A Far-Too-Early Look at Horton's New Offense
by Buck Bravo on Sep 9, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
in Gopher Football
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PrintAs of today, the Gophers have the 16th best Division 1 rushing offense in the Nation. Sure, the season is young and it could be a fluke. But that's not likely. What's the likely case is that new offensive coordinator, Jeff Horton, wasn't bluffing when he committed to running the ball.
Now the Gophers may not finish the season in the top 25 for overall rushing, but I'll take any bet that they end up near the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. That would be a dramatic improvement for a team that didn't even average 100 yards per game rushing last year. More impressive than the rushing yards tally were two different rushing statistics: 1) besides a botched snap to Adam Weber, there were no fumbles by Gopher rushers and 2) There were only 5 (non-sack) rushes for a loss, and two of those were from taking a knee to end the game.
So, I think it fair to assume that the Gophers will have at least an average, if not a much better than average rushing offense this season. So, what does this mean for Horton's offense? Based upon the one game that we've seen, I'll make the following predictions for 2010:
- If Duane Bennett can stay healthy and avoid wearing down as the year progresses, the Gopher rushing attack will be in the upper half of the Big Ten. If he gets hurt or wears down, the triple-headed-attack of Donnell Kirkwood, Deleon Eskridge, and Jon Hoese will keep the Gophers near the middle of the pack.
- Opposing teams will routinely put 7, 8, or 9 defenders in the box and the passing game will open up. The difference between a 7-5 record and a 4-8 record will hinge on the offense's ability to execute the passing game.
- The defense looked inexperienced with missed tackles and a few blown coverages, but with a rushing offense that eats up time and keeps them off the field they should be able to perform at a similar level to last season.
- By the end of the season, Minnesota will have one 1000+ yard rusher, and another one who is able to surpass at least 800 yards.
- USC, Penn State, and Ohio State will have the talent to contain the run with 7 in the box. The only chance the Gophers have to keep these games competitive will depend upon how the passing game fares against the opposing secondaries.
Entering the season, many analysts and fans had doubts about whether there would be dramatic improvements made in the Minnesota running game. Well, those doubts have at least been suppressed for the time being. The newly-found rushing offense bodes well for 2010, but as for how well we won't know for at least a few more games.
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I think you meant Kirkland
I just want to see Kirkwood as the #2 back. The less we see of Eskridge the better.
I like having three primary backs rotate with a fullback. I don’t fully get the criticism of Eskridge. I think he may not have the speed of Bennett, but he’s a decent option.
Buck Bravo
by Buck Bravo on Sep 9, 2010 1:07 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
His career average is 3.75 yards per carry
Eskridge isn’t fast, isn’t big, and hasn’t shown the ability to make people miss. He’s only as good as his line, and is going to get tackled by the first guy who gets to him. That’s fine for your third back when your top 2 guys are tired, but I’d much rather see a young guy in Kirkwood with more potential and more talent get the bulk of the #2 carries.
I will give him credit for being a decent pass catcher and for not fumbling
but again, he’s best suited as a #3 back.
I'm with Buck
I have no problem with Eskridge. He is decent and I don’t want to get too fired up over Kirkland till I see it in more than 1 game.
DE catches the ball well and when given some space he can make people miss. He takes too long to get to his top gear though.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you The Daily Gopher
Ditto here
He is a capable backup, but I agree that Kirkwood has more upside. Keep Kirkwood hungry so that he can reach his potential.
Running Game
I guess Mason was right, grind it out, run down the clock and keep the gopher defense off the field as long as possible. It worked for Nebraska for many, many Tom Osborne years. Use the big linemen to wear out the defense, and win the possession game. Let’s see an upset, at least one big upset, this year! Interesting to see the transformation of Coach Brewster over three years from a spread proponent to the big ten style running attack.
by bobbyspringfield on Sep 9, 2010 5:01 PM CDT reply actions
it's funny that once you realize
the stadiums you have to play at almost every year that running just makes more sense. I hate when coaches walk in with a preconceived notion of what is the best offense without considering their circumstances.
No one is getting Rubio's rights unless they pry them from our cold dead fingers.
by TheEvilProfessor on Sep 10, 2010 7:35 AM CDT up reply actions
The key
I think the key to our success could be Bennett’s pass catching ability. We didn’t see much of it against MTSU, but I bet we see him go for a big gain against USC. Yes, USC. I don’t think the Gophers will have to show much of their playbook against USD.
Shorten the game
If the defense is as solid as I think it will be, the running game is important to shorten the game. We’re not going to be a very good offense but rather hope to be a decent one. Our passing game is going to need to be opportunistic as well as solid on 3rd downs. We don’t have the firepower to win many shootouts so we’ll need to try to keep games in the teens or low 20s. Horton will open things up a bit but if they can move the ball on the ground they will always choose that route
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