MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

[mattynokes]

MINNing For Gold

Game: NCAA 12

Platform: PS3

Quarter Length: 10 Minutes

Difficulty: Heisman

Rosters: luvtotha9s

Sliders: SECElit3's Zero Based

After a hiatus, I’m back to playing football, but can’t get into my Western Colorado dynasty on PS2 like I was in the past, so I’ve moved back to the PS3. As shown above, I’m still on NCAA 12. I know many people have found issues with the game, but I’ve found with SECElit3’s Heisman Sliders and my own house rules (below), it makes for an enjoyable and realistic game.

Before I went back to PS2 late 2013, I had been playing a Washington State dynasty on NCAA 12. Due to prestige being able to be easily raised by mid-major schools, I’ve found the real rebuilding challenge lies in low prestige BCS/Power 5 conference schools. As I have done for awhile, I sim out five years, only recruiting, and then start playing once all of the real players are out of the game (2016 in this case) and play each game myself. I was back-and-forth on whether I should post this dynasty or not, but after reading through LopaKa’s dynasty, I think I’ve found what I want. I love playing each game myself, but get bogged down with posting results of every game. I like the season preview/review idea and think this can be very exciting to see how the rebuild of Minnesota turns out.

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

HOUSE RULES

1) Adjust depth chart for CPU pre-game.

2) No switching players on offense or defense after the snap.
- Screens and option plays are excluded

3) Option run plays must be ended (dive, run out of bounds) when you see the DB/LB glitch.

4) Whenever you suspect the CPU will attempt a ridiculous FG...

Spoiler

- Pause and switch teams
- Click to super sim, but cancel super sim
- This should automatically have a FG called, but you being in control of the CPU team. Wait for delay of game, offsides, or false start.
- Pick appropriate play. Punt for them or lock on the Center and do nothing if going for it.

5) Rolling the clock is not allowed until there's under 4 minutes in the 4th quarter.
- If you are up by 25+ points, you may roll clock during the 4th quarter as long as you stay up by at least 25 points.

6) "Aggressive" Strip is not allowed, except for onside kicks.

7) If facing an option team, switch their playbook to the generic "Run Balanced", and switch it back after the game.

8) Players being changed from DB to LB (or LB to DB) will receive the following:
-2 Str, -2 Tak, -2 Pow, -2 Bsh, -2 Mcv, -2 Zcv, -2 Prs

9) K --> P or P --> K position changes will receive the following:
-2 Kpw, -2 Kac

10) Suspension/Injury Rolls
- Use www.random.org/ to see if a player gets a suspension or (for OL/DL only) an injury.

Spoiler

Suspensions

Step 1

Infraction or None?
1 = Infraction
2 = None
3 = None
4 = Infraction
5 = None

Step 2

Team Rules, Academics, or NCAA Rules?
1 = Team Rules
2 = Academics
3 = NCAA Rules

Academic suspension rolls are only valid before Week 1 and Bowl Week (simulating summer semester and end of fall semester). If #2 is rolled any other week, they are considered “None”.

Players with 75+ AWR are exempt from Team Rule violations and players with 85+ AWR are also exempt from Academic violations.

Step 3

Team Rules
1 = 1 Game
2 = 2 Games
3 = 3 Games
4 = 1^st Quarter
5 = 5 Games

Academics
If Week 1 = Regular Season + Conf Championship
If Bowl Week = Bowl Game

NCAA Rules
1 = 1 Game
2 = 2 Games
3 = 3 Games
4 = 5 Games
5 = 1 Game
6 = 2 Games
7 = Season

Step 4

Enter -5 to 105 in random number generator to figure out which player is in violation. If unused number turns up, keep rolling until used number is rolled. Even if the player is injured or redshirting, they will be suspended. -5 and 105 are used so jersey numbers 1 and 99 are not the extreme ends of the number roll.

Step 5 (Academics Only)
A player must be cleared to return from an academics suspension. He will have as many tries as there are semesters left before the next football season starts. i.e. if he’s suspended for the bowl game, he would have spring and summer semester to become eligible once again. If the player fails to return, he is to be cut in the off-season (if he’s suspended for the regular season, he would have 3 chances to return).

Player Returns?
1 = Yes
2 = No

Injuries – Rolled after every game, only for OL/DL

Step 1

Injury or None?
1 = None
2 = Injury
3 = None

Step 2

Injury Length
1 = 1 Week
2 = 2-3 Weeks
3 = 4-5 Weeks
4 = 6+ Weeks (Max of Season Ending)
5 = 1 Week
6 = 2-3 Week
7 = 4-5 Week
8 = Season Ending
9 = 1 Week

Step 3

Enter -5 to 105 in random number generator to figure out which player is in violation. If unused number turns up, keep rolling until used number is rolled. If the player is redshirted, he cannot be injured. If the player is already injured, it will add-on to his existing injury. -5 and 105 are used so jersey numbers 1 and 99 are not the extreme ends of the number roll.

Step 4

Player Returns?
1 = Yes
2 = No

i.e. #3 is rolled

The player will be injured a minimum of four weeks. Then a roll will determine if he returns or not before the fifth week. After he is injured five weeks, he is set to return without needing a roll to clear him.

RECRUITING RULES

1) Can’t cut scholarship players.
- Walk-ons and transfers can be cut

2) Can’t talk anyone rated 90+ from leaving early.

3) Recruiting restrictions:

Spoiler

- Anyone in-state
- Anyone interested
- Anyone one star above prestige
- Must be four star prestige to recruit uninterested, out-of-state four star prospects
- Can only attempt to sway Average and Above Average topics
- Cannot attempt to sway any topics on visit weeks for that prospect

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Minnesota Golden Gophers Season Records

Year	Rating	Rank	Record	Conference	Bowl Game	Opponent	Outcome
2011	81	NR	6-7	2-6	Military Bowl	Western Michigan	L 27-48
2012	83	NR	4-8	2-6	No Bowl Game
2013	84	NR	3-9	1-7	No Bowl Game
2014	81	NR	7-6	4-4	Texas Bowl	Kansas	L 24-35
2015	83	NR	4-8	1-7	No Bowl Game
2016	84	18	9-4	6-2	Gator Bowl	Florida	L 35-43 (3 OT)
2017	86	NR	8-5	5-3	Gator Bowl	Mississippi	L 20-38
2018	84	NR	8-5	5-3	Insight Bowl	Iowa State	W 45-10
2019	83	NR	11-2	7-1	Fiesta Bowl	Oklahoma	L 21-26

2011-2015 were simmed, only recruiting during those years
The year links to first post of the season

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Reserved #2

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Recruiting Classes

2012 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#89) - [13]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown
CB		42	565	Andy Copeland	Castro Valley, CA
TE		44	760	Marlon Nichols	Zephyrhills, FL
FS		28	832	Antoine Robinson	Coon Rapids, MN
CB		73	877	Jeff Harvey	Duncanville, TX
DE		91	950	Sawyer Johnson	Beloit, WI
T		45	1009	Todd Tremblay	Shenandoah, IA
T		46	1022	Jason Parham	Roseville, MN
OLB		80	1179	Michael Thornburg	Rochester, MN
SS		45	1199	Mike Irvin	Aspen Hill, MD
G		73	1206	Graham Connor	Columbia Heights, MN
DE		116	1215	Randy Mayes	Grand Forks, ND
DT		93	1285	Blake Rice	Clearwater, FL
TE		76	1466	Kevin Jensen	Mason City, IA
2013 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#94) - [12]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown
TE		24	544	Patrick Simmons	Oakes, ND
CB		45	570	Mike Henley	Beaumont, TX
DT		38	603	Evan Robertson	Oak Park, MI
TB		88	762	Jeremy Jamison	Charleston, IL
QB		44	771	Ryan Allen	Wharton, TX
DE		80	802	Kevin Peoples	Lakeville, MN
FS		25	814	Brian Mitchell	Alliance, NE
OLB		57	815	Dan Edwards	Pierre, SD
G		74	1199	Dustin Alexander	Princeton, IN
OLB		104	1329	Marcus Keyes	Peterborough, ON, CN
TE		55	1504	Eric Jordan	South Sioux City, NE
P		17	1936	Clint Cooper	Katy, TX
2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#84) - [17]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown
WR		55	339	Eric Gardner	Butte, MT
WR		79	450	Mike Freeman	Cadillac, MI
DT		47	672	Clayton Evans	Sheboygan, WI
CB		55	736	Ricky Kiniry	South St. Paul, MN
K		6	763	Ron Goff	Port Arthur, TX
QB		56	825	Elgin Baker	Allouez, WI
G		49	869	Evan Jude	Winnipeg, MB, CN
SS		32	954	Tyler Smith	Terrell, TX
CB		104	1093	Todd Edwaeds	Beloit, KS
MLB		49	1119	David Harris	Lisbon, ND
OLB		96	1248	Cedric Jackson	Brookfield, WI
OLB		147	1637	Mark Dawson (So)	North Fort Myers, FL
OLB		167	1789	Donny Hawkins	Port Lavaca, TX
T		110	1847	Tamati Pelu	Arden-Arcade, CA
P		16	1926	Christian Lane	Springfield, IL
FB		9	2360	Travis Norman	Joliet, IL
FB		24	2478	Willie Hardy	East Lansing, MI
2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#72) - [16]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown
TB		41	288	George Hill	South St. Paul, MN
WR		66	336	Brian Roberts	Roseville, MN
WR		71	350	Kyle Smith	Vidor, TX
DE		32	396	Maurice Cox	Mandeville, LA
CB		47	558	Alex Arnold	Boca Grande, FL
CB		77	888	Sam Romero	Silas, AL
QB		64	989	Matt Treangen	Wichita Falls, TX
MLB		53	1023	Jason Jones	Farmington, MI
TB		114	1101	Johnny Berry	Denton, TX
DT		83	1250	Lawrence Richardson	Fort Worth, TX
DE		118	1256	Matt Walker	Converse, TX
CB		119	1263	Derrick Walker	Waxahachie, TX
G		77	1378	Sean White	Titusville, FL
TE		57	1476	Eric Johnson	Watertown, WI
T		81	1478	George Smith	Menasha, WI
T		116	1785	Patrick Lewis	Paris, TX
P	TR	Jr	N/A	David White	Greater Northdale, FL / Indiana
2016 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#99) - [11]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown
CB		25	343	Jermaine McBride	San Jose, CA
TB		40	382	Brandon Sanders	Brooklyn Center, MN
WR		117	675	Nick Culp	Fair Plain, MI
TE		50	928	Kyle Odom	Bethel, AK
DT		73	943	Dave Hawkins	Brookfield, WI
MLB		70	949	Josh Cabral	Muskego, WI
SS		35	1066	Don Cannon	Shields, MI
ATH		78	1226	Steve Walker (So)	Hastings, MN
OLB		123	1635	Steve May	Hastings, MN (Walk-On)
G		123	1843	David McGee	Brooklyn Center, MN
T		122	1897	Ben Reid (So)	East St. Louis, IL
OLB	TR	Sr	N/A	Johnny Golden	Buena Vista, MI / Michigan State

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

ESPN College Football Preseason Preview

Rk Team Rk Team Rk Team Rk Team Rk Team 1 Auburn 6 Michigan 11 Alabama 16 Stanford 21 North Carolina 2 Oregon 7 Florida State 12 Boise State 17 Washington 22 Southern California 3 Penn State 8 Oklahoma 13 Oklahoma State 18 Notre Dame 23 Iowa 4 Georgia 9 Louisiana State 14 Texas Christian 19 Maryland 24 Mississippi 5 Florida 10 Texas A&M 15 Texas 20 Miami 25 North Carolina State 5

Rank	EAST	OVR		Rank		WEST	OVR
1		99		1			92
2		92		2			95
3		99		3			94
4		92		4			86
5		84		5			84
6		84		6			84

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

2016 PREVIEW
OVERALL: 84 -- PRESTIGE:

QUARTERBACKS

After three years in the program, Allen gets a chance to shine. He has a good arm and is mobile enough to make something happen when the pocket breaks down. Baker and Treangen are run first signal callers who will play the waiting game behind Allen.

RUNNINGBACKS

Many thought George Hill would have an early impact after being labeled a four-star prospect. However, so far his development has come along slowly and the Golden Gophers will feature a three-headed attack. Jamison is a shifty, elusive back who looks to get the bulk of the carries. Norman, a former fullback, is a power runner who looks to get third down duties. H-Back Nichols should see plenty of carries as he’s the best short yardage runner.

RECEIVERS

The receiving corps is mostly stock full off possession receivers and it all starts with Patrick Simmons, who returns as the go-to target. Jensen probably has the best hands on the team and will have a lot of plays designed for him. Sophomores Gardner and Freeman will battle it out for the #2 WR spot, still neither are deep threats. The deep threat comes from even more youth, redshirt freshman Roberts.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The line is pretty experienced, returning four starters, three of them seniors. This is a high quality unit who should guide a wide open running game. Pelu will also see plenty of action at right tackle on spread formations.

Minnesota Offense (82)
Multiple: Pistol - Shotgun - I Form
Pos.	Player	Year	Rating
QB	Ryan Allen	Jr	80
QB	Elgin Baker	So	74
QB	Matt Treangen	R-Fr	67
TB	Jeremy Jamison	Jr	80
TB	Travis Norman	So	77
TB	George Hill	R-Fr	69
TB	Johnny Berry	R-Fr	67
TB	Brandon Sanders	Fr	63
TB	Christian Lane	So	67
H-B	Marlon Nichols	Sr	77
H-B	Willie Hardy	So	73
H-B	Kyle Odom	Fr	66
WR	Patrick Simmons	Jr	82
WR	Eric Gardner	So	76
WR	Mike Freeman	So	76
WR	Brian Roberts	R-Fr	74
WR	Kyle Smith	R-Fr	71
WR	Nick Culp	Fr	65
TE	Kevin Jensen	Sr	78
TE	Eric Jordan	Jr	75
TE	Eric Johnson	R-Fr	62
LT	Evan Jude	So	77
LT	David McGee	Fr	58
LG	Todd Tremblay	Sr	88
LG	George Smith	R-Fr	68
C	Graham Connor	Sr	89
C	Ben Reid	So	67
C	Sean White	R-Fr	66
RG	Dustin Alexander	Jr	83
RG	Patrick Lewis	R-Fr	66
RT	Jason Parham	Sr	85
RT	Tamati Pelu	So	70
K	Ron Goff	Jr	91

DEFENSIVE LINE

The front four are probably Minnesota’s deepest unit from top to bottom. They have a good mix of youth and veteran experience. Edwards and Mayes are the top two pass rushers while upperclassmen Johnson and Robertson add fantastic depth.

LINEBACKERS

This unit is pretty underrated. Thornburg may be the best overall linebacker with his ability to play in any variety of situations. Dawson is a great linebacker is his own right, however he isn’t as consistent as you’d like to see in run support. The depth will not miss a beat with Michigan State transfer, Johnny Golden. His transfer also sparked the decision to Etienne Sabino Harris, so that he should be projected for one year of starting

SECONDARY

There are a lot of bodies fighting for time at corner, but that will likely have to wait until 2017 and the duo of Harvey and Copeland are very good. The two shutdown corners has resulted in Coach Nokes opting for more Man-to-Man coverages rather than his usual Cover 3

SPECIAL TEAMS

Thanks to Indiana transfer David White, Minnesota features some of the best kicking specialists in the nation. Both he and Goff feature strong, accurate legs. Cooper doesn’t have the placement of the other two, but does have a good leg and is set to be the kickoff specialist. In the return game former high school punter Christian Lane (yes, that is not a typo) will share kick return duties with George Hill. It took Lane a couple of seasons, but he’s finally learning how to use his 4.3 speed on the football field. In the punt return game, many figured speedster Brian Roberts would take the honors, but Brian Mitchell has shined and will get first dibs.

Minnesota Defense (85)
Scheme: 4-3
Pos.	Player	Year	Rating
LE	Dan Edwards	Jr	81
LE	Maurice Cox	R-Fr	71
RE	Kevin Peoples	Jr	81
RE	Sawyer Johnson	Sr	80
RE	Matt Walker	R-Fr	67
DT	Randy Mayes	Sr	84
DT	Blake Rice	Sr	82
DT	Evan Robertson	Jr	81
DT	Clayton Evans	So	77
DT	Lawrence Richardson	R-Fr	67
DT	Dave Hawkins	Fr	66
SLB	Marcus Keyes	Jr	79
SLB	Donny Hawkins	So	70
SLB	Josh Cabral	Fr	67
MLB	Mark Dawson	Sr	82
MLB	Cedric Jackson	So	75
MLB	Jason Jones	R-Fr	68
WLB	Johnny Golden	Sr	84
WLB	Michael Thornburg	Sr	81
WLB	David Harris	Jr	73
CB	Jeff Harvey	Sr	86
CB	Andy Copeland	Sr	85
CB	Mike Henley	Jr	81
CB	Ricky Kiniry	So	77
CB	Todd Edwards	So	75
CB	Sam Romero	R-Fr	71
CB	Jermaine McBride	Fr	71
CB	Derrick Walker	R-Fr	69
CB	Steven Walker	So	69
FS	Antoine Robinson	Sr	83
FS	Brian Mitchell	Jr	80
FS	Alex Arnold	R-Fr	73
SS	Mike Irvin	Sr	82
SS	Tyler Smith	So	76
SS	Don Cannon	Fr	67
P	David White	Jr	94
P	Clint Cooper	Jr	83

2016 Schedule

Week 2	Vs	86
Week 3	At	70
Week 4	Vs	75
Week 5	Vs	99
Week 6	Vs	59
Week 7	At	84
Week 8	At	95
Week 9	Vs	94
Week 10	At	92
Week 11	Vs	86
Week 12	At	92
Week 13	Vs	86

[Gronk4M13]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Definitely following, great so far.

[RoundingThird]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Love the graphics and presentation. Following.

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Gronk4M13 and Po1soNNN: Thanks guys. Most of my graphics are done in Excel/Word (OS does a pretty good job formatting Word correctly) and for the most part a template of something that I've done on past dynasties. The logos are from CSTV (some were a pain to find since some abbreviations did not make sense) and the FCS logos are courtesy of PocketScout's app.
----------

2016 First Half Review

Week 2	Vs	L 13-27
Oregon State featured a well-rounded team with no obvious weaknesses. They controlled the entire game, but we were able to add a late score to make it look respectable.
Week 3	At	W 28-24
Game Injury: TE Kevin Jensen (2 Weeks) In a game that we should have ran away with, miscues kept it very interesting. Thanks to a 15-point fourth quarter we were able to put the upset bid to rest.
Week 4	Vs	W 28-21
Despite the score, we had the game under control for the entire 60 minutes. Leading 28-7 late in the 4th quarter, Colorado State would add a score and then another after an onside recovery.
Week 5	Vs #3	W 38-31
After less than stellar wins over much inferior opponents, you’d think the B1G East favorites would tear into us. However, and surprisingly, the first half was a shootout as we went halftime tied 31-31. An unfathomable effort by our defense gave us exactly what we needed, 7-0 win of the second half to shock the Nittany Lions.
Week 6	Vs	W 48-6
Injury Roll: DT Evan Robertson (1 Week) Yeah, yeah, I know most don’t schedule FCS opponents, but I’m staying as true as possible to future schedules. I did at least make myself forego any BYE weeks as a result (instead of scheduling this game Week 1).
Week 7	At	W 34-31
Game Injury: TB Jeremy Jamison (7 Weeks) Both teams featured quality defenses, so a combined 65 points and over 800 yards of total offense was a bit of a surprise. It was a quality, hard fought, engaging contest until the very end. The bad part was where Jamison, who finally cracked 100 yards in game, was lost for basically the rest of the season.

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

2016 Second Half Review

Week 8	At #23	L 14-27
It’s no surprise that we weren’t as good as we looked against Penn State. Nebraska looks like a serious contender for the B1G West.
Week 9	Vs #15	W 31-20
Amazingly, we were able to hold a run oriented team to just 81 rushing yards. This was very close game until late in the fourth quarter, where we picked off our second pass of the day, this one returned for a touchdown.
Week 10	At	L 21-24
Suspension Roll: LB David Harris (2 Games) We gave our best effort of a fourth quarter comeback, but a 21-6 deficit was too much to overcome. The loss of Jamison (98 team rushing yards) was really felt.
Week 11	Vs	W 19-13
Game Injury: QB Ryan Allen (3 Weeks) Our defense came up huge, holding Illinois to two short field goals (27 and 33 yards) that had a profound impact on the win. Christian Lane’s pooch punt to the one yard line with under a minute wasn’t too bad either. The bad was learning Allen will miss the final two games of the regular season.
Week 12	At #10	W 17-13
Injury Roll: C Ben Reid (6+ Weeks) Who knew we’d roll into The Big House with a second string quarterback and come out with the win. While Baker did throw an interception and fumbled the ball away, he played admirably. If he continues to play well, Allen might have to fight to get his starting job back.
Week 13	Vs	W 27-24
Suspension Roll: TB Johnny Berry (1st Qtr) - Game Injury: FS Antoine Robinson (Game) TB Travis Norman (2 Weeks) Turnovers kept Northwestern in the game. It was nice to get Jamison back and we used as nice mix of Norman, Hill, and Jamison to offset the Wildcats’ no huddle attack. Coming up big was slot receiver Mike Freeman, who hauled in two long touchdown receptions on the day.
Week 19 #15	Vs #16 (94)	L 35-43 (3 OT)
Suspension Roll: DE Maurice Cox (2 Games) You’d think a bowl game between closely ranked schools and a team that trumps us a bit in overall would make for an intense game. Yes, it did go to triple overtime, but it was tough to really get into. And when I tell you that we threw a 55 yard hail mary to tie the game at 21 to end regulation, you’d say, “really, that didn’t get you pumped?” I don’t know what it was, but this game just felt like one of those, “let’s get this over and get on to the next one” games. Even though there’s nothing after this. But onto the game, we really had to grind it out to get yards on the ground. Mike Freeman came up big again for us, hauling in two touchdowns, including the hail mary to send it into overtime. We creating four turnovers, but had two costly ones in their endzone (one returned for a touchdown). We had good drives to put the game away and either turned the ball over or stalled out. After trading scores in the first two overtimes, Florida added their third (and the point conversion) while we could not answer. On to 2017, boys!

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

ESPN College Football Season Review

Rank	EAST	Record		Rank		WEST	Record
1		13-1 (9-0)*		1			10-4 (7-2)
2		9-4 (4-4)		2			9-4 (6-2)
3		5-7 (4-4)		3			9-4 (6-2)
4		8-5 (4-4)		4			7-6 (3-5)
5		4-8 (2-6)		5			4-8 (2-6)
6		1-11 (1-7)		6			1-11 (1-7)

* - B1G Champion

BOWL GAMES
	BCS National Championship vs #1 Louisiana State, W 34-31
	Capital One Bowl vs #9 Alabama, L 24-28
	Outback Bowl vs South Carolina, L 28-41
	Gator Bowl vs #16 Florida, L 35-43 (3 OT)
	Insight Bowl vs Texas A&M, W 38-35 (2 OT)
	Ticket City Bowl vs #25 Southern Mississippi, L 25-28
	Texas Bowl vs Oklahoma State, W 20-17

ALL-B1G TEAMS

Pos 1st Team 2nd Team QB Travis Stuckey (Jr, Ohio State) Lucas Dixon (Jr, Iowa) TB Anthony Sullivan (Sr, Ohio State) Brett Nelson (Sr, Nebraska) TB Johnnie Reed (Jr, Penn State) Curtis Horton (Jr, Iowa) WR Terry Hudson (So, Michigan) William McMahan (Sr, Nebraska) WR Sean Hill (Sr, Ohio State) Quinton Wintson (Sr, Penn State) TE Joseph Breedlove (Jr, Michigan State) Kenny Taylor (Jr, Iowa) T Quentin Warren (Sr, Ohio State) Kyle Hartman (So, Ohio State) T Jeff Ross (Sr, Penn State) Tyrone Landry (Jr, Iowa) G Darnell Hurst (So, Michigan) Lamar Whitfield (Sr, Penn State) G Matt Smith (So, Nebraska) Adam Cooper (Sr, Wisconsin) C Jim McGrew (Jr, Iowa) Kyle Guerroero (Jr, Penn State) DE Lynn Green (Sr, Michigan) Joe Bailey (Jr, Penn State) DE Michael Watson (Sr, Nebraska) Jamaal Ferguson (Sr, Ohio State) DT Justin Garcia (Sr, Nebraska) Derek Wright (So, Ohio State DT Junior Woods (Sr, Nebraska) Blake Rice (Sr, Minnesota) LB Ervin Carter (Sr, Ohio State) Mark Dawson (Sr, Minnesota) LB Derek Long (So, Iowa) Troy Scott (So, Wisconsin) LB Allen Harrell (Jr, Ohio State) Stephen Harris (Sr, Nebraska) CB Melvin Matthews (Jr, Ohio State) Andy Copeland (Sr, Minnesota) CB Derek Ellis (Jr, Iowa) Eddie Anthony (Jr, Michigan) S Robert Richardson (Jr, Iowa) Antoine Robinson (Sr, Minnesota) S Troy Smith (Sr, Nebraska) Titus Powers (Sr, Wisconsin) K Ben Goode (Jr, Ohio State) Dennis Henry (Sr, Wisconsin) P A.J. Bell (Jr, Ohio State) Justin Hearn (Jr, Nebraska) RET TB Travis Wilson (Sr, Michigan State) WR Jason Kerr (Jr, Wisconsin)

Rank Team Rank Team Rank Team Rank Team Rank Team 1 Ohio State 6 Mississippi 11 Auburn 16 Penn State 21 Texas 2 Miami 7 Texas Christian 12 Ohio 17 Nebraska 22 Iowa 3 Louisiana State 8 Alabama 13 Oklahoma 18 Minnesota 23 Nevada 4 Boise State 9 Kansas State 14 Tulsa 19 So. Mississippi 24 Duke 5 Georgia Tech 10 Florida 15 Oregon 20 Cincinnati 25 Georgia 5

[mattynokes]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

2016 Season In Review

Offense	Total Off		Pass Off		Rush Off		PPG		Off/G		Pass/G		Rush/G		Give		3rd Pct.
82	4585		2788		1797		27.2		352.7		214.5		138.2		18		45.7%
Defense		Total Def		Pass Def		Rush Def		PPG		Def/G		Pass/G		Rush/G		Take		Diff
85		4119		2699		1420		23.4		316.8		207.6		109.2		24		6

Additional Individual Achievements

KR George Hill – Freshman All-American

Departing Seniors

H-B Marlon Nichols

TE Kevin Jensen

T Jason Parham

G Todd Tremblay

C Graham Connor

DE Sawyer Johnson

DT Randy Mayes

DT Blake Rice

LB Mark Dawson

LB Michael Thornburg

CB Jeff Harvey

CB Andy Copeland

S Antoine Robinson

S Mike Irvin

		2016		Minnesota Golden Gophers			13 TOTAL GAMES
TACKLES					RUSHING
NAME	YR	POS	TA	SK	NAME	YR	NO	YDS	AVG	TD	FUM
M THORNBURG	SR	LB	74	1.0	J JAMISON	JR	156	610	3.9	3	1
M DAWSON	SR	LB	61	0.5	T NORMAN	SO	195	565	2.9	9	1
A ROBINSON	SR	S	58	2.0	R ALLEN	JR	99	197	2.0	3	2
A COPELAND	SR	CB	53	1.0	M NICHOLS	SR	55	185	3.4	1	0
M KEYES	JR	LB	52	3.0	G HILL	FR	47	182	3.9	1	0
M IRVIN	SR	S	47	1.0	E BAKER	SO	22	49	2.2	0	1
M HENLEY	JR	CB	47	0.0	J BERRY	FR	2	10	5.0	0	0
J HARVEY	SR	CB	43	0.0	B ROBERTS	FR	2	-1	-0.5	0	0
D EDWARDS	JR	DE	42	4.0					#DIV/0!
K PEOPLES	JR	DE	38	3.0					#DIV/0!
B RICE	SR	DT	28	8.0					#DIV/0!
R MAYES	SR	DT	22	8.0					#DIV/0!
R KINIRY	SO	CB	17	0.5					#DIV/0!
M COX	FR	DE	16	3.5
B MITCHELL	JR	S	16	0.0	TOTAL		578	1797	3.1	17	5
D HAWKINS	SO	LB	16	0.0	PASSING
J JONES	FR	LB	15	0.0	NAME		PC	PA	YDS	AVG	%	TD	INT
S ROMERO	FR	CB	13	0.0	R ALLEN	JR	153	289	2211	7.7	52.9	14	10
C EVANS	SO	DT	11	3.5	E BAKER	SO	38	58	577	9.9	65.5	3	3
S JOHNSON	SR	DE	11	0.5
C JACKSON	SO	LB	10	0.0
D WALKER	FR	CB	10	0.0
E ROBERTSON	JR	DT	8	1.5
A ARNOLD	FR	S	6	0.0	TOTAL		191	347	2788	8.0	55.0	17	13
T EDWARDS	SO	CB	5	0.0	RECEIVING
T SMITH	SO	S	4	0.0	NAME	YR	NO	YDS	AVG	TD
W HARDY	SO	SP	3	0.0	P SIMMONS	JR	45	671	14.9	1
L RICHARDSON	FR	DT	2	0.0	E GARDNER	SO	33	433	13.1	3
M WALKER	FR	DE	1	1.0	K JENSEN	SR	31	503	16.2	3
					M FREEMAN	SO	27	594	22.0	6
					B ROBERTS	FR	17	306	18.0	2
					E JORDAN	JR	14	166	11.9	2
					M NICHOLS	SR	13	64	4.9	0
					T NORMAN	SO	6	14	2.3	0
					J JAMISON	JR	2	15	7.5	0
					E JOHNSON	FR	1	12	12.0	0
					G HILL	FR	1	7	7.0	0
					K SMITH	FR	1	3	3.0	0
TOTAL			729	42.0					#DIV/0!
FUMBLE RECOVERY									#DIV/0!
NAME	YR	POS	NO	TD					#DIV/0!
B RICE	SR	DT	1	0					#DIV/0!
R KINIRY	SO	CB	1	0
					TOTAL		191	2788	14.6	17
					KICKOFF RETURN
					NAME	YR	NO	YDS	AVG	TD
					G HILL	FR	23	633	27.5	1
					C LANE	SO	21	697	33.2	2
									#DIV/0!
									#DIV/0!
									#DIV/0!
									#DIV/0!
					TOTAL		44	1330	30.2	3
					PUNT RETURN
					NAME	YR	NO	YDS	AVG	TD
TOTAL			2	0	B ROBERTS	FR	25	299	12.0	1
INTERCEPTIONS					B MITCHELL	JR	20	228	11.4	0
NAME	YR	POS	NO	TD					#DIV/0!
J HARVEY	SR	CB	6	0					#DIV/0!
A COPELAND	SR	CB	4	0					#DIV/0!
M HENLEY	SO	CB	3	2
A ROBINSON	SR	S	3	1	TOTAL		45	527	11.7	1
M THORNBURG	SR	LB	2	1	KICKING
M DAWSON	SR	LB	2	0	NAME	YR	FGM	FGA	%	LG	XPM	PTS
M IRVIN	SR	S	1	0	R GOFF	JR	19	26	73.1	50	38	95
R KINIRY	SO	CB	1	0
					TOTAL		19	26	73.1	50	38	95
					PUNTING
					NAME	YR	NO	YDS	AVG	<20	TB
					D WHITE	JR	49	2044	41.7	10	9
					C LANE	SO	6	225	37.5	2	3
TOTAL			22	4	TOTAL		55	2269	41.3	12	12

End of Season Thoughts: To me, one of the most interesting things to look at after the season is how your opponents stacked up. Colorado State and Middle Tennessee won a combined 7 games, so the thought that we should have beat them for 2+ scores holds true. Oregon State finished 8-5 and 4th in a very competitive PAC-12 North. Our upsets were Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan. At the time, the upset over the Nittany Lions really shocked me. However, as the season unfolded, we started the see their true colors as they dropped three straight at one point. Wisconsin played down to a lot of teams; 5-7 Akron (31-24), 3-9 Wyoming (24-21), 1-11 Northwestern (20-14). They didn't beat a ranked team all year. The Skunk Weasels dropped their matchup with 5-7 Little Brother and the week after playing us, they lost to Indiana before being slaughtered by the Buckeyes. Oh, yeah, boy am I glad we didn't play Ohio State! We'd have been the proverbial Ewok.

We had a good season, but I'm hesitant to think Minnesota is truly back and ready to compete in the B1G. We lose a lot on defense (8 starters), but we have the athletes to replace most of them without much drop-off. The real concern is the offensive line. We lose three starters up front and don't have any incumbent replacement currently rated over 70. I'm excited to see what we can do in 2017, but even if we can't improve or match our nine wins, I won't consider it a letdown.

Looking at the stats, it's obvious we had a rough time running the ball, but we were efficient passing the ball. We do lose tight end Jensen and H-Back Nichols, but Jordan and Hardy should fill in their shoes well. Other than that we don't lose an offensive skill player. Our depth at wideout should be fantastic. Defensively, seeing the tackle totals was interesting. Compared to my Washington State dynasty stats, our team tackles were on the lower end, but not the lowest I totaled in five seasons with the Cougars. A lot of that has to do with having a very solid defense (ranked 3rd in the nation in rush defense). No one having 75+ tackles has a lot to do with how we rotate. I try to feature the 4-3 in normal, 2 WR, 2 RB/2 TE sets and when in Nickel, I rotated according to the situation; Keyes and Thornburg on rushing situations, Thornburg and Dawson on passing situations. Dawson was then the primary Dime linebacker. The B1G featured a variety of offensive styles, ranging from; Pro to Multiple to Spread. It was quite interesting to see our nickel back get more tackles than a starting corner.

[MahrKeez]

re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

Hey man. I like this dynasty so far. You had a good season imo. One question though, how did recruiting go for you?

[mattynokes]

Re: MINNing For Gold | Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA Football)

MahrKeez: Thanks. As for the recruiting, you jumped the gun a bit, it's coming up next.
----------

2017 Recruiting Class

2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers Recruiting Class (#66) - [16]
Position	Rating	Rank	Overall	Player	Hometown	Overall
TB		42	342	James West	Oakdale, MN	63
WR		84	425	Chris Heath	Knik-Fairview, AK	68
TB		93	725	Justin Thomas (Jr)	Old Jefferson, LA	79
QB		46	787	Eric Justice	St. Cloud, MN (Walk-On)	Cut
K		4	875	Corey Hall	Gainesville, TX	81
QB		68	994	Mason Montgomery	Montreal, QB, CN	65
OLB		78	1040	Victor May	Lehigh Acres, FL	63
G		55	1050	Curtis Foster	Albert Lea, MN	62
OLB		89	1134	Joseph Franklin	Marshfield, WI	67
DE		129	1320	Donnie Griffin (Jr)	Massapequa Park, NY	78
SS		44	1336	DeAndre Jones	Janesville, WI	63
G		78	1339	Jimmy Gross	Sun Prairie, WI	63
SS		45	1386	Marcus Ellis (So)	Chamblee, GA	71
DE		140	1518	Josh Wood	Pasadena, TX (Walk-On)	Cut
TE		60	1574	Steven Gaines	Addison, IL	58
QB		128	2002	Clint Roland (Jr)	Sun Gabriel, CA	72

This was a very good recruiting class. Given that I don't normally use 20+ recruiting spots, I'll probably never have a highly rated class until I'm at least a five-star program. Recruiting started off slow and uneventful, missing out on some quality offensive linemen. However, we rebounded very nicely, especially when hitting the JUCO trail and nabbing a few high quality players that can help out instantly.

Offense
Roland and Montgomery are both dual threat quarterbacks, with Roland expected to compete for the backup spot. Montgomery will redshirt and have plenty of time to develop. The 6-5 225 Montgomery is coveted by Coach Nokes and could become a dangerous player after a few seasons. Foster and Gross are solid linemen in a young group. They'll benefit from being able to redshirt this season and have ample time to grow into starting linemen.

Thomas should have an instant impact. He looks to get some carries in reserve at tailback and is a capable receiver out of the backfield. West is yet another highly sought after back that doesn't look the part he was thought to have been. Heath is a quality speed threat. He'll likely redshirt this season, but could have an impact as early as 2018. Gaines, while not rated too high, reminds the staff of Eric Johnson. Neither are very fast, but quality possession receivers.

Kicker Hall doesn't possess a strong leg, but is very accurate. With three seniors ahead of him, he could be handling double duties next season.

Defense
Franklin will be moved to defensive end. He'll have a bit of a learning curve, moving to a three-point stance, but his athleticism should shine. Griffin slides inside and should be a terror as a pass rusher.

Ellis and May are both cover guys and should compete for the weakside backer spot in the future. Jones isn't as polished in coverage, but is a solid tackler. After a redshirt season, it should be another two years until he'd have a chance to start, so there's time to work on his coverage skills.