BleedGopher
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per ESPN's preview of the Gophers:
Minnesota went to the wire in the West last season, playing tight with Wisconsin on the final weekend to decide the division. But after a poor bowl outing, the Gophers must prove they have staying power under coach Jerry Kill, who’s built a veteran team (14 starters back) that should threaten the Badgers again.
Offense
How the Gophers beat you: They stick to the ground: The Gophers’ 599 rush attempts ranked 17th in the FBS in ’14 and accounted for 70 percent of their plays—in all but one win, Minnesota topped 150 yards rushing. That penchant for pounding the rock won’t change, but finding a replacement for RB David Cobb, who led Minnesota in rushing the past two seasons, is no small task. While QB Mitch Leidner is a bruiser (one of eight Power 5 players to throw for 10 scores and rush for 10 in ’14), soph RB Berkley Edwards and redshirt frosh Jeff Jones rely more on speed and are unknown quantities. Senior Rodrick Williams Jr. (23 carries for 115 yards) will get a large share of the totes and will likely help form a tougher-nosed tandem with Leidner.
How you beat the Gophers: The line gave up just 21 sacks, but the rate was high (7.6 percent, No. 100) because the team didn’t throw much. Leidner is tough to corral and showed flashes of potential on play-action but completed only 51.5 percent of his throws, worst in the Big Ten. His top target, TE Maxx Williams, whose 36 catches was 18 more than any other receiver, is also gone. The Gophers have some intriguing prospects—senior WR KJ Maye (18.6 ypc) is due for a breakout—but stacking the box is never a bad idea.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/119214/minnesota-golden-gophers-preview
Go Gophers!!
Minnesota went to the wire in the West last season, playing tight with Wisconsin on the final weekend to decide the division. But after a poor bowl outing, the Gophers must prove they have staying power under coach Jerry Kill, who’s built a veteran team (14 starters back) that should threaten the Badgers again.
Offense
How the Gophers beat you: They stick to the ground: The Gophers’ 599 rush attempts ranked 17th in the FBS in ’14 and accounted for 70 percent of their plays—in all but one win, Minnesota topped 150 yards rushing. That penchant for pounding the rock won’t change, but finding a replacement for RB David Cobb, who led Minnesota in rushing the past two seasons, is no small task. While QB Mitch Leidner is a bruiser (one of eight Power 5 players to throw for 10 scores and rush for 10 in ’14), soph RB Berkley Edwards and redshirt frosh Jeff Jones rely more on speed and are unknown quantities. Senior Rodrick Williams Jr. (23 carries for 115 yards) will get a large share of the totes and will likely help form a tougher-nosed tandem with Leidner.
How you beat the Gophers: The line gave up just 21 sacks, but the rate was high (7.6 percent, No. 100) because the team didn’t throw much. Leidner is tough to corral and showed flashes of potential on play-action but completed only 51.5 percent of his throws, worst in the Big Ten. His top target, TE Maxx Williams, whose 36 catches was 18 more than any other receiver, is also gone. The Gophers have some intriguing prospects—senior WR KJ Maye (18.6 ypc) is due for a breakout—but stacking the box is never a bad idea.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/119214/minnesota-golden-gophers-preview
Go Gophers!!