Minnesota on the bottom looking up

By Brian Heinemann

For The Herald

After a surprising .500 campaign that ended with a one-point loss in the Insight Bowl, it would stand to reason that things are looking up for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Not so. The Gophers were gutted by graduation on the defensive side of the ball, only returning two starters this year on an already mediocre defense, and the offense was nothing to write home about. 

Couple that with one of the most daunting schedules in the nation, and Minnesota is looking at a last place finish in the Big Ten.

“We play one of the top five toughest schedules in America at the University of Minnesota,” Coach Tim Brewster said. “It's something we embrace, and are proud of.”

Facing USC, Iowa, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin would be a challenging enough task even returning all 22 starters. The inexperience bothers the Gophers’ coach about as much as the schedule does. 

Which is to say, not at all.

“We've got a very young defensive football team, but it's a very talented defensive football team,” Brewster said. “We're bigger. We're stronger. We're faster. We're more athletic than we've been. And rightfully so. We need to be.”

Minnesota does have something nobody else in the Big Ten, or the country, for that matter, has – Adam Weber, the most experienced starting quarterback in the nation.

Weber has taken nearly every snap for the Gophers over the last three years, and, despite watching his quarterback throw more interceptions than touchdowns in two of those three years, Brewster is supremely confident in Weber’s abilities, on and off the field.

“I think Adam is poised to have a great season,”he said. “He's in great physical condition. Last year he had surgery prior to the season, and I don't think he was as effective as he would have liked to have been. And I think in large part a lot of it had to do with his physical condition. But he's in great physical shape. He's our captain. He's our leader.”

With the 111th-ranked rushing offense and a decimated defense, Weber will have to be the one to lead the Gophers in 2010. The ceiling is low, though, making this the Big Ten’s No. 11 team.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Last year: 6-7, 3-5 Big Ten (eighth)

Lettermen returning/lost: 38 returning, 22 lost

Starters returning/lost: offense 9/2, defense 2/9, kickers 1/1.

Key returning starters: Adam Weber, QB, Sr.; Kim Royston, S, Sr.

Others to watch: Duane Bennett, RB, Jr. (3.8 ypc in 2009); Brandon Kirksey, DT, Jr., Mike Rallis, LB, So. (switched from safety in spring)

By the numbers: 111 - the rush offense’s national rank last year. 11 - rank, out of 11, of Minnesota’s offense in the conference. 41 - sacks allowed last year, fifth worst in the nation.

Schedule: The Gophers play a bevy of top teams, starting with USC at home Sept. 18. The road schedule is manageable, with the tests coming at Wisconsin Oct. 9 and at Michigan State Nov. 6, but the conference home schedule sees Penn State and Ohio State coming to TCF Bank Stadium Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, and Iowa closing the season Nov. 27.

Reason for optimism: Having the most experienced quarterback in the nation is a bonus for the Gophers. The defense may have lost almost everybody, but what they lost in experience, they make up for in talent and athleticism. The Gophers pulled upsets over Purdue and Michigan State last year, confidence builders for the tough schedule this year.

Reason for pessimism: The schedule and the inexperience. If USC were allowed to be ranked, that would give Minnesota five preseason Top 25 teams on the docket. Having only two defensive starters returning, one of which, Royston, is coming off a broken leg in the spring, is bad news for one of the nations’ middle-of-the-road defenses.

Bottom line: It’s going to be a down year in Minnesota, as the Gophers will struggle to reach half of the wins they earned last year and sit out bowl season for only the second time in 11 years.

Tomorrow – No. 10: Coaching shake-up, freshman QB too much for Illini to overcome