Minnesota Golden Gophers- Projected #6 in the Legends Division
2010 Record: 3-9 (2-6)
The Gophers never got rolling under Coach Brewster, which resulted in his much needed firing in Minneapolis. Serious question for everyone: why did they ever fire Glenn Mason, who only made Minnesota consistently relevant during his tenure? I bet they are kicking themselves over that one, considering he basically laid the groundwork for their new outdoor stadium to be built.
I think that Jerry Kill, heading over from Northern Illinois, could certainly give the team a much needed shot in the arm, but it will take time for that to materialize. In the meantime, the Gophers will need to focus on becoming better one small step at a time. Where do you begin? Aside from basic recruiting, they should really focus on improving defensively. Last season they gave up an average of 33 points per game, but only lost each game by an average of 10 points. If Florida transfer Brendan Beal and new defensive coordinator Tracy Cleays can change the tone of how things are done on that side of the ball, then their outlook suddenly improves ever-so-slightly.
Offense isn't exactly a major issue, but it isn't spectacular either. QB MarQueis Gray, a mobile playmaker, can invigorate an offense that doesn't excel particularly well on the ground or through the air, then look for the Gophers to be more competitive than they were last season. That isn't saying too much, but they did happen to end the year on a two game winning streak against Illinois and Iowa, averaging 32.5 points per game in the process.
This team is better than Indiana in my humble opinion, but they will likely see similar results in a very tough conference. I am intrigued with the new coaching staff though, which I wasn't able to say under the last staff.
Predicted Record: 3-9 (1-7)
No comments:
Post a Comment