Getting Richardson and Epke back really seemed to help. We seemed to get more push up the middle, which prevented the Chips QB from sitting in the pocket even if it did not result in sacks. The Gopher secondary looked like it was back at full speed. Some of the double moves that the Chips receivers ran on BBC worked in the second half, probably be cause he was worried about giving up the deep ball, but ultimately the Chips played with fire and BBC burned them.
I believe that our defense will actually be better next year because I think that better and health and the Juco will help. Although we will miss Murrary and BBC, we will have lot of depth and better safety play, so I see our secondary as a strength again. The one worry I have is our inability to stop the run. It killed us in the Wisconsin game in the first half, the Nebraska game, and almost made the difference in the bowl game. None of these teams were great running teams. I am not sure if it is a function of D-line or LBs or a combo. Hopefully, adding the big Juco kid helps.
I believe that our defense will actually be better next year because I think that better and health and the Juco will help. Although we will miss Murrary and BBC, we will have lot of depth and better safety play, so I see our secondary as a strength again. The one worry I have is our inability to stop the run. It killed us in the Wisconsin game in the first half, the Nebraska game, and almost made the difference in the bowl game. None of these teams were great running teams. I am not sure if it is a function of D-line or LBs or a combo. Hopefully, adding the big Juco kid helps.
