The Red Zone Report

Last season saw the start of the Tim Brewster era at Minnesota, after the administration gave Glen Mason the pink slip after 10 seasons.

It was certainly a rough start, to say the least. The Golden Gophers started the season with an overtime loss to Bowling Green, which would be a sign of things to come. After a triple-overtime win over another MAC opponent in Miami of Ohio, Minnesota didn’t win another game for the rest of the season, losing 10 in a row, including losses at Florida Atlantic and at home to I-AA North Dakota State.

Can the Golden Gophers increase their win total in 2008?

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Coach: Tim Brewster (2nd year at Minnesota, 1-11, 1-11 overall)

2007 Record: 1-11 (0-8 Big Ten)

Starters Returning: 17 (8 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter)

Key Returnees: QB Adam Weber, RB Duane Bennett, WR Eric Decker, WR Ralph Spry, WR Trey Herndon, TE Jack Simmons, LG Ned Tavale, RG D.J. Burris

Key Losses: WR Ernie Wheelwright, LT Steve Shidell, C Tony Brinkhaus, RT Matt DeGeest, SS Dominique Barber

2008 Schedule

8/30 vs. Northern Illinois
9/6 at Bowling Green
9/13 vs. Montana State
9/20 vs. Florida Atlantic
9/27 at Ohio State
10/4 vs. Indiana
10/11 at Illinois
10/25 at Purdue
11/1 vs. Northwestern
11/8 vs. Michigan
11/15 at Wisconsin
11/22 vs. Iowa

Key Game: 9/6 at Bowling Green - Last season, BG came into the Metrodome and beat Minnesota 32-31 in overtime. The Falcons are expected to be a contender in the MAC this season, and the trip to Bowling Green won’t be an easy one. But, if the Golden Gophers can come out on top, they should be 2-0 with an excellent chance at being 4-0 when they hit Big Ten play.

2008 Outlook

When your offense puts up 26 points and nearly 407.5 yards per game, you’re usually going to do pretty well, right?

Usually, unless your defense allows 36.7 points and 518.7 yards per game.

Improvement for Minnesota in the win column starts and ends with improvement on defense.

That’s something that is possible with the return of many players who started/gained a lot of experience last season, but experience amounts to little unless that experience translates into learning and getting better.

Getting better on defense starts with being strong along the defensive line, an area that sees several players with starting experience returning. Ends Lee Campbell (40 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, two sacks), Willie VanDeSteeg (29 tackles, 8 TFL, sack), and Derrick Onawuchi (16 tackles, 3 TFL, two sacks) need to step up and develop a solid pass rush after the Gophers registered only 11 sacks last season.

They also need to play a part in the run defense seeing a great improvement after allowing 229.3 yards per game last season, and so will returning tackles Garrett Brown and Eric Small, who both saw starting time last season.

There are also several returning experienced linebackers, led by returning regulars Deon Hightower (70 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss) and Steve Davis (54 tackles), along with Kevin Mannion (34 tackles), who started three games last year. Also, expect immediate contributions from top linebacker recruit and big in-state pickup Sam Maresh, who has real star potential.

Not that there was anything pretty about the run defense last season, but the pass defense allowed 289.3 yards per game last season and 28 touchdown passes. So, it’s on the secondary to make some big things happen.

There are two returning starters, both of whom were pressed into action as true freshman in cornerback Ryan Collado and Kyle Theret, who started at both cornerback and free safety last season, and led the team in interceptions with three. Highly-touted 2008 recruits Keanon Cooper and Traye Simmons are two names to watch for this year and beyond.

Now, to put everything on the defense would be a little unfair, considering that the offense, while potent, wasn’t always efficient, as they committed 29 turnovers in 12 games, which led for a -15 turnover margin.

So, the objective for the offense this year is to a) take pressure off of the defense by making far less mistakes, and b) racking up plenty of yards and points again.

That begins with the continued development of sophomore quarterback Adam Weber, who had an impressive freshman campaign, throwing for 2,895 yards and 24 touchdowns, and leading the team in rushing with 617 yards and five touchdowns.

However, Weber did throw 19 interceptions, a number that must decrease this season if the offense is to be as good as it can be.

Gone from Weber’s arsenal of targets is Ernie Wheelwright, who racked up 159 catches, 2,434 yards, and 26 touchdowns over a productive four-year run. However, he won’t be short of options, as Eric Decker, who led the team in catches (67), yards (909), and tied Wheelwright for the team lead in touchdowns with nine last season in an impressive sophomore campaign.

Decker will be joined by returning receivers Ralph Spry (23 catches, 226 yards, 3 TD) and Tray Herndon (22 catches, 235 yards, TD), along with starting TE Jack Simmons, who had 20 catches for 202 yards last year. Also, four-star recruit Brandon Green should make an immediate impact.

While Weber and the passing game should be prolific, the running game should prosper as well. Not only can Weber tuck and run with it, but sophomore Duane Bennett is back to spearhead the non-QB rushing attack. Bennett started seven games last season and ran for 442 yards and three touchdowns on the way to Freshman All-Big Ten honors, and behind him, junior Jay Thomas should have a productive campaign.

Provided the offensive can continue to be as strong as it was last season (161.8 rushing yards per game, only 13 sacks allowed), even with a few new starters in the mix. But, with the return of junior Tavale and sophomores Burris and Alford, who saw significant starting time as freshmen, the line should be strong.

On special teams, Joel Monroe, who was perfect on extra points and made 7 of 9 field goals last season, and second-team All-Big Ten honoree Justin Kucek, who averaged 42.7 yards per punt (second in the Big Ten), returns as well. The kick return unit should have some punch this year, as Thomas averaged 31.3 yards per kick return and took one back for a score last year.

The schedule is set for Minnesota to surpass their 2007 win total in the first four weeks of the season, and if they win tough games against non-BCS opponents Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic, a 4-0 start is in the cards. From there, if the Golden Gophers want to make a run at the postseason, the home slate offers up winnable home games against Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa. Considering that it’s hard to see them nicking one in a road slate that sees them play Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin, holding serve at home is a must if they want to vie for the postseason.

If they do want to significantly improve upon that win total, pulling out more close games is a must. The Golden Gophers lost two of three overtime games and were 1-6 in games decided by a touchdown or less, which may be proof that even though they weren’t very good on the whole, they were pretty competitive for the most part.

In the end, they may fall short of the postseason this year, but more than making a bowl, improvement should be the objective. With a great deal of experience and a loaded 2008 recruiting class, Minnesota should be a team to watch for in 2009.

Where do the Golden Gophers stand in our Big Ten preview? You can check that out here.

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