Neal: How Gophers' rebuilt offensive line could make or break Big Ten West hopes

[BleedGopher]

Per La Velle:

There were holes to run through during the Gophers' 38-0 victory Thursday over New Mexico State, enough for seven runs of at least 10 yards between running backs Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts. But there was an occasional breakdown or a missed assignment that thwarted even bigger plays.

Quarterback Tanner Morgan had time to make throws for stretches of the game, often hitting receivers on crossing routes. But there were a couple of moments where Morgan had to rely on his pocket awareness to move.

This was the first game for an overhauled Gophers offensive line. Stud center John Michael Schmitz returned from a unit that was big, nasty and effective, but the other four starters were new.

"I think that was one of the things we had to really find out tonight," coach P.J. Fleck said. “What kind of line do we have.”

Star Tribune

Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.

m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Cedar Rapids Gopher]

Quarterback Tanner Morgan had time to make throws for stretches of the game, often hitting receivers on crossing routes. But there were a couple of moments where Morgan had to rely on his pocket awareness to move.

Sounds just like last year.

 

[kg21]

Quarterback Tanner Morgan had time to make throws for stretches of the game, often hitting receivers on crossing routes. But there were a couple of moments where Morgan had to rely on his pocket awareness to move.

Sounds just like last year.

I believe teams are going to stack the box on us. Stop the run and make us throw.

I'm not overly encouraged about this. I'm getting the same vibes as last year on our passing game.

 

[Cedar Rapids Gopher]

I believe teams are going to stack the box on us. Stop the run and make us throw.

I'm not overly encouraged about this. I'm getting the same vibes as last year on our passing game.

I could be wrong but I'm feel 2019 vibe. I realize we don't have the same receivers but good enough.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

People overlook that in addition to replacing most of the OL, they also lost one of the best blocking TE/H-Backs in all of college football.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

I believe teams are going to stack the box on us. Stop the run and make us throw.

I'm not overly encouraged about this. I'm getting the same vibes as last year on our passing game.

This works for me -

 

[GopherinFlorida]

Sure doesn't seem like 2019 to me...we barely beat our 3 non-conference opponents coming from behind and needing OT in one...the passing game didn't really break out until week 5 and then we dominated weak BIG teams and an overrated PSU until stumbling against IA and WISC.

 

[Drake University Gopher]

Let’s hope this team is like the vaunted 2022 Big Ten Champion Gophers whose defense was dominant and a pro offense that could run out the clock up a couple touchdowns all year long!

 

[cjbfbp]

Sure doesn't seem like 2019 to me...we barely beat our 3 non-conference opponents coming from behind and needing OT in one...the passing game didn't really break out until week 5 and then we dominated weak BIG teams and an overrated PSU until stumbling against IA and WISC.

I think you meant to say that the "running game didn't really break out until week 5."

Here are the running and passing statistics for those first five game.



As you can see, the passing game was fine over the first four games with a career passing day against Purdue.

I remember being at the Georgia Southern game and being so frustrated that the team kept trying to run up the middle all day long when it wasn't working. Eventually, in a desperate situation in the final minutes of the game, they were forced to pass and the rest is history.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I believe teams are going to stack the box on us. Stop the run and make us throw.

I'm not overly encouraged about this. I'm getting the same vibes as last year on our passing game.

I'm actually curious what you saw in game 1 that reminded you of last year in regards to our passing attack. Because to me it looked way more similar to 2019 than anything we have seen the past 2 years.

The reality is that we showed early that we could pass the ball but we didn't do it a lot because frankly we didn't need to.

One of the hallmarks of the 2019 offense was that they did a great job of taking what the defense was giving them. If teams stacked the box and we couldn't run we passed. If teams dropped back in coverage we ran.

Against NMSU, they could not stop our running game, so we kept it on the ground for the most part because that is what you do against bad teams like that.

 

[kg21]

I'm actually curious what you saw in game 1 that reminded you of last year in regards to our passing attack. Because to me it looked way more similar to 2019 than anything we have seen the past 2 years.

The reality is that we showed early that we could pass the ball but we didn't do it a lot because frankly we didn't need to.

One of the hallmarks of the 2019 offense was that they did a great job of taking what the defense was giving them. If teams stacked the box and we couldn't run we passed. If teams dropped back in coverage we ran.

Against NMSU, they could not stop our running game, so we kept it on the ground for the most part because that is what you do against bad teams like that.

I did not see a ton of separation, or not as much as I would like.

 

[hungan1]

I'd like to see more of the passing game. I was hoping that the game would feature Dylan Wright's talent. We have to wait and see after he recovers from whatever injury he is nursing.

As of now, teams like Bert Bielema's Fighting Illini would load the box and stop the run. The Gophers have to show that they can win with the passing game.

KC is astute enough to stick with what is working and would match the offensive scheme to exploit the opponent's weaknesses week to week.

What ever happened to Daniel Jackson?

 

[TNGophfan]

I'd like to see more of the passing game. I was hoping that the game would feature Dylan Wright's talent. We have to wait and see after he recovers from whatever injury he is nursing.

As of now, teams like Bert Bielema's Fighting Illini would load the box and stop the run. The Gophers have to show that they can win with the passing game.

KC is astute enough to stick with what is working and would match the offensive scheme to exploit the opponent's weaknesses week to week.

What ever happened to Daniel Jackson?

Out with injury. Hear he might be back next week.

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

I did not see a ton of separation, or not as much as I would like.

Agreed, Tanner is going to need plenty of time and protection for the receivers to find some separation. I keep hearing all this hype about BSF but I bet he averages two catches a game for 25 yards, hope I am wrong. The WR’s have to get separation and catch the ball. I thought the receiving corp was pretty unimpressive overall, I dont think our guys match up to the talent I see on top 20 teams in the country, good, just not great.

 

[Dakota2]

Agreed, Tanner is going to need plenty of time and protection for the receivers to find some separation. I keep hearing all this hype about BSF but I bet he averages two catches a game for 25 yards, hope I am wrong. The WR’s have to get separation and catch the ball. I thought the receiving corp was pretty unimpressive overall, I dont think our guys match up to the talent I see on top 20 teams in the country, good, just not great.

Wow, offense put up almost 500 yards in a 38-0 win, tight ends caught five passes, and nobody sees anything good.

 

[btowngopher]

Agreed, Tanner is going to need plenty of time and protection for the receivers to find some separation. I keep hearing all this hype about BSF but I bet he averages two catches a game for 25 yards, hope I am wrong. The WR’s have to get separation and catch the ball. I thought the receiving corp was pretty unimpressive overall, I dont think our guys match up to the talent I see on top 20 teams in the country, good, just not great.

I dunno, I want to see how they look with KC as coordinator. It’s not like we haven’t seen better games from all four of the top wrs in the past.

 

[cjbfbp]

Agreed, Tanner is going to need plenty of time and protection for the receivers to find some separation. I keep hearing all this hype about BSF but I bet he averages two catches a game for 25 yards, hope I am wrong. The WR’s have to get separation and catch the ball. I thought the receiving corp was pretty unimpressive overall, I dont think our guys match up to the talent I see on top 20 teams in the country, good, just not great.

Well, remember that in our first game there were 5 completions to three different tight ends. Five completions in one game to tight ends isn't something I've seen much since Maxx Williams moved on. We also had three completions to running backs which might be above our average per game. So, there were 8 completions to people other than wide receivers out of 16 completions overall. Tanner averaged a very respectable 9.2 yards per attempt. Kramer completed all 3 of his passes but only for 4.7 yards per attempt.

I agree that our WR corps could be better but distributing the ball more evenly around eligible receivers might help.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I'd like to see more of the passing game. I was hoping that the game would feature Dylan Wright's talent. We have to wait and see after he recovers from whatever injury he is nursing.

As of now, teams like Bert Bielema's Fighting Illini would load the box and stop the run. The Gophers have to show that they can win with the passing game.

KC is astute enough to stick with what is working and would match the offensive scheme to exploit the opponent's weaknesses week to week.

What ever happened to Daniel Jackson?

They've played one game. WIth the Gophs playing what is touted as the worst team in FBS, they did exactly what I thought they would, completely shut them down with the defense, run a conservative offense, and still win in a blowout. 16-23 for 188 yards passing sounds about right for that type of game.