Gopher Football Preview: The Defense

As usual, high levels of procrastination and just plain shitty planning have forced me to do one big defense preview rather than separate previews by position like I did with quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and offensive line.

Last season, the Gophers D was 45th in points against, allowing 24.7 points per game.  They were 33rd in yard allowed per game (358.6).  They were 12th in passing yards allowed per game (186),but were 72nd in rushing yards allowed per game (172).  On one hand you might say teams don't need to pass much when they're leading and are able to run the ball so well.  However, I tend to think that the offense didn't do them any favors, which left the defense on the field more than you'd want.  This isn't exactly a big time passing conference either.

The defense loses both starting cornerbacks in Michael Carter and Troy Stoudemire.  They also lose starting linebackers Keanon Cooper, Mike Rallis and more importantly, Mike Rallis's hair.  Finally, they lost starting defensive end DL Wilhite.  These losses are significant given that Stoudemire and Rallis were the top two tacklers, Carter was the team leader in interceptions and Wilhite led the team in sacks.

The Secondary

In reaction to losing Stoud and Carter, the secondary shuffled the deck a little.  The team's best returning tackler, Junior Derrick Wells, has been moved from safety to cornerback.  Unfortunately, Wells has shoulder and hamstring issues and is questionable for the UNLV game.  He's the best player of this group and is a key to make sure there isn't a drop-off from losing the two starting corners.  Sophomore Eric Murray is the other starting corner.  Both of these guys are 6 feet tall and can hit; they should be effective in helping against the run.  The starting safeties are Sr. Brock Vereen and Junior Cedric Thompson.  Cedric is straight outta Compton, which is pretty awesome.  Jr. Briean Boddy-Calhoun, So. Damarius Travis, Sr. Martez Shabazz and So. Antonio Johnson should provide depth in the secondary.  Freshman Jalen Myrick has also impressed, but you have to wonder if he isn't going to redshirt.  Boddy-Calhoun would likely get the start if Wells can't go -- he's a quick, aggressive corner that has impressed coaches in practice.  I think him of him as more as a cover guy than a tackler.  In a nickel formation, Boddy-Calhoun would move to the outside and Wells would bring his hard-hitting presence to the nickelback.  

This group has a lot to prove, but it *feels* like they have a great deal of talent.  I could just be drinking the Golden Kool Aid but I like the veteran presence of Wells and Vereen along with some athletes like Eric Murray and Thompson.  Wells needs to get healthy, and if that involves him missing the first game against UNLV, so be it.  A lingering shoulder issue could really affect his season. 
 
The Linebackers

Similar to the wide receivers on the offensive side; the linebackers are the area I have the most concern for on the defense.  It's not that Keanon Cooper and Mike Rallis were all-world players, it's just that there is a lot of unknown and we're potentially looking at two players starting that weren't with the program at all last season.   Returning is RS Sr. Aaron Hill (6'2", 231) will definitely be a leader on the defense.  Last year he tied with Wells for 3rd on the team with 74 tackles; he also had three forced fumbles and two interceptions.  Hill's story is pretty cool because he started as a walk-on and is now one of the more important dudes on the team.

It looks like JuCo Jr. transfer Damien Wilson will start at the middle linebacker spot, but nothing is confirmed and redshirt freshman Jack Lynn may also see the field even if he's not named the starter. Wilson is bigger at 6'2, 254 -- Lynn is a more lanky 6'3", 234.  Claeys is playing this one close to the vest, "Like I’ve always said, if [Wilson] doesn’t practice well the next few days and Jack ends up starting, that’s the way the ball bounces,” Claeys said. “We don’t decide until the morning of the game." (source)

At the other outside linebacker spot there's another battle between Sr. James Manuel and JuCo transfer RS So. De'Vondre Campbell.  Manuel played in all 13 games last season and has actually appeared in every game in his three years at Minnesota.  Despite being fast, he is a converted safety after all, I've never got the feeling that he's totally comfortable at OLB and that at times he gets a little lost out there and maybe lacks immediate play recognition and quick reaction.  Manuel recorded 50 total tackles last year.  While Manuel will likely start on Thursday due to his veteran status, it's De'Vondre Campbell that has the coaches abuzz.  (abuzz?)  Like the MLB situation, Claeys has indicated that Campbell will get time even if he's not starting.  He's 6'5" and 225lbs and with his dreads has a bit of a MarQueis Gray look to him out there.  He's super long and rangy and coaches have been impressed with his ability to correct mistakes and see in infrared like the Predator.

Other linebackers that will likely see time include RSSo Jephte Matilus and RSFr Nick Rallis.  Freshmen Ray Dixon, De'Niro Laster and Chris Wipson have been mentioned by coaches as potentially earning playing time as well. 

The Defensive Line

The D-line starts but doesn't end with redshirt senior Ra'Shede Hageman.  If you follow this blog you already knew I was in love with him based on this blog post.  After he wrecks fools this year, you'll be watching him on Sundays.  There's more to like about this year's line beyond Optimus Prime though.

The other starter on the interior is RS Jr. Cameron Botticelli (6'5", 290).  Cameron started alongside Shede most/all of last season and recorded 21 tackles and a half of a sack.  He's a year older and likely better/stronger/faster and he continues to hold off the players behind him; so that's probably a good thing.  The depth at defensive tackle includes Sr. Roland Johnson (6'1", 286), So. Scott Ekpe (6'4", 281) and RS Fr. Yoshoub Timms (6'2", 276).  Roland played in 10 games last year and had 21 tackles and 2 sacks before blowing an ACL.  He's healthy now and will rotate in with Botticelli quite a bit I would imagine.  Ekpe is likely Hageman's backup, so we hope he doesn't play much.

As for the ends, the starters are RS So. Theiran Cockran (6'6", 238) and Jr. Michael Amaefula (6'2", 244).  Amaefula had 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season as a starter.  Cockran is new to starting, but had a couple of sacks in the August scrimmage.  The backups are So. Alex Keith, RS Jr. Ben Perry and freshman Hendrick (Hank) Ekpe. Perry has had his chances in the starting lineup and is a solid rotation option.  Ekpe (6'5",251) has impressed so much that there is no longer any doubt that he plays right away.  Another freshman, Owen Salzwedel (6'6", 240) has the potential to get playing time, but they might want to hold off and preserve his redshirt. 

Year 3 of the Jerry Kill regime seems to continue to trend upwards as we climb out of the Brewster cesspool. There seems to be so much more depth at all positions and stars and leaders are emerging on the team.  The B1G schedule did not get any easier this year though; and in order to really show that this team is making another big step forward, Kill will have to get a big win or *gasp* two over the legitimate Big Ten power programs.  I'm conditioned to say this won't happen because I've had my heart torn from my chest cavity too many times from this team.  However, there is a buzz not just locally, but nationally, about the strides the team is making.  "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." -Ronald Reagan

Gophers Week 2 Preview vs. New Hampshire



Is it happening again?


It might be.  Although last week's game against UNLV was too close for comfort, at least they did actually win.  I was at the game and there was a pretty fantastic turn out.  It turns out Gopher fans like to gamble and drink and possibly visit the chicken ranch.  If you think Gopher fans are apathetic you should see the UNLV fans.  Attendance was reported at 16,013, approximately 5,000 of which were Gopher fans.  It SEEMED like it was half and half with Minnesota faithful being much louder.  Then again, I started the morning with a jimmy buffet and a pitcher of bloody marys and never looked back. 

There were bright spots beyond the win in the game.  Both lines played pretty well, the running game was solid, the secondary looked pretty good including Derrick Wells earning both the B1G and National defensive player of the week awards.  Some wise blogger said in his week 1 preview that this game would be too close for comfort and it isn't because the Gophers aren't more talented, because they are.  The combo of  traveling to the west coast, playing primetime and on a Thursday night certainly caused their fair share of nerves.  Many of MarQueis Gray's passes looked like me after 3 hours of tailgating.  He was often overthrowing receivers and he was lucky to only have one interception in the game.  Receivers were frequently open deep, a couple of times Gray saw them and threw a rocket ship right over their heads.  These missed passes were what allowed UNLV to hang around and make this a game.  UNLV was ready to roll over and die from the beginning, but they were allowed to hang around.

Anyway, that's over and we WON.  Northwestern and Iowa had some close scrapes too.  Michigan got Bama'd and Penn State got stomped by the Ohio Bobcats. 

Oof.

Next on the schedule is a home game against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats.  The super original Wildcats moniker features a mascot named "Wild E. Cat".  UNH has about 15,000 students.  The students are 57% female!  Famous alumni include Carlton Fisk, Chip Kelly, some hockey players and the second vetrinarian in space.  UNH is also the alma mater of George O'Leary.  It is the place where he famously "resume padded" his way to 3 letters at a school where he never played a game, thus pissing away the head coaching job at Notre Dame.  Then Mike Tice hired him as the DC for the VIkings for a couple of years before he moved on to the University of Central Florida.

New Hampshire doesn't appear to be your typical FBS cream puff.  First off, they run a fast spread offense that is a carryover from when Chip Kelly (you know, the visor guy at Oregon) was OC from 99-06.  This may affect the Gophers defense rotations as ther may not be time to rotate subs in as easily as last week. 

More bad news comes in the form of UNH's recent history against FBS opponents.  Since 2004, they've beaten Rutgers, Northwestern, Marshall, Army and Ball State.  They lost to Pittsurgh in 2010 and were stomped by Toledo in 2011.  This doesn't appear to be a team that is blinded by the bright lights and big cities of their more well known opponents.  They are #14 or so in the FCS.

The Coaching Staff

Head Coach Sean McDonald has been with the Wildcats for 14 years, the last 8 of which he's made the FBS playoffs. "Playoffs?" /mora  He also has 8 years as an assistant at New Hampshire.  He graduated from New Hampshire.  Listen, this guy really likes New Hampshire, ok?  DC John Lyons enters second season with the Wildcats, and is formerly the HC at Dartmouth.  OC Ryan Carty enters his first year as OC, but has been with the team for 6 seasons.  He's the young buck on the staff, but I bet McDonald and Lyons could both whip his ass because of their old man strength.

Sean Goldritch, CAA Rookie of the Week!

The Offense

As mentioned, UNH runs "the speed spread" which relies on a lot of receivers and a quick passing game.  The Gophers once again face a redshirt freshman trigger man in Sean Goldritch (6'3", 205).  Goldritch was 21-31 in his first career start, throwing for 193 yards.  He added a team high 71 yards rushing on 10 carries.  Sophomore WR RJ Harris appears to be the main target after going for 12-102 receiving.  He also added 57 yards on the ground.  He earned the FCS Golden Helmet, which I guess is like the player of the week.  So, Gopher defense, keep an eye on #15.  Jimmy Owens, Chris Setian, and Nico Steriti all ran for TDs last week against Holy Cross. Setian and Steriti each had 12 carries.  Something called Joey Orlando also had 100+ and 2 TDs receiving.

The key for the Gophers on D is going to be strong tackling and pressure from the defensive line.  The spread involves a lot of quick passes. With 4 and 5 receivers out on the field, it sometimes only takes one tackler to miss for a huge gain.  Since the passes are quick, it often takes the d-line out of the picture, so they need to get their hands up and if there's any hesitation by Goldschlager they need to make him pay.  This is a great type of game for the raw, bear-like strength of Ra'Shede Hageman as collapsing the pocket can really affect these throws.  The linebackers have the unenviable task of helping out in coverage and watching for the QB run or draw play. 

Finally, a key to stopping the offense will be the fans making noise.  Some grumpy old dudes will have to put down their walkers to get up and cheer a bit.  Allegedly, New Hampshire only used 300 of it's allotted 3000 visiting tickets, so Gopher fans have the opportunity to make a big impact on how well this no huddle/sugar huddle type offense runs. 5,500 freshman were given free tickets to fill up our anemic student section, so hopefully they make some noise in between trips to the beer garden with fake IDs. (Don't get arrested, you guys.)

The Defense

The defense is led by linebacker Matt Evans who had like a billion tackles last year (see really old video above) and was the FCS defensive player of the year.  Senior CB Dontra Peters is a convert from RB and had an interception against Holy Cross; as did Junior S Manny Asam.  Peters also returns kicks.  Junior CB Chris Houston led the team in interceptinos with 6 last season.  Senior LB Alan Buzbee had about half of the tackles Evans had with 88 last season.  Junior Chris Beranger was second on the team with 142 tackles.  Senior Jared Smith is a stalwart at defensive tackle.

This is another game where the level of  execution for the Gophers is what is most important.  Sure, these guys have lots of tackles and decent stats against the Richmond Spiders and Holy Cross Crusaders, but 60 minutes of the Gophers o-line SHOULD grind them to dust.

The Prediction

The first quarter is going to be hugely important in this one.  I get the impression that Sean Goldritch won't flounder around at QB like Nick Sherry did last week.  The Gophers' running game is a key because it will give the defense much needed rest.  Again, this is a situation where the Gophers have the better players;  the bigger, stronger athletes.  This could be another big game for Derrick Wells as he'll have plenty of opportunity to make big plays, as will the other members of the secondary.  In the end, despite solid play from New Hampshrie the Gophers will have just too much:  Gophers 34 - Wildcats 24