MINNEAPOLIS -- The regular season is over for the Gophers football team, which finished with an 8-4 record after losing to rival Wisconsin on Saturday.
Minnesota put itself in a position to possibly earn a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship, but that dream died on Saturday in Madison. Now the Gophers await their postseason fate and will find out Sunday which bowl they'll be playing in. In the meantime, I answered your questions once again. As has been the case for most of the year, the quarterback position was asked about more than anything else. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions this week.
Q: Who is the next QB for the Gophs? Can't win where the program needs to be with Mitch. -- Erik, Mankato, Minn.
Q: We all know Mitch Leidner has struggled, but his issues have largely been tempered by a dominant rushing attack. With no David Cobb next year, do you see Leidner still being "good enough" to run this offense? Or is there somebody else on the roster who will have the inside track? -- Todd, St. Louis Park, Minn.
Q: Would Gophers have been even better had Max Shortell been around to bolster Gopher passing game? -- Mike, Arden Hills, Minn.
A: As has been the case for most of the year, the quarterback position was a hot topic in this week's mailbag. Erik, Todd and Mike, your questions are pretty similar, so I'll tackle them all with one answer.
I've written previously in another mailbag that I wouldn't be surprised if there is a quarterback battle in spring ball and fall camp for the Gophers next season. I'm not saying for certain that that's how Minnesota views the quarterback spot, but I do think the Gophers need to explore all options. Leidner has had his moments where he's made some big throws (think of the Nebraska game when he found KJ Maye in the fourth quarter), but inaccuracy has plagued him during his sophomore season. On the same token, it's important to remember that he is just a sophomore and only started a handful of games as a freshman last year. But he hasn't shown the in-season progression that you'd like to see from a quarterback in his first full year as a starter.
As the Gophers go into next season, I'd expect Leidner will still be the frontrunner at quarterback. Minnesota currently has five quarterbacks on the roster, all of whom are sophomores or younger. Demry Croft, a three-star recruit from Illinois, will be the only quarterback addition in 2015. Only Leidner and backup Chris Streveler will have had any significant playing time in a college game as the Gophers begin next year. Both Leidner and Streveler are similar types of quarterbacks -- big bodies who can run but who struggle a bit with accuracy. Connor Rhoda, a redshirt freshman, has seen very limited playing time; he's played in just two games and attempted only one pass. Meanwhile, Jacques Perra -- who will be a redshirt freshman next season -- will be another quarterback to watch.
To your point, Mike, about Shortell, it's hard to say where this team would be if he were the quarterback. Shortell transferred to Jacksonville State after his sophomore year in 2012. That means he would have been a senior this year. But even at Jacksonville State, Shortell has not been the main quarterback. He's only played in six games this year and was 40 for 65 with four touchdowns and two interceptions. And Shortell certainly doesn't have the ability to run like Leidner does; Shortell has run for a net of minus-18 yards on just eight carries this season. The biggest benefit if Shortell were still at Minnesota is that he'd be a senior quarterback, compared to a sophomore in Leidner. But there's no telling if the Gophers would have won any more games with Shortell under center.
Q: If only the Gophers had some pass offense, but I thought the facemask call at the four yard line which would have given the Gophers a first down and instead they had to settle for a field goal was the big difference in this game. Do you agree? -- Al, Chatham, Ill.
A: I definitely agree that the hands to the face penalty (on center Tommy Olson) was one of the big plays in Saturday's game. I went back and watched the game this week, and the TV replays never showed a good look at the penalty. But it was definitely at a crucial time. The Gophers would have had had the ball in a first-and-goal situation, but the penalty knocked Minnesota back and the Gophers settled for a field goal. That was a big play, no doubt, and Minnesota left some points on the board as a result.
Perhaps even bigger, though, was the sequence right before halftime. With the Gophers driving and threatening to at least score three points before the half, Mitch Leidner and David Cobb had a bad exchange on a handoff, and Cobb fumbled the football. Wisconsin recovered and went the other way in two quick plays to kick a field goal as time expired in the half. It was not only a six-point swing, but it was a huge swing in momentum, too. The Badgers went to the locker room trailing 17-13 instead of 17-10 -- or 20-10. Minnesota never seemed to recover from that, as Wisconsin scored 24 straight points en route to a 34-24 win. Even after the game, Kill pointed to that sequence before halftime as a big moment in the game.
Q: A number of factors contributed to the Gophers coming up short against the Badgers: 1) Their player talent is just average compared to other FBS teams, but below the average of other Power 5 Conference teams, 2) They've suffered numerous injury setbacks to the thin talent they do have, 3) So-so talent results in a higher tendency to execute poorly and inconsistently and to suffer self-inflicted mistakes. Hopefully, these shortcomings will decrease over time as the positive improvement trend continues. What is highly disturbing to me, however, is a 4th contributing factor to this loss -- several mess-ups by the coaching staff; such as defensive coverage goofs, not contesting several officials' missed calls, and questionable play-calling on offense. I mean, how do you do everything you possibly can to help your already disadvantaged team compete as well as possible when you keep a player with the abilities and accomplishments of Maxx Williams as little more than an unfeatured, inconsequential afterthought until late in the game? -- Jim, Deerwood, Minn.
A: Head coach Jerry Kill did admit after Saturday's loss that the coaching staff was partially to blame for the Badgers' 70-yard pass that set up a touchdown. Kill said there was a personnel issue, meaning the Gophers didn't have the right players in the right spots, which led to a breakdown in the secondary. There were a few other times where the coaches probably could have challenged calls, too. That included that same 70-yard pass, where it appeared as if the play clock had expired before the ball was hiked. And on a pass from Mitch Leidner to Isaac Fruechte, it appeared Fruechte had enough for the first down but was marked a yard short. One play later, the Gophers lost a yard on a run play and were forced to punt. Minnesota never challenged the spot of the catch, which perhaps it should have.
As for Maxx Williams, I was as surprised as you were that Minnesota didn't try to get him more involved in the struggling passing game. Williams' one catch didn't come until the fourth quarter. While it was a big one (53 yards), it wasn't enough to hurt Wisconsin's defense. The Gophers have one of the best tight ends in the country, but certainly didn't use him enough Saturday. I asked Kill after the game about that, and he gave credit to the Badgers' defense for not allowing Williams to break free often. Still, Williams needs to be targeted more than he was in that game.
Q: Was Derrick Wells hurt for Badger game or held out for discipline? -- Mike, Keller, Texas
A: Wells played on Saturday against Wisconsin. We didn't hear his name called much, though -- he had just one total tackle. In fact, it's been kind of a quiet season for Wells after an impressive 2013 campaign. He still doesn't have an interception this year and has just 20 total tackles in the last nine games.
Q: In regards to the lack of passing game . . . where do you place the blame? Is it Leidner? Is it receivers not getting open? Or do we place the blame with Limegrover and his play calling? -- Matt, White Bear Lake, Minn.
A: There are plenty of factors that play into the struggling passing game. Of course, Leidner is part of the issue, but by no means does he deserve all the blame. Minnesota's wide receivers have not developed and progressed the way I thought they might. Donovahn Jones and Drew Wolitarsky both showed flashes as true freshmen last year, but neither was terribly impactful during their sophomore campaigns. (Wolitarsky has dealt with an injury, but when healthy he didn't put up huge numbers.) It's hard to throw to receivers if they're not open.
Of course, Leidner does deserve some of the blame. His completion percentage of 49.0 percent ranks 118th among FBS quarterbacks. We've been waiting for that number to go up, but it's actually gone down in recent weeks. In the loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, there were a number of times in which Leidner had an open receiver but simply missed him.
I don't think offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover deserves much of the blame. Jerry Kill's offense will always rely heavily on the run, and the Gophers have done that this year with workhorse running back David Cobb. I feel like Minnesota has had a good balance of running and passing plays this year. It just happens that the passing plays weren't nearly as successful.
Q: How much of an issue is the attendance at home football games, specifically to Coach Kill? It's a problem other places, too, but how much more appealing does it make Nebraska, not to mention the facilities and staff resources, etc. I am a casual sports fan, not a fan of Minnesota or Ohio State, but even I had that game marked on my calendar months ago. I couldn't believe it when I took my family to that game and the stadium was 3/4 full, much of that thanks to Buckeye fans. Anyway, I hope Coach Kill sticks around but I wouldn't blame him at all if he left. I think the "facilities" issue is harder for fans to visualize, but the lackluster attendance at home games should be plain to see and understand. -- Scott, Eagan, Minn.
A: Kill was asked about the Nebraska rumors -- and right now, that's all they are -- on Big Ten Network on Tuesday after he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Kill said no one has called him and he's focusing on what he can control. Though the Nebraska job may certainly be appealing, my gut tells me Kill isn't going anywhere.
That doesn't answer your original question, I suppose. I don't think attendance -- or lack thereof -- has much to do with any potential decision that Kill might have to make. Sure, it would be nice if the Gophers sold out every home game and truly made it a home-field advantage at TCF Bank Stadium. But nothing will bring about that culture and excitement in the fan base more so than winning -- which Kill has done in his four years at Minnesota.
You mentioned the facilities, and I think that would be one of the biggest factors. It's no secret that the Gophers need new facilities, and Kill has lobbied for that. Given the fact that Kill's name is rising in the coaching ranks, it may put pressure on Minnesota's administration to make sure the football facilities do indeed get done.
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