Obviously we can take a lot of positives out of the second half performance by this team. Extremely impressive to see a true Freshman play QB like Shortell did in his first game on campus on the round in one of the most famous stadiums in the country. Vastly improved play by the defense in the second half, shutting out USC. One thing I didn't like about the close game with USC last year was that I didn't feel like the Gophers were trying to win, but merely trying to keep the score close. In the second half today, I really felt like this team was much more aggressive with the playcalling and I appreciated that.
That said, would have loved to see this team get off the field on 3rd and 14 late. I'd love to get to the point where I am surprised when an opponent converts a 3rd and forever, but it's been 20 years of conversions for the bad guys. I would have ran on 3rd and 1, but that's a minor quibble and just based on the momentum that the Gophers clearly had at the time. If McKnight doesn't lose his footing, he at least knocks that ball away and the Gophers still have a shot.
Not sure whose fault the missed fg to end the half was, as I didn't see a replay, but you have to convert 41 yard fg's on the road if you expect to win. If the Gophers make just one of their 2 first half fg attempts, they win this game IMHO. My emotions about this game are pretty conflicted: a lot of positives, but you only get so many chances to get a huge win on national tv against a team like USC.
Biggest positive: I thought both Gray and Shortell looked good despite getting very little help from the run game. The way Gray was taking hits, it seemed obvious that we'd need to play another QB. If QB play can be a positive, this team can be a little better than most expect. I liked the ability of the team to bounce back after a really rough first half and the coaches ability to make adjustments was a big part of that.
Biggest negatives: Run game- it's going to be tough to score if we can't open any holes up front. Pass rush- have to get a lot more pressure on the passer than we got today, although it seemed to improve slightly in the second half.
That said, would have loved to see this team get off the field on 3rd and 14 late. I'd love to get to the point where I am surprised when an opponent converts a 3rd and forever, but it's been 20 years of conversions for the bad guys. I would have ran on 3rd and 1, but that's a minor quibble and just based on the momentum that the Gophers clearly had at the time. If McKnight doesn't lose his footing, he at least knocks that ball away and the Gophers still have a shot.
Not sure whose fault the missed fg to end the half was, as I didn't see a replay, but you have to convert 41 yard fg's on the road if you expect to win. If the Gophers make just one of their 2 first half fg attempts, they win this game IMHO. My emotions about this game are pretty conflicted: a lot of positives, but you only get so many chances to get a huge win on national tv against a team like USC.
Biggest positive: I thought both Gray and Shortell looked good despite getting very little help from the run game. The way Gray was taking hits, it seemed obvious that we'd need to play another QB. If QB play can be a positive, this team can be a little better than most expect. I liked the ability of the team to bounce back after a really rough first half and the coaches ability to make adjustments was a big part of that.
Biggest negatives: Run game- it's going to be tough to score if we can't open any holes up front. Pass rush- have to get a lot more pressure on the passer than we got today, although it seemed to improve slightly in the second half.
