Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - 2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: The season began well enough for Minnesota in 2006, as Glen Mason's club won two of its first three games, including a 62-0 whipping of Temple. Unfortunately, the Golden Gophers couldn't line up against the hapless Owls every week as the Big Ten schedule proved to be extremely difficult, with UM dropping its first four league bouts. A less-than-inspiring 10-9 win over I-AA North Dakota State came next and that was followed by a humiliating 44-0 loss at Ohio State. Something must have clicked with the players at that point though, as the Gophers ran off three straight wins to finish the regular season an even 6-6. The team was rewarded with an invite to the Insight Bowl where it was dismissed by Big 12 foe Texas Tech in a 44-41 OT final. The Gophers had led by 31 points in the third quarter of that game before collapsing. Minnesota hasn't won the Big Ten in 40 years so the administration felt a change was needed. Mason was shown the door following the gut-wrenching loss to Tech, despite taking the Gophers to seven bowl games in the past eight years.
2007 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: The Tim Brewster era begins in Minneapolis and while offensive production was hardly the problem under Mason, the Gophers should continue to chew up yards and put points on the board at an alarming rate. That is, as long as new QB Tony Mortensen is able to fill the huge shoes vacated by the program's all-time leading passer in Bryan Cupito. Mortensen appeared in three games last year, but has relatively little experience and will need help from a host of others to make the transition from reserve to starter. Senior WR Ernie Wheelwright is a huge target at 6-5, but needs to be more consistent, while sophomore Ernie Decker has ideal size at 6-2, 210 pounds, and could shine if given the opportunity. Led by senior Amir Pinnix, the UM run game should take some of the pressure off Mortensen. Pinnix, a 6-0, 205-pounder, rushed for 1,272 yards and 10 TDs last season, averaging five yards per carry, and he will be spelled by speedy sophomore Jay Thomas, who netted 6.1 ypc and scored four times as a rookie. The line boasts three returning starters, but is somewhat undersized and will need to play well above its means to allow the unit as a whole to succeed.
DEFENSE: Minnesota's defensive effort in '06 was in a word...atrocious. The Gophers allowed an average of 426.4 ypg to rank 113th nationally, and their biggest problem was defending the pass. Opponents aired it out for nearly 270 ypg and scored an average of twice a game up top. Their effort against the run wasn't much better, with foes churning out almost 160 ypg and scoring 19 TDs. The one area the team did excel in was turnovers, ranking first in the country with a +18 turnover margin. Last year's leading tackler, LB Mike Sherels, is back and hopes to pick up where he left off when he made 104 stops and posted three INTs. He will be joined by former DE Steve Davis and senior John Shevlin in the middle of the field, helping to ease some of the pressure sure to be heaped on a defensive line that features just two returning starters. The one guy who actually performed well along the line last year was DE Willie VanDeSteeg, who collected 10 sacks and recovered three fumbles. The X-factor along the defensive front could be former Tennessee Volunteer Ray Henderson. The secondary features a pair of "Doms" in junior CB Dominic Jones and senior FS Dominique Barber, both of whom are gifted athletes who have a ton of big- play ability as evidenced by their combined 156 tackles and six INTs from last season.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicking woes have plagued the Gophers of late so that is obviously an area coach Brewster wants to see improve. Conversely, the return game has been a strength and should continue to be so long as guys like Jones are back there.
OUTLOOK: A pair of MAC foes in Bowling Green and Miami-Ohio come to the Twin Cities to kick off the season, followed by a quick trip to the Sunshine State to take on Florida Atlantic. Provided the Gophers get steady QB play, they could be 3-0 when the Big Ten slate gets underway with home games against Purdue and Ohio State. Winnable bouts at Indiana and Northwestern are next followed by another date with those pesky Bison of North Dakota State. A trip to Michigan will likely result in defeat, but a home date with Illinois could get the team back in the win column. Closing out the regular season against both Iowa and Wisconsin is a tall order, especially if the Gophers are looking for that sixth win to earn bowl eligibility. Brewster obviously has a plan and eventually he will have "his players" to run it. In the meantime, expect Minnesota to battle for every win it gets and for foes to dread facing a Gopher squad that has been a thorn in the side of their Big Ten brethren for the last decade or so.
