Thursday, September 07, 2006

Contra Costa Times: Defense tries to regroup against Gophers' attack

After getting shredded by Tennessee, Bears aim to stop ground game

Cal notebook

BERKELEY -- It would be fair to say that Minnesota tailback Alex Daniels hits like a linebacker. That's because Daniels was a linebacker not so long ago. On Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Cal will have to deal with the Golden Gophers' power running game and Daniels, a 6-foot-3, 255-pounder, in particular. "In the Big Ten, that's pretty much what they do," Cal linebacker Desmond Bishop said of Minnesota's ability to dominate on the ground. "They have a 255-pound running back. They are going to try to pound it. It's smash-mouth football at its finest."  Kent State was smashed in the mouth last week against Minnesota and it bled rushing yards. The Gophers had 322 yards rushing, and Daniels, in his first game since converting to tailback in summer camp, gained 155 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns in the Gophers' 44-0 victory. He was named the Big Ten's co-offensive player of the week.

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