The media gathered with University of Minnesota Gophers football coaches and players at the Bierman Building on Wednesday. They discussed the Gophers’ exciting 27-24 win over the Washington Huskies and their upcoming home tilt versus the Michigan Wolverines for the “Little Brown Jug.”
Below are some excerpts from interviews with Gophers’ defensive coordinator Danny Collins, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh, special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato, quarterback Drake Lindsey, wide receiver Noah Jennings, and defensive end Anthony Smith.
Gophers Coaches
Media: Danny, seven sacks, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions. Can you talk about the sense of urgency your Gophers defense played with?
Danny Collins: “I think collectively when you look at that game, it was the coverage, the rush, the linebackers; they’re all working together to create those moments. Those sacks weren’t just created off pressure. They weren’t just created with a three-man rush, a four-man rush, a five-man rush, or even a hot pressure.
“Those were created by everybody doing their job together, working as one, and that’s what we’ve continued to stress time after time, and it was an awesome opportunity to see that all come together with those guys. And you could see the way they play with their hair on fire. When they all do that together, it’s really fun to watch.”
Media: Greg, one of the things that’s really impressed me about Drake this year is the way he is going through his progressions. Hitting his second and third options and even looking off and going back to that receiver. Talk about the improvement with his progressions.
Greg Harbaugh: “Starts at the line of scrimmage. It starts with his protection adjustments, being able to flip protections. Being able to adjust in-game with how they were attacking us and adjusting our protection plan. Those are things that people don’t see. The conversations that we have, what we have practiced all week. Then somebody throws something different at us, and he has the ability to go in and change the protection and the huddle. Everyone thinks the pass game starts with the quarterback, with him just throwing the football.
“But if you can’t snap the ball, and you can’t make a protection adjustment, there’s no reason to even drop back and pass, and that’s where he’s really, really excelled. And I’ve said it before, I forget the exact number, but it was, it was seven times last year in those same situations where he wasn’t able to get the back out, um, when he had to make an adjustment in protection. That was him as a redshirt freshman. Now, a year of experience, thirteen games going into this year, he’s just gotten better each day and each game with that.
“Then it’s just comfortability and confidence in the offensive line and his pass protectors and the running backs. It starts there, and then him being able to trust his wideouts to be in the particular spot. It’s a system where, versus man-to-man defense, you have to win. Trust your technique, and go win. We have different concepts that can defeat man coverage. He knows that. Secondly, it comes down to, when it’s a zone-type game, the receivers have to be in a particular spot at that particular time that matches up with his drop. So, it goes all into confidence with the pass catchers, confidence with the pass, comfort with the running backs and O-line.
“All that plays a factor, and then he just executes. He’s very gifted. He has a fast mind. Coach Shula (Mike, Gophers offensive assistant coach) always says that. He has a very fast mind in how he thinks and how he processes, how he sees it through the week. It’s really, really fun to see because he really doesn’t get it until after Tuesday’s or Wednesday’s practice.
“And he cleans it up on Thursday and Friday. Saturday starts, and we continue to go through it. You know, it’s, it’s really an all-day event on Saturday, especially with last week playing so late. He does a great job, though. I have to talk about him and his development as an individual, as a leader, and then also collectively the offense following him.”
Media: Coach, four punts inside the twenty, fifty-yard field goal, five touchbacks, different parts, but collectively talk about the pursuit of excellence of your Gophers special teams unit.
Daniel Da Prato: We say in our room, as the specialists go, the game’s gonna go. If we can punt the ball with great accuracy, great operation, great timing, and great snap, we’ll succeed. It all starts with the snap. And Alan Soukup’s (Gophers’ long snapper) doing a great job. It all starts with a snap. But if we can’t operate efficiently from the snap and locate the ball, John Nestor’s job and Joey Gerlach’s job (Gophers’ punt team gunners) get a lot harder.
You said five touchbacks. We had one; it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, so we can improve. Those guys have a great understanding of that. They’re fresh, they’re confident, and they’re playing well right now. That’s the specialist room: the snap, the hold, the kick, and the protection piece is critical, but the faster you operate, the easier the protection gets. So, it all works together. But those guys are doing an elite job right now, and we’re gonna continue to keep that up.
Gophers Offensive Players
Media: Drake, tell me what you saw out at, what you see out of the Michigan defense. They run a lot of man-to-man, multiple fronts. Sometimes they’ll do a three-man prevent, and they still get pressure. So tell me what you saw.
Drake Lindsey: “They are a really good team with a lot of really good players flying around to the football. The defensive line is really good. The back end is really good with a lot of talented guys. They get good coverage in man; they do a great job in zone as well. They fit the run really well, and it’s a great challenge for us. We need to focus on our fundamentals and technique. They do a really good job.”
Media: Noah, you guys have been completing a lot of back shoulder passes. What is the trickiest part of that? Is it the timing or the repositioning of your body?
Noah Jennings: “I think it’s all pretty tricky, but it just comes down to reps, reps, reps. Because every throw will be different, but at the same time, as long as you can get in the same area, and obviously the timing is important. I have to make sure I’m on my mark by the time he releases the ball. A lot of those back shoulders, they’re usually run quicker. The drop back is not too deep, and then he is letting it go. It’s more like a quicker release. So, the timing is always important and just getting those reps in so that the ball’s going to be in the same place as much as possible.”
Defense
Media: Anthony, typical big, physical Michigan offensive line. What did you see on film?
Anthony Smith: “They’re really physical. They’re a really good offensive line. Again, you know, our Gophers’ coaches are going to have the best game plan for us when it comes to playing them, as to what tendencies the D-line has to look out for. So, again, I think we’re going to have a really good game plan for them, and they’re really good, and we’ve got to go act on it.”
Gophers Injury Report
Below is the Gophers/Wolverines Football current availability report for Saturday’s game. Note that Minnesota’s starting center Ashton Beers is out for the remainder of the season with a leg injury. Minnesota’s starting center Ashton Beers is out for the remainder of the season with a leg injury.
