[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day 21

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

And we begin the second half of the countdown ...

FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL
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> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin
06) Randy Walker, Northwestern
05) Lloyd Carr, Michigan
04) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
03) Joe Tiller, Purdue
02) Joe Paterno, Penn State
01) Jim Tressel, Ohio State

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade

10) 2000: Purdue 32, Michigan 31
09) 2001: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24
08) 2005: Michigan 27, Penn State 25
07) 2003: Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 34
06) 2004: Northwestern 33, Ohio State 27 (OT)
05) 2008: Penn State 13, Ohio State 6
04) 2009: Ohio State 27, Iowa 24 (OT)
03) 2002: Ohio State 10, Purdue 6
02) 2000: Northwestern 54, Michigan 51
01) 2006: Ohio State 42, Michigan 39

> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

So now we get to the top players of the decade, which will probably be the most wide-ranging and erratic of the lists. Remember that this is like the All-Madden team in that I'm judging mostly by games I've seen on TV or in person. I've watched a lot of Big Ten football, but I'm sure I missed some things. I tried to balance it out by position, but as with everything, the running backs and quarterbacks get all the glory.

TOP PLAYERS
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10) Laurence Maroney/Marion Barber, Minnesota

Instead of doing the "Big Televen" #11 pick for this list, I just decided to put the Golden Gophers' two-headed running back monster in the tenth spot.

There was some fierce competition on the backfield list for the decade ... Rashard Mendenhall, TJ Duckett, Shonn Greene, Javon Ringer, whichever big bowling ball back is running behind Wisconsin's mammoth line and some others I'll mention later in the countdown. But the two-headed monster from Minnesota stands out as a pair, even if I couldn't keep them straight when they were in the maroon and gold uniforms. The two have fared pretty well in the pros as well, but it's the tandem effect that made them special.

Marion Barber III was the first of the duo to arrive on the Minneapolis campus in 2001. His freshman season was solid with 742 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns, but his sophomore year ended early with an injury. When he returned for the 2003 season, he had company in the backfield with Maroney and it was no coincidence that Minnesota won 10 games for the first time in nearly a century that year.

In that 2003 season, Barber ran the ball more than 200 times for almost 1200 yards and 17 touchdowns - an outstanding season for just about any running back. But when you consider that Maroney also got 150+ carries, 1150 yards and had 10 touchdowns, you start to get an idea of the damage these two did on Big Ten defenses. They were a two-back attack that had it all - speed, power, game-changing ability and a nose for the end zone. It wasn't really a "thunder and lightning" combo, as both were pretty similar in skill set, but the complementary relationship kept both players fresh throughout the season and led to impressive numbers all around.

The 2003 Gophers team finished No. 17 in the polls after a thrilling 31-30 Sun Bowl win over Oregon. They lost two midseason games in the Metrodome by a total of 9 points that could have turned a breakthrough year into a true Cinderella story that ended in Pasadena. But they did have a nice win at Penn State, the wild rivalry win over Wisoconin and high hopes heading into 2004.

The dynamic duo returned and improved on their numbers in 2004, with each back topping 200 carries and 1250 yards. Maroney had 12 touchdowns and Barber added 11 as the Minnesota backfield proved last year was no fluke and that they could share between stars. However, the team took a small step back. After starting 5-0 with big expectations, the Gophers fell by 3 at Michigan and were dismantled a week later in East Lansing. They rebounded to beat Illinois, but dropped their final three games of the regular season to limp into the Music City Bowl.

In their final game together, Maroney and Barber faced the tradition rich Alabama Crimson Tide and their legions of fans in Nashville. Barber scored the go ahead touchdown to kick off the second quarter and the Gophers never trailed again, as Maroney made some key second half runs and Barber earned game MVP honors. The Gophers won a hard-fought game over a big-name foe 20-16 and finished a somewhat disappointing season on a high note.

Barber left a year early for the NFL draft, but Maroney had one more year after Barber left (before also departing early) and got 281 carries for 1464 yards and 11 overall touchdowns, but his yards per game average took a big hit and the team experienced another step backwards from the 2003 high point, losing the Music City Bowl to close the season.

It's too bad Barber left for the 2005 season, as the schedule rotation shift meant that Minnesota faced Ohio State again, along with an improved PSU and Wisconsin and it would have been interesting to see how the two would have fared against the stepped-up competition of the 2005 league. 

But the fans in Minneapolis still got two full years of seeing these future pros share the backfield and lead Minnesota to their best two-year stretch in ages. NFL teams dream of a backfield like this and you rarely see one in college, especially where the two learn to co-exist and work off of each other as well as these two eventually did. It merits a co-mention at the ten spot on our list.

Coming Monday: Catch him if you can.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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