Will the running game improve?

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gopher1956

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With all the changes with offensive coordinators and the lack of a star running back, and a weak offensive line, DO you think the gophers running game will improve?
 


Yes! Dramatically. Horton and Davis will get it going. Bennett in year two of recovery. 3 good RBs coming in. OL will have complete make over. There will be no comparison and that will greatly effect the passing game too.
 

Improve

Yes, I agree it will improve. It can't get much worse (11th in BigTen). Plus, we now have some more o-line and backs in the mix for competition at those positions, and the returning guys will be that much more conditioned and experienced.
 

Can we mount an effective, wide open passing attack? If so, the running game becomes viable. Without it the line better concentrate on run blocking and we need a 200 lb. back who can make some space for himself. One thing is certain: Someone on this coaching staff had better get serious about a short yardage power package. It ain't that hard to do, but could have gotten us another win, maybe two this past year.
 


yes

With Henderson at tackle, we will have a strong side forcing defenses to slant one side. counters, across grain will work to favor. our passing game will be better.
 

Gopherjay: Is that based of inside information or if he was at tackle?
 

gopherjay said:
With Henderson at tackle, we will have a strong side forcing defenses to slant one side. counters, across grain will work to favor. our passing game will be better.
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The "realists" are going to jump down your throat for your positive take on Seantrel Henderson.
 

It can't really get any worse. If it does, here we come 4-8
 



I sure hope for the Gophers sake it does. It was just terrible last season. I hope the line improves or someone steps, and the same goes for the RBs. Unfortunately I wasn't impressed at all by any of them last season. I hope one of the young guys can step up now that Whaley is out of the picture and do some good things. But it all starts with the line. If the line improves, everything else should. If not, God help the Gophers.
 

I think our running game will improve but probably only slightley. First off, I can't imagine that Gray won't see the field a lot more this season than last season. That automatically makes us a better running team. Second, we have an offensive line that isn't going to get any worse. Everyone on the line has another season to get used to putting down their hand driving the man in front of him off the ball (not accustomed to that with the spread). They also are older and have another year of seasoning and time in the college weight room. I am not saying that we will have a real good offensive line, but it would be almost impossible for us to get worse (considering we have almost everyone back). Worst case scenario, everyone on the offensive line marginally improves or stays the same.

Our running backs will also probably be a bit better next season. They will be getting older and more seasoned and Wright and Kirkwood could also emerge as a guy to get some carries.

I imagine our running game will finish 6th or 7th in the Big 10 next season.
 

The first thought is what do you mean by improve? The most glaring thing to me this past year was the discrepency between the performance of the parts verses the whole. Our RB's while not setting the world on fire averaged four yards per carry, while our team average was 2.9 ypc. Not good enough to lead the league by any stretch of the imagination, but good enough to be impact.

But this tells me that we can run, and we can run block to at least an average level. And from the eyeball test I'd say we didn't improve much as a run blocking team, but improved quite a bit as a pass blocking team. This tells me we're making progress on the line and it should start showing up on the field this year in the run game as the confidence level grows.

So to sum up, the RB's improve due to maturity, the Oline improves due to maturity and experience, but mostly Fisch is gone and Horton is here. While I can't say that I expect Horton to create a situation where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, I at least expect that this year the sum will at least be equal to the whole, which of course is a tremendous step forward.
 




The running game will improve if the O-line improves. It's easy to forget, with all the fancy offensive formations and schemes, that football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. If the O-line can become more physical, more disciplined and show more intensity at the snap, the running game would show potentially dramatic improvement. Will that happen? I have no idea. But the RBs can't magically run better without better blocking. Whatever Fisch was doing didn't work, so the new OC might be able to scheme in ways that help as well. O-line, O-line, O-line.
 

If we have more of a running threat from the QB, that will help open things up. I'd like to see some option thrown into the mix, it makes people take the QB running seriously.
 

O-line and Running backs

Both of these components need to improve. Our O-line and running backs were pathetic last year.
 

1st

Actions speak louder than words. Spouting pound the rock, we are committed to run the ball, and we are going play with a hand on the ground. We have heard it all. No more please.


Make a decison of how you are going to run the ball. Will it be smash mouth, zone, or a cut scheme? Choose one, coach it up, execute it. Now based on what you have up front, lets take a look at what you need to run the ball. We have a slew of slashers without power and no speed. Never have we had so many lightweights in the backfield.

I have written this before, and Coach Brewster, Coach Horton, and Coach Davis are free to use it. First in the backfield find an inside runner, Hoese comes to mind and Rengel would also fill that threat. Both can block and catch the ball. An iso series would fit with these two. Now tailback, I am looking for the next coming of Darrell Thompson. A power back able to carry the ball 25 plus times a game and punish the corners and safeties. I truly think Lamonte Edwards is the man. Whomever it is must be able to break a tackle and punish people. Think M. Barber. Now if I line up with Hose and Edwards, do I take advantage of Gray as an option QB, a rolling pocket passer, or a pure play action QB. Can Gray do any or all of these? If not can Weber transform himself into one of the above. I have serious doubts about Weber's ability to throw on time, ability to find the open reciever, and decison making when it comes to breaking out and running the ball. Now the guy with no expectations, and a years experience is Moses Apilate. Can he do any one or more of the three?

What it all comes down to is deciding what your are going to do, how you are going to do it, and coaching them up to get it done.
 

A good offensive line can make a mediocre running back look good, and a bad offensive line can make a great running back look bad. The guys on the line may not be the stars, but they make the stars. With a good enough offensive line, I could probably get a yard or two. Well, maybe a yard.

As far as the offensive philosophy goes, I'm more concerned with getting the best performance out of what we have than in sticking with a philosophy.
 


I'd love to see some information or a story on how our redshirt OLinemen are doing. I saw a couple practices last year and thought Olson and Michel looked the part to be able to push for spots this spring. Competition will be high for improving the running game this year and I think they will improve.
 

Not much of an X's and O's guy, but I liked what I saw out of Eskridge this year. Any thoughts or professional oppinions on him for next season?
 

First the O-LINE has to lose their puss guts!! Get stronger and a little more agile. If Henderson does come, my guess is he will be redshirted. If not he will not play much till late in the season. True Fr. hardly ever start on a good D-I team, they are not ready. Not even Henderson.
 

littlebigboy said:
First the O-LINE has to lose their puss guts!! Get stronger and a little more agile. If Henderson does come, my guess is he will be redshirted. If not he will not play much till late in the season. True Fr. hardly ever start on a good D-I team, they are not ready. Not even Henderson.
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I disagree. I think he starts immediately. He may not at OSU or USC, but here, I think he does. In fact, that may be one of Brew's angles - "you can step in and play here immediately".
 

littlebigboy said:
First the O-LINE has to lose their puss guts!! Get stronger and a little more agile. If Henderson does come, my guess is he will be redshirted. If not he will not play much till late in the season. True Fr. hardly ever start on a good D-I team, they are not ready. Not even Henderson.
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I'm not trying to be picky, but I wish you'd define terms like "hardly ever". It seems there are plenty of true frosh playing all around the country. The rule? No. Occasional enough to be rare? Also no, IMO. I would expect any player who can earn a spot to play and evidently quite a few of the younger ones do just that. No reason why Henderson wouldn't get that chance, especially on an OL that has a lot of trouble pushing opponents out of the way.
 

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