MINNEAPOLIS -- Coming off a big win over Michigan, spirits are high in Dinkytown. Well, mostly high. Here's this week's mailbag answers to your questions. We'll be off this week due to the bye but look for the submission form for the next mailbag after the Northwestern game.
Q: Is Mitch Leidner good? -- Todd, St. Louis Park, Minn.
A: That's a bit of an open-ended question, but I'll do my best to answer it. I think Mitch Leidner has the potential to be a good quarterback for the Gophers, but I don't think he's quite there yet -- and I certainly don't think we've seen him at his best.
It's important to remember that Leidner had an inconsistent season as a redshirt freshman in terms of his playing time. He's played in 13 games so far in his career, with seven starts under his belt. He shared snaps with Philip Nelson last year but did make four starts, including Minnesota's bowl game against Syracuse. So far in 2014 he's been plagued by multiple injuries that sidelined him for an entire game plus part of another game. Without him being full healthy, it's not easy to truly gauge what he's capable of.
With that said, we know that Leidner is a big quarterback who has the ability to run and punish opponents in doing so. Will he ever be the type of passer who routinely throws for 300 yards? Probably not; that's not the style of quarterback he is. But he does have the ability to throw a bit, and we saw him manage the game well against Michigan by throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown. Leidner may not need to put up huge numbers if the Gophers' running game continues to thrive, but he will have to make some big throws in key spots. He hasn't done much of that yet this year. We'll see at some point whether he can or not.
Q: Why is Donovahn Jones not more involved in the offense? -- Dale, Plymouth, Minn.
A: To be honest, I'm not quite sure, but I think -- and expected -- that he should be a bigger piece of the offense. He was thrust into a starting role as a true freshman last year and showed some potential, catching 10 passes for 157 yards. He was also used plenty in the running game, carrying the ball 16 times for 73 yards. Through Minnesota's first five games of the 2014 season, Jones has been virtually non-existent. He had three catches each in the Gophers' games against Eastern Illinois and Middle Tennessee but hasn't caught a pass in the three games since. Minnesota has barely drawn up any running plays for Jones, either, as he has just two total carries for 13 yards.
Minnesota's rushing attack hasn't been a problem, as David Cobb has been a workhorse in the backfield. Still, I'd expect the Gophers to vary their running game a bit as the Big Ten season plays on by running more end arounds and jet sweeps to get the ball into the hands of guys like Jones. As for his lack of catches (or targets, for that matter), part of that can be chalked up to the fact that Minnesota's passing game has been inconsistent, if not poor. Even though Jones hasn't caught a ball in the last three games, he's still tied for the second-most catches on the team; only tight end Maxx Williams has more (10). As Minnesota looks to jump start its aerial attack, it would be wise to get Jones involved.
Q: The Gophers displayed some overall stellar defense against Michigan, but also some lapses, especially on the Wolverines' two touchdown drives. Likewise, the Vikings had some similar letdowns against the Falcons. What do you think it takes to get players at any level to play at their full competency and intensity for the full duration of a game, every game, bringing with it not only their best chance to win games, but championships as well? -- Jim, Deerwood, Minn.
A: Even the best defenses in football will give up points and surrender yards. That's part of the game. Yes, Minnesota allowed the first touchdown of the game, but its defense kept Michigan off the board for the entire first and third quarters. As for the Gophers' defense giving up its second touchdown in Saturday's game against Michigan, keep in mind that Minnesota was already up 30-7 midway through the fourth quarter. I'm not saying it's an excuse to take the foot off the gas, but I think that's human nature sometimes. To go all out for a full 60 minutes in a sport as physical as football can certainly take its toll. One way to make sure that intensity level is sustained is to create good depth on the roster, and the Gophers have done that since Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys have arrived on campus.
Q: The Gophers are currently 5th in the nation in takeaways. For one, when do you think this Gopher defense will start getting some respect nationally? Secondly, can they keep up this pace through the B1G schedule? The way guys like Murray and Boddy-Calhoun are playing, this defense looks pretty good moving forward if they can stay healthy. -- Nathan, Moorhead, Minn.
A: As for your first question, I think they are slowly gaining more recognition on a national level. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys' name has been mentioned in potential coaching searches -- including recently at Kansas -- and he's had job offers after his first three seasons with the Gophers but turned them down to stay on Jerry Kill's staff. Claeys is definitely viewed as a very good defensive coordinator throughout the college football ranks, and the Gophers' defense is proving why so far this year.
Whether or not they can keep it up during the rest of the Big Ten season remains to be seen. Minnesota's next opponent, Northwestern, ranks 12th in the Big Ten in total offense. After that, it's a Purdue squad that is dead last in that category and 10th in scoring offense. Those two games should be two more opportunities for the Gophers' defense to turn up the pressure and possibly add to its takeaway total. The biggest test for the defense will come in the last three games of the year against Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Given what we've seen so far from Minnesota, though, there's no reason to think the defense can't hold its own against those teams. And, as you mentioned, staying healthy will be the key. A few of the Gophers' defensive backs have dealt with injuries in the past. Keeping guys like Derrick Wells and Briean Boddy-Calhoun on the field will be important.
Q: What's David Cobb's draft outlook? After a game like he had on Saturday, he seems like he could be maybe around a third-rounder. What do you think? -- Mark, Minneapolis, Minn.
A: It's hard to project where running backs might be drafted in this day and age, given the trend we've seen in the NFL of teams placing so much more value on the passing game and less on the running game. In the most recent draft, for example, the first running back wasn't taken until later in the second round when the Tennessee Titans selected Bishop Sankey from Washington with the 54th overall pick. Only eight running backs were taken in the first three rounds last year.
Is Cobb one of the top eight running backs in college football right now? Statistically speaking, maybe -- at least through five weeks of the 2014 season. His 722 rushing yards rank third in the nation, behind only Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and James Conner of Pitt. Cobb's yards per carry average of 5.82, though, ranks 45th among all Division I running backs.
Regardless of his stats, it's still tough to make a guess as to what round Cobb will be drafted in, if at all. I do think he'll hear his name during the 2015 draft, but I'm not convinced he'll go as early as the third round. One mock draft I saw -- keep in mind, we're still not at the midway point of the season -- pegged Cobb as a fifth- or sixth-rounder, the 18th running back taken. Cobb has a chance to be the first Gophers running back drafted since Laurence Maroney was a first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2006.
Q: Was the Michigan game the biggest win of Jerry Kill's tenure? He seemed particularly happy/excited/proud afterward on Saturday. -- Dennis, Mankato, Minn.
A: It has to be right up there near the top, if it's not the biggest. You could argue Minnesota's win at home last year against Nebraska was even bigger, simply because the Gophers hadn't beaten the Huskers since 1960 -- more than 50 years. Then again, they weren't in the same conference until recent years, but still, that win snapped a lengthy drought. And Minnesota's win came against a 24th-ranked Nebraska team that was 5-1 at the time and finished the season with nine wins.
Saturday's win against Michigan, while impressive, came against arguably the worst Wolverines team in years. That's not to take away from the Gophers' performance, as they outplayed the Wolverines in all three phases. But this is a Michigan program in shambles; its head coach and athletic director may not survive the end of the season. Despite that, it was Minnesota's first win in Ann Arbor since 2005, which also happened to be the last time the Gophers beat Michigan. It also had extra meaning for Kill, who was unable to make the trip to Michigan last season after suffering a seizure earlier in the week. I think that's probably part of the reason he appeared so happy and excited after the win. I'd put it as one of Kill's three biggest wins as Minnesota's coach, but I'm not quite sure I can put it at No. 1. If the Gophers rattle off several wins after it, it will have even more importance.
Q: Really excited about this team now and for the future, however what can we expect to see going forward when we don't run the ball as well? Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio State have the ability to slow down the run game like TCU. I would love to see a two-back set triple option with Edwards and Cobb in the backfield. What are your thoughts on play calling going forward? -- Drew, East Grand Forks, Minn.
A: I really don't see Minnesota shaking up its running game a whole lot throughout the Big Ten season. The Gophers have established an identity as a ground-and-pound offense, and they'll go as far as running back David Cobb takes them. I do think we'll see Minnesota add a few more wrinkles to the offense as the season goes on, perhaps including some screen passes or other ways to get the speedy Berkley Edwards the ball in space. I don't foresee a lot (if any) instances in which Edwards and Cobb will both be in the backfield, especially for a triple option.
As you said, other teams will likely have better success slowing Minnesota's running game than Michigan and others have done so far this year. That's why it's imperative that the Gophers figure out their passing game in a hurry. Mitch Leidner is back and appears healthy after missing a game, and Minnesota will need him to establish some consistency at the quarterback position. There will come a time when the Gophers will need to pass more in order to win, and I'm not entirely convinced they're ready just yet.
Q: It sure looked to me like when the end of the game neared that the defense was having trouble with Devin Gardner. Will this be trouble down the road trying to contain spread option quarterbacks? -- Chris, Anoka, Minn.
A: While Gardner was able to move the chains with both his arm and his legs when he finally entered the game in the fourth quarter, I wouldn't read too much into Minnesota giving up yards to the Michigan quarterback. By that time the game was already out of reach as the Gophers led 30-7. When all was said and done, Gardner gained 23 yards on five carries, 18 of which came on one run. Minnesota's defense has gotten faster and more athletic over the last few years, so I'd venture to guess that the Gophers will do just fine against other mobile quarterbacks. Linebackers Damien Wilson and De'Vondre Campbell have gotten off to strong starts, and both are good enough playmakers to track down opposing QBs. As for the secondary, we've seen that unit stand tall all season. Cornerback Eric Murray is the real deal, and safety Cedric Thompson and cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun have played well, too.
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