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News, Notes, Tid-Bits and Quotes: Explosive Plays Propel Gophers to 42-20 Win in Season Opener
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/414737?referrer_id=388419
It wasn’t always pretty, but with some timely plays a composed Gophers squad got the job done with an impressive 42-20 victory over Eastern Illinois to start the 2014 campaign. Following the first win of the season, Jerry Kill and the Gophers were happy to start the year off in the right direction.
Big Plays Help Gophers Overcome Slow Start
Early on, Minnesota struggled to move the ball offensively against a multitude of defensive fronts; punting twice and fumbling once in their first three possessions.
“Eastern Illinois played a great defensive game,” said Mitch Leidner, who finished with three total touchdowns on the night. “Every time we came out on the field they had a different defensive structure. That is tough as an offense to see them pick all the different options. We tried a lot of different things to switch up our game.”
Fortunately for the Maroon and Gold faithful, the Minnesota defense and special teams rose to the occasion, creating timely turnovers—two fumbles and one interception—to keep the Panthers out of the endzone for three quarters. One play that started to put the game out of reach was a punt block by Eric Murray that was scooped up by Logan Hutton for a touchdown. The score put the Gophers up 21 points in the second half.
“Coach [Jay] Sawvel called a block before we even blocked it,” said Kill. “He called it, he said Eric Murray is going to block it, Coach. He says, we got it, Eric Murray is going to block it I guarantee it. And he blocked it. He came in untouched. That was a big play in the game.”
Speed Kills
Once the offense hit its stride, it was evident that the Gophers had found some explosive playmakers. In his first college game, speedster Berkley Edwards rushed for 60 yards and two scores including a 42-yard scamper.
“[He’s] just an extremely explosive player, great to have on the offensive side of the ball,” said Leidner. “Every time he touches the ball you really never know what’s going to happen. He could break it off for a touchdown at any second.”
Another player that used his impressive jets was wide receiver Donovahn Jones. The true sophomore ended the game with 57 yards receiving including a 35-yard touchdown reception in which he absolutely torched the defense. Jones’ progress this offseason has been immense, and it certainly showed on Thursday.
“He’s a whole different kid,” said Leidner. “He’s matured a lot since last season. That’s really the biggest thing, the maturity. He’s out there, he’s hungry. He wants to get the ball and he wants to score touchdowns. You get the ball to him out in open space, he can make a few guys miss and score a touchdown like he did tonight.”
Youngsters Shining
Heading into the game, Kill knew that a number of true freshmen were going to get a chance to play. What couldn’t be predicted was the large number of injuries to the defensive line, resulting in increased minutes for Steven Richardson, Andrew Stelter, and Gaelin Elmore. Late in the game, linebacker Jonathan Celestin and cornerback Craig James also saw some action. All told, the five true freshmen on defense accounted for nine total tackles, two pass breakups, and a half of a sack. Kill attributed the readiness of these young players to the work that was put in over the summer.
“I think the older kids did a heck of a job with [the freshmen] this summer because we can’t go out there and coach them,” said Kill. “I think our older kids did a good job and I think it’s a good freshmen class. I guarantee you, they played a lot today.”
Kickers Impress
One of the most impressive parts of the evening for Minnesota was the play of punter Peter Mortell and kicker Ryan Santoso. Mortell averaged a whopping 51.2 yards per punt while Santoso booted five touchbacks on seven attempts and easily made all of his extra points.
“We snapped a rookie snapper on punts; [Jared] Hartman did a heck of a job,” said Kill. “[Mortell] did a heck of a job changing field positions. [Santoso] was pretty much unreal kicking, kicking the ball out of the endzone every time. That makes it good for the kicking game.”
By Grant Erickson and Travis Erickson
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/414737?referrer_id=388419
It wasn’t always pretty, but with some timely plays a composed Gophers squad got the job done with an impressive 42-20 victory over Eastern Illinois to start the 2014 campaign. Following the first win of the season, Jerry Kill and the Gophers were happy to start the year off in the right direction.
Big Plays Help Gophers Overcome Slow Start
Early on, Minnesota struggled to move the ball offensively against a multitude of defensive fronts; punting twice and fumbling once in their first three possessions.
“Eastern Illinois played a great defensive game,” said Mitch Leidner, who finished with three total touchdowns on the night. “Every time we came out on the field they had a different defensive structure. That is tough as an offense to see them pick all the different options. We tried a lot of different things to switch up our game.”
Fortunately for the Maroon and Gold faithful, the Minnesota defense and special teams rose to the occasion, creating timely turnovers—two fumbles and one interception—to keep the Panthers out of the endzone for three quarters. One play that started to put the game out of reach was a punt block by Eric Murray that was scooped up by Logan Hutton for a touchdown. The score put the Gophers up 21 points in the second half.
“Coach [Jay] Sawvel called a block before we even blocked it,” said Kill. “He called it, he said Eric Murray is going to block it, Coach. He says, we got it, Eric Murray is going to block it I guarantee it. And he blocked it. He came in untouched. That was a big play in the game.”
Speed Kills
Once the offense hit its stride, it was evident that the Gophers had found some explosive playmakers. In his first college game, speedster Berkley Edwards rushed for 60 yards and two scores including a 42-yard scamper.
“[He’s] just an extremely explosive player, great to have on the offensive side of the ball,” said Leidner. “Every time he touches the ball you really never know what’s going to happen. He could break it off for a touchdown at any second.”
Another player that used his impressive jets was wide receiver Donovahn Jones. The true sophomore ended the game with 57 yards receiving including a 35-yard touchdown reception in which he absolutely torched the defense. Jones’ progress this offseason has been immense, and it certainly showed on Thursday.
“He’s a whole different kid,” said Leidner. “He’s matured a lot since last season. That’s really the biggest thing, the maturity. He’s out there, he’s hungry. He wants to get the ball and he wants to score touchdowns. You get the ball to him out in open space, he can make a few guys miss and score a touchdown like he did tonight.”
Youngsters Shining
Heading into the game, Kill knew that a number of true freshmen were going to get a chance to play. What couldn’t be predicted was the large number of injuries to the defensive line, resulting in increased minutes for Steven Richardson, Andrew Stelter, and Gaelin Elmore. Late in the game, linebacker Jonathan Celestin and cornerback Craig James also saw some action. All told, the five true freshmen on defense accounted for nine total tackles, two pass breakups, and a half of a sack. Kill attributed the readiness of these young players to the work that was put in over the summer.
“I think the older kids did a heck of a job with [the freshmen] this summer because we can’t go out there and coach them,” said Kill. “I think our older kids did a good job and I think it’s a good freshmen class. I guarantee you, they played a lot today.”
Kickers Impress
One of the most impressive parts of the evening for Minnesota was the play of punter Peter Mortell and kicker Ryan Santoso. Mortell averaged a whopping 51.2 yards per punt while Santoso booted five touchbacks on seven attempts and easily made all of his extra points.
“We snapped a rookie snapper on punts; [Jared] Hartman did a heck of a job,” said Kill. “[Mortell] did a heck of a job changing field positions. [Santoso] was pretty much unreal kicking, kicking the ball out of the endzone every time. That makes it good for the kicking game.”