That reminds me, where is Talon? He was a shirt tail fellow fan.The bottom has been set. Anything better is a plus for the season...
Still, I've watched the GT game highlights a few times, including this...
Also for the record, stayed in touch with GT fans since the game and they are pretty much Gophers fans across the board at that site. There is a guy who's wife is a Bucky grad...sometimes hard to stomach...but they are rebuilding a few years behind us and hope this year is their 2019 as was for us.
Meanwhile looking for 2021 to be...errr...2021 for us...with 2019 as the foreshadowing...
I am thrilled we have that bowl tie-in now. If we don't make the higher bowls we are aiming for, a trip to Vegas in December would be a hell of a consolation prize.I already bought 8 tickets near the 50 for the Las Vegas Bowl; PAC-12 vs B1G on December 30.
Fingers crossed!
Same goes for Zimmer.Football is a constant zig-zag, 2018 was a zig, 2019 was a zag, 2020 was a zig year.
The Zig-Zag Man is seeing a Zag year in 2021. He seems to beam after the Spring Practices.
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I'm kinda bumned there's no Holiday bowl tie in ... granted with the stadium being torn down they're playing at a baseball park now .... but even so San Diego is a good location.I am thrilled we have that bowl tie-in now. If we don't make the higher bowls we are aiming for, a trip to Vegas in December would be a hell of a consolation prize.
This, a thousand times this.If we do something we haven’t done for decades, beat Iowa and Wisconsin in the same season, we won’t be bound for the Quick Lane Bowl. This is an experienced team that, as of now, has a chance to beat both Iowa and Wisconsin, but there are so many variables, including psychological ones. Fingers crossed.
To be elite, this has to happen. No excuses about being young.If we do something we haven’t done for decades, beat Iowa and Wisconsin in the same season, we won’t be bound for the Quick Lane Bowl. This is an experienced team that, as of now, has a chance to beat both Iowa and Wisconsin, but there are so many variables, including psychological ones. Fingers crossed.
Good lord get a new bit. Not one single time has Fleck referred to this current version of the Gophers as young. He knows he has a super deep and experienced team and all his comments have been about that. Fleck is clearly very excited about this team and has very high expectations. The way he has talked about the 2021 season has been much different than any of the other seasons he has been here.To be elite, this has to happen. No excuses about being young.
We have to watch out for key injuries.This, a thousand times this.
Really? What could anyone say that's positive for either nebraska or illinois to not be bottom of the big ten this year? It surely wouldn't be the solid, concrete stuff we have. They might *hope* to have an offensive line or RB, we KNOW we have those.I'm not disputing any of those things, and I am optimistic myself, but a lot of fan bases could list out things they are optimistic about right now. Remember the pundits are looking at everyone, not just us.
You'd think we'd be using badges for everything now and not those sharp injury inducing keys!We have to watch out for key injuries.
Watch out for knife-wielding Polar Bears...You'd think we'd be using badges for everything now and not those sharp injury inducing keys!
I don't know why pundits aren't climbing on board the Gopher train. What am I missing here?
1. A fifth-year QB who was magical two years ago
2. An offensive line that is talented, has future pros on it, and might be the most experienced in the nation
3. A defense that can't possibly be worse than last year, and just might take big strides forward
4. A kicker - an actual kicker! - who was the best special teamer in the MAC last year
5. One of the best RBs in the nation
6. An actual full offseason of practice with our offensive coordinator
I'm jacked up about this season. This absolutely feels like a 10-2 year to me. Am I high? Drunk? Delusional?
While I would hope the Gophers end the season higher up the bowl pecking order, it would be nice to avenge a couple of past bowl losses to the Red Raiders.From collegefootballnews.com
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 10:15 pm
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12
Preseason Bowl Projection: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Would definitely attend any bowl game that isn’t in Detroit. And I like Detroit! Great food and breweries. But if I’m flying in December it better be mountains or beaches.
Fleck was the one that started using excuses from the minute he arrived on campus. You remember the famous "Year Zero"?Good lord get a new bit. Not one single time has Fleck referred to this current version of the Gophers as young. He knows he has a super deep and experienced team and all his comments have been about that. Fleck is clearly very excited about this team and has very high expectations. The way he has talked about the 2021 season has been much different than any of the other seasons he has been here.
We get it, you don't like him, but stop trying to manufacture reasons not to like him that are not even there right now.
The year zero stuff got blown so out of proportion by those looking for reasons to hate on Fleck. And yeah coaches downplay expectations all the time, Kill was a master of it, so was Mason. They especially do this early in their tenures. This is not a new concept in any sport anywhere. Very few coaches walk in the door saying they are going to win right away, all you do there is set yourself up for failure during the transition.Fleck was the one that started using excuses from the minute he arrived on campus. You remember the famous "Year Zero"?
There's plenty of talent for a 10 win season. Anything less will be a big miss.
OK Boomer.Fleck was the one that started using excuses from the minute he arrived on campus. You remember the famous "Year Zero"?
There's plenty of talent for a 10 win season. Anything less will be a big miss.
The quick lane bowl is a much better bowl when the ACC puts a team inOddly enough the Quick Lane Bowl is about the only one I can easily attend. I'm in the Detroit area for family Xmas most years so I have been to both of the Gopher visits to Ford Field.
Not aiming for the QLB, but if it comes down to fungible low end bowls I like that one, especially if they draw a P5 team.
Yeah for team's like ours the margin between 7 and 10 wins can be very thin. I think we are looking at 2020 a lot differently if we pull out those OT games against Maryland and Wisconsin. Flip those and we are 5-2 rather than 3-4. And like you mentioned a few of those 2019 games could have turned the other way and we aren't looking back on that year so fondly.A lot had to go right to get that 10-2 in 2019. The non-conf started out with three way closer games than anyone expected.
Games at Purdue and at NW were "easier" than would normally be expected. Purdue lost their QB and elite WR, and NW was just down that year with bad QB play.
We got the bottom two East teams in Maryland and @Rutgers, to go with now infamous Penn St home game.
Illinois is what it is and Nebraska has also been historically bad.
Obviously we went out and won all those games. No one is saying we backed into wins.
And that level of good fortune can of course happen this year. Just saying, the ball needs to bounce your way too, if you want a great year.
I would not consider an 8 or 9 win season a miss. The defense is a question mark, and sorry but Sanford's offensive scheme/play calling is a question mark for me.
You point out, correctly, how close the 2019 campaign could have been 7-5 or even 6-6. Yet, we have several here who tout how Fleck is the best HC since Warmath. And they base that primarily on a 10-2 season.Yeah for team's like ours the margin between 7 and 10 wins can be very thin. I think we are looking at 2020 a lot differently if we pull out those OT games against Maryland and Wisconsin. Flip those and we are 5-2 rather than 3-4. And like you mentioned a few of those 2019 games could have turned the other way and we aren't looking back on that year so fondly.