Minnesota Preview:
At Big Ten’s Border, A Few Questions

By Paul Smith
paul.smith@collegeblitz.com

They are tucked away in the farthest corner of the Big Ten, are one of only a tiny handful of Division I-A teams to play their home games indoors, and are seemingly  trapped in a pro-sports saturated marketplace that includes the Twins, Vikings, Wild and Timberwolves.

Their coach very nearly got the chance to replace John Cooper four years ago at his alma mater, Ohio State.

They struggle for attention in a league filled with glamor programs and hugely-followed teams.

But hold no pity parties for Glenn Mason and his Minnesota Golden Gophers. Nor for their 45-48,000 loyalists who Humphrey Domeward six or seven times each fall.

Somehow Mason, whose teams are 51-45 in his eight seasons in Minneapolis, manages to attract two-thirds of his roster from out-ot-state, including some highly-sought-after types from major prep programs across the country.

Last year, the Gophers went 7-5, including an uplifting 20-16 Music City Bowl win over Alabama. Three of the losses -- 29-27 against Iowa, 27-24 at Michigan and an inexplicable 30-21 hiccup at lowly Indiana -- were there to be won in those games' final minutes.

But in all, it was a typical Minnesota season and this fall may be, too. Unfortunately, because of a tougher schedule that includes nearly all the league's big names in one five-game forced march -- Purdue, at Penn State and Michigan back-to-back, then home games against Wisconsin and Ohio State -- may play a key role in forcing the likable and talented Mason to seek employment elsewhere.

Nobody said life, or scheduling, always played fair. Mason had downplayed the tough losses after the 2004 season, but discovers one of the keys to maybe stealing a couple of games in that awful stretch will be to keep the troops' morale upbeat.

"I didn't think it was the problem (after 2004)," Mason told Big Ten beat guy Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times. "Typically, great players have short memories. Good or bad, they move on.

"But after the dust had settled and talking to a lot of the players, I think it had a bigger impact than I first thought.

"You know, the mind is a great thing as long as you can control it. Once it controls you, it's almost always negative."

So maybe Mason will employ a little bit of Dr. Phil in his daily briefings. He may have to, because the Gophers never really recovered from the three-point loss at then No. 14 Michigan after starting 5-0 last year.

But then again, maybe not.

The Gophers do not come to the 2005 season unarmed. Their biggest sell, of course, will be a talented offense led by one of the league's true talents, junior quarterback Bryan Cupito.

The Cincinnati native threw for 2,097 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. When you factor in a very large quantity of dropped balls, you could envision a monster year.

Maybe that happens this fall, because for better or worse, his three top receivers -- Ohio wideouts Jared Ellerson and Ernie Wheelwright, the latter of whom averaged nearly 22 yards per catch, and tight end Matt Spaeth -- all return.

That's a plus. As is the presence of 1,348-yard rusher Laurence Maroney and a talented offensive line. The offense figures to keep the Gophers in prime contention most of the time.

"It makes it so much easier to have a guy like Laurence Maroney or Laurence Barber back there," 6-feet, 3-inch, 285-pound senior center Greg Eslinger told Hanley. "That makes all the difference in the world.

"They make the best of what little holes we give them sometimes. It's amazing to see what those guys can do..."

Barber is gone, of course, but maybe Minnesota will find a useful replacement in versatile fullback Justin Valentine, who has proven his worth as a blocking back.

However, the Gophers' -- and quite possibly, Mason's -- fate will evolve on the other side of the ball. Last year, Minnesota gave up 273 points, and if you toss out a Dome shutout of undermanned Illinois, that comes to 24.8 points a game.

Given the first three games were against Toledo, I-AA Illinois State and Colorado State, you can see the Gophers had more than a few problems stopping Big Ten offenses.

"We need to make big improvements on the defensive side of the ball," Mason told Lindy's Big Ten Magazine's Chip Scoggins. "We should have collectively played better defense last year and we didn't. I expect to play better defense this fall."

It is a must if the Gophers are to make any real noise in a league loaded with offensive talent. Senior tackles Mark Losli and Anthony Montgomery could give Mason some serious reasons to smile. They are talented, strong and quick. If defensive ends Keith Lipka and Eric Clark can pick it up, they have a fairly reliable set of linebackers which could provide some push as well and cover some of the perceived inadequacies of the secondary.

This team's bottom line hovers close to .500 again. The regular season wound up 6-5 last year after a 5-0 start, and this year, the absence of Illinois and Northwestern won't help.

Given a Tulsa/Colorado State/Florida Atlantic start, the Gophers should be looking at a 3-0 start. Truth? They'd better be, because that's when the real schedule begins.

Gopher Tracks: Minnesota is building a 50,000-seat on-campus facility, funded largely by private sources and school officials are hopeful it'll be ready for a 2008 start.