When the Gophers play Michigan tomorrow, Mr. Indispensable, wide receiver Eric Decker, may not play effectively because of a sprained right ankle. Decker has six touchdown catches this season; the rest of the Gopher wide receivers have collectively produced one.
The junior from Cold Spring has 895 receiving yards, the other wide receivers 537. If Decker can’t play effectively, it will only be more evidence of his importance to the Gophers’ struggling offense (two drives per game the last four games of over 50 yards), and how their wide receiver fleet could have been far more potent if Michael Floyd, David Gilreath and Nathan Swift, all native Minnesotans, hadn’t chosen other schools.
Coming off his first season and a 1-11 record, Gopher coach Tim Brewster couldn’t sign up Floyd to stay home. Brewster’s pursuit was all-out but Floyd chose Notre Dame where the freshman wide receiver has 41 catches for 633 yards and seven touchdowns, best on the team. It won’t bring any comfort but a prep football source told Sports Headliners he believes that with the Gophers’ 7-2 record and success this year, Brewster could convince Floyd to stay home if this were his senior year at Cretin-Derham Hall.
Wisconsin’s David Gilreath, a sophomore, is learning to become a threat at wide receiver. The former Washburn and Robbinsdale Armstrong prep has exceptional speed. He has three touchdown receptions, second most on a non-passing team. Gilreath, who appeared headed toward Minnesota until Glen Mason was dismissed as coach, has 1,080 total yards in kickoff returns, punt returns and receptions.
Swift, a senior wide receiver at Nebraska from Hutchinson, has 150 career receptions. He recently broke the school record of 143 set by former Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers. Swift also has seven touchdown receptions this season and an eye-caching 17.3 yards per punt return average. He returned one punt for 88 yards and a touchdown earlier this season.
Swift was part of the star trio from Hutchinson High School that also consisted of Gopher quarterback Tony Mortensen and offensive lineman Lydon Murtha who joined Swift at Nebraska.
During the off-season it won’t be surprising to see the Gophers recruit and sign a junior college wide receiver, perhaps a couple of them. The Gophers also have true freshmen wide receivers who they will look to for improvement, plus possible incoming freshmen next year.