Thursday update
Posted on September 25th, 2008 – 3:17 PMBy Kent Youngblood
My colleague Myron Medcalf brought up a good point today. While noting that Ohio State is maybe down a step from its usual level of play, they have a lot of good players. And so there figures to be a lot of NFL scouts at Saturday’s game in Columbus.
Many will be watching Buckeyes cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who will no doubt spend a lot of time watching Gophers receiver Eric Decker.
So what if Decker has his usual big-play day?
Decker’s numbers are wonderful, especially considering the fact that he’s clearly quarterback Adam Weber’s go-to guy. He has gotten open and made catches with all sorts of coverages thrown at him.
It’s been an interesting cat-and-mouse game between Minnesota offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar and opposing defensive coordinators. Dunbar has had Decker do just about everything but take a direct snap from center. He has lined up left, right, in the slot on both sides and gone in motion. He has begun plays in the backfield and run the option with Weber.
But he is still flying under the national radar. That’s what playing on a team coming off an under-the-radar 1-11 record will do for you. When I covered the Vikings we used to make fun of one of Denny Green’s sayings to his team: When we play the way we play when we play nobody can beat us.
Well, if Decker plays the way he plays against Ohio State, you can bet more people will start noticing.
So I think Saturday’s game could be Decker’s moment. Folks might come to watch the Buckeyes and come away thinking about Decker. He has said he’ll be here to open TCF Bank Stadium next fall, but he hasn’t yet said which sport is his future. He has always loved baseball and had a fine season last spring for John Anderson.
I’ll be very interested to see what Ohio State does to try to contain him today, and how the Gophers respond. Weber cannot force it to him. The Buckeyes figure to bring a lot of different blitz packages to get pressure on Weber and he’ll have to make the right decisions.
That said, nobody has stopped Decker so far….
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38 Responses to "Thursday update"
My buddy and I were wondering at the game about Pittman and if he just might not be as good as advertised and that the injury is just an excuse.
Go get ‘em Deck!
When you blog the way you blog when you blog nobody can beat you.
nice work.
It’s Big Ten Season! The Gophers and this brewster need at lest 3 Big Ten wins in 2008. Big Ten wins are the wins that matter. Go Gophers!
Wren wait and see, we all know how you feel and are sick of hearing it.
Well the team nobody thought could get beat just got beat by the Beavers. How good is Penn St? This should teach some of you knuckleheads to stop trying to compare scores and realize that every game is just that, one game between two teams on a given day. Good luck to the Gophers. The majority of these players signed on at MN because it had a winning tradition over the past 8 years and they were expected to go to bowl games. They have taken the bull by the horns and are giving it their all. 4 down and three to go to lock up a bowl.
What a great time to be a MN sports fans if the Twins can keep winning and clinch the division on top of the Gophers upsetting (t)OSU and a Vikings vic to boot!! Living it and loving it right now!
How big of you in such a small, little way littlebig. The thing is that I will be saying what I think, with every Big Ten win…or every Big Ten loss. You say what you think…I’ll say what I think and then it won’t be too little or too big a deal.
Who are you to try to tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t do? That’s just a little too much….don’t go around acting as if you are too big for your britches littlebigboy.
I’ll say what I think when I wish to say it…you do the same and life will be good!
Bud … You are a very small man.
You trashed every Brewster recruit. Every one. Now you say they all signed because of Mason’s record? Are you insane?
This recruiting class signed because Brewster created a vision for the future, not a past where mediocrity was the goal.
To Kent and the “observer” Myron … I have said on this blog for four weeks that Eric Decker is the best college football player in America. Period.
Did you guys watch Oregon State drive USC into the ground tonight? Did you see how they did it?
With a 5′6″ true freshman running back who carried 37 times for 186 yards.
Strap it on TDLeon, Shady, and Jay.
Forget about the football illiterates like Bud who said Shady couldn’t start on his high school team and who said TDLeon wasn’t recruited by Nebraska. You guys are football players, people like Bud are morons.
Gopher1 … Think about it for a second.
Pittman was not “advertised”. He was a junior college All-American. His record and performance speaks for itself. Only the football illiterate moron Bud said he was a “midget” who could not play.
What possible reason could Brewster have to claim he is hurt when he is not?
He is playing less than 100% but playing because he is an athlete. Look at all the guys who played hurt last year. Simmons played on a broken foot. Willie played with a broken hand. Sherels, Shevlin, and Hightower played with assorted injuries.
Pittman is not down and can’t play at all. He is hampered. They want to stay with him and hope he can help the team win some Big Ten games sometime this year.
Pittman has played. He was on the field in the 4th quarter last week. Who’s to say they haven’t been holding him back for the Big Ten similarly to how they have been holding Jay Thomas back?
We’ll see. A hamstring injury is absolutly the worst. You really can’t run with any sort of burst without reinjuring yourself.
The universally reviled wren is back at it.
Keep taking those drugs, wren. We all respect your freedom of speech and expression, even though you’re an idiot.
G1–you are way off track in your 333 post. Pittman is injured. A hamstring injury is an extremely difficult, frustrating, and unpredictable injury. It is too bad bc he sounds like the perfect fit in this offense. I am so glad USC lost.
Keys to game:
1) contain Pryor. No broken play scrambling–maintain lane control. Make him beat you with pass.
2) apply pressure on QB
3) use Decker as decoy first half. Distribute the ball early.
4) positive turnover ratio
5) a couple of field goals made
6) a good start. 3 and out would ideal.
but not allowing any points would do wonders.
7) keep OSU under 30 points
U of M with 100 yards rushing
9) the stars aligned just right
10) Wells is rusty or still not 100%
Just to keep us all a little grounded, remember this fact: OSU is 17-1 agst. the Gophers in Columbus.
In addition to the Gopher’s win in C-town in 2000, the 1949 Gophers under Bernie Bierman won 27-0 at Ohio Stadium in C-town. The Gophers also won in C-town 1n 1940 by a 13-7 score. What do you base that 17-1 mark on tex?
Tex … You can’t argue with a guy who was there.
Wren—the ESPN.com site had a preview of the game and that is what it said.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=feldman_bruce&id=3608238
Texas Gopher says:
September 26th, 2008 at 9:34 am
G1–you are way off track in your 333 post. Pittman is injured. A hamstring injury is an extremely difficult, frustrating, and unpredictable injury. It is too bad bc he sounds like the perfect fit in this offense. I am so glad USC lost.
————-
Agreed. Not only was this a hamstring injury, he TORE his hamstring, this is not a pull. Huge difference.
wrenagain2 says:
September 25th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
It’s Big Ten Season! The Gophers and this brewster need at lest 3 Big Ten wins in 2008. Big Ten wins are the wins that matter. Go Gophers!
————–
I see you’ve recovered alittle more quickly than PH after that loss to Pitt.
david_allan_coe says:
September 26th, 2008 at 1:27 am
Did you guys watch Oregon State drive USC into the ground tonight? Did you see how they did it?
With a 5′6″ true freshman running back who carried 37 times for 186 yards.
Strap it on TDLeon, Shady, and Jay.
Forget about the football illiterates like Bud who said Shady couldn’t start on his high school team and who said TDLeon wasn’t recruited by Nebraska. You guys are football players, people like Bud are morons.
—————
Yup, Bud surely was right about those two things. LMAO. He also is the master of the actual attendence figures. He divides Minnesota’s in half and last week he added 13,000 to tOSU’s. They had 102,989 for their game against Troy not 116. Sure we all dream about 100k crowds, but when Bud throws out BS, it needs to be called out.
LMAOR at Bud and his ignorance.
I know I am not the only one who cringes everytime I read (or see) an excellent athlete who is a native Minnesotan playing out of state. That article I sent Wren had Lauranitis (sp?) in it and watching Floyd the other day playing for ND really hurt.
wrenagain2 says:
September 26th, 2008 at 1:12 am
How big of you in such a small, little way littlebig. The thing is that I will be saying what I think, with every Big Ten win…or every Big Ten loss. You say what you think…I’ll say what I think and then it won’t be too little or too big a deal.
Who are you to try to tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t do? That’s just a little too much….don’t go around acting as if you are too big for your britches littlebigboy.
I’ll say what I think when I wish to say it…you do the same and life will be good!
—————-
4-0.
Pitt 21 Iowa 20. LMAOR.
Gee, I surprised no one has mentioned it but Reeves apparently got a 20 on his ACT and is going to enroll as soon as he can. Sorry Bud.
Texas Gopher says:
September 26th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Keys to game:
1) contain Pryor. No broken play scrambling–maintain lane control. Make him beat you with pass.
2) apply pressure on QB
3) use Decker as decoy first half. Distribute the ball early.
4) positive turnover ratio
5) a couple of field goals made
6) a good start. 3 and out would ideal.
but not allowing any points would do wonders.
7) keep OSU under 30 points
U of M with 100 yards rushing
9) the stars aligned just right
10) Wells is rusty or still not 100%
————–
I’m most worried about #’s 1, 2, 8, and 10. The defense is going to need to be ready for different looks as Pryor isn’t you typical I-back QB. A rusty Wells is still very good. We’ll see if he can take the ball more than 10-15 carries. If we accomplish #2 and #8, we win the game. Prssure equals TO’s and running ball keeps the chains moving. I have a hard time thinking we’ll be able to run real well, so Spry needs to make some plays and we need a huge game out of Simmons.
[…] Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune discusses the key matchup of Eric Decker versus OSU defensive back Malcolm […]
I was going to mention it, but then I would have been accused of only worrying about recruits and not actually caring about the games… Let’s hope everything goes smoothly and him and Maresh are able to suit up for spring practice!
Let’s get some predictions going here, as it is Friday.
I’m going to throw out my hopeful, and my realistic:
Hopeful = Gophs are able to contain pryor and force two INT’s compared to Weber’s 1 INT. Solomon and Eskridge combine for 150 yrds of rushing and 2 TD’s. Simmons and Decker each get one TD. Monroe hits a 45 yrd FG as time runs out to win 31-28.
Realistic = Buckeye’s OL wears down Gophs DL in the 4th and tOSU is able to poound their ground game and eat up clock. OSU wins 38-28.
We’re hoping to get a pretty decent group together at the Park Tavern tomorrow for the game if anyone wants to join. Always more fun to have a packed house cheering on our team!
Go Gophs!
Lastly, Gopherhole.com had a great interview piece with Sam Maresh a day or two ago, and I guess Brewster already told him that he gets to lead the team onto the field carrying the flag for the first game in TCF Stadium. Pretty special opportunity for Sam after all he’s been through! I got shivers thinking about it. Can’t wait!
If Pittman tore his hamstring he shouldn’t be playing or practicing at all.
The folks over at FoxSports have obviously been reading my blog postings:
2. Minnesota has a better record than Ohio State. Really? The same Minnesota that went 1-11 last year, including losses to Bowling Green, North Dakota State and Florida Atlantic? Yes, that Minnesota.
Tim Brewster’s boys are 4-0 and Minnesota is looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 2004. It won’t be easy, obviously. It’ll be damn near close to impossible, actually. The OSU defense got back to form against Troy last weekend, Beanie Wells is back in the lineup, and Terrelle Pryor is coming into his own much sooner than anyone expected.
And I feel like Lloyd Christmas in “Dumb and Dumber” when I write this — but I’m “saying there’s a chance” for the young Gophers. To see how far Minnesota has come from last year, start by comparing the 2007 and 2008 games against Florida Atlantic. Minnesota’s defense had four interceptions in a 37-3 win last weekend. A year ago, FAU put up 42 in a three-point win.
The 2008 Gophers have forced 13 turnovers and have only committed two. They’ve got a young quarterback with a ton of moxie in Adam Weber and a legitimate pro football prospect in receiver Eric Decker.
Could Minnesota pull the upset Saturday in Columbus? They’re 17-point underdogs and playing on the road, so probably not.
But I’m saying there’s a chance.
My comments: Just think, you read it here first!
Rescooter goes way, way out on a limb: we have a chance.
derek (aka maturi), I am relatively certain that Bud referenced the Gopher win over Michigan in 2005 at the Big House when he mentioned that the 116,000 in attendance at the Big House got incredibly loud as Michigan attempted to to mount a final drive against the Gophers in the Gopher’s win in Ann Arbor. Anyway, that is certainly the way I read that. I was also in attendance at that game and the Michigan crowd did get lout. However, it was not as loud as I recall the Horseshoe in 2000 towards the end of the third quarter when the Buckeyes were making a run at our Gophers. Perhaps Bud might wish to point out your misconception of his 116,000 reference. I am certain he was talking about Ann Arbor, the Big House and the 2005 Gopher win there. Of course, you are derek (aka maturi…) So I can understand how and why you didn’t quite “get it…”
derek’s (aka maturi) misinformation campaign explained:
The Loon said:
“OSU has it all. I could easily list ten things they have that most everyone else does not have. The ‘Shoe and the crowd are just two of those things.
My guess is that we will have the same problems with them that they had w SC.
By the way, Michigan is one of the least intimidating places in the Big Ten. It is too open and quiet.
Bud says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 pm
That is because they are use to winning Loon. I was there when we beat them and it was so loud on that last drive that you could not hear the person next to you. 116,000 is still alot of fans.”
It is obvious that Bud was not talking about the Horseshoe aka Ohio Stadium, but was talking about The Big House in Ann Arbor.
You can say a few words about the misinformation you spread and how you tried to bad-mouth Bud based upon your own error derek (aka maturi.)
Two years ago we got blown out at OSU. It was not even close. We left with our tails between our legs. Let’s hope we are better then we were two years ago.
It will be interesting to see how Brewster does in ONLY his second season, comapred to Mase who was in season ten two years ago. I would think Mase in his tenth season (6-7)would have a LOT better record then Brewster in his second season.
We got embarrassed by OSU two years ago, 44-0. I don’t ever want to think about that game again. Let’s hope things are better this year.
