The University of Minnesota football team will look to improve to 3-0 for the second straight year when the Gophers take on the visiting Western Illinois Leathernecks this Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota won last week with a strong running game but is still looking to get its passing game on track. Regardless, the Gophers were happy to leave New Mexico with a win. As we look ahead to Saturday's game, I answered your questions about Minnesota and the football program as it heads into Week 3. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week's edition of the Gophers Mailbag.
Q: Is the 2-0 start just smoke and mirrors based on some easy scheduling or is this team for real?--Shane, Duluth, Minn.
A: Sure, the 2-0 start is nice and certainly beats the alternative, but it's important to remember the level of competition the Gophers have faced to keep this in perspective. One week after losing to Minnesota by a 51-23 final in its season opener, UNLV was routed 58-13 by Arizona. That same Rebels squad won just two games in 2012 and hasn't won a game on the road since 2009; the loss at TCF Bank Stadium was UNLV's 23rd consecutive road loss.
Minnesota's win over New Mexico State wasn't exactly against a tougher opponent, although the Gophers do get credit for winning on the road. But the Aggies have a new head coach and are fresh off a 1-11 season in 2012. Scoring 44 points shows that Minnesota's offense was clicking, but keep in mind that NMSU allowed 56 points -- 42 of which came in the second half -- one week earlier against Texas.
With all of that said, not everything has been smoke and mirrors for the Gophers. Minnesota's special teams has been impressive, as has the ground game -- and that includes the running ability of quarterback Philip Nelson. But while Nelson was able to win two games without much of a passing game, that will change when Big Ten season rolls around. So yes, the 2-0 start can certainly be attributed to the level of competition the Gophers have faced. Are they, as you asked, for real? That depends on your definition. Coach Jerry Kill's team has certainly shown some signs of improvement from last year, but there's still plenty of work to be done.
Q: Rodrick Williams: man among boys or Big Ten running back?--Todd, St. Louis Park, Minn.
A: Williams filled in admirably for injured starter Donnell Kirkwood last Saturday against New Mexico State. The true sophomore rushed for a career-high 148 yards on 16 carries to propel the Gophers to a 44-21 win and a 2-0 start. Kirkwood's status is still up in the air for this Saturday's game against Western Illinois, so there's a chance Williams might get another start. Even if Kirkwood does return, look for Williams to get plenty of carries.
Since he burst onto the scene last year as a true freshman, I've liked the way Williams runs the ball. At 5-foot-11, 235 pounds, Williams is a bit of a bowling ball and likes to run over opponents -- which we saw against New Mexico State. But he also has some surprising speed for a back his size and flashes a quick burst here and there. Of course, as I responded to the first question, it's important to keep in mind the level of competition against Williams ran against Saturday. With that said, I do believe Williams can eventually be an every-down back in the Big Ten. In seven games in the Big Ten last year after his redshirt was removed, Williams averaged a respectable 4.47 yards per carry. This year he's running behind a healthier offensive line -- and he has more experience -- so that number should increase.
Q: Now that the Gophers have been there a few years, how much home field advantage does TCF Bank Stadium have compared to other teams in the Big Ten?--Justin B., Council Bluffs, Iowa
A: When they built TCF Bank Stadium, they did it right. The stadium is beautiful and is perfectly located on campus next to Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena. One downside of the stadium, however, is its size. At a capacity of 50,720, TCF Bank Stadium seats the second-fewest fans of any Big Ten stadium. Only Northwestern's Ryan Field (47,130) has a smaller capacity. Then again, there's a difference between capacity and the number of fans in the seats for a given game. Through its first few years, attendance at TCF Bank Stadium has been respectable.
Naturally, because TCF Bank Stadium doesn't hold as many fans as other Big Ten venues, it doesn't get nearly as loud as the Big House in Ann Arbor or Ohio Stadium in Columbus or several other of the conference's stadiums. And as we've seen since Minnesota's new stadium opened in 2009, visiting teams haven't had too tough of a time coming in and winning games on the road. Even during last year's six-win season, the Gophers lost home games to Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State. One year earlier, Minnesota let the same New Mexico State team it just beat come to Minneapolis and win a game at TCF Bank Stadium; North Dakota State also beat the Gophers on the road in 2011, as did Nebraska and Wisconsin. So far, there really hasn't been much of a home field advantage for Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium.
The best recipe for building a solid gameday experience (and a great home field advantage) will be to win games. Minnesota is hoping Kill will be the coach to do that. He's preached since he stepped on campus how important it is to have support from the fans, and he's worked to make the gameday atmosphere better. But, as I said, the best way to do that will be to win.
Q: What has been more impressive through two weeks, the special teams play or the running game without Kirkwood?--Max, Rockford, Ill.
A: While Minnesota's running backs have been solid in Kirkwood's absence, I'm going to say the special teams unit has been more impressive after two games. This was an area that the Gophers have struggled with in recent years, but special teams was an asset for Minnesota in its two wins. In fact, a pair of special teams plays were instrumental in the season-opening victory against UNLV.
The most pleasant surprise has been kick/punt returner Marcus Jones, who returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the season opener and followed with an encore performance Saturday when he returned a punt for a touchdown. And Jones is doing all of this on two surgically repaired knees -- he suffered torn ACLs in both knees during his career, yet he looks as speedy as ever.
Kicker Chris Hawthorne has been solid on special teams so far as well. After losing his starting job last year to Jordan Wettstein, Hawthorne has been solid during his senior year. His only missed field goal was a 50-yarder against UNLV (he also missed an extra point in that game). But he was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points last Saturday.
And in that win against UNLV, Minnesota blocked a field-goal attempt and ran it back 51 yards for a touchdown. Through two games, the Gophers have scored three special teams touchdowns (compared to just one passing touchdown). While they certainly aren't expected to keep up that pace, it's been impressive to see through the first two games.
Q: With the return of Jamel Harbison, will that give the Gophers a big WR threat?--Trevor, Pine City, Minn.
A: Minnesota has been looking for a playmaker at wide receiver, and the Gophers believe they have that in Harbison. Many people had high hopes for the Charlotte native prior to last season. But in his first college game, Harbison tore his ACL and missed the remainder of the season.
After he was given a medical redshirt, Harbison bounced back and had a solid fall camp and caught the attention of Minnesota's coaches. But the redshirt sophomore wound up missing the Gophers' first two games this year due to an unspecified violation of a team rule. Kill announced this week, however, that Harbison will indeed return to action this Saturday against Western Illinois.
It remains to be seen what type of impact Harbison can have on Minnesota's offense. He was a three-star recruit out of high school, according to Scout.com, after catching 21 touchdown passes during his senior year. Now it's a matter of whether Harbison and quarterback Philip Nelson can get on the same page. Through two games, no Gopher has more than three total receptions. Nelson has yet to establish a go-to target on offense. If he stays healthy -- and stays in line off the field -- Harbison could certainly be that guy. The truth of the matter, though, is that I haven't seen enough of Harbison to say for sure what type of impact he might have. The Gophers coaches certainly think highly of him. Now it's up to Harbison to prove it on the field, starting this Saturday.
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