The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL EARLY LOOK AT 2012 OPPONENTS Golden Gophers limped out of the gates, losing six of their first seven games, including a 28-21 loss to a four-win New Mexico State team and a 37-24 loss to FCS member North Dakota State. The immediate future of the program hung in the balance, Minnesota The Jerry Kill era did not get off to a hot start in 2011. The Tinsely, who was second on the team with 87 tackles. Defensive tackles Brandon Kirksey and Anthony Jacobs are also gone, so the front seven will be a concern. In addition, the team's leading tackler in 2011, safety Kim Royston, has departed. "Based on the way they played at the end of the year, this since on-field issues piled up and Kill's health became a very real concern (he had a seizure on the sideline during the loss to the Aggies). It would have been easy to throw in the towel on the season, but Minnesota started to build some serious momentum down the stretch. The Gophers upset Iowa, 22-21, to win their first Big Ten game of the season. The next week, they nearly pulled off an upset at Michigan State before losing, 24-21. And they finished the year on a high note, notching a 27-7 win over Illinois. Quarterback MarQueis Gray is a potential bowl team," O'Connell said. "If they don't win at least five games this year, it will certainly be a massive disappointment. " — Andy Reid college football, its recent level of stability is nearly unprec- edented. From 2007-10, the Wildcats strung together four consecutive .500 or better seasons, its best such streak since 1924-31. Unfortunately for its fans, Northwestern took a step back last Northwestern For Northwestern, historically one of the worst programs in year, dropping to 6-7, including a five-game losing skid trig- gered by a 21-14 loss to a 3-9 Army team. "Last year was a big disappointment, proved an important piece of Minnesota's late-season re- surgence. Gray, who will be a senior in 2012, struggled early in the season, complet- ing just 48.6 percent of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and four inter- ceptions in the first six starts in 2011 — but he found a groove. He threw for nearly 200 yards in the win over the Hawkeyes writer Louie Vaccher said. "Everyone thought it was the big year, and it didn't happen. The last few classes have been pretty strong. We'll see if this next wave of guys can step up. In two years, I think they can be better. This year, I don't know — they're losing a lot of starters. " WildcatReport.com Linebacker Mike Rallis ranked third on Minnesota last season with 83 tackles. PHOTO COURTESY MINNESOTA and tallied 295 passing yards and three scores against the Spartans. His athletic ability added a dangerous dimension to the Minnesota offense, too: he ran for 966 yards and six touch- downs on the year. "Once he knocked that rust off in the last quarter of the year, he looked pretty good," GopherIllustrated.com writer Matt question on offense will be the full-time takeover of junior quarterback Kain Colter. Last year, Colter was a versatile weapon, racking up 673 pass- Can the Wildcats get back on track in 2012? The biggest " ing yards, a team-leading 654 rushing yards and 466 receiving yards. He got plenty of quarterback experience, while starter Dan Persa was nursing an injury, but the offensive package was much more run heavy when he was taking the snaps. Vaccher likes what Colter brings to the table, but he admits that the quarterback must step up. "There are still some question marks about Colter's pass- ing ability, whether he has a big enough arm to make all the throws, O'Connell said. "That's really what they're looking for, a guy who can be a dual threat. He needs to improve his accuracy in the pass game, but that's starting to come around. I think people feel pretty good about where he is right now, if he can come in and not regress back to where he was at the beginning of the year, and look more like the guy he was at the end. He's looking like a guy that can be what many people thought he would when he first came here. an inexperienced corps of receivers. No returning wideout hauled in more than 16 passes last year. Senior Brandon Green will be the Gophers' most veteran receiver; he has 781 career receiving yards, though he has struggled with consistency since missing most of the 2010 season with injuries. The Gophers will be replacing starting running back Duane Gray will have to take the next step in the passing game with " Bennett, too. Sophomore Donnell Kirkwood (229 yards on 63 rushes last year) will most likely get the nod. On defense, Minnesota has to retool after surrendering 31.6 points per game in 2011. O'Connell said the biggest loss was middle linebacker Gary 64 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2012 in there, and he's their best ball carrier. He's a spectacular runner. ing corps takes a hit. He and seniors Jeremy Ebert and Drake Dunsmore combined for two-thirds of Northwestern's receiv- ing yardage last season. At running back, there are also question marks. Junior Mike With Colter transitioning to starting quarterback, the receiv- " " Vaccher said. "But he's a dynamic player. He can come Trumpy missed spring practice with an ACL tear. Sophomore Treyvon Green ran for 362 yards last season, but he has to prove he is an every-down back. The offensive line is replacing two starters, but seniors Neal Deiters, right guard, and Paul Jorgenson, left tackle, have experience. On defense, Northwestern is replacing defensive tackle Jack DiNardo, outsider linebacker Ben Johnson, defensive end Kevin Watt and defensive end Vince Brown in the front seven. Three of four starters in the secondary also graduated. Vaccher is concerned about the lineup, but the recruiting and talent pool at Northwestern have steadily increased under head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Although he doesn't expect a Big Ten title, Vaccher expects a bowl game. — Andy Reid