Gopher Football 2009: Bringing It All Back Home

After nearly three decades of playing in the stale, off-campus environment of the Metrodome, Golden Gopher Football is moving back on campus, where it belongs.  TCF Bank Stadium will be unveiled to the state of Minnesota on September 12th, when the Gophers welcome Air Force Academy.  The new stadium is just one of many reasons that Gopher fans are optimistic about this coming season.

Head Coach Tim Brewster enters his third season as head coach with many challenges.  After starting last season 7-1, the Gophers struggled mightily down the stretch, including a humiliating 55-0 defeat at the hands of the hated Iowa Hawkeyes.  Brewster made some drastic changes on both sides of the ball in hopes of correcting what went wrong during the second half of last season.

On offense, the Gophers are looking to move away from the spread formation that Brewster and former offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar had implemented for the past two seasons.  Jedd Fisch is the new offensive coordinator.  The 32-year old takes over the Gophers offense after 8 seasons in the NFL.  Fisch will be assisted by offensive line coach Tim Davis, who took over as running game coordinator prior to the Insight Bowl last season.  Davis has a reputation for improving offensive linemen and working with more of a power running game.  Gopher fans will see a lot more offensive sets involving two tight ends and fullbacks than they have seen in the previous two seasons.

The offense has plenty of talent to work with.  Junior QB Adam Weber has started for the Gophers since he was a freshman.  Weber has grown as a leader and a passer.  He'll be pushed by highly-touted Freshman Marquis Gray, but Brewster has made it clear that this is Weber's team.  Weber's favorite target last year was WR Eric Decker. Decker was a first-team All Big Ten selection last season, catching 84 balls and scoring 7 TDs.  Hayo Carpenter was one of the nation's top junior-college players last year.  He's expected to take some of the pressure off of Decker and provide Weber with a deep threat, along with speedy sophomore Brandon Green.

While the Gophers enjoyed plenty of success throwing the ball last year, the running game left something to be desired, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry.  Big changes on the offensive line should help boost those numbers.  Matt Carufel figures to start at right guard after transferring to the Gophers from Notre Dame.  He'll be joined on the right side by massive tackle Jeff Wills.  Wills, a junior-college transfer, figures to anchor the right side of the line with his 6-7, 375 lb frame. 

The Gophers have a stable of talented running backs ready to contribute in 2009.  Sophomore Duane Bennett returns after missing nearly all of last season with a knee injury.  Bennett's injury created playing time last year for DeLeon Eskridge and Shady Salamon, who both showed the were capable of contributing in both the running game and as receivers out of the backfield.  Red-shirt Freshman Kevin Whaley has also seen time with the first team in Spring practices.  Factor in Jon Hoese, who figures to see most of the snaps at fullback and the Gophers have nice depth in the backfield.

Tim Brewster starts the 2009 with a new defensive coordinator.  Former DC Ted Roof left the program to take over the defense at Auburn.  Brewster decided to bring in former Wisconsin and Nebraska defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who will be a co-coordinator with defensive backs coach, Ronnie Lee.  Lee and Cosgrove will work together on a defense that made significant improvements last year after ranking near the bottom in 2007.

Cosgrove and Lee's first challenge will be replacing standout defensive end Willie Van De Steeg. Van De Steeg led the team in sacks last year, and his ability to get to the QB will be missed.  The Gophers could start as many as 9 seniors on defense, led by standout corner Traye Simmons, middle linebacker Lee Campbell and rover/linebacker Simoni Lawrence.

The opening of TCF Bank Stadium brings heightened excitement and enthusiasm to the University of Minnesota.  It also brings heightened expectations.  The pressure is on Tim Brewster to take this program to the next level and get this team back to the Rose Bowl.  Brewster has succeeded in bringing in better recruits, now the pressure's on him to get those recruits perform.  The program needs to take that next step forward this year, or Brewster could be on the hot seat.