Don’t get too excited too soon about Gophers freshman running back Berkley Edwards. The advice is targeted at the most rabid Gophers fans who are looking hard for players to be passionate about.
Edwards has for months been advertised as a breakaway runner and he provided the most electrifying play of the day in a recent scrimmage when he ran up the middle for a 70-yard touchdown. Coach Jerry Kill said on National Signing Day back in February that Edwards was one of the top track sprinters in the country and the type of runner the Gophers could hand the ball to and say, “Goodnight.”
But there are reasons to tamp down expectations for now about Edwards (not highly recruited by other Big Ten schools) and his first-season impact for Minnesota. While Kill likes Edwards’ toughness, the Novi, Michigan native doesn’t have big legs, or a lot of size at 5-9, 190 pounds. In last Saturday’s scrimmage he didn’t have much success moving tacklers when his holes were minimal.
The coaching staff is likely to use Edwards in spot situations. His breakaway speed is an effective contrast to last year’s top backs, Donnell Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams, both of whom are power runners figuring to play much more than Edwards.
Edwards might see the field in early games similar to how the Gophers sometimes used 5-10, 197-pound speedster KJ Maye last season when he was a freshman. Maye, now a full-time wide receiver, saw spot duty in the backfield during 2012. He had four carries against New Hampshire and six versus Syracuse during the nonconference season. Look for Edwards to far exceed the 17 total carries Maye had as both a receiver and running back last season.
The Gophers could make good use of Edwards’ speed on draw plays, pitchouts, swing passes and reverses. More limited duty of that kind will also give him time to better understand the responsibilities of a college running back that range from pass protecting to having the playbook down cold.
Kill is optimistic about the learning curve. “He’s a pretty quick learner,” Kill said.
Edwards is part of an intriguing class of newcomers that includes freshmen and junior college transfers. It’s only Kill’s second full recruiting class. “We got some good young talent. We just gotta develop them and coach them,” Kill said.
First impressions include the running ability of many in the group. Freshmen quarterbacks Chris Streveler and Donovahn Jones are athletic and fast enough to break off long runs. Either or both might have an opportunity to do that as wide receivers before they play quarterback in a game.
The speed factor is noticeable even in bigger players like 6-5, 251-pound defensive end Hendrick Ekpe. “Hank can really run but he’s just raw,” Kill said. “He’s done some good things. I am excited about seeing how he matures over the next couple weeks because he’s a big physical specimen.”
Worth Noting
Oddsshark.com has the Gophers as 14 point favorites to defeat UNLV on August 29 at TCF Bank Stadium.
That game begins at 6:07 p.m. on a weekday night and fans will encounter challenges with traffic and parking. School won’t be in session at the University but there will be the usual rush hour and construction hassles, plus the Vikings play that evening at Mall of America Field and the State Fair will be in day eight. The Twins have a game the afternoon of August 29 at Target Field, adding a third event within a short drive of TCF Bank Stadium.
Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague said on WCCO Radio’s Sid Hartman show this morning that his department is working on making a telecast of Minnesota’s game at New Mexico State on September 7 available in this market. As reported earlier by Sports Headliners, the game is already scheduled for airing in parts of the Southwest including New Mexico.
When Vince Taylor was an assistant coach to Tubby Smith with the Gophers, Taylor had a strong recruiting relationship with former Robbinsdale Cooper shooting guard Rashad Vaughn who will play his senior season for Findlay Prep in Las Vegas. Taylor is now an assistant to Smith at Texas Tech and a high school recruiting authority told Sports Headliners Taylor is recruiting Vaughn but doesn’t think the Minnesota native will sign with the Red Raiders.
The Gophers, with an average attendance of 12,580 per game, finished No. 23 in the nation and No. 7 in the Big Ten in college basketball attendance last season, according to figures recently made available by the NCAA.
Minnesota Mr. Basketball president Ken Lien emailed that Matt Fletcher, who has coached at Anoka High School and Bethel University, has accepted an assistant’s position at Upper Iowa University.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders welcomed new shooting guard Kevin Martin to town this week. Saunders said Martin is not only an outstanding three-point shooter but goes to the foul line “seven-plus times per game.”
Martin is admired for his professionalism, including how he trains. “He’s in phenomenal shape,” Saunders said.
Martin reached out to Shabazz Muhammad following the rookie’s incident where he reportedly had an unapproved female guest in his hotel room while attending an NBA seminar to teach new players proper behavior.
Saunders, a part owner in the Timberwolves, didn’t have an update on when the deal between the franchise and the city to renovate Target Center will be finished.
Saunders talking about ongoing contract negotiations with restricted free agent Wolves center Nikola Pekovic: “Every player, when you’re not signed, you want to be signed. You’re walking around without a contract. It’s like having a powerball in your pocket. You don’t want to throw your jeans in the washer and all of a sudden you don’t have it (powerball ticket) anymore.”
Stillwater-based Creative Charters is offering a five-day, four-night trip to London to watch the Vikings and Steelers in a regular season game on September 29. Former Viking Bob Lurtsema is the travel host. More at creativecharter.com.
Creative Charters is selling packages covering transportation, lodging and more but if you’re wondering what a bargain rate is just for a good hotel room in London, try $320 per night.
Francisco Liriano is tied for second in the National League for most wins with his 12-5 record with the Pirates. Traded by the Twins last season to the White Sox, Liriano’s success with the Pirates is an embarrassment to both Minnesota and Chicago. Liriano has reportedly changed his mix of two-seam and four-seam fast balls to help turn his career around.
Rookie center fielder Aaron Hicks, sent down by the Twins on August 1 to Triple-A Rochester after hitting .192 for the season, is only batting .209 in 12 games with the Red Wings. Pitcher Scott Diamond, also demoted to Rochester on August 1, is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA.
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