Kerry Brown News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kerry-brown/ Minnesota sports, but different Wed, 20 Aug 2025 20:31:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Kerry Brown News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/kerry-brown/ 32 32 MN Gophers Safety Not Named Koi Perich Garnering Attention https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/kerry-brown-drawing-national-attention-safety/ Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=67025 Unless you’re living under a rock you are more than well aware that Koi Perich is a star for the Minnesota Gophers. Beyond just his team though, he’s an absolute standout across the college football landscape as a whole.

Now set to play on both sides of the ball for head coach P.J. Fleck, Perich is looking to take college football by storm. If the Gophers are going to be good this season, and they can be, it will take more than just him though.

The good news is that his running mate at the back-end of the secondary is a stud too. It’s time you got to know Kerry Brown.

Kerry Brown is commanding attention for Minnesota Gophers

For years the Minnesota Gophers have been known as one of the best safety-producing programs in college football. Antoine Winfield Jr. just recently got the bag and Tyler Nubin was a quick star as a rookie for the New York Giants. It’s not just Koi Perich though. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg says best be familiar with Kerry Brown.

Big Ten fans and others probably know about Minnesota’s other safety, Koi Perich, the first-team All-Big Ten defensive back who might be the closest thing to Travis Hunter in 2025 as he takes on a significant role for the offense. But Minnesota also is excited about Brown, who performed well during his first season as a starter, finishing third on the team in tackles and showing active hands in pass coverage. He had pass breakups in each of his last two games, and made several of his biggest tackles on fourth down, where Minnesota thrived (15th nationally in fourth down defense).

ESPN

“Kerry Brown is a very special football player. He is a star on our team, and he’s ready to take that next step. He can do everything. We put him at nickel, we put him at strong [safety], we put him at free [safety], he plays dime on third down. He can do everything. His coverage right now is the best that it’s ever been. He just has a great feel for the game. He can track the ball deep throws, he’s a guy that has a great ability to blitz and he can bend and blade and get his body in different positions to get through the line of scrimmage.”

Danny Collins – ESPN

Last season Kerry Brown played 12 games for the Minnesota Gophers. He had 34 total tackles, three for losses, and two interceptions. With Perich playing on both sides of the ball, Brown’s abilities may be more important than ever.

Danny Collins is taking over as defensive coordinator for Minnesota and the back end of his secondary could be among the most formidable in the country. If Brown is the real deal, and can pair well again with Perich, there’s no reason to think that Minnesota can’t keep opposing offenses in check.

Related: Gopher FB Star Lands on Another Top CFB Talent List

The Gophers kick off their 2025 regular season against the Buffalo Bulls on August 28 at Huntington Bank Stadium.

]]> Wed, 20 Aug 2025 15:31:14 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football What We Learned About the Gophers in Week 3 Stomping of Nevada https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-football-news/minnesota-vs-nevada-postgame-takeaways-week-3-2024/ Sat, 14 Sep 2024 22:11:10 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=55005 The Minnesota Gophers season started on a tough note after dropping a home game to North Carolina. Max Brosmer then had a coming out party against Rhode Island. P.J. Fleck wrapped up his 2024 non-conference schedule with another victory and there were plenty of takeaways.

Minnesota Gophers defense doesn’t miss Joe Rossi

Nevada came into Huntington Bank Stadium with a better offensive identity than defense. They put up nearly 400 yards per game, and despite the 1-2 record, find themselves in the top 70 nationally. Minnesota certainly did not care.

Quarterback Brendon Lewis was able to escape the pressure a couple of times, but Minnesota’s defense had him searching for answers. He took a pair of sacks, and four more hits, during the first half. Kerry Brown recorded his first career interception and then very quickly doubled the effort.

The Gophers allowed Nevada to move the ball into field goal position, but they continued to buckle down in front of their end zone. A blocked kick was the only scoring opportunity in the first half.

Koi Perich took over punt return duties, and while he didn’t see a defensive snap in the first half, he showed his athleticism one 16-yard return, but didn’t get any other opportunities. Nevada was in long-yardage situations all afternoon, and Minnesota never let their foot off the gas pedal.

Nevada found the red zone for the first time with less than 10 minutes to go in the game. Benson went to the end zone and Ethan Robinson, a transfer from Bucknell, picked off his first pass for the Gophers.

Cory Hetherman’s depth on defense allows the unit to stay fresh. At least through three weeks, the Minnesota Gophers defense doesn’t seem to miss its longtime defensive coordinator, Joe Rossi, who left for Michigan State in the offseason.

Max Brosmer has completely changed PJ Fleck’s offense

For far too long we have seen P.J. Fleck teams struggle to pass the football. Talented running backs have been forced to shoulder the load. At no point has the passing game been a focal point. That has changed. Max Brosmer looks like the real deal, and the transfer can make all of the throws.

Nevada came in with a putrid pass defense. The Wolfpack allow more than 250 yards per game, ranking 103rd in the nation. Brosmer immediately took advantage of that and picked apart the secondary. Elijah Spencer put up 40 yards halftime the quarterback had completed 14-of-20 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He could have had a second touchdown (that instead wound up being intercepted) if wide receiver Cristian Driver got his head around to the football.

Related: What Should Gophers Fans Expect vs Nevada? More Max Brosmer.

Nevada certainly isn’t the defensive stalwart that Iowa will be next week for the Gophers, but Brosmer has passed the early test. He looked calm in the pocket, and moved to open space. It was an ideal marriage of the footwork and positioning shown between his first two starts for Minnesota.

Darius Taylor is still him

It was a surprise when Darius Taylor returned to the field against Rhode Island. He was back in action against Nevada and remained every bit the weapon he appeared to be as a freshman. Running room wasn’t plentiful early for Taylor, but that didn’t stop Fleck from finding ways to get his playmaker the football.

Although Taylor had just 23 yards on the ground with his first six carries, he added 35 more on five receptions. Both of the Gophers first half touchdowns came from Taylor. He punched one in on the ground, and another on a Brosmer pass. Then the half turned over and the superstar broke out. His 80-yard rush made it a 27-0 game and he eclipsed the century mark for the first time this year.

As Big Ten opponents look to shut down Taylor, they will be forced to look at him as a dual-threat back. Taylor being more involved in the receiving game opens up other pass-catching options as well. Brosmer was often able to work through his progressions and cycle back to the running back if need be.

How Taylor fares against the Big Ten schedule will be the focal point, but he certainly made it work in year one.

Additional areas of focus for Fleck’s Gophers

The game got off to something of a cute start. Rather than go for it on 4th-and-2, Fleck decided to call upon kicker Dragan Kesich for a 52-yard field goal. The big leg came through for a record-setting fifth career 50+ yarder. He later hit from 21 but missed a 50 yard try wide right. The power is definitely there, but the accuracy still needs to be dialed in.

Marcus Major is a serious threat on his own. Minnesota transferred him in from Oklahoma to provide depth. He produced 73 yards in the season-opening start against North Carolina. Major sprinkled in nicely for the Gophers on Saturday and had a nice 18-yard run.

Jack Henderson picked off a pass against Rhode Island last week. Against Nevada it was his ability to bring down the passer that stood out. The Gophers defensive back had 1.5 sacks as well as a quarterback hit. Jah Joyner didn’t get home, but he did hit Benson three times.

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