A big question

Doc1001

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It hasnt been addressed much but a big question for the gopher football team--and perhaps the biggest unknown-is who will be kicking field goals for the gophers this fall. I know two new guys are coming in this summer--one of them had a so so senior year in high school. This one position alone can mean the difference in winning and losing a few games this fall.
In my humble opinion the two biggest question marks this coming season are kicker and interior DL. Not as worried as I probably should be in defensive ends as our pass rush other than Coughlin was inferior last year. I dont consider QB that much of a question or a handicap..
 

We've been pretty lucky with good kickers compared to even great teams like Alabama who seems to struggle with that.... to the point that I don't even ask that question. I actually assume we're "due" for a bad kicking year here or there just based on how much that hasn't happened.

I always worry about the DL and OL.
 
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thought we had a grad transfer coming in or something right? Hard to say when the top two options most likely aren't here yet.
 

Kill's staff seemed to have a strength in settling out special teams. Now we will see what Fleck personnel and assistant coaching will do to develop kickers and punters. Hopefully the team doesn't miss a beat. But, yes, I'd argue the kicking game will be among the biggest question marks for the team going into this season.
 

Who needs field goas when we are up by 30 every game?. Naty champ comin.


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The interior of the d-line is a bigger concern imo. We were really good when OJ Smith was healthy and struggled without him.

No doubt OJ played well. I think it's fair to be concerned about DT, but we have a lot of bodies. Have to hope Schad gets up to speed quickly. He has by far the highest ceiling.
No one ever talks about him, but Renner played GREAT last year.
 

Michael Tarbutt is the grad transfer from UConn joining as a PWO: https://www.twincities.com/2019/03/07/gophers-football-adds-kicker-michael-tarbutt-from-uconn/

We also have Michael Lantz, the prep kicker from Georgia who will be here in June.

The interior of the d-line is a bigger concern imo. We were really good when OJ Smith was healthy and struggled without him.

The interior is a bit concerning for me too. We are counting on a couple unknowns and a couple inexperienced.

There seems to be a buzz re: Micah Dew-Treadway and hopefully Schad can step right in and be effective. But they are a bit of unknowns.

I liked what I saw from Teague last year.
 




Every time Fleck is asked about the kickers, he always says something to the effect of "and there are more guys who will be here in June."

If I had to bet my own money, I would say the principal FG and XP kicker for 2019 is NOT on campus yet.

And of course, the thing about kickers is - the only time people notice is when they either make a game-winning kick or miss a game-winning kick.

As noted, if the offense plays up to its potential, hopefully the kickers will spend most of the their time on XP's and the game will not come down to a 49-yard FG with time running out.
 


What happened to that Ryerse kid?

Ryerse made at least some of the kickoffs in the Spring game. Apparently he has adequate to good leg strength.

Brock Walker (RS Fr) made 7 of 8 PAT's and a 23 yd FG. The PAT consistency can be improved with coaching. His 'hits" were right down the middle. Not sure what his maximum reliable FG length is. The incoming kickers should bring an improvement but Walker appears to provide an acceptable starting point.
 




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