Congratulations Adam Weber. He had a great weekend including 368 yards of total offense.
Articles:
Likely the first of many more to come.
Articles from September 7 – 8, 2007
Gophers: Speed option was too good to pass up on Harold Howell. All 5 feet 7 inches of him but he was the fastest high school kid in Florida last year.
A reminder of the Gopher Victory Walk! Two hours before the game.
From the Minnesota Daily (college newspaper), a nice preview Minnesota vs. Miami (Ohio).
Gophers to take a load off Pinnix, thank you. Amir Pinnix (no one guy) can take the beating a whole year. And particularly when we have guys like Jay Thomas and the freshman Duane Bennett who are very capable of helping out.
Three Gophers Awarded Football Scholarships. Congratulations to linebacker Kevin Mannion, place-kicker Joel Monroe and tight end Nick Tow-Arnett.
Get off the field, we have not been a good defense on third downs since I was a kid. The flip side is our offense has been phenomenal on 3rd down.
Game day articles...
From GopherSports.com, Golden Gophers Look to Rebound vs. Miami
Youngsters are playing catch-up in a fast game, yes are this young:
He will get plenty of opportunities. Thomas and two other freshman defensive backs, Ryan Collado and Kyle Theret, will have to do their learning on the field this season. A lack of depth and of veteran talent in the secondary has opened the door for three freshmen, all of whom will see significant action today against Miami (Ohio) and as the season progresses.
Collado replaced senior Desi Steib as the starter at right cornerback. Theret is the backup strong safety and starter in the nickel package. Thomas is No. 2 at free safety.
Articles from September 3 – 6
Not much commentary on the articles below. Not because they are mostly critical of the coaches and team but work is getting in the way. Damn day job. Nothing I would like better than to fire back some opinions.
Spotlights on two current players, Gopher Inside Look With Dom Barber and Excellence On Every Level: Senior Amir Pinnix.
A fan’s perspective of the tailgating, Gopher Victory Walk, and yes the loss, A View from the Parking Lot.
(Articles from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press may require a free subscription and may be archived by the source after 2 weeks)
Articles from August 29 – 31, 2007:
Sad news regarding junior John Carlson, Carlson decides career is over. He had a promising football career but has had really bad luck when it comes to injuries. Here is a sample:
Carlson tore the lateral collateral ligament and the lateral meniscus in his left knee during a special-teams drill early in camp. He tore his ACL in the same knee during spring practice.
Carlson received a ligament from a cadaver in that surgery so that his rehabilitation time would be shorter and allow him to start fall camp on time.
Rejuvenated Giannini feels he has a kick coming, I hope so. Watching from the same end zone at Michigan Stadium that Jason Giannini kicked the winning field goal to in 2005 was a moment I will never forget. Unfortunately, there are other moments of missed field goals and PAT’s that I would like to forget:
So far, the 5-7, 185-pound Giannini has impressed the new coaching staff. He is listed as the No. 1 kicker on the depth chart for the Gophers' season opener against Bowling Green on Saturday at the Metrodome.
"I worked my butt off this offseason," Giannini said. "I feel confident. I am kicking the best I ever have."
I hope so.
A great story about a guy with character, Amir Pinnix is not all ball:
Amir Pinnix added a new tattoo to his left biceps this summer, a permanent reminder of the daily life he strives to lead. The body art features a man holding the world on his shoulders with this inscription: "Character not the circumstance makes the man."
Pinnix loves that saying. It's powerful, he says.
"No matter what you go through in life, it's not the circumstance, it's how you handle yourself as a man," he said. "That's how you're defined."
Gopher Inside Look With Ned Tavale, nice profile for Ned Tavale the often not heard of (in the way you never want to hear an OL’s name) sophomore Guard.
(Articles from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press may require a free subscription and may be archived by the source after 2 weeks)
Coach Brewster has named redshirt freshman Adam Weber as the starting quarterback for this Saturday’s game against Bowling Green. I doubt this is much of a surprise to people who live outside of Hutchinson, MN where junior quarterback Tony Mortensen is from. (They love Tony)
Both players seemed to struggle getting the hang of the “spread coast offense” this spring and into fall practice. Weber appears to be more mobile and quicker at making decisions. Mortensen may have a better and more accurate arm. Weber seemed to be pulling away the last days.
Weber was a top quarterback prospect while playing at Mounds View High School.
Ready to lead again on Weber’s leadership skills:
Weber's current teammates say he is excitable but doesn't come unglued emotionally after mistakes. He is confident but not arrogant and commands respect in the huddle, regardless of his age.
"He's playing with a swagger," senior center Tony Brinkhaus said. "He's gotten a lot more comfortable with the offense, and I think it's obvious to everybody."
U puts trust in another Weber has the story on Adam’s father, Bobby Weber, who was also a member of the Gopher football team in the 1970’s:
Bobby Weber's name appears in several places in the Gophers' football record book, most notably for having returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State in 1977.
Weber, who was also a defensive back and now is a Twin Cities family practice physician, is the father of Adam Weber, a former Mounds View quarterback who has been named the Gophers' starting QB as a freshman. Bobby used to take Adam to Gophers games when Adam was young.
(Articles from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press may require a free subscription and may be archived by the source after 2 weeks)
Congratulations to Matt Spaeth for getting the recognition he deserves. Yes he owes a little of this to his team, the quarterback and the system he plays in but he is an outstanding player, teammate, and member of the university community.
Whoever drafts him is going to get a top-notch person and athlete.
The John Mackey Award is given to the tight end that best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey.
Spaeth is the second Gopher in two years to be named Associated Press All-America Team, Center Greg Eslinger was on the list in 2005.
Matt Spaeth was also 1st team All Big Ten Team by both the coaches and media for the second year in a row.
Spaeth finishes his career as the all time tight end leader with 109 receptions and 1,293 receiving yards.
I was thinking the other day that I never recognized the senior class. These guys have been through a lot and I think when the bowl game later this month is over, they will be able to look at their career and say it was a success.
It is interesting to note there are only 9 guys, 10 if you include Brandon Owens and I do:
3 Bryan Cupito QB Cincinnati, OH
4 Trumaine Banks DB Columbus, OH
11 Mike Frankberg QB Detroit Lakes, MN
20 Brandon Owens S Delray Beach, FL
48 Mario Reese LB Mableton, GA
56 Tyson Swaggert OG Buffalo, MN
78 Joe Ainslie OT Minnetonka, MN
84 Logan Payne WR Lutz , FL
89 Matt Spaeth TE St. Michael, MN
90 Eric Clark DT Tampa Bay, FL
At the team banquet the following awards were given:
BRONKO NAGURSKI AWARD (presented to the team’s most valuable player):
Matt Spaeth (Sr., TE, St. Michael, Minn.)
BRUCE SMITH AWARD (presented to the team’s outstanding offensive player):
Logan Payne (Sr., WR, Lutz, Fla. )
CARL ELLER AWARD (presented to the team’s outstanding defensive player):
Mike Sherels (Jr., LB, Rochester, Minn.)
BOBBY BELL AWARD (presented to the outstanding special teams player):
Tom Hennessey (Fr., FB, Somerset, Wis.)
BUTCH NASH AWARD (for competitiveness on the field and in the classroom):
Dominic Jones (So., CB, Columbus, Ohio)
PAUL GIEL AWARD (for total unselfishness and most concern about the University of Minnesota):
Dom Barber (Jr., FS, Plymouth, Minn.)
NEIL FREDENBURG AWARD (courage and love for the game):
Mike Sherels (Jr., LB, Rochester, Minn.)
DEFENSIVE DEMO (for outstanding performance on the defensive demonstration team):
Mike Hart (Fr., LB, Pewaukee, Wis.)
OFFENSIVE DEMO (for outstanding performance on the offensive demonstration team):
Matt Krueger (Fr., OG, Maple Plain, Minn.)
There are two people who should have an award named after them.
Bryan Cupito was the leader of this team. Cupito is the one who ran the offense, who called plays at the line of scrimmage, who checked to plays that made stars out of Marion Barber, Laurence Maroney and Matt Spaeth.
Brandon Owens, who is no longer on the official roster, had a career ending shoulder and neck injury against Penn State in 2005. He had a growing reputation as being a team leader and physical player. He was on the sideline for every home game since the injury with his arm in a sling.
Mike Sherels, will be a senior LB, and Tony Brinkhaus, will be a senior center, were named 2007 captains.
According to the Goal Line Club as I type this there are 3 days, 23 hours, 25 minutes, 5 seconds, and an undeterminable amount of milliseconds until the Gopher football season kicks off. For those of us non-math majors the Gophers play Thursday evening against the University of Tulsa starting at 9:15 pm CDT. The game will be shown on ESPN2.
ESPN.com has the Gophers picked for 7th place tie in the Big Ten this year. The Gophers do have a tough schedule. They lose Illinois and Northwestern and get Ohio State and Purdue.
But as I posted before, I start every season believing we will win the Big Ten title.
Below are the preseason honors bestowed on our players:
Laurence Maroney, Tailback, Junior
-#3 College Football News Top 20 Heisman Watch List
-Preseason All-American, Athlon
-Preseason All-American, Lindy’s
-Preseason All-American, Street & Smith’s
-No. 4 overall running back, Lindy’s
-Preseason All-America First Team, Rivals.com
-Preseason All-American Team, The Sporting News
-Heisman Trophy dark horse candidate, Sports Illustrated
-Player of the Year “Watch List”, Walter Camp Football Foundation
Greg Eslinger, Senior, Center
-2005 Playboy All-America Team
-2005 Rimington Trophy watch list
-2005 Outland Trophy watch list
-2005 Lombardi Award watch list
-Preseason All-America First Team, Rivals.com
-Preseason All-America Team, Sports Illustrated
-Preseason All-American Team, The Sporting News
-Preseason All-American, Athlon
-Preseason All-American, Lindy’s
-Preseason All-American, Street & Smith’s
-No. 1 center in the country, Lindy’s
Mark Setterstrom, Senior, Offensive Guard
-Preseason All-America, Street & Smith’s
-No. 3 guard in the nation by Lindy’s
-2005 Outland Trophy Watch List
-Preseason All-American Team, The Sporting News
Sporting News has named the following Gophers to their pre-season All America 2nd Team: Laurence Maroney, Running Back; Greg Eslinger, Center; Mark Setterstrom, Guard.
Laurence Maroney is listed as the 4th best running back and Mark Spaeth as the 16th best tight end.
Go Gophers!!!
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