University of Minnesota Gophers football coaches and players held a media event at the Bierman Building yesterday. They were excited to discuss their 59-7 thrashing of Eastern Illinois and their upcoming match against a tough Mississippi State squad.
Below are some excerpts from interviews with Gophers’ defensive coordinator Danny Collins, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh, quarterback Drake Lindsey, defensive end Anthony Smith, and linebacker Maverick Baranowski.
Gophers Coaches
New Leaf News: Not only does Mississippi State have a mobile quarterback, but he mostly throws out of the shotgun with a lot of two-step drops. Talk about that a little bit.
Danny Collins: “He’s (Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor) dangerous in scrambling. He’s dangerous in throwing the ball. I mean, everybody saw the throw where he threw it 70 yards down the field. You have to keep him contained in the pocket. You have to defend the shots and keep depth to the defense.
“This is a tremendous challenge for the defense, but that’s what you want, right? This is the biggest stage in college football, and we should want that challenge because again, that’s being a competitor, right? And we do want that challenge, and as I said, we’re going to have our hands full.”
NLN: Mississippi State switches from zone to man-to-man, and they have a pretty aggressive defense. What do you see from them?
Greg Harbaugh: “I think it’s the multiplicity and what they do. And I think when you put on the tape over the years, he’s (Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zack Arnett) faced a lot of great quarterbacks. Then it starts with that position. If I’m on defense, how do I confuse that guy? And he does a great job of changing the picture. As I mentioned, I think it’s really, really good what he does. And with his personnel, they are super athletic.
“And they can do a lot of different things. They don’t necessarily always have to play man. They can play zone. You can see that they communicate well. They do a good job up front. They’re physical. They’re tough. They hold their gap. But then they also move a ton too. And I think that’s going to be a big thing as far as a communication piece. And then trust on what we see with how much they like to move the front seven.”
NLN: Coach, tell me about the progress Daniel Jackson’s (Gophers’ kicker) has made since you’ve been here.
Daniel Da Prato: “Oh man, Daniel Jackson is, aside from what he’s done on the field, he’s an incredible young man. Remarkable student, person, young man; he’s made great strides on the field. So, so proud of him.
From the day we got to the Gophers to where we are now, he’s just continuing on that climb, a remarkable young man that does things the correct way every second of every day, and fortunate to be able to reap the benefits of that.
“He took advantage of his opportunities. All of a sudden, he got a chance with the Gophers, and he took advantage of it. I’m super proud of Daniel and how he carries himself. He is the exact same young man every single day, and I’m very excited for where he is today, but also where he’s going to go and how he’s going to continue to climb on that path.”
Gophers Quarterback Talks About His Team
NLN: Tell me what you took from the last game. What did you learn about yourself?
Drake Lindsey: “I think there’s things I can obviously get better at. But they’re really small details.
I think watching the film, listening to my coaches, focusing on those small details of practice,
and just being a great leader and a great teammate for my guys and uplifting them. It’s the biggest thing that I’ve changed this year is doing it for my Gophers teammates more than myself. I think when you get your players and everyone to do that on the team, you’re in a really good spot, and I’m seeing that a lot from our team right now.”
Two Minnesota Defensive Stalwarts
NLN: You play a shotgun quarterback with a quick drop, who’s also mobile. What are you guys talking about in terms of containment and keeping him in the pocket?
Anthony Smith: “Just making sure that we don’t create rush lanes. Being detailed in our rush lanes. Again, this is what we worked on this winter, spring, in the summertime. It’s working as one, being connected. These games, it comes down to when we hang out and just know each other when we rush together.”
NLN: A lot of rotation for the Gophers in and out of the defensive lineup last game. What impressed you the most about how your teammates played?
Maverick Baranowski: “Yeah, it was great. Like Anthony just mentioned, it was great playing in my first game with TJ Bush, a guy who’s made so many plays throughout the offseason, throughout spring ball, and getting out there and sharing the field with him. Guys like that- Kingsbury had a great night, you know, getting live bullets.
“My first Gophers’ start next to Kingsbury. So that was a really exciting moment. Then all the young guys, the standard never dropped. No matter who’s out in the field, the standard that we hold to our defense and to the rest of our team, I didn’t see it drop off throughout the whole game, no matter who was in. That was really cool to see as a leader.”
