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Home | Sports | Gophers

U freshman performs in a pinch

Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

Gophers safety Mike Rallis, left, got some playing time against Illinois and quarterback Juice Williams last month in Champaign, Ill.

Mike Rallis, a safety from Edina, has filled in admirably for a Gophers defense beset by injuries.

By KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune

Last update: November 18, 2008 - 11:23 PM

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GOPHERS VS. IOWA

6 p.m. Saturday • Metrodome • TV: BTN • Radio: 830-AM

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Mike Rallis didn't have much time to warm up in a very cold Camp Randall Stadium Saturday.

On the first play of the second half against Wisconsin, Gophers middle linebacker Lee Campbell sprained an ankle chasing down running back P.J. Hill and was replaced by Nate Triplett.

Two plays later, safety Kyle Theret sprained an ankle tackling Hill for a loss. Suddenly, Rallis was in, and in the middle of it. On Rallis' first play, Hill came through the line alone, only to be tackled by Rallis for the first of eight tackles he made in two quarters of play.

"I saw him coming through the hole, and there wasn't anybody else there,'' Rallis said. "I knew I had to bring him down, so I came up and tackled him. It felt good. I'm glad it was the first play, to get in there and get my jersey dirty. I didn't have to wait a couple of plays to get my head in it.''

He might not have to wait so long this week against Iowa.

Campbell and Theret -- two of the Gophers' key run-stoppers -- are both listed as day-to-day. Neither was able to practice Tuesday.

"We hope to have 'em both Saturday,'' Gophers coach Tim Brewster said. "We could have 'em both or not have either one. It's a matter of how they progress during the week.''

That means Rallis will spend the week preparing to start.

This is what Rallis was looking for when he decided where to play college football.

He had options, lots of them.

Some came early as Rallis made his way through his senior season as a linebacker and running back at Edina last fall. Wyoming offered a scholarship, then UNLV. As the recruiting season wore on, several high-profile schools asked him to walk on, including USC, Wisconsin and Miami (Fla.) -- the team he grew up loving.

But he decided to stay home. Rallis took Brewster's offer to walk on at Minnesota.

"I took visits to some schools, and I really liked them, they had a lot to offer,'' he said. "But to me, it was worth walking on here, to stay home, represent the state of Minnesota. Coach Brewster said I'd have a chance, and I did.''

Rallis came to the Gophers as an outside linebacker but was moved to safety during fall practice. He spent most of this season on special teams, though he did see some action in Illinois when the Gophers played Tramaine Brock at corner with Marcus Sherels out because of a shoulder injury.

Playing against Illinois' spread offense was a wake-up call.

"It all came at me a lot faster,'' he said. "But after I got that exposure, it was like, 'This is just football,'"

That's one reason why Rallis was able to fill in so well Saturday. The other was the opponent. Unlike the Illini, the Badgers are a power-running football team. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof trotted out a 4-4 lineup in Wisconsin that had Theret -- and then Rallis -- moving up into the box like a fourth linebacker.

It was a good place for the 6-2, 225-pound Rallis. On Saturday the Gophers will face a similar attack with Iowa and running back Shonn Greene.

"That kind of works to his advantage,'' defensive backs coach Ronnie Lee said. "He can be that mid-range type of a linebacker/safety type of guy. He went in there [in Wisconsin] and played his butt off.''

That he was ready to do so shows how hard Rallis has worked. He went from walk-on linebacker to a safety with a scholarship. It has required a lot of work.

"He's a lot like Kyle in that he's an extremely smart football player,'' Brewster said of Rallis. "He's the first person to come in and get his game-plan book every week. There is a reason why a young kid can step in like he did against Wisconsin and play with such confidence. It's because of his preparation.''

Rallis made a key tackle on Nick Toon that forced one fourth-quarter punt. On the Gophers' final defensive stand, Rallis had a tackle for loss. His eight total tackles led the team.

Roof was not surprised.

"He hangs on every word, he's very coachable,'' Roof said. "He's a guy we trust. He'll be where he needs to be when he needs to be there.

"As a coach, that's all you can ask for.''

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