Coach Brewster, Players' Reaction Following Spring Game

Minnesota 2009 Spring Game Quotes 

Head Coach Tim Brewster

Opening statement
“I think we got out of the spring game exactly what we wanted to get out of it - clean execution for the most part. We got a good look at our young guys. I was extremely pleased with how our young guys responded today. Guys like Keanon Cooper and new guys Kim Royston, Matt Carufel and Kevin Whaley did some good things today. I thought we improved as a football team this spring. I thought today was a great way to finish off 15 great practices.”

On Troy Stoudermire’s play
“Troy is good player and last year we saw that. He is a dynamic player, who can really make some plays with the football. I think it is a sign of things to come, and he’s really going to do some good things for us this season. At receiver, defensive back, or in the return game, we are just glad he’s a Gopher.”

On MarQueis Gray
“He is great player, and over the spring has become a better student of the game. He has a great arm, and he has a great quarterback to learn from in Adam Weber. It’s always great to learn from other players, and Adam (Weber) has been great at showing how to be a leader and how to play the game at this level. I think this will help MarQueis really become a great player. We will have packages every game where he is involved.”

On how this year’s team differs from last year’s
“I think this team has a real edge to it. Physical toughness is a big part of that. This spring there was a big emphasis on being able to run the football. We showed that we can run the football and that we’re going to be good at doing it. We still have a lot of work to do, but we really improved as a team this spring.”

Quarterback Adam Weber

On his performance
“I was satisfied. But there were too many mistakes. I didn’t know how much I was going to be able to do this spring, so I was happy just to be out there. I don’t think we were near 100 percent (as an offense), but it’s a process and come September 5th, when we play Syracuse, it’s my job as the quarterback to get everyone at that level.”

On MarQueis Gray
“With the amount of talent he has his ceiling is so high. It’s just a matter of him feeling comfortable and going out there and playing football. He’s going to do a lot of special things for us this year and I’m excited to be on the field with him or just watch him do what he can do. He can stretch the defense because he’s got a lot of weapons.”

On the young receive corps
“They’ve really come into their own during spring ball. It is a very talented group of guys. It’s all about feeling comfortable out there. When you’re not thinking, then you can do the special things that we saw out there today.”

On his (non-throwing) shoulder
“The shoulder is really, really good. Right now my focus will be getting back into the weight room and getting my body back into shape. I’ve been limited as far as weight training and running are concerned, so it’s been a struggle this spring to stay in shape.  But this summer I expect to get back to 100 percent.”

Running back DeLeon Eskridge

On how he felt today
“I felt very good today. The weather is like California, so it was very enjoyable. The atmosphere at the game today was great and I had a lot of fun.”

On his 23-yard run
“It looked good form the get-go. The hole opened right away and the blocking was great. It was open and all I tried to do was run as fast as I could through the hole.”

On his overall performance this spring
“Overall I thought it was good. There were a lot of things I wanted to work on this spring, but I feel I executed as much as possible. Our coaches have been asking us to execute in the meetings and on the field and I feel I did that. This spring really helped me with my confidence level. Putting in a new system is never easy. But I think we did well with the time that we had and it just helps with our confidence going into summer ball.”

Wide receiver and return specialist Troy Stoudermire

On his big spring game performance
“It was a great day. Playing outdoors in the open felt great and every chance I had today I tried to take to the house.”

On long touchdown run
“As soon as I got the ball I was thinking about going straight to the end zone. When I say my block come out in front of me I thought oh yea, I’m going straight to the end zone’. There was only one man to beat, and I beat him.”

On the intimacy of the atmosphere at St. Thomas’ Stadium
“It was really nice having the fans out here. It gave us a great feeling and it was a real game atmosphere. I think it was great having the fans out here with us. We didn’t feel any pressure at all. We practice so hard that when we came out it today we felt we could play with heart and intensity. Our coaches told us to translate what we did in practice to today’s game, and I think we did that.”

On how excited he is to play in TCF Bank Stadium
“I am so excited to play in the new stadium. I can wait to play in that new stadium. I pass that stadium every single day when I’m going to class and I look at it and wish I could play in it right now.”

Linebacker Lee Campbell

On the defensive unit’s progress this spring
“This is the fourth defense we’ve installed in the four years I have been here and I feel like we are way ahead of schedule compared to where we’ve been in the past coming out of spring. I feel like this defense has great schemes. I feel like we have great chemistry so far, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. The offense is out there making plays and we need to take the time this summer to work as hard as we can to get bigger, faster, and stronger.”

On the Gopher defense under new co-coordinator Kevin Cosgrove
“I love coach Cosgrove’s attitude. He emphasizes getting the ball out. He likes to blitz at times and lay back at other times. He does a great job of mixing up his calls. Overall, I think we have a lot of guys who have bought into his system and it should pay dividends for us this season.”

On starting his second season back at middle linebacker
“It’s great because this is the longest time I’ve been at one position since I’ve been here at the U. It gives me that much more confidence going into next season. It’s an exciting feeling.”

Upcoming Events