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2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team
The 2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gophers were led by first-year head coach P. J. Fleck and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota competed as a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 5–7, 2–7 in Big Ten play to finish in sixth place in the West Division. Recruiting Position key Recruits The Gophers signed a total of 26 recruits. Schedule The Gophers' 2017 schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games. Minnesota hosted two of its non-conference games; against Buffalo from the MAC and against Middle Tennessee from Conference USA; the Gophers played on the road against Oregon State from the Pac-12. The Gophers played nine conference games; they hosted Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. They traveled to Purdue, Iowa, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kirk Ciarrocca
Kirk Ciarrocca (born August 12, 1965), is the offensive coordinator for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He most recently served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota. Prior to that he spent a year as the offensive coordinator for Penn State University. Early life Ciarrocca, a native of York County, graduated from Red Land High School in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania.Juliano, Jo"Temple grad Kirk Ciarrocca named offensive coordinator at Penn State" ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', December 26, 2019, retrieved December 27, 2019.Flounders, Bo"Penn State's new offensive coordinator: A closer look at Kirk Ciarrocca's background" pennlive.com, December 26, 2019, retrieved December 27, 2019. After high school he attended Juniata College, where he played defensive back for the Eagles football team before a knee injury ended his career. He continued his education at Temple University, where he earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in education. Coaching career Ciarr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halfback (American Football)
A halfback (HB) is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the offensive backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i.e. a running back. When the principal ball carrier lines up deep in the backfield, and especially when that player is placed behind another player (usually a blocking back), as in the I formation, that player is instead referred to as a tailback. Sometimes the halfback can catch the ball from the backfield on short passing plays as they are an eligible receiver. Occasionally, they line up as additional wide receivers. When not running or catching the ball, the primary responsibility of a halfback is to aid the offensive linemen in blocking, either to protect the quarterback or another player carrying the football. History Overview Before the emergence of the T formation in the 1940s, all members of the offensive backfield were legitimate threats to run or pass the ball. Most teams used four offensiv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marshall, Minnesota
Marshall is a city in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,680 at the 2010 census. Marshall is a regional center in southwest Minnesota, and the county seat of Lyon County. It is the headquarters of the Schwan Food Company and the home of Southwest Minnesota State University. History Marshall was platted in 1872 when the railroad was extended to that point. Lake Marshall Township had been established in the area two years earlier, and included a post office and several farms. Before that, the site was occasionally used as a campground for groups of Dakota, who hunted and traveled throughout the region. After much discussion, James J. Manton decided on Marshall in honor of Governor William R. Marshall. The town grew rapidly. In 1873, Samuel Biglari published Marshall's first newspaper, the ''Prairie Schooner''. In the October 25, 1873, issue, he wrote, "Nine months ago the first house was erected. Now there are 79 permanent buildings already constr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tight End
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be effective blockers. On the other hand, unlike offensive linemen, they are eligible receivers adept enough to warrant a defense's attention when running pass patterns. Because of the hybrid nature of the position, the tight end's role in any given offense depends on the tactical preferences and philosophy of the head coach as well as overall team dynamic. In some systems, the tight end will merely act as a sixth offensive lineman, rarely going out for passes. Other systems use the tight end primarily as a receiver, frequently taking advantage of the tight end's size to create mismatches in the defensive secondary. Many coaches will ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Safety (American And Canadian Football Position)
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their duties depend on the defensive scheme. The defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field. While American (11-player) formations generally use two safeties, Canadian (12-player) formations generally have one safety and two defensive halfbacks, a position not used in the American game. As professional and college football have become more focused on the passing game, safeties have become more involved in covering the eligible pass receivers. Safeties are the last line of defense; they are expected to be reliable tacklers, and many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football. Safety positions can also be converted cornerbacks, either by design ( Byron ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes. When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack. Overview In modern American football, the starting quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, and their successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of their team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified, scrutinized, and highest-paid positions in team sports. ''Bleacher Report'' describes the signing of a starting quarterback as a Catch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punt Returner
A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position such as wide receiver, defensive back, or running back. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a kicking specialist. According to All-American Venric Mark, "Returning punts is harder. You have to judge the ball more, you have to know when to fair catch and when not to. You can't be a superhero and try to catch everything. With kickoff returns, you catch the ball and — boom — you're going." Kickoff returner A kickoff returner (KR) is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible for catching the opposing team's kickoff and attempting to run it towards the end zone to score a touchdown. If the ball is kicked into his own end zone, the kick returner must assess the situation on the field while the ball i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Punter (American Football)
A punter (P) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snap (gridiron football), snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then Punt (gridiron football), punts (kicks) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a third down in Canadian football. Punters may also occasionally take part in fake punts in those same situations, when they forward pass, throw or rush (gridiron football), run the football instead of punting. Skills and usage The purpose of the Punt (gridiron football), punt is to force the team that is receiving the kick to start as far as possible from the kicking team's end zone. Accordingly, the most effective punts land just outside the receiving team's end zone and land either Coffin corner (American football), out of bounds (making it impossible to advance the ball until the next play) or after being kicked exceptionally high (allo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long Snapper
In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempts. Overview During field goal and point after touchdown attempts, the snap is received by the holder, typically 7–8 yards away. During punts, the snap is delivered to the punter from 13–15 yards away. Following a punt snap, the snapper often executes a blocking assignment and then must cover the kick by running downfield and attempting to stop the opposing team's punt returner from advancing the ball in the opposite direction. If the punt goes uncaught, it is the snapper's responsibility to make sure the ball does not enter the end zone or bounce backward resulting in loss of yards. The majority of snappers at the highest levels of competition are specialized, meaning that they uniquely play the position of snapper, or have li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lineman (American Football)
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A number of NFL rules specifically address restrictions and requirements for the offensive line, whose job is to help protect the quarterback from getting sacked for a loss, or worse, fumbling. The defensive line is covered by the same rules that apply to all defensive players. Linemen are usually the largest players on the field in both height and weight, since their positions usually require less running and more strength than skill positions. Offensive line The offensive line consists of the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball into play, two guards who flank the center, and two offensive tackles who flank the guards. In addition, a full offensive line may also include a tight end outside one or both of the tackles. An offen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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