Trey Potts News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/trey-potts/ Minnesota sports, but different Sun, 02 Oct 2022 16:31:54 +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 Trey Potts News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/trey-potts/ 32 32 Are We Worried About the Gophers? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/are-we-worried-about-the-minnesota-gophers/ Sun, 02 Oct 2022 16:31:51 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=40605 Everything was rolling for the Minnesota Gophers, leading up to their matchup on Saturday vs the Purdue Boilermakers. Kirk Ciarrocca had resurrected an even better version of 2019 Tanner Morgan. The defense, under Joe Rossi, looked like one of the best in the country. And Mo Ibrahim was still Mo Ibrahim, even after snapping his achilles in week one last year vs Ohio State.

Combine all of those internal positives with a weak 2022 Big Ten West and a Gophers schedule void of matchups vs Buckeyes or Wolverines; the optimism in Dinkytown was running amuck. But then, the game vs Purdue kicked off and everything changed.

Gophers hit Purdue wall

The Minnesota Gophers were punched in the face immediately. Purdue forced an opening drive 3-and-out, then charged down the field, themselves, and scored a touchdown. It took until the 3rd quarter, but the Gophers did eventually tie the game, 10-10. They’d never get the lead, though. Three Tanner Morgan interceptions and a flacid run game choked the life out of their offensive effort. Final: 20-10, Purdue wins.

Just like that, the population of PJ Fleck’s 2022 hype boat has declined rapidly over the past 20 hours. It’ll only get worse from here, too. They’re top-25 AP Poll ranking will disappear on Sunday afternoon. And media members will jump ship for the next two weeks, given the Gophers impending bye.

But is the current bandwagon exodus warranted? After the Purdue loss, how worried should fans be about Minnesota’s chances in the Big Ten West? The answer to these questions, of course, is “yes” and “no”. But, more “yes” than “no”.

Most Concerning: Running Back Depth

Mohamed Ibrahim dressed and worked out before the game but didn’t take the field for Minnesota’s first snap. Or for any thereafter. Instead, the Gopher running game was anchored by Trey Potts and Bryce Williams. And it didn’t go well.

Tanner Morgan handed the ball off just 20 times on Saturday (Williams: 11, Potts: 9). Probably because those handoffs totalled just 48 yards (2.4 YPC). With or without Mo, the Minnesota Gophers under PJ Fleck will always be a run-first team. They lost two elite backs to the transfer portal this offseason, so the depth issues aren’t surprising. Nonetheless, if the run game is reliant on Ibrahim’s health, that’s worrisome.

Don’t Worry Defense

If Gopher fans need a happy place to go to, think about the defense. Yes, they struggled in the first drive, but from there, they fought ever single down and gave the Minnesota offense a multitude of opportunities to get back into it.

It has depth, it has speed and it has talent. It also has Joe Rossi. Every opponent on the schedule will struggle to score points against the Minnesota Gophers and that means they’ll be in every matchup. Yes, Kirk Ciarrocca & Co struggled on Saturday and RB depth is a concern. Still, this team is much better offensively than last season, when they finished 9-4.

The Key: Tanner Morgan

And that brings us to what matters most: Tanner Morgan. Given Minnesota’s depth issues in the backfield and the determination opponents have to stop the run, offensive productivity throughout the season will land on Tanner’s shoulders.

Michigan State challenged him and he made them pay. In return, the Gophers won easily. Purdue did the same thing, even with Ibrahim sidelined, and Morgan struggled. Thus, the Gophers failed to move the football consistently and lossed.

So, the jury is still out on Tanner Morgan. You know Illinois will force him to make plays in two weeks, when the Gophers resume their schedule after the bye week. How does Tanner respond?

More Optimism

Even with their struggles offensively, the Minnesota Gophers should have won yesterday. Mike Brown-Stephens dropped an easy TD that turned into an INT and Tanner Morgan was careless with the football. On top of that, the OL struggled throughout the day.

These are the issues that are unlikely to be repeated. Morgan is never careless with the football, PJ Fleck’s wide receivers do not drop passes and the Gopher o-line is one of the best in the conference.

Most importantly, if we’re eyeing a Big Ten West championship, is the inadequecies plagueing the rest of the division. Wisconsin and Iowa both lost AGAIN yesterday and Minnesota’s biggest competion looks like Illinois, who they face in two weeks.

Yes, there’s reason for concern around Dinkytown. But overall, the Gophers are still in really great shape.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sun, 02 Oct 2022 11:31:54 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Next [Fresh]Men Up for Gophers With Trey Potts Out https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/next-freshmen-up-for-gophers-with-trey-potts-out/ Mon, 11 Oct 2021 22:00:19 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36525 The Minnesota Gophers grabbed a huge win in West Lafayette vs the Purdue Boilermakers nine days ago (last Saturday). Two days later, after rumors had surfaced across many public and private forums online, the U of M released a statement on running back Trey Potts, who was rushed out of Ross-Ade Stadium as the game was being completed and remained at an Indiana hospital.

Later last week, on Friday, the Gophers released an update on Potts confirming what had been reported by Andy Greder and others earlier that day. Six days after arriving at the hospital, Trey had been discharged and was recovering back in Minnesota.

All indications I’ve received on Trey Potts’ injury points to a collapsed lung but nothing has been confirmed by team officials. Fleck started his press conference today by addressing Potts’ injury and officially ruling him out for the rest of the 2021 season. PJ made it very clear that he wouldn’t get into any specifics on the nature of the ailment.

Fleck praised the fast action of all medical personnel involved from beginning to end. Watch his entire Monday appearance HERE.

Next [Fresh]men up?

The Minnesota Gophers came into the 2021 season with six running backs on roster, five of which we expected to see sparingly as Mohamed Ibrahim tried to run his way into the top of the Golden Gopher record books. Five games in, they have just four backs left.

Two of the four, Bryce Williams and Cam Wiley, can be considered upper-classmen, with 3+ years of experience. We’ve seen Williams and Wiley used VERY sparingly throughout the year and the small sample size of results tells us why. Their 11 combined carries have totaled just 6 yards.

Instead, I expect PJ Fleck and Co to lean on their two 4-star freshmen running backs, Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas. He mentioned Irving and Thomas first, when asked during Monday’s press conference about where they turn next.

Youth Movement Incoming

Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving is a smaller-sized true freshman who’s already seen the field quite a bit. He blew up the scene vs Colorado, running for 6.0 yards per carry, but has struggled to bust through the trenches since. Still he’s been the clear RB2 for a few weeks, racking up 125 yards on 25 carries.

Redshirt freshman, Ky Thomas, could see the biggest jump in activity. The former Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year is much bigger than Irving and runs with more of a bulldozer mentality. Thomas has carried the ball just seven times on the season and they were all in the blowout win vs Colorado. Still, his 9.4 yards per carry that day is enough to earn intrigue.

The “lightning and thunder” dynamic will be a glimpse into the future for fans and coaches hope the two youngsters can carry the load while Tanner Morgan continues to search for the way he played in 2019. I did a deep dive into both freshmen running backs back when Mohamed Ibrahim went down with an injury vs Ohio State.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Mon, 11 Oct 2021 17:00:22 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Should Lean on Talented Freshmen Running Backs to Beat Bowling Green https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gophers-should-lean-on-talented-freshmen-running-backs-to-beat-bowling-green/ Sat, 25 Sep 2021 02:55:56 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36394 The Minnesota Gophers will play their homecoming game at 11 AM CT on Saturday vs the Bowling Green Falcons, who they’ve only played two other times in school history (1-1). The Gophers are 31-point favorites and expected to easily dispose of the Falcons.

That should mean a perfect opportunity to get more run for Freshmen backs, Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas, who totaled 22 carries, 155 yards and a touchdown in a 30-0 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes last weekend. But that’s easier said than done when PJ Fleck is your head coach.

Irving and Thomas may have combined for 22 carries vs Colorado. But Trey Potts got 26 by himself. In fact, since Mohamad Ibrahim was injured and Trey was crowned the new bell cow on September 11, Potts has taken 10 more carries than any other running back nationwide.

Freshmen Showcase

With Mohamad Ibrahim out, the Minnesota Gophers will need Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas to take important carries throughout the 2021 season. Fleck made it clear last week, that he’s going to roll with his underclassmen. Upperclassman, Bryce Williams got one carry vs Colorado and fumbled. Cam Wiley didn’t see the field.

But to trust Bucko and Ky, they need reps to prove they’re ready for the real thing. Tomorrow’s game vs an inferior MAC opponent like Bowling Green, should be a perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

The last time the Falcon defense took the field vs a Power 5 opponent was in week one vs the Tennessee Volunteers. They surrendered 331 rushing yards, alone. Yes, you read that correctly. 331 yards on the ground. Fleck and Co are hitting the pillow tonight determined to put up a number similar to that on Saturday. And they should be able to do it without handing the ball off to Trey Potts 25 times.

Save Potts for Big Ten Season

Sometimes it is difficult for PJ Fleck to move on from his RB1. That’s fine when he’s playing against other Big Ten opponents. Nobody will complain if Potts takes 30+ carries to beat Nebraska or Wisconsin. I promise. But the Minnesota Gophers shouldn’t have to run Trey 34 times to beat Miami (OH) or 26 times during a blowout victory over Colorado.

Save Potts for Big Ten play. Use games vs Bowling Green to get reps for young guys who heavily factor into your future plans. It should keep those younger running backs happy and hungry, which is becoming more and more important with the immediate transfer capabilities of 2021. It also gives those young backs invaluable experience that they will need to tap into for the future.

The time for Mar’Keise “Bucko” Irving and Ky Thomas is tomorrow vs the (should be) overwhelmed Bowling Green defense.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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