With 10 games remaining on the schedule there’s no need to rush to judgment about the Gopher defense. Still, Minnesota has won its first two games and in the process the defense has indicated its predicted improvement from last season is reality.
In wins over Northern Illinois and Bowling Green the Gophers have given up a total of 34 points. In the first two games last year, a loss to Bowling Green and a win against Miami of Ohio, the total was 67 points. (All are Mid-American Conference teams.)
In the first two games this season the Gophers have held opponents to 100 yards per game rushing, 293.5 passing and 393.5 total offense. For all of last season the totals were 229.3 rushing, 289.3 passing and 518.7 total yards. In the first two games last season opponents averaged 129.5 rushing, 415 passing and 544.5 total yards.
With several new starters, added athleticism and a fresh approach with new defensive coordinator Ted Roof, the Gophers want to believe they’re revitalized defensively. Senior linebacker Deon Hightower talked about the defense’s success in the first two games and the resulting confidence.
“I think it helps our confidence tremendously because making plays in practice is great, but also it comes down to executing when it’s not going against your buddies,” he said. “Going against somebody else that wants to score just as much as you want to prevent them to score.”
Senior linebacker Steve Davis was literally wearing a construction job hard hat in the Gopher football offices this week, a reward for an aggressive hit he put on a Bowling Green player in last week’s game. Coaches named him the weekly winner of the team’s “Hard Hat” award.
Davis has played on some much criticized Gopher defenses in the past. “I am convinced this is a very sound defense that we have right now,” he said last week.
Davis believes there’s more ability on this defense than in the past. “Athletic wise, yes, I feel like this is the most talented so far,” he said. “…We’ve still got a lot of young guys who have to learn a lot of things as far as like technique wise and assignment wise. …”
He and other seniors are playing for their third defensive coordinator in four years. Roof is a former head coach at Duke and was one of the great linebackers in Georgia Tech history.
“Coach Roof is the type of guy where he can get on you when you’re doing wrong and correct you,” Davis said. “Since he is a guy who was like a great, great football player himself, so you kind of take…that to heart, especially as a linebacker. At the same time he can be that guy that laugh with you, joke with you. Be your friend. …We respect his words a lot. …”
The Gophers may improve their defensive numbers tomorrow against Montana State, a team that lost 69-10 to Kansas State last week. The Bobcats, though, pulled a surprise two years ago defeating Colorado of the Big 12 Conference, 19-10.