Shama: It appears Minnesota will have to total over 35 points to have a high probability of winning Thursday night.

BleedGopher

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per Shama:

In six of eight games last season the Buckeyes scored 38 points or more. It appears Minnesota will have to total over 35 points to have a high probability of winning Thursday night.

It seems like from day one in Dinkytown (winter of 2017), Fleck has preached “the ball is the program.” Translation: against the Buckeyes the Gophers can’t turn over the ball running and passing from the line of scrimmage. On special teams they can’t make misjudgments regarding field position or even worse fumble kickoff returns and punt returns. There will be no margin for error Thursday night against an Ohio State team with the best talent in the Big Ten Conference. The reputation of the Buckeyes can intimidate other teams before games even start.

Errors have to come from the Buckeyes, starting with quarterback C.J. Stroud who saw minimal playing time last season and didn’t even attempt a pass. Minnesota’s defense needs to rattle him early in the game. Maybe it can be done through defensive schemes, punishing tackles or unexpected blitzes. Crowd noise could help, too, making it difficult for the Buckeyes to hear snap counts, and fueling the emotions of Minnesota’s defensive players.

If Minnesota can’t force Stroud into a bad performance—or at least subpar—the party will be over for the Gophers before it even begins. The Buckeyes feature a terrific offensive line and dangerous running backs. Their receiver group, led by All-American Chris Olave, might be the best in America.


Go Gophers!!
 







O/U is 63 right now. Don't usually put much in his assessments but do agree that OSU's QB performance will be a big factor.
Looking better I saw 66 earlier I like the over more than any spread/ML bet on this game.
 





Gopher need to cross 40 points …

I have a hard time imagining that happening against Ohio State although OSU did give up 51 to Maryland (actually won the game 52-51) and 49 to Purdue (lost that game) in 2018.
 


Even by Shama's incredibly low standards this was a dumb piece. How that dude is still employed as a sports writer is beyond me.

So hold up...just to be clear.....we shouldn't go in against one of the most explosive teams in the country and expect a low scoring slugfest.....dang....totally changes my outlook on this one. And we can't make mistakes either.....well we are screwed.
 

Even by Shama's incredibly low standards this was a dumb piece. How that dude is still employed as a sports writer is beyond me.
He runs his own website, so he'd have to fire himself. Not disagreeing that he is a hack, just answering your question.
 






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