University of Minnesota Athletics

Football Preseason Camp Blog

8/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football

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GopherSports.com will provide a daily blog from the beginning of fall camp until the week of the season-opener with Northern Illinois, set for August 30 at the Metrodome. Check back here often for updates from throughout preseason camp. Associate Athletic Communications Director Andy Seeley will be providing most of these blogs. If you would like to ask a question about fall camp, a request for something you’d like to see in the blog or just a comment on the blog, feel free to send Andy an e-mail at aseeley@umn.edu.

**Vote for the top moment from 26 years in the Metrodome**

Day 21 - August 22
10:30 p.m.
The 2nd Annual Gopher Nation Women's Clinic wrapped up a little more than one hour ago at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. It was a success once again, with more than 500 participants attending.

Participants in the Women's Clinic were treated to refreshments, given tours of the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex and the TCF Bank Stadium construction site, took part in interactive skills presentations with the players and heard a number of talks from different members of the staff. Those presentations from the staff members included information on topics such as athletic training, equipment, recruiting, coaching and basic football strategy.

Coach Brewster was part of the coaching staff at North Carolina under Mack Brown when they first instituted a women's clinic. That staff continued the women's clinic idea at Texas, where it grew to an annual attendance in the thousands, according to Coach Brewster. He said when he arrived here last year, it was one way that he wanted to include the women of the Twin Cities and the State of Minnesota in the Gopher Football program.

Click the link to see a Gopher Nation Women's Clinic Photo Album.

Once again, I want to say thanks to everyone who read this blog throughout most of the month of August. I hope to see all of you at the Metrodome next Saturday, August 30 for the season-opener vs. Northern Illinois. In the meantime, keep checking back in at GopherSports.com for more football blogs throughout the season.
-AS

3:11 p.m.
Preseason camp is officially over for the Gophers. Coach Brewster pronounced it Game Week following this morning’s full-pad workout.

Following practice, 25 players and the entire football staff headed over to the Crowne Plaza Riverfront hotel for the St. Paul Chamber Kick-Off Luncheon presented by TDS Metrocom. The players and coaches in attendance were all introduced. The four captains were interviewed by emcee (and Gopher Radio Network analyst) Dave Mona. Last, but certainly not least, Coach Brewster gave a rousing speech to the assembled crowd.

It is easy to tell that the guys are glad preseason camp is over and they can now focus squarely on Northern Illinois with the knowledge that they are just one week away from the season opener.

At last night’s Rookie Show, one of the most well-received bits was a piece where Coach Brewster was on the receiving end of some ribbing. Some of the newcomers found video of Coach Brewster playing for Illinois and doing an interview, complete with a great mustache. So somewhere in the neighborhood of about 20 of the Gopher players were sporting mustaches this morning at practice in a “tribute” to Coach’s mustache from his playing days.

Now, I’m also told that the mustaches have become a tradition for the last day of camp over the past couple years, so the tradition went right along with some good-natured ribbing of the coach. A photo of Adam Weber sporting his stache at the Kick-Off Luncheon can be found to the upper left in this blog entry.

Here's a St. Paul Chamber Football Kick-Off Luncheon Photo Album.

One item from the mailbag today, asking about Brandon Kirksey, the big freshman defensive lineman from St. Louis who reported to camp a little bit late. Brandon has been playing catch-up a little bit. But I will say that when I’ve seen him in drills and in live competition, he is a load on the defensive line. He plays pretty aggressively, so if he can catch up on assignments and technique, it is conceivable that he could really help the Gopher defense this season.

The Gopher Nation Women’s Clinic begins in two hours. Don’t forget, female Gopher fans, you can still join the party tonight. Walk-up registrations will be accepted. The event will be held at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex, located at 600 SE 15th Ave.

We'll have coverage of the Women's Clinic here on the blog. After tonight's entry, the Gopher Football Preseason Camp Blog will have reached its ending point. After all, as I mentioned, Coach Brewster did officially proclaim it Game Week. But never fear, we'll continue to blog as much as we possibly can throughout the season. Keep checking back here at GopherSports.com for blog entries throughout the weeks, as well as a game-day blog that should be a lot of fun both home and away.
-AS

 

Day 20 - August 21
9:40 p.m.
The 2008 Gopher Football Rookie Show was held a little earlier this evening at the Gibson-Nagurksi Complex. The Rookie Show is a chance for all the first-year Gopher players to get up in front of their teammates and coaches and show some of their non-football talents (or lack thereof in some cases). There was lots of laughter, some good-natured ribbing of one another and a number of snakes, thanks to Nathan Tow-Arnett.

Although Tow-Arnett didn't finish in one of the top three spots, he did get a ton of reaction to his presentation. The oldest Tow-Arnett brother brought a few of his exotic snakes (four of them to be exact). He had some guys climbing to higher ground in the auditorium, while some guys were climbing on top of chairs (see the 2008 Gopher Football Rookie Show Photo Gallery).

The senior class got together following the show and chose the top three acts of the evening. Freshman linebacker Gary Tinsley earned first place with a Jamaican/reggae-sounding song and dance number. Second place went to juniors Traye Simmons and Tramaine Brock for their Power Point presentation of some members of the team and their look-alikes. The Minnesota Rouser, led by Brodrick Smith, D.L. Wilhite and Mike Rallis earned third place.
-AS

4:11 p.m.
The Gophers had a morning workout today. The big news of the day came from the post-practice media session, where head coach Tim Brewster announced that Lee Campbell had moved from defensive end and was now in the mix to start at middle linebacker.

According to Coach Brewster, the move was made to get the best 11 players on the field. He also said he felt Campbell “really fits the mold” of an inside linebacker. Brewster also mentioned that the amount of depth and talent at the defensive end allowed the move to be made.

“All the great defenses I’ve been around had a fiery, physical, vocal leader at the middle linebacker position,” Brewster said. “That really describes Lee. He gives us a bigger physical presence and a downhill guy in the box.”

In talking about Campbell leaving the defensive line, Brewster had plenty of praise for his former linemates. The head coach specifically pointed out Derrick Onwuachi, Willie VanDeSteeg, Eric Small, Garrett Brown and Cedric McKinley as performing well throughout camp.

In practice, cornerback Traye Simmons and safety Kyle Theret both had interceptions during the “skelly” work. Quarterback Adam Weber and wide receiver Eric Decker had a couple nice hook-ups during the 7-on-7 work as well. In the team session, a couple plays stood out to me. One was a long run by freshman running back DeLeon Eskridge that went around the left end. Also, a beautiful pass over the middle for a big gain from the arm of freshman QB MarQueis Gray to freshman WR Brodrick Smith.

On another note, Marion Barber III and Dom Barber -- brothers and former Gophers -- will square off against one another as professionals for the first time tomorrow night. There is a nice story about this matchup on the Houston Texans website. Click here to read the story.

In other Gopher news, head coach Tim Brewster and captains Adam Weber and Eric Decker will appear on WCCO Radio at the Minnesota State Fair Sunday morning with Sid Hartman and Dave Mona. As of right now, the plan is for the Gopher coach and players to be on between 9 and 11 a.m.

Also, don’t forget the St. Paul Chamber Football Kick-Off Luncheon and Gopher Nation Women’s Clinic are both set for tomorrow. Click herefor details on both.
-AS

1:15 p.m.
Coach Brewster met with the media following Thursday's single practice which ended around Noon. Here's a clip of Coach talking about the pride of Glencoe-Silver Lake High School - Willie VanDeSteeg and Jon Hoese. Sixteen minutes worth of Brewster's media session is available in the Gold Zone.
-JR

Day 19 - August 20
8:35 p.m.
In the previous post I mentioned that the Gophers were pretty excited about being halfway through their final two-a-day of preseason camp. They were even more excited to find out this afternoon that today wasn't going to end up being a two-a-day after all.

 

After going through their workout at the indoor practice facility, the team went through its normal stretching routine. Afterward, Coach Brewster called them together. He reiterated to them that he tries to take care of them when they work hard. He said they had a great morning practice and got a lot accomplished in the walk-through. So, instead of working out physically this afternoon, he was going to let them work out mentally. The team went into the Gibson-Nagurski complex, hit the showers, cleaned up and then hustled into their respective meeting rooms to study film of Northern Illinois.

And just like that, two-a-days are over. Preseason camp is virtually over, as well. Two more practices (one each on Thursday and Friday morning) lead up to a weekend off for the Gopher players. Following this weekend, it will be game week (like I need to remind any of the readers of this blog about game week).

I'd like to take a second to say thank you to someone. I got a very nice note this afternoon from a special woman in New Jersey, saying how much she appreciated the blog and enjoyed watching the video of Coach Brewster in the Gold Zone after the practices. Of course, she's got a very good reason to enjoy being able to read about and watch head coach Tim Brewster on GopherSports.com ... she is Coach Brewster's Mom. I just want to say "thank you" to her for the kind words about our work here on GopherSports.com.

Some items to watch for here in the blog over the next couple days. Thursday, the team will have its annual Rookie Show, where the first-year Gophers will do their best to entertain their teammates and the football staff. We'll have coverage of the Rookie Show here in the blog. Friday, Coach Brewster and some of his players will be appearing at the St. Paul Chamber Football Kick-Off Luncheon and we'll be on hand to cover that here in the blog as well. Friday night is the Gopher Nation Women's Clinic. Some 500 women are expected to attend to get an inside look at the inner workings of the Gopher football team. Once again, we'll cover that right here as well.

It should be a busy (but entertaining) last few days leading into game week.
-AS

12:47 p.m.
The Gophers wrapped up this morning’s practice a while ago. The guys are pretty excited about being one practice away from having their final 2008 two-a-day completed.

The Gophers did lots of fundamental/individual work this morning. During that session, I saw something you don’t see every day -- wide receivers working the blocking sled. Coach George McDonald had them delivering a blow to the sled, while keeping the ball high and tight to their chest. The idea was to work on ball security, while also getting used to delivering a blow to a potential tackler.

Just after that, the wide receivers had a chance to do a drill that looked much more fun, although it was still beneficial. They were going after balls with full extension and landing on a high-jump pit, working on making diving catches.

There were just a couple notes from the 11-on-11 session that I wanted to pass along. The defense started very strong in the scrimmage work, which was not live although the team was in full pads this morning. While the defense played well, quarterback Adam Weber was very accurate in the passing game this morning as well. There were a few nice running plays. I saw Duane Bennett and Shady Salamon both break nice runs off.

After mentioning tight ends Jack Simmons, Nick Tow-Arnett and Curtis Hughes yesterday, I received a question about freshman tight end Eric Lair earlier today. I can say that Eric has been working hard and has some potential at the tight end spot. He’s got a couple older, more experienced guys in front of him right now. But I see him developing into a solid tight end down the road, as long as he continues to progress.

One more note from this morning's workout. Kicker Joel Monroe once again got the high-pressure treatment while attempting a long field goal. His teammates crowded around him and yelled at hm, etc. as he lined up for a 51-yarder. He was 1-of-2 and both kicks had plenty of leg. From that distance, with that kind of pressure, I thought he did pretty well.

I received a very nice phone call from John St. Marie (I hope I spelled it right, John) just a few minutes ago. He called the office and had some very nice things to say about the blog. I really appreciated the conversation and wanted to thank him for taking the time to call here in the blog. I also want to say thanks to everyone who has e-mailed with questions, comments or just thanks. As of a week ago, we had more than 15,000 hits on this blog. That’s great and I hope it’s just a start.

We’ll keep the blog up and running throughout the season. It won’t be daily anymore, as I just have lots of other things on my plate. But we’ll get regular updates and we’ll have the inside scoop from the stadium on game day, inside looks at travel for road games, etc. We’re going to do our best to keep the Gopher Football blog as interesting as possible. Thanks again for reading.
-AS



 

Day 18 - August 19
8:11 p.m.
The Gophers wrapped up today's practice just about two hours ago.

The opening of practice was interesting. Following all the stretching and normal, every-day things the team does to open a workout, the Gophers began to do some work on PATs and field goals. This, in and of itself, is not all that interesting, as the team works on these aspects of the game at this time a lot. What was new was Coach Brewster's encouragement of the entire team (those not on the field goal team and those not on the field-goal-block scout team) to surround the area where kicker Joel Monroe was about to try a 49-yard field goal.

Prior to the snap, the guys yelled at Monroe. They tried with all their might to distract him. Did it work? Not even a little. Monroe nailed the 49-yarder straight down the middle with leg to spare. That ended the PAT/field goal work for the day and in a very positive way.

Not long after, a few clouds rolled in and it looked as though there may be some weather. The rain never came, but the lack of direct sunlight was a welcome sight for everyone. Nonetheless, the guys were working hard. Dom Alford told me after practice that he lost 10 pounds today. I'm sure he'll put it back on, he was on his way to training table as he told me about his weight loss for the day.

In the 7-on-7 drills there were a few highlights today. Quarterback Adam Weber found wide receiver Ben Kuznia in stride for a long touchdown on the left sideline. The defense stepped up in the "skelly" (football lingo for 7-on-7) session as well. Cornerbacks Marcus Sherels and Traye Simmons both did a nice job in coverage on some plays I witnessed. Linebacker Nate Triplett had an interception on the last play of the drill.

Something Coach Brewster spoke with the media about after practice was pretty interesting to me. He was asked about the tight ends. Coach Brewster singled out Curtis Hughes as the best blocking tight end the Gophers have. There has been plenty written about Jack Simmons in this blog. I have been remiss a few times when I should have said good things about Nick Tow-Arnett, as well. Tow-Arnett and Simmons may be one of (if not the) best pass-catching tight-end duos in the country. Both of them make tons of plays. But with Coach Brewster's comment about Hughes, I think it is pretty obvious the tight end position is one of strength for the Gophers this season.

I've received tons of questions about the young wide receivers. But don't sleep on Minnesota's tight ends. They could very well be one of the keys to a successful season on offense for the Golden Gophers.

Final two-a-day practice tomorrow ...
-AS

7:23 p.m.
Tuesday's practice is in the books. In his nightly media session, Coach Brewster was asked about his philosophy in scheduling non-conference opponents. Here's the clip. For the entire 15-minute media session, log into the Gold Zone.
-JR

2:57 p.m.
We’re still an hour-and-a-half away from the Gophers’ practice this afternoon. But I wanted to pass along some light reading for you Gopher fans who hadn’t already seen it.

ESPN.com’s Big Ten Blogger, Adam Rittenberg, has a number of articles up about the Golden Gophers today. He has short features on Duane Bennett and Adam Weber, as well as a Q&A with Coach Brewster on the ESPN.com Big Ten Blog.

He’s scheduled to do an interview with defensive backs coach Ronnie Lee and senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg later today. So I would imagine you can expect more Minnesota coverage on Rittenberg’s blog tomorrow, as well.
-AS

12:15 p.m.
Gophers do not hit the field today until 4:25 p.m. In the meantime, check out the new ad for the Big Ten Network. The coaches filmed this in Chicago during Big Ten Media Day in late July.


-JR

Day 17 - August 18
8:54 p.m.
Time for the practice report. Today's afternoon/evening practice was a just-slightly-shorter-than-usual workout for the Gophers. The team practiced in spider pads, but still got a lot of good work done. Once again, there was a good amount of focus on Northern Illinois with the scout teams.

While you can go back through these blog entries and see me prop the defense up quite a bit, the offense has been coming around as of late. I've heard many of the offensive players talking amongst themselves that they feel as though they are starting to get into a bit of a rhythm.

Speaking of the offense, I had a reader ask about the freshman wide receiver I think will get the most snaps and make the biggest impact this season. As for number of snaps and who plays, I wouldn't even begin to make that sort of prediction. Those are decisions for Coach McDonald, Coach Dunbar and Coach Brewster. What I can tell you is that many of the young receivers have had some real highlights and they've all struggled at times, as well. That's the nature of the game for a kid going straight from high school to big-time college football. I will tell you this about the youngsters, Da'Jon McKnight was playing on the scout team this morning and made a great adjustment on the ball, went up and got it for a touchdown. The play drew praise from Coach Brewster.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I've seen all of the young receivers -- Brodrick Smith, Brandon Green, Xzavian Brandon, Johnny Johnson -- making plays. McKnight's just happens to be the most recent memorable play from that group.

A reader asked about Andre Tate' and his move to offense. The question was about the position he'll be playing in the backfield, running back or fullback. I asked Tate' about it, he said he was going to be playing at running back. He is pretty excited about the move, as well.

Finally, I mentioned the amount of water weight some guys probably lost in the morning practice earlier today. Well, it wasn't as much as some of the first couple days of camp. But there were still a good deal of players who lost five pounds or more. Two guys lost seven pounds and another duo dropped six during the morning practice.
-AS

6:47 p.m.
Practice just wrapped up. Here's a clip of Coach Brewster meeting the media following practice. He talks about facing Northern Illinois, as well as playing the final seven games in the Metrodome. The full session can be watched in the Gold Zone. Don't forget to vote for the top moments in the history of the Metrodome. The top seven will be revealed during the final seven home games. Also, just a day and a half left in the our latest auction.
-JR

12:48 p.m.
Today is the second-to-last of the six scheduled “two-a-days” for the Gophers. This morning’s practice was conducted in full pads. As those of you in the Twin Cities know, it is pretty warm today and should be for much of this week. There was definitely a lot of water weight being lost today. If I get a chance to look at some of the weight gains and losses between practices, maybe I can get an update for a post this evening.

I was in a staff meeting for some of practice, so I didn’t get to see a ton of it today. In the parts of practice that I did see, I saw Jack Simmons making a ton of catches. He made a great diving catch, pulling in a low ball that was just about to hit the turf, which drew some high praise from Coach Brewster. I also took in a lot of Special Forces work. One other offensive play that jumped out at me this morning, was wide receiver Jimmy Thompson getting open deep for a long touchdown pass from Adam Weber during the 11-on-11 work.

Since I don’t have an extensive practice report and I do have a very full inbox, let me answer some questions that readers have had.

Ken in State College, Pa. noticed during the Big Ten Practice Special that it seems like all the Gopher QBs really come over the top and have a high release on their passes. I’ve been watching the quarterbacks do their drills and that is something I’ve noticed them working on.

RIchard from Dallas, Texas wanted to know about David Pittman and also who the biggest surprise in camp has been. As for Pittman, he’s been nursing a sore leg and I continue to hear that he’s getting close to returning. We’ll see what happens with him when he gets back, because he may have a lot of catching up to do. As for surprises, I’ll pick one on each side of the ball. Offense - Ryan Orton has really come on and looks like he is in the mix for serious playing time at one of the guard spots. Defense - Marcus Sherels is becoming a pretty solid, consistent cornerback after moving to the position just last spring.

I’ve had a number of requests for depth charts. Coach Brewster will announce the depth chart for the first game on Tuesday, August 26.

Ronda from Jacksonville, Fla. wanted some explanation on what a “scout team” was. A scout team is a collection of players (usually walk-ons and younger players) who are a little further down the depth chart. They will learn the plays, formations, etc. of that week’s opponent and then run them against the guys who will be playing in the game. This is one big way teams prepare for what their opponent will throw at them on Saturday. Scout teams can be vastly important. The more effort and focus on the task at hand that your scout team gives you, the better prepared your first- and second-teamers will be on Game Day.

Finally, I received a question a while back about the kickers. In particular, the reader wanted to know about kickers for the future, after Justin Kucek and Joel Monroe have exhausted their eligibility. Coach Brewster has expressed faith in sophomore kicker/punter Eric Ellestad, should something happen to either of his top-line guys. Beyond that, I can’t comment much, because I’m not allowed to talk about recruiting or potential recruits.
-AS



 

Day 16 - August 17
5:55 p.m.
The Gophers had their first full-scale, with-a-scout-team look at Northern Illinois in today’s practice. In addition, the first half of today’s workout was devoted to Special Forces.

I know it has been mentioned here before, but the time and amount of work devoted to Special Forces with this program is impressive. Most all football coaches will say special teams are important, but you aren’t always sure they mean it. Rest assured, there is no lip service given to Special Forces in the Minnesota football program.

As mentioned, there were a few periods of Northern Illinois scout teams working against the top offensive and defensive units for the Gophers. Coach Brewster told me after practice, that it is time to turn the team’s full attention to Northern Illinois.

“We split up scout team units today and had our first official look at Northern Illinois on both sides of the ball,” Brewster said. “I just felt we had a good work day today, considering we’re coming off a 146-play scrimmage. I thought the attention to detail and focus was excellent. That’s the challenge, to be very focused on Northern Illinois from this point forward.”

Coach Brewster said the team did a good job of working through some of the mistakes it made during yesterday’s scrimmage today, as well.

“We made a lot of correctable mistakes,” Brewster said. “But today, in our walk-through, we did a great job of isolating the mistakes that were made in the scrimmage and correcting those mistakes.”

Here are some notes from the comments made yesterday by Coach Brewster after the scrimmage:

Coach took note of some individuals on the defensive side of the ball. He noted Marcus Sherels’ interception and said he’s making about a pick a day in practice. He also said Simoni Lawrence really “created a buzz” on the field Saturday.

Coach Brewster discussed the lack of work (three carries) for Duane Bennett yesterday. The coaching staff knows what they have in Bennett and they also want to make sure he’s 100-percent healthy and has fresh legs when August 30 rolls around. Coach was also complimentary of DeLeon Eskridge, Shady Salamon and Jay Thomas, who all got a fair amount of work out of the backfield.

“What we’ve got to do is make sure (Duane) gets his work in during practice, so he’s sharp,” Brewster said. “But we don’t want to get him hit quite so much right now. He’ll get plenty of full-speed licks in during the game.”

Coach noted that the team worked the whole scrimmage with the new timing rules and didn’t have any issues with timing. Offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar and his quarterbacks deserve a bit of credit for that.

Finally, thanks to Mark in Maple Grove for pointing this out. Gopher fans who have Comcast cable for their television service will be able to watch a replay of last Monday’s practice special on the Big Ten Network soon. The BTN will be airing replays of that presentation Thursday. Set your VCR or DVR now.

Two practices tomorrow ...
-AS



 

Day 15 - August 16
4:45 p.m.
As John mentioned in his post a few minutes ago, today's scrimmage (and the only one the Gophers will have during preseason camp) just ended. The defense stole the show for much of the scrimmage, although there were a few offensive highlights.

"I felt, situationally, we got a lot accomplished," head coach Tim Brewster said. "We wanted to scrimmage in as many different situations as we possibly could and we accomplished that. Defensively, we did some good things. We didn't have as much poise on the offensive side of the ball as we need to have on the offensive side of the ball. We had some alignment issues, we had some pre-snap fouls. I call them administrative penalties, self-inflicted wounds. We had a few too many of those, but I don't think it is uncommon for your first game-like scrimmage. A lot of young kids got a lot of snaps. That's very positive for us to get so many snaps for the young kids in this scrimmage."

The defense recorded three-and-outs on nine different possessions and had an interception on the first play of another series. Some of the defensive stars of the scrimmage were Simoni Lawrence and Tim Dandridge, who tied for the high mark in tackles, with seven. Lawrence added an outstanding interception in the end zone after tipping the ball twice and then hauling it just inches off the artificial turf. He also forced a fumble in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.

Marcus Sherels was all over the field for the defense early in the scrimmage, recording two of the first three tackles. A few minutes later, he made a nice move to the inside to get position on a receiver and snag a diving interception. Willie VanDeSteeg looked like his old self. He recorded four tackles, but three of them were sacks. A nice surprise on the defensive side of the ball was youngster D.L. Wilhite, who recorded a pair of sacks.

Traye Simmons had four solo tackles and two passes broken up to make a push for playing time at cornerback. In addition, defensive back Keanon Cooper and linebacker Kevin Mannion also broke up a pair of passes each.

Offensively, quarterback Adam Weber hooked up with Ralph Spry deep down the right sideline late in the scrimmage for the offense's only score. It was a 40-yard scoring strike and Spry made a wonderful play on the ball. It was an acrobatic, twisting catch and he did a great job of staying inbounds. The other touchdown of the scrimmage came on an 86-yard kickoff return by Troy Stoudermire.

Weber finished 16-of-34 passing with one touchdown and one interception. He passed for 210 yards. Ben Kuznia led the way in receptions and receiving yards with seven catches for 64 yards. Spry had two catches for 55 yards and the score. Nick Tow-Arnett turned in the long reception of the day on a 44-yard pitch from Weber during the two-minute drill. Eric Decker had three catches for 40 yards. DeLeon Eskridge was the workhorse of the rushing game, toting the pigskin 13 times for 38 yards. Damola Ogundipe had the long run of the scrimmage, a 16-yarder.

Of the three other quarterbacks, Mike Maciejowski made the most of his opportunities. Maciejowski completed his first five passes and finished 7-of-16 for 64 yards. He did throw an interception. Tony Mortensen was 2-of-9 for 21 yards, while MarQueis Gray was 3-of-8 for 27 yards.

The kicking game looked solid. No surprise there. Joel Monroe was 3-of-4 on field-goal attempts. His only miss was a 49-yarder that had plenty of leg, but was wide to the left. Monroe made field goals of 43, 41 and 34 yards. He was 2-of-2 on PATs as well. Justin Kucek punted the ball well, downing two punts inside the 20-yard line.

I'll dive into Coach Brewster's comments and get into a little more of his thoughts on the scrimmage in tomorrow's blog. For now, here's a look at the statistics from today's action.
-AS

4:05 p.m.
Andy will have a scrimmage recap posted shortly. Here's a clip of Coach Brewster meeting the media following Saturday's practice. The full media session can be watched in the Gold Zone.
-JR

Day 14 - August 15
9:45 p.m.
At the end of the college football season, the Gophers (and every other FBS team) want to go bowling. Well, Coach Tim Brewster's squad did just that Friday afternoon. On the eve of their one scrimmage during preseason camp, Coach Brewster rewarded the team for its hard work so far throughout camp with a trip to Memory Lanes for an afternoon of bowling.

 

The team wasn't told ahead of time about the event. Coach Brewster put them through the normal paces. They had a walk-through and did some special teams work before stretching. Following the stretch, Coach pulled the team over to him and started to give them a little pre-practice pep talk. Finally, he stopped in the middle and told them they had 15 minutes to get on the bus. The picture to the left says all that needs to be said about the guys' reaction to that announcement.

Check out a Gophers Go Bowling Photo Album for a look at some of the action.

When the squad arrived at Memory Lanes, each member of the team and the staff were given the opportunity to bowl two games. Then, tihngs got real interesting. The top 10 bowlers from the team and the top 10 coaches were giong to square off in a little competition. Each bowler would bowl one frame for his team with bragging rights on the line.

The players got off to a very strong start. Damien White opened the competition with a strike, eliciting a huge cheer from the players. Terrell Combs followed with another strike for the players. Coaches Mike Dunbar and Ronnie Lee scored a 9 and a spare in the first two frames, keeping the coaches within striking distance. But when Eric Small got the turkey (that's bowling talk for three straight strikes) for the players, it was all over but the shouting. And there was lots of shouting coming from the players' side.

Just before the 10th frame, Director of Football Operations Dan O'Brien announced that the last frame would be all-or-nothing for the players, trying to put some pressure on them. But wide receiver Jimmy Thompson delivered in a clutch situation, recording yet another strike for the players. In all six of the players marked (bowling lingo for a strike or a spare), including Blake Haudan and Chris Bunders.

Coach Brewster said he was glad to be able to do something like the bowling event, to give the team a bit of a break and reward.

"These kids work extremely hard," Brewster said. "This is an opportunity for us to do some team-building and enjoy some time away from the game. I think it is extremely important to step away from the field and continue to build on our team chemistry every once in a while."
-AS

1:18 a.m.
The Gophers just wrapped up their morning workout, the first of two scheduled practices today. This morning’s practice was conducted in full pads and was fairly physical throughout.

A reminder, if you'd like to see what Coach Brewster had to say following yesterday's workout, you can see his conversation with the media in the Gold Zone.

Early on, the wide receivers were doing drills against defensive backs and wide receivers with live tackling. The tight ends and both the offensive and defensive lines were doing some real physical work early in practice as well.

It seemed to me that there was a lot of time spent on Special Forces this morning. Coach Brewster puts a heavy emphasis on special teams. There have been special teams periods in every practice so far in camp. But as the season-opener continues to sneak up on us, there has been more and more refining of the kicking game.

The team drills were at a “thud” tempo, meaning the defense is supposed to pop the ball-carrier, but refrain from tackling him. The linemen are encouraged to stay on their feet to minimize the risk of injury. The offense started the 11-on-11 session with a nice pass completion from Adam Weber to Eric Decker. The defense answered with a stop for no gain on a running play. Just prior to moving into red zone work, defensive back Kyle Theret recorded a sack on a blitz, bringing some cheers from the defensive side of things.

In the red zone, it was back and forth again. The offense opened with Duane Bennett scampering in for a touchdown over the left side of the line. Marcus Sherels responded for the defense, grabbing an interception in the end zone on the next play.

In all, it was a fairly intense, physical practice. I think the guys are very excited about tomorrow’s scrimmage and it showed a little today.

One mailbag item this morning. Andrew in Shoreview asked about Andre Tate’ and his position. Tate’ has indeed switched from linebacker to running back, Andrew. He was moved over to the offensive side of the ball earlier this week.

Look for another report this evening, following the second workout of the day.
-AS



 

Day 13 - August 14
8:40 p.m.
There was a slight change in plans from the practice schedule I had for today's practice. The Gophers went in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) today. Despite the lack of full pads, it was a pretty physical practice. I'd have to give the defense the edge today. Marcus Sherels made two outstanding defensive plays, including a pick-six interception.

In fact, Coach Brewster singled Sherels out for praise following the practice. He said the junior defensive back may be the guy he's been most pleasantly surprised by to this point in preseason camp.

A couple other plays jumped out at me in the 11-on-11 work today. Linebacker Rex Sharpe made a very nice play, drawing a great deal of praise from the defensive coaches and his defensive teammates. On the play, a run to the left, Sharpe got to the ball-carrier cleanly and put a pretty good lick on him, before allowing him to continue running (which is what the coaches ask the defenders to do when it isn't a full live tackling situation).

Offensively, Adam Weber made a few nice plays, including a pretty long run off a quarterback draw. The offense worked against the defense in a number of situations. The Weber-led offense was pretty efficient in the third-and short and third-and-medium range.

Following practice, Coach Brewster said he feels as though camp is going very well so far. He said they know they still need and want to improve. Brewster has been happy with the amount of younger players who have gotten a lot of reps throughout camp.

"I think we're where we need to be at this point," Brewster said. "I'm pleased with the leadership we're getting. There are a number of guys, captains and upperclassmen, who are stepping up and taking charge. I like to see that."

Brewster said he believes the Gophers have tackled more in this camp than most teams around the country. He said they have also done a good job of continuing to be physical, even when they don't tackle. Saturday's scrimmage will mark the final live tackling work of the preseason, according to Brewster. He said he believes the "physical way we practie will pay off on August 30."

The Gophers are scheduled for two practices tomorrow. The first of which should be a full-pad practice.
-AS

2:21 p.m.
The Gophers just wrapped up Photo Day, getting a team picture taken, as well as group shots and individual pictures. In addition, the media was allowed access to the team during Photo Day and many members of the Twin Cities media were out to talk to the Gophers as camp nears its midway point. Here's a Photo/Media Day Photo Album (added at 3:18 p.m.).

There are 29 practices between the opening of camp and the season-opener against Northern Illinois on Aug. 30. Today’s practice is the 14th of camp, so tomorrow morning’s session will officially be the halfway mark.

In addition to Photo Day, five Gophers took part in a commercial shoot for the Big Ten Conference’s marketing campaign. All the shooting for this public service announcement was completed this morning and this afternoon at the football complex. To the left is a photo of Eric Decker working it for the camera.

I was able to see a little of what these are going to look like with the monitors that the production crew had on set. It is going to be a very cool commercial. My guess is you’ll be able to see these spots a lot on the Big Ten Network. But I’m assuming they’ll be used on other networks whenever they are airing a Minnesota game.

I want to take some time to answer some questions from my inbox this afternoon, as well.

I received a question from Jim in Overland Park, Kan., who asked about Brodrick Smith, who also hails from the Sunflower State. I can tell you this, Jim. I’ve watched Brodrick a fair amount throughout camp and he is working hard, like all the freshmen receivers. I think it is fair to say that all of the youngsters at that position still have a lot of learning to do. Coming into camp, most everyone I heard talk about the young WRs felt the group had a good deal of size, athleticism and potential. I have seen nothing to change that opinion. Brodrick definitely falls into that category. He is getting a lot of reps, but the coaching staff has been very clear that they are in no hurry to develop a depth chart, so I can’t tell you where he stands in that regard. I know there will be plenty of opportunity to play wide receiver for at least a couple of the young wideouts and he certainly seems to be in that mix.

Ed in Edina wants to know about Mike Rallis, a freshman linebacker, who played at Edina High School. I’ve been very impressed with him, Ed. Rallis is getting a lot of work and looks to be very athletic to me. I think he may get a chance to get on the field with special teams this year. The Gophers have a pretty deep linebacking corps, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rallis become a solid contributor for Minnesota down the road.

Today’s practice will be in full pads. We’ll have a report at some point this evening.
-AS



 

Day 12 - August 13
9:57 p.m.
The Gophers put the word foot in football during their afternoon/evening workout Tuesday at Rod Wallace Field. It was the first practice session devoted almost entirely to special teams or, as the Gophers call it, Special Forces.

Punter Justin Kucek and placekicker Joel Monroe, along with the backups at those positions saw nearly as much time on the main field today as they have throughout much of fall camp. The full practice devoted special teams, which won't be the last of its kind before the season-opener, shows the importance placed on Special Forces by Coach Brewster and his staff. Coupled with a productive morning workout, Brewster was very happy with his team's progress today.

"I think we had a great day," Brewster said. "We were very physical this morning and I think we had some time very well spent this afternoon with Special Forces.

"Special Forces is a way to help us win games," the head coach continued. "We spend a lot of time on it, because I believe our special teams are a great asset. (Special Teams Coordinator) John Butler does a great job with the Special Forces and it's something I really enjoy coaching as well."

Early on in this afternoon's practice, Justin Kucek was on the field, putting foot to leather. He was showing off his skills with the flop punt, which he learned directly from Coach Brewster. I'm constantly amazed at Kucek's ability to make the ball stop inside the 20-yard line so consistently.

A little later, Marcus Sherels drew some "oooh's" and "aaah's" from his teammates in a drill designed to work on ability to field punts. Sherels fielded one punt and held on to the ball in one hand. Then he grabbed a second punt, while still holding the first ball. To top it off, a third one was caught right between the first two. It showed amazing concentration and ability to get the ball exactly where he needed it to field it cleanly.

Up next, it was placekicker Joel Monroe's turn to show off. The senior boomed every one of his kickoffs inside the 10-yard line and many were around the 5. He then got two cracks at an onside kick. The first was picture-perfect. The second didn't get the high bounce that you look for on an onside kick, but was still potentially playable for the kicking team.

This afternoon also included lots of work on returns (both kick and punt). But I wanted to give the kickers some props, since they so rarely receive much attention. And usually when a kicker does receive attention, it is for a mistake or a miss. The Gophers are very fortunate to have two very good weapons like Kucek and Monroe on their Special Forces units. I believe the two of them are legitimate candidates for the Ray Guy Award and Lou Groza Award, respectively. I also firmly believe that Minnesota's Special Forces will have a huge impact for the Gophers this season.
-AS

12:44 p.m.
The Gophers went through a physical, full-pad practice for a little more than two hours this morning. The workout ended with some serious conditioning work.

Fortunately for the guys, this afternoon’s workout shouldn’t be nearly as arduous. This afternoon/evening will be an entire practice devoted to special teams, or Special Forces, as it is called in the Gopher program.

There was a great deal of competitiveness in this morning’s practice. The intensity was good. There was a pretty good amount of live, team work. The practice ended with another good session of goal line work, where things went back and forth just a bit between the offense and defense. It would be hard for me to give any real edge to either side from this morning.

Coach Brewster is always talking about being a tough, physical football team. The work they did at the end of practice today will go along way toward making them tough, if not physical. The conditioning at the end of the workout included four 100-yard sprints, two 80-yarders, two 60-yarders and two 40-yarders. Everyone made the times strength and conditioning coach Mark Hill set for them for these runs.

Had a reader from back east e-mail and ask about Connecticut native Garrett Brown. I’ve been impressed with the big defensive tackle. From what I heard (being the new guy around here), he came on strong at the end of last season. It looks like he may have picked up where he left off.

A reader from Minneapolis just e-mailed in the last 10 minutes, asking about open practices or scrimmages. Coach Brewster has closed all practices to the public this season. He appreciates the fans and their enthusiasm for wanting to see the team. But Coach doesn’t want his guys to be distracted by anything going into this season.

Here’s some afternoon entertainment for you. Former Gopher Laurence Maroney is featured in a series of commercials promoting NFL.com and fantasy football. I thought Gopher Nation might appreciate seeing Maroney’s spot in the series. There are a number of these out there on YouTube and elsewhere and they are all pretty entertaining.

 

 

Day 11 - August 12
8:52 p.m.
The Gophers practiced for a little more than two hours Tuesday afternoon in helmets and shoulder pads. There was a fair amount of team, 11-on-11 work done today. There was also a fair amount of emphasis on the two-minute drill. The offense worked on their end-of-game offense against air and then wrapped up the practice by working it against the defense.

By the way, if you'd like to see what Coach Brewster had to say following today's workout, you can see his 17-minute conversation with the media in the Gold Zone.

As often as possible, I'll pass along highlights of the team work, since it most resembles what you'll see when the Gophers take the field this season.

The defense has had the upper hand for most of the team work so far through camp. That changed a bit in the first session of 11-on-11 drills today. The offense had some early success on the ground. Adam Weber then went to the air for a couple big plays. He hit freshman wide receiver Xzavian Brandon for about a 30-yard gain. Just a few plays later, Weber hooked up with WR Ralph Spry for a 50-yard gain down the right sideline. The defense got a little of its mojo back near the end of the period, picking up back-to-back sacks. Linebacker Rex Sharpe had one of them, while I was shielded from seeing the second one clearly.

In the second team session, which ended the workout, the defense continued to carry their momentum - at least at the beginning of the period. The D recorded an interception and missed opportunities for a couple more, but still made plays on the ball getting pass break-ups. The Gopher defenders also made a nice stop (I believe it was Willie VanDeSteeg ... I had trouble seeing a lot today, I must have been standing in a bad spot) on an option play. The offense got one back when backup QB Tony Mortensen found WR Jimmy Thompson deep down the middle for a 65-yard score. It was back-and-forth from there.

As previously mentioned, the offense ran its two-minute drill against the defense to wrap up today's work. The scenario was that the offense was down by two points, had 1:23 remaining and one time-out to work with to get into field-goal range. The defense came up with stops on the first two possessions. On the third possession, the offense moved into kicker Joel Monroe's range. Monroe then booted a 35-yarder right through the middle for a "game-winning field goal," which ended the workout.

Following practice, a pair of captains -- Eric Decker and Willie VanDeSteeg -- each had an opportunity to address the team. They passed along a message of continuing to work hard, have fun and fight through these dog days of camp. The duo also encouraged the younger players to keep battling and to keep learning, because -- as Coach Brewster says -- every member individual is going to be needed to perform in one way or another for the team to be successful.

Let's answer a few questions from the mailbag before signing off for the night. A reader in Delaware wants to know about Simoni Lawrence. I'll tell you this about Simoni Lawrence ... to me, he looks like the prototype for the hybrid linebacker/safety-type position a lot of teams are going to employ in an effort to slow down the spread. The guy is an athlete. He had been out for a couple days with a minor injury, but got back in and picked up some reps yesterday. I think his athleticism will help the Gophers this season.

I've gotten a number of questions about the offensive line. Personally, I'm impressed with what Coach Phil Meyer is doing with this group. There is some concern among at least one reader of the blog about younger guys working in front of more experienced players. Here's what I can tell you. I have seen lots of rotation on the offensive line in the drills and scrimmage work so far. I know that Coach Brewster is committed to having the best 11 guys he can have on the field. The way these guys practice and play from now until the opener will go a long way toward determining starters and who else gets reps.

I've also received many questions about the young wide receivers. I know the coaches are very pleased with the physical tools that many of these youngsters bring to the table. If they continue to study the playbook and keep working hard, a number of them are going to really contribute this year. Also, don't sleep on Ralph Spry. Many people seem to think Eric Decker is the only WR with experience. But Ralph caught a few balls last year and I've seen him make a fair amount of big plays in camp. Also, amidst all the discussion of wideouts, remember that the Gophers have a pair of very good, experienced tight ends in Jack Simmons and Nick Tow-Arnett. They will make for nice big targets for Weber as well.
-AS

3:29 p.m.
A couple quick notes before today's practice: if you're following the Olympics in the local metro area, you'll begin seeing the following commercial during the telecasts beginning tomorrow. Get your first look right here.

Also, we started another auction which will run through next Wednesday. Up for bid is a game-worn maroon Golden Gopher football jersey.
-JR

1:38 p.m.
A lot of talk about the Big Ten Network attending Monday's practice. A couple of segments from their coverage are available via the Minnesota video page on the BTN's website. FYI, this is a great page to bookmark as it is updated often during the year with highlights and interviews.

Also, we mentioned last week about voting for the top Golden Gopher football moment in the 25 years we've played in the Metrodome. Click here to cast your vote! The top seven will be counted down during the final seven home games.
-JR

10:42 a.m.
To begin today's first entry, I want to comment on the Big Ten Network’s practice special that was filmed yesterday morning and aired on the BTN last night. I was very impressed with the production and I thought the Gophers, the coaching staff and the program in general came off looking pretty darn good.

I was disappointed that they interviewed Sam Maresh and didn’t end up using the interview, but that was the only huge disappointment for me. There were a few other interviews that didn’t make it into the show, either. But I thought that Sam’s story would be nice to get out there.

I received a question from a reader in Maryland who wondered if the BTN’s show would be available to watch on-line. I’ll check into whether that show will be available on-line. It may re-air over the course of the next few days, as well. Check your listings for that information.

As promised, I have the info. that the BTN used to talk about the diet of a large offensive lineman. In this case, it was Ned Tavale. He is listed at 329 pounds, which makes him the largest man on the team. Tavale consumes about 6,000 calories per day during camp. That compares to the recommended 1,800 calories per day for the average male.

Here’s a look at Ned’s diet during a recent day of training camp:

In the morning at home-
Drinks 4 raw eggs

Breakfast at the football facility -
2 yogurt packages
1 bagel w/ cream cheese
6 strawberries
2 cups of peaches
6 strips of bacon
2 sausages
1 serving of cheesy hashbrowns
1 bowl of cereal

During meetings-
2 bananas
1 peach
1/4 bag of sunflower seeds

Lunch-
6 strawberries
4 large chunks of pineapple
1 large salad (with shredded cheese, 1 hard-boiled egg, ranch dressing)
1 large serving of egg noodles with alfredo sauce
2 pork chops

Dinner-
6 strawberries
4 large chunks of pineapple
1 large salad (with shredded cheese, 1 hard-boiled egg, ranch dressing)
1 large serving of spaghetti and alfredo sauce
1 baked potato with butter
1 large steak
1 serving of strawberry shortcake

Before bed-
Drinks 4 raw eggs

Throughout the day-
1 protein shake
6 bottles of Powerade
8 bottles of water

More questions and answers to come after today’s practice, along with highlights from that workout.
-AS



 

Day 10 - August 11
8:58 p.m.
Following this afternoon's workout, Coach Brewster told the team he thought they had "two excellent practices" today. After a physical, full-pad morning session that included a lot of live work, the Gophers were in helmets and "spider pads" in the late session.

There were two more periods than usual of individual work this afternoon. However, there was still a fair amount of 11-on-11 team work. A while back one of our readers asked about Duane Bennett and if he was going to catch passes out of the backfield this season. In the first team session this afternoon, the offensive highlight was delivered on a reception from Bennett. Quarterback Adam Weber got the ball to Bennett on the left sideline, about 30 yards downfield and Bennett made a tough, leaping catch in traffic. Defensively, one of the best plays of the day came in the first session of 11-on-11. Linebacker Simoni Lawrence made a great athletic play, nabbing a diving interception.

The last few periods of the afternoon were used for more scrimmage-type situations. The session started with Bennett ripping off a nice run up the middle. Near the end of practice, the ball was placed in the red zone. On the first play in the red zone, Weber found tight end Jack Simmons, who made a beautiful diving catch for a touchdown. Defensively, Lee Campbell and William Brody each recorded sacks during the late team session, while the defensive ends applied a great deal of pressure on passing plays.

The Big Ten Network's practice special is on the air as I write this entry. I'm looking forward to watching it a little later this evening, as I'm recording it so I can get this blog entry up on the website. One of the items I'm looking forward to seeing is the feature we mentioned recently on Ned Tavale's diet during training camp. As promised, I'll give those of you who don't see the BTN show a little insight into the diet of a man who tips the scales at more than 320 pounds. These big fellas need to intake a serious amount of calories to maintain their weight through fall camp. In the morning, I'll give you all the details on what Tavale puts in his body in a typical day during preseason camp.

Thanks again to everyone who has dropped us a line via e-mail. I also really enjoyed meeting a number of readers at Fan Fest yesterday. Keep the e-mails, questions and comments coming. We'll do our best to answer them.
-AS

1:41 p.m.
Don’t forget tonight at 8 p.m. (CT), the Big Ten Network will air its Minnesota Practice Special. The network was on hand for this morning’s practice. There was a lot of good material made available to the BTN for this show. So, for those of you who are itching for some Gopher football and if you have access to the BTN, don’t miss it.

Until then, we have a Day 10 Photo Album available, complete with plenty of pictures from the BTN appearance and this morning’s practice.

There were several celebrities on hand for the Big Ten Network show. The network did interviews with Gopher greats Keith Fahnhorst and Carl Eller. Also being interviewed were Gopher freshman-to-be Sam Maresh, who spoke about his recovery from heart surgery. Dave Lee and former Gopher great Darrell Thompson also appeared, as part of their duties on the Minnesota radio crew.

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