In 2003 and 2004, the two-headed combination of Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney led the way. Last season, Maroney became the main man got plenty of help from Gary Russell and Amir Pinnix. With Maroney off to the NFL, Pinnix is supposed to be the team's primary ball carrier in 2006.

But Pinnix missed significant time in the spring with an ankle injury. So did solid backup Justin Valentine. Nothing lasts forever and that may well be the case with the Minnesota running game.

Without Pinnix and Valentine, the running responsibilities fall to Brylee Callender and freshman Judd Smith. Neither one of those backs appears to have the talent, power or speed to carry the load in the Big Ten.

The Gopher passing game looked quite productive during the spring, but there are injury problems in that area as well. QB Bryan Cupito has been having problems with his left (non-passing) shoulder and may undergo surgery that would limit his practice time during the summer. Even if he does not go under the knife, Cupito and the coaches will be aware that one or two big hits could put him out of commission for quite a while.

"I thought we had a really good spring practice. We talked quite a bit about how many guys were banged up, but we had fewer injuries this spring than we had last spring in terms of numbers. We're just not very deep at certain positions. The good news is some of our younger guys got more work than they normally would.

"We used this spring practice to our benefit. We got better in a lot of areas. I thought we would have a good offensive line at the start, and I thought they really came along. We made vast improvements in our defensive secondary and put ourselves in good shape to utilize the time between now and August to improve as a football team."

--The Gophers' pursuit of an open-air, on-campus stadium came to a successful conclusion in late May when the Minnesota state legislature approved a plan to build a new $248 million stadium. Construction on the 50,000-seat stadium will begin this summer, and it is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009. HOK Sports of Kansas City, which designed dozens of college football stadiums and is widely considered a leader in sports stadium design, will design the Gophers' new facility.

"For years, we have been the only Big 10 school without an on-campus football stadium," said University President Robert Bruininks. "This new facility will have a huge positive impact on our football program, recruiting and all of our athletic programs."

--With Minnesota's running back situation in flux because of academic ineligibility and injury, incoming freshman Brylee Callender ran for 110 yards and scored three touchdowns.

--Trumaine Banks, a three-year starter at cornerback, has been moved to free safety.

--Tony Brinkhaus has moved from tackle to center -- a spot vacated by the departure of C Greg Eslinger.

2007 DRAFT PROSPECTS: QB Bryan Cupito -- He has a very solid arm and has shown improvement throughout his career. If he continues to grow as a senior, Cupito could receiver consideration despite a shoulder injury to his non-throwing arm.

TE Matt Spaeth -- One of Cupito's favorite receivers, Spaeth should be one of the top tight ends in the conference. He has good hands and excellent size at 6-6 and 270 pounds.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We have to be consistent in both the run and the pass. For us to be consistent we need more balance. We've run the ball awfully effectively and passed the ball OK. I'm not sure we'll run the ball as effectively but we're going to pass a lot better." -- Head coach Glen Mason regarding Minnesota's changing emphasis.

QB Bryan Cupito -- Despite a sore non-throwing shoulder, Cupito connected on 17-of-25 passes for 251 yards with three touchdowns.

LB Mike Sherels -- He was very aware and played hard-nosed football all spring. In the team's spring game, he had six tackles and one fumble recovery.

ROSTER REPORT: RB Gary Russell is not in the Gophers' plans this season as he did not enroll in summer school. ... DL Raymond Henderson is scheduled to enroll in classes this summer after transferring from Tennessee. Henderson will be eligible to play in 2007. ... RBs Amir Pinnix and Justin Valentine were both slowed by ankle injuries during the spring, while No. 1 RB is trying to regain academic eligibility. ... WRs Logan Payne and Eric Decker both suffered undisclosed injuries in the final week of spring practice. ... Starting weak-side linebacker John Shevlin missed all of spring practice after having offseason shoulder surgery. ... Middle linebacker Alex Daniels suffered a broken left arm in the first week. Daniels, a sophomore, needs the work.