Gophers need other players to step up with Decker out

The question was, what will you miss? Adam Weber's response was, where should I start?

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster ended any speculation early this week, announcing that wide receiver Eric Decker -- the focal point of the Gophers' offense all season and the most recent flash point for Minnesota's rivalry with Wisconsin -- will not play against the Badgers Saturday.

Decker sprained his left ankle in the third quarter against Northwestern. He tried to return last week against Michigan but left the game early. Now, Brewster has decided, it's time to give Decker time to fully heal. The hope is he will be ready for the regular-season finale against Iowa.

Until then, what will you miss?

''Obviously, he's done a great job, been a big-time leader and player,'' Weber said. ''He adds a lot of intangibles that it's hard to name or put your finger on. But we'll look for other guys to step up.''

So far, that's been difficult. The Gophers haven't scored a touchdown since Decker was injured taking a shovel pass and carrying it inside the Northwestern 10-yard line.

Last week, in a 29-6 loss to Michigan, Weber had his most difficult day of the season. He was off-target early and under pressure from start to finish. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 105 yards, threw an interception and was sacked four times.

The question remains: What can the Gophers do without Decker?

''The key word for us is balance,'' Brewster said. ''We want to be able to be a balanced football team. We want to be able to run it some. Obviously we have to do a better job up front to do that.''

Circumstances have conspired to put an awful lot of pressure, both literally and figuratively, on Weber's shoulders.

The running game has slowed, netting just 83 yards last week and 68 the week before. That has increased the pass rush on Weber, who has been sacked 10 times in the past three weeks. As a result, as the Michigan game wore on, Weber started anticipating the pressure, which further affected his game.

''I wasn't constantly thinking about that,'' Weber said. ''But, watching the tape, I could see by my body language that it was a little true. ... Last week's game was a very difficult game for the offense as a whole. But also for me personally. It was a frustrating game. I felt we never got into a rhythm of any sort. It's one of those things where, when you go back and watch tape, you try to recognize what went wrong that [made] our offense so stale and unproductive.''

As Brewster has said before, the Gophers' linemen need to play better -- especially as the Gophers try to improve their running game.

But, most importantly, Weber has to have enough time -- and enough confidence -- to go to all his receivers now that his top guy is out.

Brandon Green has shown signs of growth. He will have to take another step. Sophomore Ralph Spry is back off suspension for violating team rules and provides some experience. Brodrick Smith has been moved atop the depth chart at wide receiver along with Green and Ben Kuznia. Smith, David Pittman and Da'Jon McKnight -- who had a TD catch at Ohio State -- all will have to produce. The Gophers have had success when going to tight ends Jack Simmons and Nick Tow-Arnett.

''We can't sulk about the fact we won't have Decker against Wisconsin,'' Brewster said. ''Brandon Green, he played very well against Michigan. The progress he's making is outstanding. The other young receivers are in position to step up and make plays. This is their opportunity.''

Weber, meanwhile, will try to brush off last week's game. A quick start is a must. The Gophers don't have to score right away, he said, but they have to move the ball, get at least a few first downs, find that rhythm. Ultimately, though, the Gophers will have to rediscover the end zone to finish the season right.

''Injuries are going to happen,'' Weber said. ''We've had a successful season so far. Obviously, the last two games have taken away from that a little bit. But if we tap out now, with Eric being gone, that would really wreck the season. We'll miss Eric. But we have to answer, we have to come back. That falls on all the guys on offense and to me personally.''