Gopher football prognosticators are not sure what to make of the 2001 season outlook. The team’s profile is the reverse image of last year’s lineup, which consisted of an inexperienced offense and a seasoned, promising defense. But the 2000 offense, with little experience at critical positions, ended up setting a school record for yardage with more than 429 per game. And the defense, returning most of the starters from a strong 1999 lineup, ended up a letdown, especially late in games. In four Big Ten losses, opponents scored 69 points in the fourth quarter. Still, the Gophers were strong enough to earn a second consecutive bowl berth.

As the 2001 team seeks a third consecutive bowl game for the first time in team history, the situation is reversed: a fresh defense and a seasoned offense. But head coach Glen Mason, starting his fifth season with the Gophers, hopes this year’s story only twists halfway, that the offense will be as dangerous as it appears and the defense will be tight. "We do have question marks on defense, but I felt a lot better about the defense coming out of spring practice than going in," Mason says, referring to the three weeks in April he is allowed to work with returning players. "We had more enthusiasm and played with a lot more emotion than any time in the five years I’ve been here. I felt a lot better about my whole football team coming out of spring practice." The offense "didn’t miss a beat," he adds. "We picked up right where we left off and were able to expand on what we can do."

A tougher schedule awaits in 2001, with Michigan and Michigan State replacing last year’s non-bowl teams Indiana and Penn State on the Big Ten schedule. The season opener is also daunting. Although seeing Toledo on the schedule doesn’t strike fear into many, perhaps it should. In 2000, the Rockets were 10–1 and beat Penn State 24–6 in the opener. Among Toledo’s 16 returning starters are an all-conference quarterback and running back. "The first game is so important," Mason says. "You prepare for weeks, months really, for that game." How will he make sure his team won’t take the Rockets lightly? "I’ll just show them [Toledo’s] opening game with Penn State."

For the first time in several years, the Gopher offense is the team’s strength. With two starting quarterbacks, a receiver of all-American caliber, and a running back coming off the third-best season in team history, the Gophers are loaded with talent. They also bring back four experienced offensive linemen and a receiving corps as deep as any in the Big Ten.

Senior Ron Johnson of Detroit—a big, fast, and sure-handed wide receiver—has already been compared with the Vikings’ Cris Carter, a certain NFL Hall of Famer. Johnson has caught at least one pass in each of his 35 games, holds the school touchdown record, and should top the yardage and receptions lists by mid-season. Behind the all-American candidate are several more dangerous receivers. One of Mason’s goals for the season is to develop more "big play" potential. With those receivers, Mason says he feels good about the progress there.

At quarterback, the tag-team play of senior Travis Cole of Lake Oswego, Oregon, and sophomore Asad Abdul-Khaliq of Elizabeth, New Jersey, will continue. The two bring different skills to the offense: Cole has the stronger arm while Abdul-Khaliq is the more dangerous runner. The fact that defenses must prepare to play against both styles of quarterback is "an indirect benefit," Mason says. "The real reason they’ll both play is that they both have performed and both deserve to play."

Junior Tellis Redmon of Grapevine, Texas, returns from a breakout season at running back, where he gained 1,368 yards and scored 10 touchdowns despite not securing the starting spot until the fifth game of the season. Highly talented sophomore Thomas Tapeh of St. Paul is hoping to recover enough from an ankle

Running back Tellis Redmon was the surprise of last season and one reason the Gophers should boast a powerful offense in 2001

injury to provide a second running threat.

Another of Mason’s goals, improving scoring from inside the 20-yard line, will hinge on the enormous front line—the Gophers have two of the biggest tackles in the country, each at about 6–7 and 340 pounds—learning to play as a unit. Mason has done some shifting to help make up for the loss of all-American Ben Hamilton. Senior Derek Burns of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, a two-year starter at guard, moves to center. The other anchor will be three-year starter Ryan Roth, a senior from Kansas City, Missouri.

With only two starters returning on defense, Mason hopes his fast and talented unit can continue to pick up the schemes of new defensive coordinator Moe Ankeny, who began working with the defense in spring. That should help them match up better against the speedy offenses that beat them last year. The defense will be faster, Mason says, although not nearly as big. "But if you asked me which I’d rather have on defense, I would rather have the ability to run."

The coaches are also working together well. "I was very pleased with the new additions to our coaching staff," Mason says of Ankeny, his three defensive assistants, and two other new coaches. "You expect the players to work together and its impossible to do that if the coaching staff doesn’t work together. We’ve got the right chemistry there."

The secondary could be a strength this year, with junior Mike Lehan of Hopkins, Minnesota, returning at corner and converted wide receiver Jack Brewer, a senior from Grapevine, Texas, showing such talent at safety that he could be one of the year’s big surprises. Sophomore Eli Ward of Akron, Ohio, developed into a key player late last year at safety, and there are several more talented backups.

A small defensive middle got bigger this spring when senior defensive end Greg White of Newark, New Jersey, got moved to linebacker, where he will provide strong pass-rush support when called on to blitz. He’ll join 1999 starter Astein Osei, a senior from Bolingbrook, Illinois, who sat out last year with an injury.

Newcomers will dot the defensive line, as sophomore Dan Kwapinski of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, is the only returning player. Redshirt freshmen Brandon Harston, a 300-pounder from Fort Worth, Texas, and 290-pound Timothy Ward of Milwaukee, will see time in the middle of the line. The ends may be played by two converted offensive players: senior Zach Vevea of Elk River, Minnesota, who played tight end last year, and sophomore Eric Stenzel of Mankato, Minnesota, who played fullback in 2000.

With every key player returning, the Gophers can look for improved kicking and a good return game. Junior punter Preston Gruening of Schofield, Wisconsin, is a preseason all-American. He’ll again hold for junior kicker Dan Nystrom of New Hope, Minnesota, who had an off year in 2000. Long snapper Peter Prudden, a sophomore from Wayzata, Minnesota, also returns. Mason says he counts on those three working well together and it showed in spring, with Nystrom hitting five of six field goals in the spring game.

For the Gophers to return to a bowl game, they will probably need to beat Toledo on opening day. Although they bounced back from a loss to Ohio University in 2000, an opening defeat to a small-conference foe could deal a blow to the confidence of the young defense. The defense will need to contain and slow down opposing offenses so the Gophers can get their own talented offense on the field. "We’re going to have to play together awfully well as a unit [on defense]," Mason says. "There won’t be that all-American [Tyrone Carter in 1999] or first-round draft pick [Willie Middlebrooks in 2000] to fall back on." In the early ’90s, the Gophers came out on the wrong end of a lot of games with scores like 49–42. If the defense can develop that teamwork to go along with its talent and enthusiasm, the Gophers should come out on the right end of enough of those scores in 2001 to gain another bowl bid.

Chris Coughlan-Smith is associate editor of Minnesota.