Running game highlighted Gophers' 2011

Running offense: B- HIGHLIGHT: Minnesota saved the best for late in the season in terms of the running game. In the second-to-last game of the year, senior running back Duane Bennett and junior quarterback MarQueis Gray both rushed for over 100 yards against Northwestern. Gray led all rushers with 147 yards on the ground nearly surpassing the entire Wildcats squad while Bennett picked up 127 yards on 23 carries. Earlier in the season, Gray also had a memorable day individually earlier in the season, compiling 171 rushing on the ground to set a new school record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback. LOWLIGHT: The Gophers' 58-0 blowout loss to Michigan in Week 5 was the only time all season that Minnesota didn't rush for over 100 yards as a team. The Gophers combined for just 73 rushing yards on 25 carries, partially a product of falling behind early and taking to the air in an attempt to get back into the game. Freshman running back David Cobb led the Gophers with 54 yards on eight carries, Bennett added 33 yards and freshman Donnell Kirkwood finished with just three yards on three carries. STAR STUDENT: Bennett, a fifth-year senior, was steady for the Gophers all season. With a young running back core, Bennett was a leader both on and off the field. He finished his final year at Minnesota with 639 rushing yards and three touchdowns. While Gray actually led the Gophers in rushing yards (966), Bennett provided stability in an otherwise uncertain backfield. BEHIND THE CURVE: Cobb had an impressive fall camp and turned some heads during the Gophers' preseason scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium. He had a nice game against Michigan, racking up 54 yards on eight carries to lead the Gophers in rushing. But the true freshman from Killeen, Texas, was hardly used outside of the Michigan game. He finished the year with just 10 carries for 57 yards. With Bennett's career done, Cobb figures to factor into the Gophers offense more next year. Unfortunately, he didn't get many carries to help his progression.Passing offense: C- HIGHLIGHT: Nobody expected the Gophers to beat Michigan State on the road, but thanks to an impressive day from Gray and wide receiver Da'Jon McKnight, they almost did. Gray and McKnight hooked up for three touchdowns in the game, including a 64-yard score to put Minnesota up 7-0 early in the game. Gray finished 19-for-32 for 295 yards, while McKnight snagged nine catches for 173 yards. LOWLIGHT: With Paul Bunyan's Axe on the line against Wisconsin, Gray had easily his worst game of the season against the Badgers. Gray was just 6-of-14 for 51 yards and an interception. Making Gray's performance more glaring was the play of opposing quarterback Russell Wilson, who was a near-perfect 16-for-17 for 178 yards and three touchdowns. STAR STUDENT: Gray certainly had his struggles in his first year at quarterback. During his freshman and sophomore years, the athletic Gray played wide receiver for the Gophers while Adam Weber was at quarterback. Gray's junior year got off to a slow start and was hampered early by a toe injury. But he finished strong in his final few games, giving hope for the Gophers heading into 2012. BEHIND THE CURVE: Minnesota had several wide receivers show flashes in 2011 led by the senior McKnight. Freshmen Devin Crawford-Tufts and Marcus Jones impressed, as did redshirt junior Brandon Green. Malcolm Moulton, however, disappeared after a strong start. The sophomore had 10 total catches in his first three games, but had just four catches the rest of the season. And despite racking up 174 total receiving yards, Moulton never found the end zone. He also struggled with drops late in the year.Running defense: D HIGHLIGHT: Minnesota had one of the worst rushing defenses in the Big Ten, allowing 186.4 yards per game on the ground, second-most in the conference. But the Gophers' first game of the year was perhaps their best from that standpoint. Minnesota held USC to just 67 rushing yards on 28 carries an average of 2.39 yards per carry. LOWLIGHT: Michigan had its way with Minnesota's rushing defense during the Wolverines' 58-0 rout. They finished with 363 rushing yards on 48 carries, grinding down the Gophers' defense. Minnesota allowed four different Wolverines players to rush for over 50 yards, including 108 yards by Fitzgerald Toussaint. STAR STUDENT: Gary Tinsley was the lone senior in the Gophers' linebacking core, and he certainly led by example on the field. Tinsley was second on the team in total tackles with 87, trailing only safety Kim Royston's 123. Tinsley finished with the team lead in sacks, as he had four of Minnesota's 19 sacks this season. His nine tackles for loss were also a team high. BEHIND THE CURVE: Redshirt freshman Lamonte Edwards started the year at running back, but was moved to linebacker due to a lack of depth at that position. While he finished the season with 17 tackles (six solo) and a quarterback hit, he's still a work in progress at linebacker. There's a chance he could move back to running back next season, however.Passing defense: C- HIGHLIGHT: In the season finale against Illinois, the Gophers' pass defense had its best game of the year. Minnesota finished the game with a season-high five sacks, including two by defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman. The secondary held Illini quarterbacks Nathan Scheelhaase and Reilly O'Toole to just 78 combined passing yards on 15-of-27 passing, and the Gophers did not allow a passing touchdown. LOWLIGHT: There were several games in which Minnesota's pass defense struggled mightily, but the secondary was picked apart with surgical precision by Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson at TCF Bank Stadium. Wilson was nearly perfect through the air, finishing 16-for-17 for 178 yards and three touchdowns. His lone incompletion? A dropped pass by wide receiver Nick Toon, who had two touchdown catches. The Gophers did sack Wilson twice early, but never got to him the rest of the game. STAR STUDENT: Sixth-year safety Kim Royston had a strong finish to his winding college career. The Minneapolis native played for Wisconsin as a freshman and sophomore before transferring back home to Minnesota. In his final year of college football, Royston led the Gophers with 123 tackles the only Minnesota player with more than 90. He also had a sack in the season finale against Illinois and added an interception and two pass breakups earlier in the year. BEHIND THE CURVE: The Gophers were thin in the secondary, and the pass rush struggled for most of the season. While several defensive linemen recorded at least one sack, there was one that didn't. Senior Brandon Kirksey failed to reach the opposing quarterbacks this season, meaning he finished his Gophers career without a sack.Special teams: C HIGHLIGHT: While Minnesota was routed by rival Wisconsin, 42-13, the Gophers scored a pair of touchdowns on special teams play. The first was a fake field goal in which holder Adam Lueck flipped the ball to kicker Jordan Wettstein, who ran it in from five yards out for the score. Later in the game, Bennett opened up the second half of the game by returning the Wisconsin kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. LOWLIGHT: The Gophers' top kick returner, senior Troy Stoudermire, set the Big Ten single-season record for career kickoff return yards. But Stoudermire suffered a fractured bone in his arm early in the year. Despite trying to play through it against North Dakota State, Stoudermire was eventually shut down for the season. His absence forced the Gophers to mix and match in the return game, using a combination Moulton, Jones and Bennett. It's uncertain whether he will receive a medical redshirt, allowing him to return for another season. STAR STUDENT: Wettstein stepped into the kicking role without having played football in high school. The former soccer player at De Pere (Wis.) High School and junior walk-on was a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals, including a 51-yarder in the season finale against Illinois. Wettstein also nailed a 48-yarder against Northwestern, and ran for a touchdown on a fake field goal against Wisconsin. BEHIND THE CURVE: Punter Dan Orseske struggled for much of the season, including a few punts that netted less than 10 yards. That included a punt that took a backward bounce and result in a four-yard punt against Wisconsin. He finished the year with an average of 37 yards per punt, and was pulled after a rough game against Northwestern. David Schwerman punted in place of Orseske, but the duo combined for an average of 24 yards per punt in that game.Overall: C- The Gophers weren't expected by many to make a bowl game this season under first-year head coach Jerry Kill. Coming off a 3-9 season that saw coach Tim Brewster fired before the end of the year, Minnesota had plenty to clean up in order to be competitive. While the Gophers again finished 3-9 this season, progress seemed to have been made in the attitude of the players, if nothing else. The Gophers seem to be buying into Kill's approach of a rebuilding process that will likely take several years. Minnesota made strides late in the season, and Kill is hoping to take those positives and build on them in 2012.