Higgy's Handshake - The Coaching Staff

Posted by Higgy

After consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan to open B1G play, there were serious questions whether or not Minnesota would get the two more wins necessary to become bowl-eligible. Then, during the bye week, Coach Kill announced he would be taking a leave of absence to focus on his epilepsy treatment. Turmoil and bad vibes were everywhere. As Gopher fans, we're prepared for these situations and, instinctively, we braced for the worst.

Saturday was a day to remember at The Bank.

So how in the world are we here? Just two weeks later, sitting at 6-2? Bowl eligible? Coming off the biggest win of the Coach Kill era?

Certainly, there is a lot of praise to go around and a lot of it should be properly credited to the players. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter of Saturday's home game against mighty Nebraska, which hadn't lost to the Gophs since 1960, the Cornhuskers were thoroughly dominated by our favorite team.

There were positives on each side of the ball. It was certainly the signature win we've been craving, and it provides the most tangible evidence yet of the No. 1 thing Gopher fans have craved since the Brewster mistake was eradicated and Kill and his staff of turnaround experts were brought in: progress. The progress was evident Saturday, and while the players receive much of the credit, I'm still amazed at how well-prepared we were for the Huskers, how we adjusted along the way, and how thoroughly our staff won the battle on the sidelines.

For that, Higgy's Handshake this week is extended to the entire MINNESOTA COACHING STAFF.

Ever since Kill took over, we've heard about the staff's desire for a tough, physical team. There were flashes of that in a win at Illinois a year ago and in a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech in our bowl appearance. That team resurfaced in nonconference play, but we were still lacking evidence our identity would yield results in the B1G. Now, we've got that evidence in the form of Saturday's game tape.

The first handshake goes to Offensive Coordinator Matt Limegrover. The Minnesota running attack dominated the line of scrimmage, controlled the clock and put up points. But there also more creativity than we've seen to this point. More than ever before, we used our athletes on the outside on jet sweeps and varied our running game to exploit some of the Huskers' deficiencies. One minute Donovahn Jones  is sweeping for 20 yards, the next Phil Nelson comes in motion only to settle under center and plunge into the end zone. It was both tough and imaginative all at once.

The Gopher offense had us dancin' all game.

Afterward, Limegrover talked about how the Gophers found some holes in the Nebraska defense through film study - particularly of the Huskers' loss to Wisconsin in last year's B1G Championship game - and they tailored their scheme to attack those holes. It worked to perfection. Gopher receivers carried the ball seven times for 68 yards. After that, the threat of those jet sweeps gave the Husker defense pause when they were used as decoys, allowing David Cobb to burst through the line time and time again as we put the game away.

Add in some big, clutch throws from Nelson - like the fourth-down touchdown pass to Derrick Engel for our first lead of the game or the three second-half tosses to previously little-used TE Drew Goodger (another planned exploit by coaches) and suddenly we had a finely tuned offensive machine. From a game plan standpoint, it appeared the Gophers not only entered the game with a superior plan, but they made little in-game adjustments to keep it rolling throughout the game. It's the best offensive game plan I've seen from a Minnesota team since the likes of Marion Barber III and Laurence Mauroney were putting our running game on the map a decade ago.

The defensive side of the ball was no slouch, either. After losses to Iowa and Michigan I bemoaned our issues getting off the field on third down. It appeared we weren't being aggressive enough, and opposing QBs were able to routinely pick us apart to keep drives alive. Saturday, we got more pressure on third down, were more aggressive with our corners and came up with countless big stops. Dialing up more of a rush on those plays was big, along with the push we got up front from Ra'shede, Roland Johnson, Theiren Cockran, Alex Keith and an assortment of Ekpes.

Another coaching tidbit I noticed on defense was the fundamentals of our defensive backs in coverage. In both recent wins over Northwestern and Nebraska, our corners and safeties have done a great job breaking up passes directly thanks to great technique. I counted a handful of instances in both games where the pass got to the receiver, but our defenders did an excellent job of attacking the receiver's hands as the ball arrived. It's gotta be tempting to go for an interception or a big hit in those instances, but our guys instead made the sound play each time. Those types of defensive plays show a commitment to fundamentals and discipline, which directly relates to coaching. Those plays won't get on SportsCenter, but they go a long way towards winning.

Celebrating a big win on the turf.

And finally, the job Kill, Claeys, Limegrover and the rest of the staff has done during what could be a tumultuous time for any team has been beyond admirable. It's clearer than ever that everyone is on the same page within the program, and the consistency from top to bottom has not only kept the team all moving in the same direction during a tough couple weeks, but has also fostered the improvement we've seen before our very eyes.

The Kill-Claeys dynamic has been a fun one to observe as the head coach eases back into his role. I loved the guts of going for it on fourth-and-long on our go-ahead touchdown, and a lot of the other play calls throughout the game. In Kill's absence and limited role, it's become incredibly apparent how well the whole staff functions together. All those years of experience have manifested themselves in the form of continuity and trust, both of which have been huge assets in two-straight wins.

I re-watched the game on my DVR Sunday morning, and normally I think sideline reporting is useless at best, but it was interesting to hear reports from the Gopher sideline as they were poised to pull off the win. The ESPN reporter marveled at the focus, and said more than once that there was excitement on the sidelines during big plays, but the team was able to refocus and never get too high or too low throughout the entire game. Kill, Claeys and the whole staff certainly has given off that vibe, and it appears it's finally permeated the entire program.

So kudos to the coaching staff for their job preparing for Nebraska, coaching within the game and fostering the progression that's been evident ever since the bye week. It's been a joy to watch and the Gopher coaches deserve hearty handshakes all around. My only regret is I caught too caught up singing the school song with the Olson brothers and hugging Damien Wilson to find the coaches on the field and extend the handshake in person.

EXTRA POINTS
-I was a big-time Cobb doubter despite his performance against nonconference competition. Notice how I say "was." He was tremendous Saturday and has earned his new role as the featured back. I love his patience, vision and ability to get past the first contact almost every time.

-Brock Vereen back at corner has been fun to watch. He was certainly solid at safety for us, but he's been really good at corner the last two weeks. He doesn't have quite the same impact as Kim Royston had on our defense a few years ago, but they're certainly similar players. He's been a huge contributor and leader this season.

-Are we becoming the first team to use a "starting quarterback" and a "relief quarterback?" The Lamplighter was better Saturday than he was a week ago, but Nelson looked even better. If it wasn't for a few drops and one key miss of an open Double X Maxx Williams, his numbers would've been really, really good.

"Limo games" have been a rousing success.

-When the running game works, how beautiful are some of our designed play-action passes? Mike Henry wide open out of the backfield. Goodger wide open was so nice we did it thrice. Maxx had some good looks, including one to set up the game-sealing touchdown. As I mentioned before, I think this was our first true look at the full-fledged offense, and I like it. I like it alot.

-Ameer Abdullah is a really, really good running back. No shame in giving up almost 170 to him. Especially when we get the win.

-Saturday's win led us to contemplate the best Gopher games we've attended. I definitely put Saturday into my top five, along with 2005 at Michigan (Gary Russell up the sideline!), 2005 Purdue (comeback, double OT win, chased down the Boilermaker train in celebration), 2003 Wisconsin (Rhys Lloyd hurdling the bench) and Halloween 2009 vs. Michigan State (first-ever limo game, Duane Bennett's immaculate deflection). Honorable mentions include Jeff Horton's two wins at Illinois and home against Iowa, last year at UNLV. However, if we're adding hoops to the mix, my top five has to adjust to make room for Jeff Hagen's three consecutive 3-point plays vs. Michigan. The House of Hagen chant was strong that day, my friends.

-Come to think of it, we've had some outstanding limo games. 2009 vs. Michigan State. 2012 at UNLV. 2013 vs. Nebraska. 2010 (Ohio State) and 2011 (Nebraska) were forgettable, but we've got a pretty good track record when we travel in style. I wonder if the universe is telling us something?

-Anyone starting to tentatively make bowl plans yet? If it's in Texas, I'm in. If it's elsewhere, I'm strongly considering it.

-Thanks to whoever yelled "I love the blog" to me and Bruiser on the field Saturday. We figure this is 90 percent for our own amusement, so it was nice to encounter some of the other 10 percent who check on our thoughts and escapades from time-to-time.

-Apparently I did a good job making my presence felt on the field Saturday. Check out this Classy Gentleman's appearance on various media outlets...

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