Running back Thomas Tapeh I and tight end Ben Utecht, two standouts on a Minnesota offensive unit, discussed respect . . . or lack of it.
“People don’t respect us,” Tapeh said. “If you want something, they don’t give it to you. You have to take it. We’ve been taking some. Now we have to take it all.”
Utecht says the Gophers will.
“We have to work for respect,” the 6-f00t-6, 250-pound All-America candidate said. “We see the potential this team has, but it seems nobody else does. We have to show people that Minnesota is not a joke.”
Minnesota’s strength is its offense. The Gophers block, pass, catch and run well enough to score against anybody. The linemen are big, smart and experienced. Quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq, a preseason all Big Ten pick, threw 19 touchdown passes last year. Junior college transfer Paris Hamilton is labeled a gamebreaker at receiver.
Then there is the heart of the offense: Coach Glen Mason has three healthy running backs. Each of them has enjoyed a season when he averaged more than 5 yards a carry and rushed between 742 and 1,317 yards.
The 230-pound Tapeh rushed 906 yards for last year’s team that finished 8-5 and beat Arkansas 29-14 in the Music City Bowl.
Terry Jackson II, the smallest of the three at 5-11 and 190, isn’t as fast as the other two. But, helped by Tapeh’s blocking, he rushed 1,317 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry last year when the Gophers joined West Virginia as the only two schools with two 900-plus yard rushers.
Finally, 5-11, 210-pound Marion Barber III, son of former Gopher and NFL star Marion Jr., did not play last year because of injury. But he rushed 742 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry in 2001.
Minnesota’s weakness was its defense. The Gophers finished seventh in the Big Ten in total defense in 2002. Its 3-5 Big Ten record saw losses where Wisconsin scored 49 points, Iowa 44, Michigan 41 and Ohio State 34.
“Our defense struggled but got better,” Browning said. “At the end of the year, we stopped Arkansas, one of the top rushing teams in the SEC.”
“This is my 19th year of working with Glen Mason,” Browning said. “I know those ‘FOR SALE’ signs can go up quickly in front of your homes, but Glen and I agree this is probably our best football team.”
Minnesota at a glance
Home field: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis (capacity: 64,172)
Avg. home attendance: 41,785
Coaching
Head coach: Glen Mason
Record: 34-37-0 in six seasons;
93-101-1 overall in 17 years
2002 record: 8-5 (3-5 in Big Ten)
Bowl: Beat Arkansas 29-14 in Music City Bowl
2003 outlook
Bowl prospects: The Gophers chances are favorable because of their high-geared offense led by backs Thomas Tapeh I, Terry Jackson II and Marion Barber III. Minnesota has eight starters returning on offense, eight on defense and one on special teams. And Minnesota’s schedule? Well, Al McGuire used to call them “cupcakes.” Whatever they are, Tulsa, Troy State, Ohio and Louisiana-Lafayette don’t quite measure up as backbreaking non-conference foes. And the Gophers get conference powers Michigan and Wisconsin at home.
Date Opponent Time
Aug. 30 Tulsa 6 p.m.
Sept. 6 Troy State 7:10 p.m.
Sept. 13 at Ohio Noon
Sept. 20 La. Lafayette 7 p.m.
Sept. 27 at Penn State TBA
Oct. 4 at Northwestern TBA
Oct. 11 Michigan TBA
Oct. 18 Michigan State TBA
Oct. 25 at Illinois 11:05 a.m.
Nov. 1 Indiana TBA
Nov. 8 Wisconsin TBA
Nov. 15 at Iowa TBA
