Minnesota Football 2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks, Odds | Sportsbookbuzz.com

Minnesota Football 2011 Preview, Predictions, Picks, Odds

As the 2011 NCAA Football Season approaches, we are providing season previews for every college football teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best College Football Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2011 season preview. Be sure to bookmark SportsbookBuzz.com your source for Sportsbook Reviews. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the College Football in our recommend sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2011 NCAA Football Season Previews here.

2010 Record: 3-9 Big 10 Record: 2-6 (T-9th) 2011 Returning Starters: 15; 6 offense, 8 defense, punter

Coach: Jerry Kill

Offensive Coordinators: Matt Limegrover Defensive Coordinators: Tracy Claeys

2011 Minnesota Players to Watch: QB Marqueis Gray, WR Da’Jon McKight, TE Eric Lair, OT Ed Olson, CB/KRTroy Stoudermire, LB Brendan Beal, LB Gary Tinsley

2011 Minnesota Strengths:
Gray has all the tools and should at least challenge defenses with his feet. McKnight could blossom into atrue star. Defensively, the strength is an athletic and experienced linebacking corps. Beal and Tinsley should be an effective 1-2 punch.

2011 Minnesota Weaknesses:
There is a new staff, new coordinators, new scheme, but old problems. Can the Gophers run the ball? If not, Grey won’t have a chance, Minnesota will have to put pressure on the Quarterback.

2011 Minnesota Offense:

The Gophers can’t make trades like a professional team, but it sure feels like they did in acquiring their new quarterback. They found a mobile passer but gave up one of their best receivers to do it. The passer is junior MarQueis Gray, who caught 42 passes for 587 yards while waiting for his turn taking snaps. Gray’s running ability is a good fit for new coach Jerry Kill’s system, but nobody knows if he’s got the arm for the job. He’d better, because the Gophers have no other quarterback with his size, speed or experience. Gray’s former running mate at receiver, Da’Jon McKnight, is nearly as indispensable as the quarterback, because Minnesota has nobody else with his all-conference-level talent. McKnight, who caught 10 TDs last year, faces a season of double coverage, unless tight end Eric Lair can take some of the pressure off. A running attack would help, too, but Minnesota’s tailbacks seem to produce less than the sum of their parts. Duane Bennett averaged 23.8 yards after his first two games. DeLeon Eskridge became the go-to back by default, but he left the team in early June. With three freshmen around, too, Kill intends to spread the ball around in hopes of getting a lot more out of the Big Ten’s 10th-rated rushing unit.

2011 Minnesota Defense:

The defensive line will be improved, because it couldn’t be much worse. Minnesota’s last-in-the-Big-Ten rushing defense was “exceeded” only by its pass rush which, with only nine sacks, was the most feeble in the entire country. The days of stationary, man-the-gaps coverage are over. Kill and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys intend to revive the blitz in the Gophers’ playbook, sacrificing bulk in order to send speedy-but-undersized linebackers and defensive ends toward the quarterback. The hope is that increased pressure will take the heat off an inexperienced secondary, where 5’10″ Troy Stoudermire, a former receiver who nearly quit the team when switched to defense last season, is the best cover corner. The linebackers should be the heart of the defense, particularly with the addition of sophomore middle backer Brendan Beal, who transferred from Florida and sat out last year. At 6’3″, 245, he’s got the size to anchor run coverage while his teammates try to create havoc that was missing last year.

2011 Minnesota Special Teams:

Eric Ellestad returns after converting on 13 of 17 fIeld goal attempts and showing a knack for making the big kick, as he did last year in an overtime victory over Syracuse, and against Air Force and Wisconsin. One challenge for him is to hone his ability to kick-off directionally. Punter Dan Orseske was highly touted as a freshman last season, but he was felled by mononucleosis after a strong start to the season. Orseske, after a medical redshirt, was impressive in the spring. Bryant Allen on punt returns and Troy Stoudermire on kick returns have big-play potential.

2011 Minnesota Football Schedule | Minnesota Football Sportsbooks

2011 Minnesota Predictions:

Kill’s candor has captivated his new audience, even as he makes it clear that the Gophers’ roster is short on Big Ten talent, because he has a track record of turning around decrepit football programs. Still, Kill has never faced a brutal Big Ten schedule. The Gophers have no experienced quarterback, only one tested receiver, and a defense that managed only nine sacks.

2011 Minnesota Betting Odds:

Minnesota Current odds to win a National Championship: +5000

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NCAA Football Handicapping Picks

Check out our weekly Sports Handicapping Picks from the world’s best handicappers. Trust our handicapping experts offering premium and free NCAA Football Picks and packages daily. Also stay up to date with weekly College Football Matchups, and buy some picks to win some BIG cash this football season at our recommended sportsbooks.

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