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bstinger -> RE: Gopher Football (11/16/2019 10:16:32 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Pete M.
I was at Kinnick today. Great atmosphere, fun hanging out with a ton of Gopher fans, but a tough result. A few takeaways:
(1) Gotta respectfully disagree with the view they were unprepared or uninterested. They played hard and never gave up. The big key was that they had a bad defensive game plan to start. Very conservative, no pass rush in the first half, and you let Stanley get unbelievably comfortable. The second-half, aggressive game plan should have been the first half plan. Too bad. Hopefully Rossi learns something.
(2) The key individual play in the game was Johnson’s drop. That play makes it 20-20 and I think the Gophers win at that point. But I also can’t look past some of the unbelievable catches Tyler made elsewhere in the game. That’s who he is, for better or worse, and you have to take the good with the bad.
(3) I sincerely thought they’d drive down and score at the end. Tanner was unbelievable. Let’s hope he’s okay next week.
(4) The big-picture key to the game was red-zone offense. Iowa converted; we didn’t. The margin of error is so small in these games. We had 5-6 drives into the red zone and scored 19 points. That’s not enough, and it was the game.
(5) Fleck’s jaunt onto the field was dumb but ultimately cost us nothing. Iowa would have had the ball anyway, and they punted soon after. Focusing on it seems misguided.
(6) The lack of a kicker is huge. It cost us tonight: I think we win that game with Emmitt Carpenter at K (last year’s kicker). Let’s hope it doesn’t again. The big recruiting miss was Fleck’s predecessor giving a scholarship to Grant Ryerse. He didn’t pan out, and now the program is behind the 8-ball with freshmen thrust into big moments.
(7) Time management and timeout management continue to haunt P.J. I’m okay with his strategy of using timeouts during the first half or at key moments, but sometimes it seems like it’s based more on unpreparedness or indecisiveness than on intentional game management. If the OC isn’t getting the play in time, fix it. Has to get better.
(8) On Twitter, I’m seeing an awful lot of overreactions: “Never trust P.J. again,” “typical Gophers football,” “the season is done,” “they’re completely overrated.” Come on — that’s ridiculous. They lost to a top 20-25 team on the road in a stadium that’s been a nightmare for top-10/top-15 programs over the last decade, including some programs way more accomplished than us. And they substantially out-gained Iowa to boot. I was too overconfident going into this one (you were right, SMF), but watching the game was eye-opening. We’re a better team, but sometimes better teams don’t win when based on a few huge plays, especially at home. (For example, I think PSU beats Minn more often than not on a neutral field.) Beat Northwestern, beat Wisconsin for the B1G West, then take your chances against OSU and get to the Rose Bowl at a minimum. A lot to play for, and a lot to be proud of these student-athletes for.
A lot of good points Pete.
My ongoing beef with PJ is your #7. Hasn't really cost him much until today, but I knew it would eventually. Definitely did today. We need to be quicker about getting plays in and getting the snap off on time. We also need to make the decision to go or not before needing a TO. The majority of TO's should be saved for the end of the half or game to stop the clock when it really matters.
Also strongly agree on items 1, 4, 6, and 8. Slightly less on 2, 3, 5.
Would also argue about game decisions on kicking FG's or going for it at different times. PJ always zigged, when I would've zagged. He didn't maximize our potential today, but I still believe he'll be a great coach.
I still feel good about our Rose Bowl prospects.
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