BleedGopher
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During a defensive backs drill to start Tuesday's practice, junior Troy Stoudermire stood away from the action with senior cornerback Ryan Collado trying to learn all the intricacies of his new position.
"He has all the confidence and the physical tools," Collado said. "When he comes to me it's more about how to prepare, what he should focus on and what he needs to do in practice and in film study to get ready for the game."
Stoudermire, who was moved from wide receiver to cornerback this week, hadn't spent time on the University of Minnesota defense since the beginning of his freshman season. Even then, he was just a reserve and got no real game experience.
But the Gophers (1-3) have a specific area where he can immediately provide some help for an inexperienced and thin secondary in Saturday's Big Ten opener against Northwestern (4-0). The Wildcats have one of the conference's top passing combinations in quarterback Dan Persa and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert.
"He can play man coverage," Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Stoudermire. "He can play it well. That gives him a chance to really uncomplicate things for him on the defensive side of the ball. He's probably one of our better overall special-teams players as well."
Stoudermire, the school's all-time leading kick returner, was reinstated to the team this week after being suspended before Saturday's 34-23 loss to Northern Illinois. The Dallas native seemed disappointed to leave the offensive side, saying he didn't have a "happy or sad" reaction to Brewster's decision.
But Stoudermire wants a chance to "start off fresh" after he apologized to the team for commenting on Facebook last week that he was "no longer a Gopher."
"I came back, talked to the team and put the little situation behind," said Stoudermire, who wrote on his Facebook on Tuesday that he was remorseful. "I think I can help the defense a lot. I came here to be (a defensive back) anyway. I'm a very athletic kid, so it won't be hard to play."
It's hard to forget that Stoudermire, then a sophomore, was the star of the spring game in 2009 with 274 all-purpose yards, including an exciting 54-yard touchdown run.
That led Brewster to talk to Vikings coach Brad Childress about using Stoudermire the way Childress used receiver Percy Harvin last season. Stoudermire showed flashes of being a dynamic offensive player in 2009. And he had a 49-yard touchdown catch against South Dakota this season.
But Brewster said he felt the receiving corps was strong even without Stoudermire. And Stoudermire's athleticism and tackling ability made him the best candidate to make the transition to a struggling defense. His four tackles this season on special teams are the most for an offensive player on the Gophers.
"It's something that I've thought about for a while," Brewster said. "I felt like now is a good time to make that move. The suspension didn't have anything to do it."
Two years ago, the Gophers made a similar switch for the same reasons with Marcus Sherels, who recently was cut from the Vikings' practice squad. Sherels quickly became the team's shutdown cornerback and started 21 of the 23 games he played in 2008 and '09. He benefited from having spring and fall practice to develop in his new role.
Stoudermire, who is on the second-team defense, has less than a week to learn, but he already reminds some teammates of Sherels.
"They're both tremendous athletes," Collado said. "Marcus is a little bit faster. Troy has more quickness. I saw that both of them could be good corners."
Briefly: Sophomore linebacker Mike Rallis hasn't practiced this week while recovering from a hip pointer and pulled stomach muscle that caused him to miss most of the Northern Illinois game. Brewster said Rallis' status for Saturday would likely be a game-time decision. Redshirt freshman Aaron Hill has replaced Rallis as the starting strong-side linebacker.
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_16210029
Go Gophers!!
"He has all the confidence and the physical tools," Collado said. "When he comes to me it's more about how to prepare, what he should focus on and what he needs to do in practice and in film study to get ready for the game."
Stoudermire, who was moved from wide receiver to cornerback this week, hadn't spent time on the University of Minnesota defense since the beginning of his freshman season. Even then, he was just a reserve and got no real game experience.
But the Gophers (1-3) have a specific area where he can immediately provide some help for an inexperienced and thin secondary in Saturday's Big Ten opener against Northwestern (4-0). The Wildcats have one of the conference's top passing combinations in quarterback Dan Persa and wide receiver Jeremy Ebert.
"He can play man coverage," Minnesota coach Tim Brewster said of the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Stoudermire. "He can play it well. That gives him a chance to really uncomplicate things for him on the defensive side of the ball. He's probably one of our better overall special-teams players as well."
Stoudermire, the school's all-time leading kick returner, was reinstated to the team this week after being suspended before Saturday's 34-23 loss to Northern Illinois. The Dallas native seemed disappointed to leave the offensive side, saying he didn't have a "happy or sad" reaction to Brewster's decision.
But Stoudermire wants a chance to "start off fresh" after he apologized to the team for commenting on Facebook last week that he was "no longer a Gopher."
"I came back, talked to the team and put the little situation behind," said Stoudermire, who wrote on his Facebook on Tuesday that he was remorseful. "I think I can help the defense a lot. I came here to be (a defensive back) anyway. I'm a very athletic kid, so it won't be hard to play."
It's hard to forget that Stoudermire, then a sophomore, was the star of the spring game in 2009 with 274 all-purpose yards, including an exciting 54-yard touchdown run.
That led Brewster to talk to Vikings coach Brad Childress about using Stoudermire the way Childress used receiver Percy Harvin last season. Stoudermire showed flashes of being a dynamic offensive player in 2009. And he had a 49-yard touchdown catch against South Dakota this season.
But Brewster said he felt the receiving corps was strong even without Stoudermire. And Stoudermire's athleticism and tackling ability made him the best candidate to make the transition to a struggling defense. His four tackles this season on special teams are the most for an offensive player on the Gophers.
"It's something that I've thought about for a while," Brewster said. "I felt like now is a good time to make that move. The suspension didn't have anything to do it."
Two years ago, the Gophers made a similar switch for the same reasons with Marcus Sherels, who recently was cut from the Vikings' practice squad. Sherels quickly became the team's shutdown cornerback and started 21 of the 23 games he played in 2008 and '09. He benefited from having spring and fall practice to develop in his new role.
Stoudermire, who is on the second-team defense, has less than a week to learn, but he already reminds some teammates of Sherels.
"They're both tremendous athletes," Collado said. "Marcus is a little bit faster. Troy has more quickness. I saw that both of them could be good corners."
Briefly: Sophomore linebacker Mike Rallis hasn't practiced this week while recovering from a hip pointer and pulled stomach muscle that caused him to miss most of the Northern Illinois game. Brewster said Rallis' status for Saturday would likely be a game-time decision. Redshirt freshman Aaron Hill has replaced Rallis as the starting strong-side linebacker.
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_16210029
Go Gophers!!