Gophers give depth players looks in open practice at Huntington Bank Stadium
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team held its second practice of fall camp open to media on Tuesday at Huntington Bank Stadium under a clear sky and perfect weather.
It was a day largely for the reserve players, and as many as nine to 10 expected starters got veteran rest days. Drake Lindsey got virtually every play at quarterback, while presumed starter Max Brosmer was on a head set calling plays in team situations.
"It was great, I have a blast doing that. With the walkie, we get the other side of that. Drake is yelling at me because he can’t hear the play and I’m screaming. It’s good seeing that dynamic, I’m getting mad at coach Harbaugh because I can’t hear the play, I can see where that’s coming from now," Brosmer said.
Practice highlights
With the second-team offenses and defenses getting the bulk of the work, it was a day largely won by the defense. Theorin Randle got three sacks on Lindsey and caused consistent pressure. The defense also recovered a fumble.
Lindsey’s lone touchdown of the day went to running back Zander Rockow. He also had big plays to Le’Meke Brockington, and Pierce Walsh over the middle. P.J. Fleck said Tuesday’s practice was about finding out what his roster is with three weeks before the season-opener, in case a starter goes down.
"Just to be able to get some other guys some reps, I think that’s critical. Week 2 is about taking the floor and raising the floor, I’ve always believed that," Fleck said. "Now people are fighting for jobs in Week 2, I need to be able to answer questions by the end of Week 2 and the middle of Week 3 on the depth chart. What the answers are if and when something happens to somebody, those are the questions we’re answering in Week 2."
‘This isn’t Canada’
Fleck stopped practice during a situation, told one of his staffers to "Hold my beer" and then went onto explain to his offensive players what an illegal shift, illegal formation and false start are. Only one player can be in motion at a time, and they must come to a set position for a second before another player can move.
The Gophers had some issues with that Tuesday. Fleck yelled, "This isn’t Canada." In the Canadian Football League, multiple players can shift or motion pre-snap.
"We’re three weeks from game day, so if you’re making alignment, assignment, motion problems, that’s going to be hard to make up all that ground in a week. That’s what summer meetings are for," Fleck said. "If we’re behind on that, they’ve either got to make some adjustments on that quickly or we’ve got to move on."
Max Brosmer plays chess?
Brosmer told reporters Tuesday he’s been playing a lot of chess during fall camp to decompress and get his mind right before practice. It’s also a good way to stay away from social media.
He says he plays 10-15 times per day.
"I’ve been playing a lot during training camp. I feel like I’m actually competing against somebody, it’s really beneficial for my head," Brosmer said.
If he can translate the smarts of a chess match to the football field, the Gophers will be in good shape in the fall.