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As part of a countdown to the start of the college football season, we'll take a look around the Big Ten Conference, previewing one conference team each day beginning with the bottom of the Big Ten and working our way up all the way to the top spot in the conference and who we think will come out on top this 2007 season.

(Links to all preview articles published so far are on Keith's author page)

11. Minnesota               2006 record- 6-7, 3-5 Big Ten

 Predicted Finish in 2007- 3-9, 1-7 Big Ten

Tim Brewster is entering his first season as head coach of the Golden Gophers and will have a major task on his hands in getting this team to turn any heads and finishing anywhere near the middle of the pack in the Big Ten.  Filled with an off season of negativity with the dismissal of the Gophers best pass defender in Dominic Jones as well as defensive teammate Keith Massey and two others, Brewster will first have to convince the Gophers that this is his team.  The Gophers are coming off a monumental collapse in last year's Insight Bowl loss to Texas Tech, a game that saw Minnesota blow a 31-point third quarter lead in route to a 44-41 overtime loss to the Raiders, and eventually to the firing of head coach Glen Mason.

Quarterback

Minnesota will introduce a new signal caller this fall in junior Tony Mortensen, who in limited playing time last season completed just two of 10 passes for 15 yards and threw two interceptions as well. The presence of Amir Pinnix in the backfield should help ease the transition into developing the passing game, but if thrown into the fire too quickly and called upon to lead a game winning drive, Mortensen may struggle.

Running Back

Amir Pinnix was a workhorse for the Gophers last season carrying the ball 252 times and racking up 1272 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in 2006. Pinnix should see similar numbers this season as he will be called upon to carry the load for the offense once more. Jay Thomas comes into the season as the backup to Pinnix coming off a 2006 season in which he carried the ball just 37 times, but did have 4 touchdowns as the Gophers third option at tailback.  Pinnix and Thomas can expect plenty of carries this season as the Gophers will have to rely heavily on the running game with a new quarterback under center.

Wide Receivers

The loss of Logan Payne and Matt Spaeth, means that Ernie Wheelwright and Eric Decker will have to step up and carry the load at the wide receiver position. Wheelwright is a big target at 6-5, and should give Mortensen a formidable go-to guy in third down situations in which Wheelwright can create mismatch problems for opposing defensive backs. Wheelwright did have more than 400 yards receiving and five touchdowns last year as Minnesota's third wide receiver. Decker is a possession-type receiver and averaged 14.5 yards a catch last season, second to only Wheelwright's 16.8, and added three touchdowns in 2006. The talent at wide receiver, although not overwhelming, is there, but it will be Mortensen's job to deliver.

Tight Ends

As primarily a running team, Minnesota will rarily throw the ball down the field to a tight end, however, if Brewster decides to implement that as part of the offense he has himself a legitimate target in Jack Simmons. At 6-4, 240, Simmons showed the ability to produce when given the chance in 2006 hauling in 17 passes for 229 yards and one score.

Offensive Line

Center Tony Brinkhaus anchors a predominantly young offensive line which features two sophomores and one junior in addition to tackle Steve Shidell, who stands as the only other senior besides Brinkhaus on the line. Brinkhaus is a legitimate All-Big Ten caliber lineman and should help balance a line that will be heavily depended upon in leading the way for Amir Pinnix.

Defensive Line

The defensive line will rely heavily on the leadership of junior Willie VanDeSteeg, who led the team last season with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. Outside of VanDeSteeg, senior Todd Meisel serves as the only other defensive lineman with much experience at all as the Gophers head into the season as an unproven collective group. For a team that gave up 158.2 yards a game on the ground last year, the inexperience speaks volumes about the struggles they might endure again in that category this season as well.

Linebackers

Senior linebacker Mike Sherels returns as the team’s leading tackler in 2006. Senior John Shevlin and junior Steve Davis will complement Sherels as the two combined for 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Once again, however, experience doesn’t always breed success and having ranked tenth in the Big Ten in total defense in 2006, the Gophers have much room for improvement on every front of their defense.

Defensive Backs

The dismissal of the defense’s best cover corner in Dominic Jones as well as defensive backfield teammate Keith Massey leaves the Gophers severely depleted at the position heading into the season. Seniors Jamal Harris and Desi Steib are expected to start at the corner positions, but the loss of Jones, undoubtedly, leaves a chink in the Gophers armor and without a proven shutdown corner. Dominique Barber returns at the safety position where he led the team a year ago with four interceptions. At the other safety position, the Gophers are leaning towards freshman Curtis Thomas who can be expected to be tested early as will the entire defensive backfield as Minnesota was the worst pass defense in the Big Ten last season.

Special Teams

Jason Giannini returns as the Gopher's placekicker as he went seven of 12 last season, although he was five for five from 39 yards and in. From 40 yards and beyond though, Giannini went just two of seven. Justin Kucek will return as the punter, where a season ago he averaged 40.3 yards per attempt with a long of 59 , and leaving 18 of his 56 punts inside the 20-yard line. The loss of Dominic Jones once again leaves the Gophers looking for answers in the return game and 5’4 freshman wide receiver Marvin Jones will most likely get the first chance to fill the role.

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