ESPN: Position that needs improvement: Minnesota

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per ESPN:

Problem position: Wide receivers

Why wide receiver was a problem in 2014: The Gophers rarely passed the football -- remember the seven attempts against San Jose State in Week 4? -- and when they did, quarterback Mitch Leidner looked for tight end Maxx Williams. Mad Maxx had twice as many receptions (36) as any wide receiver. Minnesota had high hopes for young wideouts Drew Wolitarsky and Donovahn Jones entering the season, but injury and other factors limited them to a combined 19 catches for 359 yards.

How it can be fixed (solutions on the roster): Wolitarsky showed promise as a freshman in 2013 and, if healthy, should take on a much bigger role in 2015. He missed the stretch run with a high ankle sprain. KJ Maye brings speed and experience to the field. Beyond those two, things are slim as Jones was dismissed from the team in December and Isaac Fruechte completed his eligibility. The coaches like Isaiah Gentry, whose 6-foot-4 frame could help on the perimeter. Minnesota needs Gentry and other young wideouts -- Eric Carter, Desmond Gant, Melvin Holland Jr. -- to grow up fast.

How it can be fixed (potential help from 2015 recruiting class): The Gophers recently added two receivers from far-flung locations in Hunter Register (Louisiana) and Rashad Still (Texas). Minnesota went heavier on wide receivers in the 2014 class and will lean more on those recruits, especially after Jones' unexpected departure.

Early 2015 outlook: The good news: Minnesota doesn't use many wide receivers on offense. The bad news: finding more than two capable options could be a challenge. Minnesota simply lacks depth here, and with Williams leaving early for the NFL, the pass-catching void is even bigger. Wolitarsky must get healthy and emerge as a top option alongside Maye. But the development of other players will be critical to balance out a strong run game. This isn't a new problem for Minnesota, but it must be solved.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/114877/position-that-needs-improvement-minnesota

Go Gophers!!
 

Not much to disagree with there. My hope though is that one of the other guys emerges to be the top option because I don't think Wolitarsky has that kind of ability. Would much rather see him as the #2 or #3 option and therefore not drawing the other teams top corners each game. I wouldn't expect either of the 2015 guys to be ready to help next year so it will come down to the guys that were redshirted last year. Hopefully 1 or 2 of them emerge as impact players next season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Not much to disagree with there. My hope though is that one of the other guys emerges to be the top option because I don't think Wolitarsky has that kind of ability. Would much rather see him as the #2 or #3 option and therefore not drawing the other teams top corners each game. I wouldn't expect either of the 2015 guys to be ready to help next year so it will come down to the guys that were redshirted last year. Hopefully 1 or 2 of them emerge as impact players next season.
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Spot on....
 

Fair article. One thing that isn't mentioned here is our backfill of the TE / H-back slot and how that can potentially replace a decent portion of Maxx's production.
 

fryguy22 said:
Fair article. One thing that isn't mentioned here is our backfill of the TE / H-back slot and how that can potentially replace a decent portion of Maxx's production.
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One of my hopes for next season is that our leading receiver is actually a WR as opposed to a TE. Definitely want to see the TE remain a big part of the passing game but there is no doubt we need to get a lot more out of the WR position.
 


MNVCGUY said:
One of my hopes for next season is that our leading receiver is actually a WR as opposed to a TE. Definitely want to see the TE remain a big part of the passing game but there is no doubt we need to get a lot more out of the WR position.
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I think one of the three RS-Freshman WR's will really be good. I have heard nothing but good things about Gentry, Holland JR., Jerry Gibson (TE) & Gant. The coaching staff has even admitted that a couple of these guys would have started in 2014. But, for the betterment of the program, they chose to red-shirt those guys. I am going to go with Gentry.
 

e.bigelow said:
I think one of the three RS-Freshman WR's will really be good. I have heard nothing but good things about Gentry, Holland JR., Jerry Gibson (TE) & Gant. The coaching staff has even admitted that a couple of these guys would have started in 2014. But, for the betterment of the program, they chose to red-shirt those guys. I am going to go with Gentry.
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If memory serves me right, Matt was not the QB that day. Stevy played the whole game and rushed for something like 174 yards. I believe we have good wr's. We need a QB to be able to check off receivers an find one that is opened.
 

Jamie said:
If memory serves me right, Matt was not the QB that day. Stevy played the whole game and rushed for something like 174 yards. I believe we have good wr's. We need a QB to be able to check off receivers an find one that is opened.
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What? And I assume you maybe meant to quote the original post? Just trying to figure out what you're getting at.

Also noticed it was your first post. Welcome out of the shadows!
 

upnorthkid said:
What? And I assume you maybe meant to quote the original post? Just trying to figure out what you're getting at.

Also noticed it was your first post. Welcome out of the shadows!
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+1.
 



Does anyone have or know where to find the Targets (#Passes Thrown To) stats for last season?

Also, nobody in their right mind would disagree that we need to elevate our quality of receivers and that Mitch needs to continue improving. But, if you consider alternative statistics such as ESPN's Total QB Rating, Mitch is doing ok, ranking 5th in the Big 10, and 45th in the nation (see here: http://espn.go.com/ncf/qbr/_/group/5). Not amazing, but not awful. His running ability keeps him solidly in the middle, and if he can continue to improve his passing, he will have a chance to be a top-tier Big Ten QB the next 2 years.
 

I'm more concerned about the OL than the WRs. I'm not too worried about the OL.
 

upnorthkid said:
What? And I assume you maybe meant to quote the original post? Just trying to figure out what you're getting at.

Also noticed it was your first post. Welcome out of the shadows!
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I am assuming that Matt is Mitch's ultra-ego! seriously how do you forget the QB's name?
 




We all know it, Jerry Kill knows it, the staff knows it. We need improvement in both the QB and wide receiver positions. So instead of constantly whining and bitching about it how about looking at what Kill and his staff are doing about it. If you took the time to do that you might notice that great things are happening.

For example, Leidner has continues to grow and making as has as sophomore. He is now a much improved and more experienced QB and will have better receivers next year. His play against Missouri showed how far he has come.

But the really good news is at the wide receiver position. Last night I attended a GoalLine sponsored presentation on recruiting. The three local recruiting experts led a panel discussion that was very positive about the upcoming upgrade in our receivers. It will be coming from both last year’s class this fall's incoming class. Kill has stated that last year’s red shirt receivers would have started if they had decided to burn their red shirts. They panel was also very positive about our new upcoming class of receivers this fall. All three of the recruits are tall, athletic and big. It is interesting to note that ESPN ranked Rashad Still as the 62nd best wide out in the country. Yet many of you seem to be worried about this raw but promising recruit.

The news about QB Demry Croft keeps on getting better and better. He had a great showing at his All Star game at the Citrus Bowl on January 2nd. Again, all three panel members said that he has a tremendous arm and is not that unlike Teddy Bridgewater in his running ability. Of course nothing is guaranteed but I am very pleased about our QB and wide receivers situation. But don’t let me stop you, go ahead and continue with your soap opera.
 

In terms of running ability, I hope that Croft is nothing like Teddy Bridgewater. Teddy Bridgewater had 170 career rushing yards in college.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
In terms of running ability, I hope that Croft is nothing like Teddy Bridgewater. Teddy Bridgewater had 170 career rushing yards in college.
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Was thinking the same thing. Bridgewater was not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, he could move the pocket and keep plays alive with his feet but he was and still is a pass first QB.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
In terms of running ability, I hope that Croft is nothing like Teddy Bridgewater. Teddy Bridgewater had 170 career rushing yards in college.
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Good catch Bob and MNVCGUY! When the panel was talking about his running ability one of them compared him to Teddy Bridgewater and then they all said maybe there is a better comparison. I just wasn't creative enough to come up with who that would be.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Was thinking the same thing. Bridgewater was not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, he could move the pocket and keep plays alive with his feet but he was and still is a pass first QB.
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Tanner Mckevoy is the guy that comes up for me. 6-6, 220 pounder.
 

MNVCGUY said:
One of my hopes for next season is that our leading receiver is actually a WR as opposed to a TE. Definitely want to see the TE remain a big part of the passing game but there is no doubt we need to get a lot more out of the WR position.
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I agree. Your TE leading the team in receptions is like your free safety leading the defense in # of tackles. It's indicative of a problem elsewhere.
 

Too Long in the Wasteland said:
I agree. Your TE leading the team in receptions is like your free safety leading the defense in # of tackles. It's indicative of a problem elsewhere.
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I don't disagree with this in general (or for our team last year) but it's worth noting that Maxx is a pretty special talent. Even if we had a B1G average passing game (which, statistically, is all we should expect / want under Jerry Kill) Maxx would have likely led us in receptions.
 

fryguy22 said:
I don't disagree with this in general (or for our team last year) but it's worth noting that Maxx is a pretty special talent. Even if we had a B1G average passing game (which, statistically, is all we should expect / want under Jerry Kill) Maxx would have likely led us in receptions.
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You are correct that Maxx may very well have still led the team in receptions but if we had any sort of production out of the WR position it would not have been by such a massive margin. You basically have to add Fruechte and Maye together in order to equal Maxx's yards and receptions.
 

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