A few hours before the first Gophers’ spring football practice, linebacker Sean Hoffman talked about how good it would be to start hitting again, a welcome release after he and his teammates spent much of the winter hibernating in the weight room.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Hoffman said.
Shortly after that, head coach Glen Mason sat in front of a microphone at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex and waxed philosophy about football.
“Perception is more important than reality,” Mason said. “It shouldn’t be, but it is. People look at someone who plays for Penn State or someone and says, Wow, they’re good.’ Not all of them are good. I played at Ohio State, and I’ll tell you I wasn’t any good.”
Mason’s point was that attitude and frame of mind are just as important as physical skill, especially when trying to reverse a trend of losing as long as the one Minnesota has experienced. Mason said the Gophers are making strides in that area. In the off-season, he regularly scheduled meetings and workouts at 6 a.m. The latest any player arrived was eight minutes early.
“These kids have exhibited the willingness to work better than at any place I’ve ever been,” Mason said.
Part of that might be because this is Mason’s second year in charge of the program since arriving from Kansas.
“We know how (the coaches) are going to handle certain situations, and we know what they expect out of us on a daily basis,” Hoffman said. “So it’s easier to go out and work on the fundamentals and things we need to accomplish.”
Minnesota, 3-9 in 1997 in its seventh straight losing season, has work to do in several areas. For the first time in recent memory, the offense has to catch up with the defense.
The Gophers finished near the bottom of the Big Ten in most offensive categories in 1997, resulting in the firing of offensive coordinator Elliot Uzelac. Steve Loney, offensive coordinator for three years at Iowa State, has taken Uzelac’s place. Also, Steve Axman was hired last week as quarterbacks coach, replacing Kevin Sumlin, who left to coach at Purdue.
“I hope (the offense) isn’t more complicated, because that’s not the answer,” Mason said. “We want to be more diversified. Some of our plays will be the same, but we’ve literally changed everything.”
Two of the most important changes are in personnel. Cory Sauter, who owns several school passing records, is gone, as is record-breaking wide receiver Tutu Atwell. Junior Billy Cockerham, who saw action in eight games last season, is the likely replacement for Sauter.
“He’s got the ability to make big plays,” Mason said. “Unfortunately, like most young guys, he can make big plays both ways.”
Junior Luke Leverson is the most experienced receiver returning. In an effort to boost Minnesota’s big play ability, Mason has moved 5-7 running back Antoine Henderson, a sophomore, to wide receiver.
“That’s a concern,” Mason said of his receiving corps. “With only 85 scholarships, you get one area going down, and one goes up.”
On defense, the Gophers finished a surprising fifth in the Big Ten in 1997, their best finish since 1985.
“Our defensive guys carry themselves different now,” Mason said.
But they lost All-American defense end Lamanzer Williams, who tied for first in the country last season with 18.5 sacks. Mason has moved senior Rufus Smith from outside linebacker to end in hopes of duplicating some of Williams’ productivity.
In the end, Mason hopes that his team follows the example of the Utah basketball team — which upset heavyweights Arizona and North Carolina in this year’s NCAA tournament — when playing football powers like Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State next season.
“They’ve got a bunch of really nobodies,” Mason said of the Utes. “But they’re going out there, and they didn’t care who they were playing. They weren’t trash talking, but they did play with a chip on their shoulder.”