INSIDE SLANT

There are things that must be addressed between now and a potential bowl game for Minnesota (6-6, 3-5 Big Ten).

The Gophers made that clear in a 12-0 loss at Iowa Saturday. Don’t get the most recent version of the Hawkeyes confused with their predecessors who looked like BCS national championship contenders—that was before quarterback Ricky Stanzi went down with an injury in a home loss against Northwestern.

These Hawkeyes racked up just 171 yards total offense, including 54 on the ground, and yet, the Gophers couldn’t find a way to counter with a score, calling Tim Brewster’s offseason offensive overhaul into question. Minnesota squandered countless opportunities to outplay a stale Iowa offense, especially with a defense that got an interception, forced a fumble and sacked redshirt freshman quarterback James Vandenberg.

In the team’s first six possessions, quarterback Adam Weber fumbled twice and quarterback MarQueis Gray threw an interception. But the pinnacle of Minnesota’s mediocrity—an overstatement many times this year—was a fourth quarter drive that ended when the Gophers failed to score on four separate attempts from Iowa’s 2-yard line.

The Gophers’ defense has held its own all season. When that unit isn’t tired, which happens because of the team’s offensive inconsistency, it’s effective. Minnesota’s senior linebackers—Simoni Lawrence, Lee Campbell and Nate Triplett—have been stellar. Defensive tackles Garrett Brown and Eric Small have anchored the defensive line.

But an offense that scored seven points in road trips to Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa, an offense that didn’t score an offensive touchdown against an FCS team, South Dakota State, an offense that performed better against Michigan State than it did against the Jackrabbits has remained the most incredulous part of the Minnesota program.

In spite of its lukewarm finish, Minnesota qualifies for its second consecutive bowl under Brewster. The Gophers will likely wind up in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., for the second year in a row, but the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit is also an option.

But don’t expect a grand celebration in Minneapolis to precede or follow the team’s postseason trip.

“Obviously, it was a heartbreaking defeat,” Brewster said. “If you look at the numbers, our defense played extremely well. They played better than extremely well. Offensively, we had opportunities we couldn’t capitalize on and didn’t take advantage of. In a big game like this, taking advantage of the opportunities you get is the key to the game. That was the story of the football game. I couldn’t be prouder of our football team, period. They came in here and fought their absolute guts out. We had an opportunity to win the game and didn’t quite get it done. It hurts, it stings, it’s all of that, but again, these kids played their guts out today.”

NOTES, QUOTES

Scouting The Offense:   The Gophers will certainly benefit from the layoff they’ll have leading up to their second consecutive bowl game. Some things will stay the same, but some things need to change.

Minnesota has the worst offense (295.8 yards per game) in the Big Ten. None of the team’s young receivers has been able to fill the gap left when WR Eric Decker was lost for the season with an ankle injury. QB Adam Weber isn’t even ranked among the 10 most efficient passers in the league. And at the end of a six-win season, the Gophers never identified a true go-to running back.

Scouting The Defense:   The Big Ten’s No. 6 total defense (364.3 yards per game) is anchored by three senior linebackers—Simoni Lawrence, Nate Triplett and Lee Campbell—who combined for 285 tackles. S Kim Royston added 71 of his own, in his first year after transferring from Wisconsin and paying his own way to Minnesota so he’d be eligible to play right away. The Gophers held the No. 2 scoring offense (Penn State) to 20 points.

Quote To Note:   “We just have to keep going to work. We have so many young kids playing. We had a lot of freshman receivers playing today. We have a lot of young guys that have to continue to grow and get better. We just have to continue to go to work, every single day, to continue to improve and get better. I promise you this much, when you have a group of kids that works like our kids, fighting and working, they’re going to get better.”—Tim Brewster on the future of the Minnesota program

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Next Game:   Bowl game TBA—For the second straight year under Tim Brewster, the Gophers have qualified for a low-level bowl game. But a lot depends on the BCS. If two Big Ten teams get BCS bowl bids, the Gophers could wind up in the Insight Bowl Dec. 31 in Tempe, Ariz., for the second year in a row. But there’s also a chance that the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit Dec. 26 could be their postseason destination. It’s not much of a consolation prize, in spite a key season-ending injury to star WR Eric Decker. The Gophers should have defeated Wisconsin and Illinois, and entered the fourth quarter against Cal tied. That’s three possible wins that could have turned a 6-6 squad into a 9-3 team playing in a respectable bowl game. The big question entering their next game is whether head coach Tim Brewster will change his offensive scheme again.

Players To Watch:  

QB MarQueis Gray—The freshman will get his chance to prove that he’s ready to take over the offense during spring ball. But a good bowl game could give him an edge over junior QB Adam Weber entering the spring.

RB Kevin Whaley—Whaley was the best in an average backfield. His 325 yards and two touchdowns all came after he missed time early in the season and Brewster went with veteran backs over the freshman. But down the stretch, he went with Whaley. A good bowl will establish Whaley as Minnesota’s feature back.

LB Lee Campbell—The senior has had a fine season. He finished with 112 tackles this year, 9.5 for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery. He’s a long shot to make it to any pro level, but he has a good chance to impress scouts in the team’s bowl game.

QB Adam Weber—At best, he’s had an inconsistent season. The senior has struggled since he lost WR Eric Decker to a season-ending injury. Right now, he’s fighting for his job. He’ll have to prove to his coaches that he’s the go-to guy for his senior season. This is a good chance to begin that process.

Roster Report:  

• CBs Marcus Sherels and Traye Simmons were hampered by ankle injuries at Iowa. Sherels, who has had a lingering ankle injury all season, was limited against the Hawkeyes. Simmons didn’t play at all.

• LB Nate Triplett, who has struggled with a shoulder stinger suffered against Wisconsin, left Saturday’s game after a big hit in the first half and didn’t return until the second half.