Gophers Building Brick-by-Brick, Trophy-by-Trophy

Jerry Kill has inspired his players here at Minnesota, just like he did at Northern Illinois, and just like he would probably do anywhere else.  At 7-2, the Gophers control their own destiny. Depending on how the next three games go, we could be looking at anything from a Rose Bowl to a Pinstripe bowl. Either way, Jerry Kill has put his team in position to control its own destiny.

Nov 8, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers hold up Floyd of Rosedale after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers won 51-14. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

After a top-to-bottom throttling of Iowa, who came in at 6-2 after crushing Northwestern,  there’s a lot of love to go around. It started with the line of scrimmage, a facet of the game the Gophers completely dominated on both sides. QB Mitch Leidner, who I will get into in a bit, agreed. “We knew we needed to dominate the line of scrimmage if we were going to hang with these guys,” he said. The holes were there on offense and the defense got to the QB four times. I think it’s safe to say we were able to hang with them, Mitch.

Maxx Williams was nothing short of amazing with three TD catches. Including a phenomenal toe-drag reception to keep a drive alive that will be a top-ten play. Jerry Kill had high praise for his NFL caliber TE, saying, “That kid is unreal, I’ve coached for 35 years and I’ve never seen a kid catch the ball like he can.” That’s  high praise from a guy who’s coached countless tight ends in his day.

Now let’s talk about Mitch Leidner, the duel-threat quarterback who continues to improve and build confidence. It’s not easy to stay in a passing rhythm when your team runs the ball 59 times in a game. Leidner was on the money today, completing 10 of 13 passes for four touchdowns while remaining a threat on the ground. This was the best game of Mitch’s short career as the definite starter. He’s hitting stride at the right time.

Iowa had no clue what the Gophers were going to throw at them next. There aren’t enough defenders on the field to cover jet sweeps, deep balls, draws, options and dives. Especially when they’re all working.

That was fun, but it marks the beginning of a final stretch of the season vs. three teams who are top-4 in the Big Ten. It starts next week against an OSU team that has absolutely dominated the Gophers throughout the years to a record of 43-7 in the last 50 games played. This is a rebuilt Gophers team, however, and I can promise you the players in the Gophers locker room will know what’s at stake. If the Maroon and Gold pull this one out, Jerry Kill’s famous dance moves might come out once again.

Nov 8, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Maxx Williams (88) catches a pass on the sideline for a first down in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports