The statistics support Gopher coach Tim Brewster’s statement that his team needs to “get more explosive playmakers.” In five games the Gophers have 32 plays of more than 20 yards. Wide receiver Eric Decker has 11 of those plays, kickoff returner Troy Stoudemire eight. Running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge, and defensive backs Marcus Sherels and Kyle Theret, have two each.
The Gophers need other wide receivers to become down field threats. True freshman Da’Jon McKnight might be first in line.
He caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Weber last Saturday against Ohio State, his first catch as a Gopher. The 6-foot-4 Dallas native not only has size but Brewster said that McKnight has a 40-inch vertical jump.
The coach also said that McKnight was a basketball player earlier in his athletic career and didn’t play football until his junior year of high school. Although McKnight is second team on the Gopher depth chart, it won’t be surprising to see him play tomorrow against Indiana.
The Gophers, 4-1, play an Indiana team, 2-2, that is going on the road for the first time this season. The Hoosiers have an impressive offense with big play guys in quarterback Kellen Lewis and running back Marcus Thigpen, but an unimpressive defense that is giving up 25 points per game. The opposition, except for a 42-29 loss to Michigan State (4-1), has been suspect, too. The Hoosiers defeated Western Kentucky (2-3) from the Sun Belt Conference, Murray State (0-4) from the Ohio Valley Conference, and lost to the Mid-American Conference’s Ball State (5-0), 42-20.
The Gophers lost 34-21 to Big Ten Conference title favorite Ohio State last week but Weber said the game showed that his team “can play with the big boys.” Theret believes the Gophers could beat the Buckeyes in a rematch.