Season Preview: Minnesota Morris

The University of Minnesota Morris returns more starters from its 2011 unit than any other team in the conference. Returning 18 starters to a a 5-5 team is a recipe for success going into 2012. Will the Cougars, a perennial middle of the road team, be able to rise into the top third of the conference this season? The UMAC coaches do not seem to think so as they have the cougars finishing in the sixth spot. Morris will certainly need to beat some teams that they were unable to beat last year if they hope to move up in 2012.

Running Back Leandro Dower returns for his junior year looking to build upon a sophomore season in which he led the Cougars in rushing compiling over 800 yards. QB Derek Foss and his brother WR Brendan Foss look to continue their connection from a year ago in which Brendan accumulated 890 receiving yards. With standout receviers Givens, Schmidgall, Rusinkovich, and O'Neill all graduated, Foss might just be one of the top receivers in the UMAC. Questions remain on the offensive line, however. If they are able to fix some of the holes on the offensive line - and that is a big if - Morris might be able to improve from 7th in yards per game where they finished in 2011.

Defensively, the Cougars finished in the middle of the pack in 2011. With youngsters Cody Hickman and and Shane Johnson making the All-UMAC 2nd Team in just their freshman and sophomore years, respectively, the defense is positioned to show some improvement this season.

Prediction: Although I am impressed by the 18 returning starters that Morris boasts, I do not know if I can see them finishing any higher than sixth in the conference - right where the coaches placed them in the pre-season poll. There is certainly reason for optimism in Morris, however, and I do expect them to beat a few teams from the upper part of the conference. No opponent should overlook this team this year. But, when you look at this team's track record you see that they barely escaped from down Martin Luther  and Crown teams last season, and were blown out by Scholastica, Northwestern, and Greenville. A 40-7 victory over Eureka shows that they have the potential to beat some stronger teams, but their inconsistency leads me to believe they will finish at 3-5 or 4-4 with a sixth place finish.