MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota improved to 3-1 with a win last Saturday against San Jose State, but much of the focus on that game was centered around the fact that the Gophers had just one completed pass for seven yards. As I anticipated, that fact came up several times in this week's mailbag. Thanks to all who submitted questions this week as Minnesota prepares to take on Michigan.
Q: Will Jerry Kill ever be able to recruit? I am sick of the diamonds in the rough routine. No quarterbacks who can throw, no quality WR, lack of depth with linebackers. This teams seems like it is going backwards again. -- Dennis, Youngstown, Ohio
A: Depending on how much stock you put in recruiting experts and ranking systems, the Gophers ranked near the middle of the Big Ten this past year in recruiting. Scout.com had Minnesota No. 49 overall and ninth out of 14 teams in the conference. The Gophers did land a pair of four-star recruits, including offensive lineman Connor Mayes and running back Jeff Jones (who still needs to work out some academic issues to become eligible). The fact that Kill and his staff were able to keep Jones, a Minneapolis native, in the state was a sign that their recruiting is making strides.
I'd disagree that the Gophers have no quality wide receivers. We saw some positive glimpses from Drew Wolitarsky and Donovahn Jones last year as true freshmen, and both should continue to progress. It's hard to truly evaluate the wide receivers, though, when the quarterback can't get them the ball. As for the linebackers, I'll admit that I was skeptical of that position group entering the season, but they've impressed me. Damien Wilson is the Big Ten's leading tackler and forced (and recovered) a fumble against San Jose State. De'Vondre Campbell has also been solid this year. Both of them were junior college players, a recruiting tactic that has panned out well for Kill and Co. at Minnesota. On top of that, though, the coaching staff has been high on a few freshmen linebackers, Jonathan Celestin and Everett Williams, both of whom have already played in non-conference games.
Q: The Gophers have had to make pretty minimal effort in their three non-conference wins. While it's hard to blame them when the running game has been so effective, Big Ten opponents aren't going to have defensive linemen weighing in at 241 like San Jose State. Do you believe this is intentional game planning by the coaching staff, to do what they have to do to get 3 wins, and kick the can down the road until Big Ten season? Or are we seeing all there is to the Gophers offense? -- Todd, St. Louis Park, Minn.
A: This is a two-part question, so I'll start with the first part. In some ways, I do believe that the Gophers' coaching staff has done what was necessary to win, even if it meant attempting just seven passes against San Jose State. After that game, Kill didn't sound too concerned by the fact that his team had just one completion, noting that they got the win, which was the important part. With that said, it worries me that the offense has had so many limitations through non-conference play. There's no guarantee that the Gophers can flip a switch when Big Ten play starts and all of a sudden start throwing the ball all over the field. Neither Mitch Leidner nor Chris Streveler has shown an ability to do that yet, so we don't know if they can against Michigan and others.
As for the second part of your question, and to piggyback on the first answer, I don't think we've seen all there is to this offense. There haven't been many wrinkles added in yet compared to Gophers teams in the first three years of Kill and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover. I'd anticipate Minnesota trying to get players like Berkley Edwards and Donovahn Jones more involved in the offense, whether it be on sweep plays, reverses, or screen passes. You'll likely still see a run-first mentality for Minnesota; that won't change, and may never change as long as Kill is in charge. But the Gophers will likely open up the passing game more from here on out, if for no other reason than they'll be forced to.
Q: Can we win five games in the Big Ten? --Matthew, White Bear Lake, Minn.
A: To be quite honest, I'm not sure this team will win five of its eight conference games this year, but I won't say it's impossible.
Whether or not they can reach that five-win mark in the Big Ten will hinge quite a bit on this weekend's game in Ann Arbor. On paper, Michigan looks like a beatable team. The Wolverines are coming off a lopsided loss at home to Utah that dropped them to 2-2 on the year. At the same time, Michigan's defense hasn't been terrible against the run, so the Wolverines might force the Gophers to throw the ball Saturday. If Minnesota can find any semblance of a passing game, it has a chance to win.
If the Gophers can get past Michigan -- and that's a bigger "if" than it may seem -- the next three Big Ten games are certainly winnable. After a bye next Saturday, Minnesota hosts Northwestern and Purdue, neither of which posted winning records in nonconference play. Both offenses have struggled in the first few weeks and could have a long day against the Gophers' defense. Those are two games I see Minnesota winning.
After that, things aren't as easy. Sure, a game at Illinois isn't as tough as other road trips in the Big Ten, but the Illini have been able to put up some points in their first four games. That's another winnable game, but certainly not a gimme.
The Gophers' final four games are tough, and Minnesota could very well go 0-4 during that stretch. Iowa heads into Big Ten play with a big win at Pitt this past weekend to improve to 3-1. The Hawkeyes have won the last two meetings with the Gophers, including last year at TCF Bank Stadium. The Buckeyes come to town after that, and though they're without quarterback Braxton Miller, they could still be a Top 25 team when they come to Minneapolis on Nov. 15.
The final two games are both on the road at Nebraska and Wisconsin. Minnesota might be in need of one win in either of those two games to get to eight victories, and I'm not confident that will happen.
When all is said and done, my prediction is a seven-win season for the Gophers (meaning four Big Ten wins). I think they'll stumble in one game they probably should have won, and will steal a win in one game as an underdog.
Q: I can't decide if this is a good time to play Michigan or a terrible time. On one hand, from the outside it looks like their season is over already and their offense can't score to save their life. On the other hand, it's still Michigan and they obviously have great players who you could see turning it on at some point. Is it only a matter of time before they break free from their struggles? -- Nathan, Moorhead, Minn.
A: I'd say if there was a good time to play Michigan this year, this would be it. Fans aren't happy in Ann Arbor with the way things have gone with the Wolverines, and they're struggling to fill all the seats in the Big House. Yes, Michigan has struggled to score, but so has Minnesota. And the Gophers' running game, which has carried the offense through four games, will be going up against the third-best running defense in the Big Ten as Michigan has allowed just 80.2 rushing yards per game.
I wouldn't go so far as to say Michigan's season is over already. At a school with that type of football tradition and history, expectations are always going to be high. The Wolverines are no doubt off to a slow start and have plenty of issues through four games. But they also have eight games remaining in the regular season. A win against the Gophers could help get Michigan back on track. Conversely, beating the Wolverines could go a long way for boosting Minnesota's confidence for the rest of the Big Ten season.
Q: How can we be expected to compete or win in the Big 10 when we only threw for 7 yards! This is a disgrace when we have some prime targets and not take advantage of them. -- Adam, Bloomington, Minn.
A: Simply put, the Gophers can't win if they have another game like they did Saturday in which the offense was so one-sided. Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover knows that, and said as much at Tuesday's press conference. When asked if his team can compete in the Big Ten when only throwing for one completion, he said, "Probably not."
While I do think Saturday's game -- one completion for seven yards -- was an anomaly, it still highlighted what has been the biggest problem for the Gophers this year. Minnesota needs to get its passing game going in order to keep opposing teams from simply packing the box and gearing up to stop the run. Without the threat of a passing game, the Gophers' running attack will falter. Inconsistency at quarterback (Mitch Leidner and Chris Streveler have both started through four games) doesn't help the matter. As for the prime targets you mentioned, I'd agree that tight end Maxx Williams absolutely needs to see more passes thrown his way. He was out last Saturday against San Jose State and is questionable for the Michigan game. If healthy, he's easily the best weapon Minnesota's passing game has.
Q: What can the Gophers do to get Berkley Edwards to be a bigger part of the game plan? Three touches a game with majority being runs between the tackles doesn't seem to be enough for the playmaker he is. -- Zach, New Ulm, Minn.
A: Like Williams, Edwards is another guy I've been saying needs to have a bigger role in this offense. All fall camp, coaches and players trumpeted Edwards' skillset and talked about how he should be a difference maker, including in the passing game. He brings a different type of style than fellow running backs David Cobb, Donnell Kirkwood and Roderick Williams. Like you mentioned, he had just three carries against SJSU and was never able to break a run to the edge, where he's most dangerous. In fairness, Edwards was dealing with a bit of a shoulder issue that limited his touches. We saw in his Gophers debut in Week 1 against Eastern Illinois that he can score from just about anywhere, as was evident by his 42-yard touchdown run. He then had six carries against Middle Tennessee but wasn't very effective.
The Gophers need to get Edwards the ball in open space, whether that's on a jet sweep, a run off the tackles, or a screen pass. If he can get the ball on the edges, he's a threat to score. He's not physical enough to be the type of bruising back like Cobb who carries the ball up the middle with great success.
Q: What were we supposed to take away from the SJSU game? The only thing I took away from it is the staff is simply afraid to throw the ball. -- DJ, Edina, Minn.
A: I'm not sure they were afraid to throw the ball necessarily, but they took what San Jose State's defense gave them. Minnesota didn't NEED to throw the ball last Saturday, clearly, but it will in the coming weeks. But yes, the notion that the Gophers' passing game is a weak point was reiterated against SJSU.
One of the biggest things I took away Saturday is that the Gophers' defense continues to impress. Minnesota leads the Big Ten in takeaways with 13, including five this past weekend against San Jose State. The Gophers are opportunistic, and the secondary has been as good as advertised (see: seven interceptions, tops in the conference). Of course, the level of competition takes a step up now that the Big Ten schedule is here, but fans should be encouraged about the way the defense has played.
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