Panic in A-Squared

I just saw the matchup on the TV screen at halftime of the Tennessee-LSU game:

Michigan vs. 11 Michigan State.

Such a strange sight seeing Michigan unranked, and, quite frankly, infuriating.

Maybe Michigan fans were a bit spoiled after all, taking for granted that Michigan would automatically get 9 or 10 wins every season.

Everybody's been chiming in lately with their theories as to why Michigan has slipped so far this season: the mailman, the old lady who knits during the games in the wine and cheese section, that guy at the office who watches about 10 minutes of football a week.

Since almost everything's been said, I'll offer one of my theories in regards to their offensive problems.

Hint: It's not lack of speed. It's not lack of passion or leadership.

The biggest reason why Michigan's offense sputters so often at the most important times is because of space; or rather lack thereof.

Watch Michigan closely and you will see the fundamental difference between them and most other offenses: almost everything they do occurs in a tightly congested area.

There is little attempt to spread the field, little attempt to clear out space other than the old fashioned way of moving people off the ball with the offensive line or with the play-action pass.

This is not to say the pro-style offense with a fullback and a tight end and two wide receivers is past its prime. If it can work in the pros with all of their speed and advanced schemes, it certainly can work in college football.

Teams around the country are experimenting with spread offenses and option, yet the best offense in the country at USC still runs the good old pro-style offense.

What does USC do that Michigan doesn't (excluding the fact that they obviously have better players, although the difference isn't as far as it looks)?

They move the pocket. They vary the types of passes and passing plays (lobs, short timing routes, slants, different-step drops). They do things to space the field. It's not so much the fact that USC throws more deep passes than Michigan that makes them so great, it's how they use the threat of the deep pass to open up the field.

A deep pass doesn't have to be 40-50 yards, just a large chunk of yardage that has the potential to get behind the defense and go for a big play.

Teams are so worried about being beaten deep that they will leave the center of the field open. USC knows it and sends backs and tight ends out into this space and can pick up easy yards, including yards after the catch.

When was the last time Michigan got good yards after the catch off of a short pass? They don't do it very often, because they don't send enough people deep to clear out space. Instead, they prefer to send their wideouts on short hitch passes, which can be easy to complete but:

A) Don't allow for yards after the catch excepting a great individual play

and

B) Don't scare the opposing secondaries because they know that the majority of the time, those receivers will not be going deep.

So what if they get beat once. What are the odds that it will happen again? Certainly not nearly the same as if they were facing USC or California or Miami.

Look at Notre Dame against Michigan State. They threw deep ball after deep ball, eventually opening up the field for the underneath pass to chew up huge yards when they needed it.

How many times has Michigan gone into a game against a mediocre secondary and been projected to torch that secondary, only to have their passing game contained?

A deep ball or route that doesn't work is not a wasted play, it adds to the threat and puts the defensive backs on their heels. It shakes their confidence, which is the key to playing DB well.

Granted, Michigan needs to complete more deep passes to get people to respect that threat first.

But they had the ultimate deep pass catcher last year in Braylon Edwards and still were shut down in key situations, because of the way Michigan used him.

They sent him on far too many five-yard hitch routes, which is a waste of his talent and diminishes his threat. Those routes are freely available and gain more yards after you establish the deep threat.

Throw in the fact that Michigan rarely moves the pocket with Chad Henne (which they vowed to do now that he knows the playbook), rarely runs more than one type of screen play (the sideline one), and rarely runs outside, and you've got a team that is very easy to defend because almost all of the action is in the center of the field, and there is very little attempt to create space for its playmakers.

And when defenders don't have to honor the deep pass, they're closer to the line, hurting the run game.

It's one thing to get the ball to your playmakers as Terry Malone has often said he wanted to do, but it's another to actually get it to them with the space to do something with it.

When is the last time Steve Breaston got the ball in space? Every time he gets the ball on a short pass, he is immediately tackled. The one time I can remember him getting the ball in space against Oregon, he shook the defender and ran in untouched.

It's not that Michigan's basic schemes don't work, but they can be shut down for long stretches because of a lack of creativity and diversity.

As great as Michigan looked against Texas in the Rose Bowl, that doesn't excuse the Michigan State game last year, when just about everything they tried was stuffed by a mediocre defense.

Or the Minnesota game two years ago, when Michigan was completely shut down through three quarters by another mediocre defense.

Or against Purdue last year, when Michigan couldn't do much against a young, vulnerable, and overrated Boilermaker defense.

College football is a game of mismatches. There are average, flawed players hidden amongst the great ones.

All over the field, there are opportunities to exploit. But you can't exploit them unless you give players the space to do it in.

The Michigan coaches like to use this quote from Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Law of the Wolves" for motivation:

The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

They know that football, both offensive and defensive, is all about numbers. The most important thing defensive principle is to swarm to the ball.

So why do they insist on running and throwing short passes into a pack of wolves every game, when they could spread them out, keep them on their heels, and attack them one by one?

Why do they make it easy for opposing defenses to gang up on them?

Victory for MSU

The Spartans will not be the normal Spartans after a big win.......This time they will win another game after a beating then 10th ranked Notre Dame last weekend. The spread is 10.5 and if you are a betting man.......never bet for or against MSU. I do think they will win by 20 points today. I am upset because I have to work all day today starting at 1pm. Same goes for next week. Yeah I am a little upset, but what can you do. Stanton will destroy a weak Fighting Illini team today. Look for him to pass for over 300 yards. Look for a balanced running attact from all three Rbs. State will win and will go into the big game 4-0. I am hoping for a UofScum win as well...at least this week I am. Game day might come back to East Lansing if both teams win. Could be exciting.

Stanton 19-28 319 yards 3 td and 1 Int
Teague 77 yars on 14 carries 2 Td

MSU 45 Illinios 24

Detroit Sports Squad Forum

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Oh its great to be a Spartan

Sorry Nick, but I told you the Wolverines will lose at least one game they should have won. Now it's up to the Spartans to take care of business this Saturday in South Bend. I think MSU has won there more then any other team in history.......I am not sure but I think I am right. It should be a good game.

Look for MSU to expose ND for the team they really are. Stanton will get the job done and the running game should do well with a good fix of passing and running. Look for some more play action from the Spartans. Notre is a good team but they are not a top 10 team.........

MSU 37 ND 24

Stanton 19/26 277 yards 3 TDs and 1 Int
Ringer 10 carries for 77 yards 2 TD
Spartan Defense 4 forced turnovers

Tram on the Move?

Ken Rosenthal, writer for FoxSports.com, has a new article up on the site regarding little news tidbits from around Major League Baseball. Why this concerns Tigers fans is the headline of the article: "Trammell will likely take fall in Detroit"

So what's the reasoning behind this? Well, the Tigers are a team that has spent a lot of money the last couple of seasons to bring in names to help right the ship. It has been a great while since a winning season in Detroit. Rosenthal picks up on this and then adds why this is his thought on the situation with the Tigers:

As the Tigers' season crumbles, it's becoming increasingly doubtful that Alan Trammell will remain the team's manager, especially with Jim Leyland looming as a possible replacement.

One game under .500 on Aug. 23, the Tigers were within reach of their first winning season since 1993. But the team scored only 12 runs during its recent nine-game losing streak, and its late-season collapse — complete with lapses in concentration and breakdowns in team play — is the kind that typically gets a manager fired.

So, it seems as if the Tigers recent mishaps on the field have triggered a response towards Alan Trammell. Hired prior to the 2003 season as a public relations move (which is the opinion of many Tigers fans), it has been a rocky path for Tram as the skipper in Detroit. First he was put through one of the worst baseball seasons in recent history as the Tigers only won 43 games. After that season came the signing of Pudge Rodriguez and Rondell White, producing a 29 game improvement. While 72 wins for the Tigers in 2004 sounded good at the time, it may have hurt Tram's chances for a long term tenure with the Tigers, as the expectations were raised...and this was even before last offseason in which the Tigers paid out big bucks to bring in Magglio Ordonez, Troy Percival, and Kyle Farnsworth. Even though the Tigers were still a .500 type ballclub, fans and the front office in Detroit want results, and this means bringing a winning season.

So, is the non-success of this team to break over the .500 plateau all on the shoulders of Tram? No. But as Rosenthal said, when a team looks as bad as the Tigers have in the second half of the season, most notably the last 12-15 games, the manager is more than likely going to get the fingers pointed at him.

In my opinion, I would like to see Trammell get a little more time at the helm of this club. He has grown up with a lot of these players as a manager, and I feel it is the front office's duty to let him finish out his contract in Detroit. While we all want to see results now, who doesn't, I still feel that this ballclub coming into the year was one that was going to hover around the .500 mark. While they did for most of the season, and more than likely will finish several games under the breakeven mark, I would like to see Tram get a chance to manage a ballclub with more talent than he has had in his three years. Hopefully our front office can do something about that this offseason.

And I'm not even going to go into the whole Jim Leyland thing, that's for another time.

1-0 is a Good Place to Be

First off, please excuse my shoddy headlines. My first copy editing class is Tuesday, and we're supposed to work on those.

Our faithful readers (all four of them) will have to wait at least another week for a good one because we don't actually do anything the first class...knock on wood.

I was going to vent on the Wolverines Saturday afternoon, but I decided to sleep on it first.

Guess what, it didn't work. I still don't want to talk about it.

But stay tuned to this here blog contraption in the coming days for an extensive breakdown of what went wrong and my take on this program and what needs to change and whatnot.

Or you can simply ask any Michigan fan between the ages of 4-95, I'm sure they've got some strong opinions.

Anyway, it's time to talk Lions.

The men in Honolulu blue and black and silver and white got the big 17-3 win over the Packers today, and while it wasn't the flashy offensive show we were all hoping for, it was a surprisingly dominant performance by a much-maligned defense, and a masterful job of play-calling by the oft-criticized Dick Jauron.

(Speaking of which, what are the odds both Jauron and Jim Hermann's defenses would come out and play this good against quality opponents in the same week? Unreal. Oh, and in case any Sparties happen to be reading this screaming at the monitor for me to shut up about UM already-yes, Drew Stanton is amazing, now go and knock off those annoying Domers for us again, please.)

The front seven of the Lions seemed to have gotten with an attitude transplant. They were stunting, blitzing, weaving, and getting in Brett Favre's face most of the day.

The Lions' personnel is more suited to an aggressive style, and Jauron seems more willing to trust them on the blitz with Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant healthy in the secondary.

Terrence Holt and Kenoy Kennedy will make some mistakes, but they'll also make plays, and that's more than you can say about Brock Marion and Bracy Walker.

Hopefully Jauron will continue to call games this way all season.

As for the offensive playcalling, sure, it wasn't great. A couple of those draw plays were ridiculous and the booing was justified.

But there's not really much you can do when your offensive line is getting pushed back all day- by the likes of Cullen Jenkins and Big Fat Grady Jackson, no less. Not a good sign.

Can the line still improve? Sure. Kelly Butler will only get better, and he and Rick DeMulling need time to mesh with the rest of the O-line.

But I see this as being a major problem for the rest of the season. Jeff Backus isn't going to get any quicker, and Dominic Raiola isn't going to get any bigger and will always struggle with interior bull rushers.

The big key is how Joey Harrington handles the rush. He's going to have to learn to live with it.

He made some plays stepping up into the pocket, but he got frustrated as the game wore on and rushed his throws.

At least he didn't put any balls up for grabs. He managed the game and that's all the Lions needed against a surprisingly lifeless Packers team.

Even Brett Favre looked like he didn't really want to be there. He was basically talked out of retirement and then came back with designs on making one last run, and what's his reward?

The Packers got rid of two of his top three linemen, not to mention the entire secondary.

Despite the Packers' woes, this was a solid win and a crucial one, but we won't know for sure what kind of team the Lions have until they face some real adversity.

We'll still get the same old "We need to look at the film and correct some things" jargon at the press conference tomorrow, but it'll sound a whole lot better coming on the heels of a win, and that's a beautiful thing.

On to Chicago.

Bring on ND

Big game next week for the Spartans. If they can win this game in South Bend, it will give them much more confidence going into the Big Ten opener. I hope they can manage to be 3-0 going into the Big Ten season. Did not see the UofM vs ND game yesterday but I heard UofM could not move the ball on the Fighting Irish. So much for all the Chad Henne for Heismen talk. So much for UofM being ranked 3rd in the country. What a joke.......overrated once again this year.

It is time for MSU to step it out and come strong against a good team this Saturday.

Lions not in trouble

I have said this a lot over the past five to ten years but the Lions are not in too bad of shape going into week one against the Green Bay Packers. Sure you can say they were 1-3 in the preseason. That is just it, it is preseason. It means nothing at all. The team is put together in the preseason and most teams run there basic offense and defense.

They did not look great, but when the first unit was on the field, they moved the ball, but just could not find the endzone. They still moved the ball on most of the drives they were on the field. Joey looked decent, which is saying a lot but again he looked good last season and stunk it up on the field once the season started. We should have a high powered offense if Joey can get the ball to his wideouts and JK can run all over the place like he did to finish the season last year. The O-line should be improved, at least on paper it is. Lets just hope the unit can pull it together and work as a team come Sunday afternoon.

The defense is the only thing I am scared about but I think they will be able to stay off the field more this year with a much improved offense. We will see come Sunday.

Go Lions!!!!!!

My weekly predictions:

Lions 27
Packers 17

Joey Harrington 14-26 236 yards 2 tds 1 int
Kevin Jones 23 carries 109 yards 1 td
Charles Rogers 6 catches 98 yards 1 tds

R.I.P. Tigers

Well, it looks like our beloved Tigers are ready to roll over and play dead yet again.

For the Metro Detroit youth who've grown up not knowing what it's like to see meaningful baseball in September, the nightmare lives on.

Four losses in Chicago against a supposedly struggling ChiSox team. Outscored 29-6.

The one positive thing you can say about them is at least they know their place, quitting just in time for football season.

So with that in mind, it's time to speak my peace, and distance myself from the team as much as possible until someone intriguing like Justin Verlander or Joel Zumaya comes up for September.


Here's my list of who should stay and go for next season, broken down into convenient categories:

Building Blocks:

Magglio Ordonez, RF- The only truly professional Tiger hitter with plus power, bounced back nicely from injury.
Jeremy Bonderman, SP- Hold off the ace coronation for another year. He needs to stop giving up easy runs in the first inning and use the last few games to work on his changeup. But he's still the real deal and should take off very soon.
Placido Polanco, 2B- Deposits balls into left and right field like coins in a shopping mall fountain and is a natural in the field.
Carlos Guillen, SS- His health will be paramount next season. Perhaps Trammel was right in resting him so much. If healthy he can be a top-notch shortstop.

Complimentary Pieces:

Chris Shelton, DH/1B- Notice how I put DH first. He's capable enough to platoon at first, but doesn't have ideal range and would probaby hit more consistently if given time to rest, as he isn't exactly in tip-top shape. But he can mash to all fields. Almost Edgar Martinez-like.

Curtis Granderson, OF- He's young and needs to work on plate presence, but silky smooth in the field and provides LH power. Should be a keeper. An actual contributing homegrown prospect, wow.

Nate Robertson, SP- His velocity and command are inconsistent, but he is a quality LH starter. Best suited for 3rd or 4th in the rotation.

Fernando Rodney, RP- Could be the perfect setup guy, but if the Tigers are serious about contending next season, they need a real closer. Rodney has a wicked changeup and should throw his slider more next year as he is still healing from Tommy John surgery.

Pudge Rodriguez, C- His salary most likely will make him impossible to trade. If a team like the Mets who is willing to take on his huge salary offers a can't miss deal and there's a plan in place to acquire another catcher, the Tigers should take it. Otherwise, stick with him because he's still great defensively. If only he hadn't suddenly transformed into a Randall Simon at the plate...

Rondell White, OF- A good fill-in guy in case Craig Monroe or Dmitri Young are traded. Sign him to a one-year deal if he takes it.

Ramon Colon, RP/SP- Give him a shot in the rotation, where he was most effective in Atlanta. Some GM's think he might be an All-Star some day, as mentioned in a Peter Gammons column on ESPN.com. Has good stuff and velocity, but needs more confidence on the mound.

Keep in Lesser Roles:

Omar Infante, 2B/SS- Good power, solid fielder (with some concentration lapses). Keep him and get some more at-bats in fall/winter ball to learn how to hit a curve. Good infield sub.

Brandon Inge, 3B- Should develop into a much better fielder than he's shown. Also shows great ability to take a walk, which is a rare commodity in Tiger lineup. But the Tigers need more power and production from either 3B, OF, or 1B. Whether Inge stays or moves to a backup role depends on whether or not Detroit gets that spot filled.

Franklyn German, RP- Not someone you'd trust with the game on the line, but good as a 4th or 5th reliever and could improve if he gets more confident. Probably needs a third pitch.

Nook Logan, CF- Forget about winter/fall ball, get this kid in the weight room and swallow the key. Keep as a pinch runner/defensive sub for now.

Mike Maroth, SP- Should be a 5th starter or ideally a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.

John McDonald, INF- Finally, the Tigers found a utility man who can bunt. Keep him unless you can find a better option, but it's pointless for Trammell to continue to give him at-bats at the expense of Omar Infante right now.

Put 'Em on the Market:

Carlos Pena, 1B- Young and talented, but far too inconsistent. Don't give him away without getting someone who can contribute, however. Still a great defender and one of few LH power bats.

Craig Monroe- Another talented guy who appears to be hitting his stride. But Monroe is the prototypical Randy Smith-style Tiger- Boneheaded, inconsistent, lacking in the concentration department. At some point, the Tigers need to fill their lineup with more patient and most importantly consistent hitters, and Monroe is a good candidate to be traded right now coming off of a career year.
If you can get a prospect with potential, do it, even though most Tiger fans don't want to hear about prospects right now. His spot can easily be filled by Granderson or White

Dmitri Young- Talented and a great clubhouse guy, but also sets a bad example with his lack of committment to conditioning and his free swinging, lax personality. Not likely to be coveted.
The Tigers need to give him an ultimatum: get in shape or else. Probably won't happen, though.
Take him or leave him.

Dump 'Em:

It's time for the easiest and most fun part of a Tiger fan's job: the cuts.

Jamie Walker, RP- Good with no one on, horrible with people on base. Can't trust him.

Sean Douglass, SP- Lucked his way to five wins, Nate Cornejo-style. He can now join him in Toledo. The bottom has fallen out.

Jason Johnson, SP- A stopgap from day one, and he doesn't seem to like it here anyway.

Craig Dingman, RP- If it looks like a AAAA guy, sounds like a AAAA guy, and plays like a AAAA guy...keep him in Toledo.

Chris Spurling, RP- Speaks softly, carries a large gas can.

Doug Creek, RP- A poor man's Jamie Walker. Scratch that, homeless man's.

Vic Darensbourg, RP- Pitched decently so far, but teams will eventually figure him out and his lack of talent will catch up to him.

Vance Wilson, C- He's hitting .182. Need I say more?

Finally....

Alan Trammel, manager-

Nothing personal, Tram...but this team needs a change of pace...ie a swift kick in the behind. Someone to challenge them, someone to motivate them. A proven professional manager who the players can trust and look up to is a must if the Tigers are serious about competing next year.

Then again, are they ever really serious about competing?

If so, Mike Illitch better open up his wallet and get a proven manager, Cameron Maybin signed, and some pitching help.

We've waited long enough.

The Big Ten's Top Eleven Signal Callers

Most of the offseason talk in the Big Ten has been about the new Big Three- Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa- and which is the favorite.

But there hasn't been much debate about the other Big Three- the conference's top 3 quarterbacks- Iowa's Drew Tate, Michigan's Chad Henne, and Michigan State's Drew Stanton- and which is the best all-around quarterback.

Most simply hand that title to Tate, who was last year's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

But Henne and Stanton can each make their own claims.

Henne has better size and an NFL arm, and displayed better pocket presence, especially as the year went on.

Stanton is the best pure playmaker of the group, with great running ability and passing accuracy.

The thing that makes picking between these three so difficult is that each is a perfect fit for their team's systems.

Tate is great on play action fakes and throwing on the run in Iowa's system based on running and misdirection in the passing game.

Henne is the best at reading defenses and delivering crisp mid-range strikes, a must in Michigan's pro-style offense that requires great timing and communication between the quarterback and his receiver.

And Stanton's ability to run and throw out of John L. Smith's spread offense gives defenses serious problems.

These rankings were made with an eye towards the future, as projections are always a big part of the college game.

That being said, here are my Big Ten starting quarterback rankings:

1. Chad Henne, Michigan- Last year, there were times when he was shaky. There were times when his passes were too high or too fast, or his decisions were made too slowly. He was bailed out many times by Braylon Edwards, and Michigan doesn't have a playmaker of that caliber this year, at least not one who can erase his mistakes.

But Henne won't make a lot of those mistakes this year. He was a true freshman last year, a soft-spoken, skinny freshman placed in an almost impossible situation.

He didn't know much of Michigan's offense, yet he still threw a very favorable 25 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and completed more than 60 percent of his passes.

This year he will have the full allotment of plays to work with, he's much stronger physically, and he's coming off of an exceptional four TD performance against a very good Texas defense in the Rose Bowl.

He's easily the conference's best pro prospect at QB and still has a great assortment of targets to throw to, so a huge season might be on the way.

2. Drew Tate, Iowa- Let's see here...undersized, throws extremely well on the run, elusive and creative in the pocket, won a big game on a hail mary...sounds a lot like a modern Doug Flutie.

But the 6-foot tall Tate is better equipped to handle life in the pocket...when he wants to. He's best outside of it and a master on the bootleg.

He deserves a lot of credit for helping engineer a Big Ten co-title with no running game, but he has problems with interceptions (14 against 20 TD's) and threw a huge one that was returned for a touchdown in a showdown with Michigan.

Still, he completes a high percentage of his passes (62.1) and he's a strong-willed winner.

He'll have another crack at Henne and the Wolverines in Iowa City this year.

3. Drew Stanton, Michigan State- Anybody who saw last year's Michigan-Michigan State classic knew Stanton was the best player on the field.

The only problem is Stanton was only it for half of the game, and that's his career in a nutshell: brilliant in fleeting glimpses, hurt by injuries and inconsistency.

He was brilliant both through the air and on the ground against Minnesota, Hawaii, and Michigan, but erratic against Iowa and Penn State.

In Happy Valley with a bowl bid on the line, he threw two costly picks and only went 13-for-37 passing.

People tend to overrate him a bit based on his performance against Michigan, who made several running quarterbacks look amazing (last year's defense would have fared better against Dan Marino than even the likes of...say...Carlyle Holiday).

But the bottom is that Stanton is a great leader, dangerous playmaker, and a fiery competitor, and he'll have his chance to finish what he started and get revenge on UM in East Lansing this year.

4. Brandon Kirsch, Purdue- In seasons past, the Boilermakers' spread passing offense has bogged down late in the Big Ten season.

When the winds swirl and conditions worsen, it all comes down to the running game.

Kirsch may not have quite the passing skill of Kyle Orton, but he has experience and a good touch, and his running ability will make Purdue's offense more diversified and difficult to gameplan against. He completed 61.7% of his passes in relief of Orton last year and shows a good command of the offense.

5. Troy Smith, Ohio State- Magnificent against Michigan, ordinary against everyone else.

Yet Buckeye fans pushed him to third in an ESPN.com poll of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks.

Guess that shows just how important "The Game" is to the Buckeye nation.

Smith's only game of 200 or more passing yards was against Michigan, and it was his only rushing game of 100 yards or more.

No doubt Smith has top-tier athletic ability and speed for a quarterback, but he's got a lot of work to do in the passing game to move up this list.

6. Brett Basanez, Northwestern- One website went as far as to call Basanez a star, but most recognition he's earned stems from the fact that's he's been in Evanston for what seems like an eternity, rather than his actual play.

The fourth-year starter is a decent runner, but he only completed 53.7% of his passes in an offense that relies a great deal on screen passes and slants.

7. Anthony Morelli, Penn State- Drew a similar amount of attention as Henne out of high school, and has a huge arm and prototype size. He got very limited playing time last year, but his potential and the addition of top-ranked receiver prospect Derrick Williams to the Lions but him here by default.

Michael Robinson will start out at QB but expect him to eventually shift to wide receiver/tailback. He only threw for 172 yards last year and on 36% passing, and Penn State is too one-dimensional with him behind center.

8. John Stocco, Wisconsin- Another guy that's been around forever but hasn't really impressed. Stocco has made a few big plays and has lots of big game experience, but he's inaccurate, especially on the deep ball, and doesn't have much mobility.

9. Bryan Cupito, Minnesota- Despite the benefits of a stellar running game and nice receivers in big, fast Ernie Wheelwright and sure-handed tight end Ben Spaeth, Cupito only completed a shockingly bad 47.7% of his passes last season.

He must improve his accuracy and mental toughness to keep teams from stacking the box against the Gophers, or coach Glen Mason will try to find someone else who can.

10. Blake Powers, Indiana- Has only thrown 22 passes and completed 9, but he'll work under new coach Terry Hoeppner, a spread guru from the MAC's Miami Red Hawks who helped develop Ben Roethlisberger.

11. Tim Brasic, Illinois- Two years with the Illini and only one pass attempt, he'll help kick off the Ron Zook era in Champaign.