Power brings opportunities

By KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune

Last update: December 31, 2008 - 7:52 AM

TEMPE, ARIZ. - Matt Stommes was sitting on a bench beside the Arizona State football practice field after a Gophers practice this week. Broad shoulders, square jaw, tape everywhere -- wrists, arms, knee. He looked like an offensive lineman.

Then he stood. Stommes stands 6-7, goes about 290. Here's the beef.

Stommes has made, on paper, more progress than just about anybody on the Gophers team in December. He's gone from a second- or third-string backup to starting right tackle.

He is part of the shakeup on the offensive line that was a product of coach Tim Brewster's decision to add the power run to the Gophers spread offense. Other key moves included moving Ryan Wynn from starting tackle to starting left guard.

Look at the Gophers line, from left tackle to right, and there is more experience (tackles Jason Meinke and Stommes and right guard Ned Tavale are all juniors). There is also a good bit of size.

For Stommes and Wynn, moving has been a good thing. At different points of the season Wynn, a redshirt freshman, has practiced or played at center, guard and tackle. Stommes? He came to the Gophers from Eden Valley-Watkins High School as a defensive lineman. He didn't switch to offense until after spring practice in April.

Now he's starting.

"I just come to work every day,'' he said. "Just try to get better every day. I kept on learning, improving my technique."

Not surprisingly, Stommes and Wynn both relish the opportunity go to a three-point stance and do some power run blocking.

"It's critical for running the football," Wynn said. "It helps to get the pads low, drive the guys back and create lanes."

Said Stommes: "We're hungry. It's just a downhill style of running. That's what we want. We want to be able to control the game, the clock, and run it down their throat."

The Gophers aren't going to abandon the spread. But this facet of the running game gives the Gophers options.

"The two-point stance is really good, too," Wynn said. ''Now teams will think, 'Oh, they're in a two-point stance, they'll be throwing the ball. But we knew we can run the ball out of that stance, too. Now we have another dimension to our game."

Ancient history

For Tuesday's news conference, coach Tim Brewster brought Gophers senior captains Steve Davis and Willie VanDeSteeg.

VanDeSteeg was asked if what happened in the Insight Bowl two years ago -- a collapse against Texas Tech -- would work as motivation. In a word: No.

"Obviously that was a disappointing game," he said. "But we got new coaches, we are a whole new team from that team. Obviously, we're a whole new team from last year. We kind of forget about that stuff."

Etc.

• Backup defensive lineman Ray Henderson has left Arizona and returned home to tend to a personal situation. Brewster stressed that it was not a disciplinary matter.

• Kansas running back Jake Sharp is recovering from the flu and should be ready by game time.

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