Mobile tackling dummy tested at Gophers football practice

The Gophers had a newcomer at football practice Thursday, wearing No. 05, with decent speed, some shifty moves and the ability to bounce right up after a crushing hit.

No, they didn't get a late scholarship addition. They're just the latest team to try out a remote-controlled tackling dummy from a company called MVP (Mobile Virtual Player). The device was designed by a team of engineers at Dartmouth to help teams reduce practice injuries.

Gophers defensive backs worked on their tackling technique for one segment of practice, taking turns chasing and pummeling the device, which a technician controlled with a remote from several yards away.

Junior Adekunle Ayinde said it was good fun. But he also had to deal with the embarrassment of getting deked by a machine.

"I got beat by it one time, so I had to tighten up and get back at it," he said.

The Gophers will get two more practices with the device. Ayinde said besides saving wear and tear on ball carriers, it can help the defense improve its tackling.

"It forces you to get your feet under you, and then make your tackle," he said. "My first rep was humbling."

Defensive end Gaelin Elmore got a new tattoo on his left forearm last December, paying tribute to former Gophers coach Jerry Kill.

The tattoo has one of Kill's quotes from his news conference Oct. 28, the day he retired from coaching because of setbacks from epilepsy. The quote says, "Count on your health instead of your wealth. Count on God, instead of yourself."

Elmore said Jerry and Rebecca Kill were "really influential in my life and career." When the couple came to visit a recent Gophers practice, Elmore had the chance to show them the tattoo.

"He was just kind of surprised a little bit," Elmore said. "Mama Kill showed a little bit more emotion. But it's just something he knows I really care about him and am thankful for what he did."

The strength of last year's Gophers defense was its secondary, and the apparent strength this year is the linebacker corps.

"Not a lot of expectations for the D-line coming in from some people outside the program," Elmore said. "And I think we've competed well and showed up a little bit this spring."

Elmore couldn't pinpoint an exact quote about the defensive line that has served as extra motivation.

"Not anything specific, just people talking," he said. "You hear it, and it gets back to you, kind of adds fuel to the fire, people talking about if we had a D-line we'd be a really prominent defense in the Big Ten. And we kind of took that to heart this offseason."

New offensive line coach Bart Miller wants to bolster recruiting at that position, whether the talent comes from Minnesota or elsewhere.

Recruiting Minnesotans "is very important to me," Miller said. "We're looking for a specific kind of player. Just because a kid's in-state and he doesn't fit what we do, that's one thing. But we're looking for physical, tough, mean guys that love the weight room, that love to work.

"I really don't care how fast you run the 40. I want to know if you can move people in a short distance in a phone booth. Obviously the physical attributes are a must.

"We need to build a fence around the state for those type of players and around the Midwest. You look at the Big Ten — this is O-line country."