Good morning from overcast Evanston, Ill. The horseshoe at Ryan Field is slowly starting to fill as the Gophers and Wildcats prepare to open the Big Ten season. Here are a few things I’ll be watching for from the press box today:
-The return of Marcus Sherels: Sidelined for Minnesota’s last two games with an ankle injury, the cornerback could not have picked a better game to return. Sherels is arguably the Gophers’ best pure cover corner and against Northwestern’s Mike Kafka, who put up record passing numbers a week ago against Syracuse, he’ll need to return to immediately return to form.
-Run, run, run: Can Minnesota establish the run? It has yet to this season. But if the Gophers do manage to move the ball on the ground, look out for…
-Weber to Decker: Both men are on a mission this week. Decker to erase the memory of the ball he let through his hands a year ago that led to the Wildcats’ Brendan Smith returning an interception 48 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the game; Weber to erase the memory of three fourth quarter interceptions a week ago against California. The duo could have a big day. But i’d also like to see…
-Weber to others: Receivers Brandon Green and Troy Stoudermire and tight end Nick Tow-Arnett to name a few. All have proven capable and I don’t know if it’s just Weber not trusting them quite yet or the fact that Decker is always open (I’d go to him too), but I’d like to see a little more distribution of the ball.
Alright the game just kicked off. Check back frequently for in-game updates.