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Minnesota Golden Gophers Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

By Patrick Schmidt

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Jerry Kill has done a great job building the Minnesota Golden Gophers into consistent winner but can he have his best season yet in 2015?

Minnesota won eight games for the second year in a row and have 22 wins in the last three years under head coach Jerry Kill who was one half away from beating Wisconsin for the Big Ten west division last year.

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Kill annually gets the most out of the talent on his roster but is still in search of his first bowl win as the coach of the Golden Gophers so will this be the year he gets it?

Offensive Outlook

Only four starters return on offense but quarterback Mitch Leidner is one of them and he looks to build on his sophomore season that saw him 51.5 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards and 11 touchdowns with eight interceptions. The 6-4, 237-pounder also made a big contribution as a runner with 452 yards and 10 touchdowns, but the nation’s No. 121 passing offense has to be better if Minnesota expects to contend for a division title.

Improving in the passing game will be a tall order with the loss of tight end Maxx Williams to the NFL. Williams was the passing game last year, catching 36 passed for 569 yards and he had eight of Minnesota’s 12 receiving touchdowns. KJ Maye is the leading returning receiver with 16 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown and leads an inexperienced unit that includes Desmond Gant, Isaiah Gentry, Jeff Jones and Melvin Holland Jr.

Minnesota will show a no-huddle look and try to improve in the short and intermediate passing game but they know they’re still a run-oriented team. Which means replacing David Cobb and his 1,629 yards and 13 touchdowns is imperative. Cobb was overshadowed by 2,000-yard rushers Melvin Gordon and Tevin Coleman in the Big Ten, but he was one of the best runners in the country. Trying to fill his shoes is Rodrick Williams and Rodney Smith run behind an offensive line anchored by Josh Campion.

Defensive Outlook

Minnesota had the nation’s No. 34 scoring defense last year and finished fourth in the Big Ten in passing defense and the secondary will be the strong suit of this year’s unit. Four seniors start in the secondary, including All-Big Ten cornerbacks Briean Boddy-Calhoun who had a team-high five interceptions last year and Eric Murray. Antonio Johnson and Damarius Travis start at the safety spots.

Damien Wilson is gone from his linebacker spot after leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss and either Cody Poock or Everett Williams will take over in the middle with Jonathan Celestin and Jack Lynn on the outside.

The defensive line has to get to the quarterback with more frequency than last year when they had 27 sacks. A bounce-back year for end Theiren Cockran could be in store after he dipped to four sacks last year after 7.5 in 2013. Hendrick Ekpe had a great spring and Steven Richardson looks to build off a promising freshman season at his defensive tackle spot.

Prediction

The offense is going to struggle to score points at the same clip as last year without Cobb and Williams so the defense will have to carry the Gophers in the first half of the year.

Opening against TCU is a tough draw for such an inexperienced offense but other than a road trip to Ohio State on Nov. 7, the schedule sets up nicely for Minnesota. A road game at Iowa isn’t intimidating after a blowout win last year and the Gophers host Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin.

I think nine wins is very doable for this team even with so much inexperience on offense and if that happens, Kill should find himself in contention to win the Coach of the Year.

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