(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
After a year to forget for head coach Tim Brewster, the Golden Gophers came out in 2007 and flopped on their faces to 1-11 record in the wake of Brewsters' claimed return to the Rose Bowl and days of Minnesota being a national contender.
In 2008 however, the Gophers came out surprising with a 7-1 record to open the season. The run seemed improbable as Gopher fans began talking about a possible New Years Day Bowl or even the possibility of a BCS Bowl.
Those dreams were dashed quickly however as the Gophers would lose their next four games to finish the season 7-5 and settled for an Insight Bowl bid against the University of Kansas. Ultimately, the Gophers would lose to Kansas to finish the season on a five-game losing streak and a 7-6 record.
Players last season like Willie Van de Steeg whom have now gone will leave a big hole in a defensive line that grew accustomed to his playmaking presence. Besides Van de Steeg though, the Gophers have 17 returning starters, seven of them on defense.
Although the defense that went from deplorable in 2007 to respectable in 2008 features a more experienced group, the Gophers offense will be its key figure heading into 2009. The return of now junior quarterback, Adam Weber will bring a strong experienced veteran presence to this offense.
His 2,761 yards (2nd in Big Ten), 15 touchdowns (4th in Big Ten), and eight interceptions in 2008 made him a premier QB in the Big Ten. His highlighted feature however, was his accuracy, completing on a Big Ten best 62.2% of his passes. His playmaking ability that has been slowly growing these past couple years will surely highlight him as a leader in the Big Ten at quarterback this coming season.
A main reason for Weber's spectacular numbers was now senior, Eric Decker. In his junior season, Decker caught 84 passes (most in Big Ten) for 1,074 yards (most in Big Ten). He also led the Big Ten in touchdowns (7), yards/game (12.8) and the longest reception (75 yards). Although Decker had the option to leave as he was drafted in the MLB draft this past summer, he opted to return to the U of M and play another season.
No doubt, his playmaking ability makes him a top receiving prospect in the country and should help spread an offense known more for producing top notch running backs such as Lawrence Maroney or Marion Barber III.
It will also help the Gophers offense to get its 1st string halfback back from injury. After tearing his ACL in the fourth quarter of the team’s second game last season, running back Duane Bennett didn’t waste time feeling sorry for himself. He utilized the weight room regularly, bulking up to 206 pounds in the offseason. His now chiseled frame will help him have more power in his running and should help the Gophers to open up the passing game for Decker.
The 2008 offense however, did struggle to find weapons aside from Eric Decker. Enter wide receiver Hayo Carpenter, a junior college All-American at College of the Canyons (Calif.), who turned down numerous offers from top schools before selecting the Gophers. The 5-11, 185-pound wideout could be the yin to Decker’s yang that really increases Minnesota’s scoring output. Minnesota averaged 23.2 points per game last season, good for ninth in the league.
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