5 things we learned in the Gophers' win over Western Illinois

[BleedGopher]

per Chad:

Tanner Morgan is a different quarterback under Kirk Ciarrocca​

Morgan's 2019 season was one of the best in school history but over the past two years, he hasn't been able to replicate that success. The return of offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca has helped, but the sixth-year senior looks like a different quarterback through his first two games.

The Gophers have one of the best backfield duos in the Big Ten​

Mohamed Ibrahim's return was one of the big storylines coming into the season, but the star running back is just half of an extremely dangerous backfield.

The Gophers' offense is historically elite​

With Morgan, Ibrahim, and Potts leading the way, the Gophers have plenty of talent on offense, but the sum of their parts may be even greater as they put forth a historic effort on Saturday.

The Gophers defense might be even better​

One of the most impressive parts of Minnesota's first two games has been the performance of its defense. The Gophers limited New Mexico State to just 91 yards of total offense in the opener and picked up where they left off on Saturday.

The Gophers aren't messing around in non-conference play​

P.J. Fleck has had plenty of success during his time at Minnesota, but he's also produced some stressful non-conference games. Since 2019, the Gophers had an average margin of victory of 5.8 points in eight non-conference games (including bowl games) and 2.4 points if you exclude last year's 30-0 victory over Colorado.

5 things we learned in the Gophers' win over Western Illinois - Sports Illustrated Minnesota Sports, News, Analysis, and More

The Gophers were historic on offense and elite on defense in a 62-10 win over the Leathernecks.

www.si.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[bonin21]

Do you really learn anything stomping an FCS team? Maybe, but I would say you shouldn't read into any of it too much. Rubber hits the road when conference play starts.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Do you really learn anything stomping an FCS team? Maybe, but I would say you shouldn't read into any of it too much. Rubber hits the road when conference play starts.

Yes you can actually learn a lot by how a team does against the teams they are supposed to beat. Obviously we can't read a ton into the win because the opponent quality is weak but we have come out and dominated the teams we were supposed to.

Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Alabama and more......can't say the same.

NMSU and Western Illinois are bad teams, but we outscored them 100-10 and looked really good doing it. There is value in that and it tells you something about your team. MSU will be the first real test but so far there is a ton to like about what has happened in the first 2 weeks.

 

[minnyrules11]

Yes you can actually learn a lot by how a team does against the teams they are supposed to beat. Obviously we can't read a ton into the win because the opponent quality is weak but we have come out and dominated the teams we were supposed to.

Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Alabama and more......can't say the same.

NMSU and Western Illinois are bad teams, but we outscored them 100-10 and looked really good doing it. There is value in that and it tells you something about your team. MSU will be the first real test but so far there is a ton to like about what has happened in the first 2 weeks.

I’m not sure Iowa was supposed to dominate when scoring 7 points last week to an fcs team. Also Alabama did have to play on the road against Texas. Agree on the rest. Even in 2019 Minnesota struggled in non conference so blowing three of them out this year is definitely a good thing.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

first half, Mo averaged 4 yds a carry against an FCS defense. then he came out for the 3rd quarter and looked like the "old" Mo again. not sure if there were adjustments in the run-blocking scheme, or if Mo got ticked off, but there was a pretty dramatic difference in the way he looked in the 3rd quarter.

my other observation - I want to see the 1st-string defense challenged by a legitimate opponent. judging from what Colorado has done so far, I guess that will happen in the first conference game.