disciplined, and skilled defensive unit will take the field in 2011. “Last year, the first game of the year, we went in with 11 new starters. No matter how much talent you have, you can’t overstate how important experience is. We definitely learned from last year and won’t make the same stupid mistakes.” Rallis, a marketing and entrepreneurial management major at the Carlson School of Management, exudes intensity. He knows that a fresh start under new coaches, while providing a framework for success, can only go so far.
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“Coach Kill and his assistants have a plan, and it’s worked everywhere they’ve been. They’ll turn this program around, no doubt. But it’s really up to us how quick that happens.” MarQueis Gray’s number is finally up. Look for it, No. 5, on the back of the quarterback of the Golden Gophers. The lithe, power-
ful junior came to Minnesota as one of the nation’s most promising running and throwing quarterbacks, but has seen scant action in that position. He appeared in all 12 games last season, but
primarily as a receiver—and a good one, tallying 42 catches for 587 yards and five touchdowns. But the graduation of five-year starter Adam Weber and a new coaching regime paved the way for Gray to shift to his preferred position. “Coach Kill has done nothing but encourage me, and that gave me more confidence to play quarterback. So now in my head I am a quarterback, not a receiver,” Gray says. Continued on next page
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