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University of Minnesota Athletics
Blog: Gophers Focused on South Dakota
9/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
With one win already in their pockets, the Gophers' focus now turns to the home opener against South Dakota.
Although the matchup against the Coyotes isn't the same type of border-battle the Gophers play against the likes of Wisconsin or Iowa, the team is remaining focused and taking nothing for granted when it comes to this Saturday's game.
"A close team like this [South Dakota] is going to come in here, bring a lot of fans and a lot of excitement and we need to match that," Minnesota senior quarterback Adam Weber said.
Gophers head coach Tim Brewster made reference to his team needing to keep blinders on, and approach the game against South Dakota as an opportunity to go 1-0 this week, just as they went 1-0 last week at Middle Tennessee State. Brewster and many members of the Gophers were able to watch a great deal of football and see some of their upcoming opponents play on television this past weekend. While they may have enjoyed watching those games, they know who their opponent is this week.
"We talk about wearing blinders as a team to stay focused on the task at hand, and the task at hand is South Dakota," Brewster said.Amongst the challenges the Gophers expect to face against the Coyotes, one will be a significantly larger lineup than the one faced against the Blue Raiders. Minnesota was able to use its size advantage to control the game, especially on the offensive side. The Gophers will be tested to see if they can pound the rock as effectively as they did in game one when they amassed 281 yards on the ground.
"Their (the Coyotes') D-line really gets up the field and hits the O-line," Minnesota senior offensive lineman D.J. Burris said. "We're going to look to establish the run and build off of it, which opens up a lot of other stuff too."
-Athletic Communications Assistant Keith Beise
