessons for the young Gopher team: 1) Remember fundamentals to avoid turnovers, and 2) Attitude and swagger can transform defensive players into intimidating warriors. 

Oh, one other thing…next time the Gophers have too many hard shots of Buckeye they need to sleep it off before the next game.

Here’s a video recap of the game:

463 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions passing; 7 forced turnovers on defense.  Those are the robust statistics that Florida Atlantic had in defeating the Gophers 42-39 in 2007.  Will 2008 be a rerun of 2007 or a new episode of Gopher Football?  The Gophers have new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and a revamped defense including three new defensive backs.  The Owls only mustered 292 yards and 10 points versus Texas, and 225 yards with 0 points versus Michigan State.  However, they did have 554 yards and 49 points versus UAB.  Saturday’s game could set the bar as to how much improvement the Gophers have had in a year, and whether they can now be competitive with top tier teams.

Adam Weber has yet to throw an interception in his first three games.  Last year he gave up 4 picks to FAU.  If Weber can maintain his improved passing, the Gophers will have a much better showing this time around.  The Daily Gopher has a great in-depth preview of what to expect during the game.  Some interesting interviews about the Gophers with FAU players including quarterback Rusty Smith are on an FAU blog that can be viewed by clicking here.  My own thoughts are that with an improved defense, an experienced Weber, and home field advantage the Gophers will win this time around.  I’ll predict a score of 38-20.

Interestingly, the gopher is prey for owls in the Midwest ecosystem.  Hopefully Gopher fans won’t have an experience similar to this photo.  The Gophers should remain undefeated and come out of this one looking like this photo.

Good news regarding Sam Maresh.  As I predicted back in July, he is recovering rapidly from cardiovascular surgery and has been cleared to resume training.  Check out this Pioneer Press article for details.

Additionally, let’s be sure to give the recruits visiting this weekend a welcoming reception to the University of Minnesota.  According to Scout.com, visiting recruits will include Frank Crawford, Artice Kellam, Hasan Lipscomb, and Minneapolis’ own Ra’Shede Hageman.

When looking back upon this season, defeating Bowling Green by a score of 42-17 will likely stand out as a big step in Tim Brewster’s rebuilding process.  Here are my thoughts from my post previewing the game:

The Gopher offense should have a strong showing.  Will the Gophers demonstrate defensive improvement versus last year with the addition of JUCO players and new defensive coordinator Ted Roof?  That question may determine the outcome of the game.

Adam Weber has come of age at quarterback.  His passes were crisp, timed well, and carefully placed to avoid turnovers.  Most importantly, his offense had 0 turnovers.  Eric Decker looked like an All American with athletic catches, explosive bursts of speed after the catch, and hard-nosed physical play.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Weber make a perfect option pitch to Decker for a touchdown.  Weber went to Mounds View High School, where the quarterback option is a way of life.  He’s probably been running that play since junior high.  Ben Kuznia also impressed me with precise route running, clutch catches, and great downfield blocking.  Duane Bennett exhibited multi-dimensional talent with his receiving, rushing, and pass-blocking.  Shady Salamon was attacking the line of scrimmage, avoiding direct hits by the defense, and pushing forward after contact.  Even though he’s a true freshman, he looked like an experienced veteran.  I have no idea what a VO2MAX test is, but here’s a clip of Salamon’s:

The biggest issues that I have with the offense are related to injuries.  If the Gophers lose Duane Bennett, Ned Tavale, or Jeff Tow-Arnett to Saturday’s injuries the depth carts will be tested.  Bennett is having an MRI on his knee, which doesn’t sound good.

Ted Roof’s defense was vastly improved versus last year’s Bowling Green game.  I thought that Roof did a very good job of calling the right defensive formations to stop Bowling Green.  Most of Bowling Green’s big plays appeared to be due to mistakes by our players or the athleticism of Bowling Green.  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 tough and relentless.  Lee Campbell made some big hits and plugged up the middle of the field.  The defense is still young and inexperienced, which led to some breakdowns in coverage and gap assignments.  JUCOs Tramaine Brock, Traye Simmons, and Simoni Lawrence have given the defense a shot of adrenaline.  However, there were still too many successful Bowling Green plays that were due to lack of athleticism on the Gopher’s defense.  Bowling Green is a team with athletic players, but there’s definitely a need for the Gophers to bring in more defensive talent.  Overall, our defense is much better than last year and should be in the middle of the Big Ten pack come the end of non-conference play.

ESPNU displayed an interesting statistic during the game: The Gophers have the third fewest seniors on the roster of any Division I team.  The Gophers should continue to become a better football team as they mature and acclimate themselves to playing as a team.  ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg mentioned that the Gopher’s are “turning the corner” at this page.  I’m going to make a bold prediction after last night’s game:

We’ll be going to Detroit, a cornucopia of tourism and winter delight, for the Motor City Bowl come December.

The Golden Gopher Football Blog gives a good recap of the game, and The Daily Gopher also has several talking points on the game.  Both are great reads.

Having reviewed the Gopher’s offensive performance yesterday, let’s take a look the defensive performance versus Northern Illinois and wrap this week up as week 2 approaches.  The defense looks to be vastly improved over last year, but in my opinion will still have a tougher time with top tier opponents.  There has definitely been an infusion of talent, and Ted Roof’s defensive scheme slowed an NIU running attack that featured a running back with 1200 yards rushing last year.  Let’s break things down:

The defense looked much better against the run than last year.  NIU was held to 72 yards rushing on 31 attempts.  Eric Small is no longer small, and Garrett Brown helped plug up the middle.  Simoni Lawrence appears to be the real deal as a hybrid linebacker/defensive back.  After watching his bone-crushing blow force a fumble near the line of scrimmage, I’m no longer concerned about his size at 205 pounds.  He also demonstrated exceptional athleticism and strength by catching and hurling the ball carrier to the ground in the open field.

I was particularly impressed with the performance of Tramaine Brock.  Brock was not only a fast and fundamentally sound tackler, but he had an instinctive ability to break for the ball or the intended receiver.  That tendency cannot be coached.  He reminds me of Tyrone Carter when he was a Gopher, but with better size and speed.

Giving up 326 yards passing to NIU is troubling.  However, if you take away the 143 yards from Ryan Collado’s two blown pass coverages, the Gopher defense would have allowed a respectable 183 yards passing.  Would’ve…could’ve…should’ve…didn’t.  The bottom line is that blown coverages resulting in big plays lose games, and the Gophers nearly lost due to these two mistakes.  Unless NIU receiver Nathan Palmer is the second coming of Randy Moss, I hope Collado sticks to special teams and does not play one-on-one coverage the rest of this season.  On a positive note, Traye Simmons looks to be a solid cornerback.  He didn’t make a “Big Play,” but he kept up with receivers and made a few tackles.  The pass rush had some bright moments, including a big sack by Willie VanDeSteeg.  I would have liked to see Chandler Harnish of NIU under a more consistently intense pass rush.

Overall, the Gophers have definitely improved from last year.  Ted Roof’s defense stopped the run, and with the exception of two big plays defended the pass quite well.  The offense, as expected, was effective.  Sid Hartman is a legend on the Twin Cities sports scene, but I have to disagree with his analysis that the incoming recruits were not a big factor as mentioned in this article.  In my opinion, three JUCOs from last year’s recruiting class made a difference in the outcome of the game.  If Tramaine Brock, Traye Simmons and Simoni Lawrence had not been on defense, would we still have won the game?  I’m not sure.  What I am sure of is that the 2008 Gophers are better than the 2007 Gophers, which bodes well for the future.