It is one thing to watch a game live and take it all in, but it is crazy how much more in depth you can watch a game with a good DVR and rewinding to see how each individual player performed. Obviously there are several facets of the Gophers performance that could be improved, but overall we were able to sneak out a victory and get the win on opening night.
Even if you are underwhelmed by the offensive performance (280 total yards/130 yards passing) there are still reasons to be optimistic about this unit and not hit the panic button after one game:
-Melvin Holland, Isaiah Gentry, Eric Carter were not healthy enough to play. These three could be our most explosive playmakers, and for a number of reasons they did not see the field. Minnesota definitely needs to get them ready in these next couple weeks. Like Tracy Claeys said last night on Facebook Live, the guys that practice and practice the best are going to play.
-Shannon Brooks and Brandon Lingen did not play. This is a big one. Two future All-B1G playmakers on offense sitting out is never a good thing. Lingen has probably the best hands on the team and is a security blanket for Leidner, while the playmaking ability of Brooks is well known. The offense will do well to get these two guys back.
-The new offensive line kept Mitch upright the whole game. Not one sack was given up in the opener, and at times Mitch had all day to throw. Last year he knew he had to get the ball out of his hands right away or else he was going to take some hits. A couple times Mitch threw to the check down guy when there was a receiver open down the field. Now that he realizes he will have more time to throw this season, hopefully he tries to keep looking down the field and not settle for the short pass always. He will see this in film this week and probably already has.
-Tyler Johnson and Rodney Smith are going to be a problem this season. The true freshman Johnson ran crisp routes and snagged three passes, all for key first downs. It is huge that he can be relied upon to move the chains. Smith had a great day bouncing off tacklers, making excellent cuts and getting upfield. Could be on his way to a 1,000 yard season no doubt.
-Drew Wolitarsky is the guy that can run the short routes underneath and clear out the field. He had several catches underneath and one going up the seam. We know what he is here and he is not the big play threat. Minnesota has to find that in either Johnson, Still (when healthy), Register, or Gentry.
The defense was solid for the most part on Thursday. Minnesota allowed just 89 rushing yards and 2.6 yards per carry, a stat that new defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel is definitely happy about. Why we should be optimistic about the defense going forward:
-Jalen Myrick and Damarius Travis bring star power to the secondary. Jalen Myrick had one pass breakup on the one time Oregon State tried to test him deep, and they figured that was enough of that. Travis was excellent in run support and in defending the pass all game. He made one mistake, which was on the swing pass to the OSU running back in the third quarter for the touchdown. He got caught up in a clearing route over the middle, which was a great design by the Beaver offense and the OSU back scored. A rare mistake for him but he was solid otherwise.
-Jack Lynn and Cody Poock are not going to miss many tackles this season. They will be key in the defenses' attempts to take a step forward from a season ago. Poock just has to stay smart and stay in the game, as it is obvious college football is making an attempt to send a message and throw guys out for hits to the head.
-The defensive line had 4 sacks in one game! I can't even name the last time that has happened. Tai'yon Devers was excellent getting to the passer, and right now is a speed rusher that we can expect to be used mostly on passing situations. He is a little thin still and could have some problems getting pushed out on run support.
-Steven Richardson and Andrew Stelter consistently created problems in the backfield. Each had a key sack out of their defensive tackle positions. Richardson was unblockable at times, even facing double teams. Expect these two to get a lot of run together this season.
-Kamal Martin is incredibly versatile. Just a freshman, but in his first game in college he showed a great pass rushing ability and also dropped back in coverage several times. He was able to find the man coming into his zone and had a key pass breakup. He also recovered a fumble on the 2nd Tai'yon Devers strip sack. He will definitely play a lot going forward.
-Julian Huff was everywhere. He made tackles in the run game, sniffed out one of the screen passes and made an open field tackle, and is relentless getting to the passer.
-Jay Sawvel is not afraid to experiment and try new combinations on the field. He gets his best athletes out there and puts them in the best position possible to succeed. 2-4-5 defense was out there plenty of times and was a big reason why the defense forced two turnovers off of fumbles.
Top Questions Going Forward:
-Who is going to make plays down the field for the Gophers? No one was able to get separation down the field on long passes. Wolitarsky drew one pass interference penalty and Still should have drew one. Brian Smith could not gain separation down the field when Mitch tried to throw to him deep.
-Who can play at the 2nd safety position next to Travis? Ayinde had a couple nice tackles upon the second look through the film, but was also burned badly for a touchdown and twice more but bad throws by the QB cost Oregon State big plays. Duke McGhee is a big hitter in run support but leaves something to be desired in the pass game. Also where is Ace Rogers? Stability at that safety position is badly needed.
-How will the defensive line hold up against bigger and better offensive lines? Lots of youth there, especially at end where true freshmen Kamal Martin and Tai'yon Devers played opposite of one another a ton.
-How soon will some of the potential key playmakers be back in action? We didn't see any Lingen, Carter, Gentry, Holland, Register, Carter Coughlin, Coney Durr, or Ray Buford in there. Will likely need all of them during the season.
-Is the size on defense going to be enough? Minnesota is a little small at a couple positions and run stopping could be a concern against the Iowa's Nebraska's and Wisconsin's of the league. Finding a balance of getting the top pass rushers and run stoppers on the field can be tough, as ideally you want guys that can do both.
