Becoming the WR-U of the B1G West

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WestTexasGopher

WestTexasGopher

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So, top WR schools (per https://www.rotoviz.com/2019/07/whi...-wide-receivers-nfl-university-the-true-wr-u/) since 2000 in the Big Ten are: OSU, MSU, Michigan, Penn St., and Wisconsin.

Our coaches clearly know how to get WRs into the NFL and with 2 (3 if CAB continues to play at an elite level) headed there soon, is there a path forward where we become the Big Ten's new WRU (at least the West's)?

What would this take? Is this already happening?
 

It would take a great quarterback, offensive line and wide receivers. Check, Waiting. Check.
 

CAB would need to seriously elevate his game to be an NFL prospect IMO. Not a shot against him, but he’s not on the Bateman Johnson level.
 


I love this thread, so far. Let’s not turn it into a CAB pointless argument.

What would this take? You’d have to assume that Matt Simon deserves a ton of credit. He is spoken so highly of as a coach and recruiter. They need to keep him. As well, it is obvious by talent and sheer volume that this staff is recruiting the position hard.
 


Jeshurun said:
CAB would need to seriously elevate his game to be an NFL prospect IMO. Not a shot against him, but he’s not on the Bateman Johnson level.
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Agreed. We’ll see how he does when the defense doesn’t have to focus on the Johnson/Bateman combo. He did improve a lot this season, so it’s not unthinkable that he could take another step. I’m hoping one of the Freshman can contribute right away. Hopefully Jackson. Is he enrolling early?
 

If that’s what PJ Fleck wants to do, by all means, he should. It might be a good idea to put a roof on the bank and start heating the place for the last six to eight weeks of the Big Ten season though.

And that would shoot a hole in his talk about wanting to run the ball at least 65% of the time.

What ever P J wants to do: PJ can do. This IS Minnesota...way up north in Big Ten country. What ever PJ can do to take advantage of Minnesota November’s.....THAT is the month when championships are won and lost.

The problem is that snow, wind sleet, rain and cold sometimes can hamper a passing attack. WR Big Ten west university does sound pretty sexy though.
I think CAB will be great next season. In fact, I think he has been pretty remarkable as a third receiver this year.

PJ only throws the ball 20 to 25 times a game though unless the team is getting beat. There is that limiting factor in play.
 
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A decade of consistently having a couple WRs at the top of the B1G on a yearly basis.
 

Jeshurun said:
CAB would need to seriously elevate his game to be an NFL prospect IMO. Not a shot against him, but he’s not on the Bateman Johnson level.
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Ya know, I think CAB has the potential, just lacks the opportunity so far. He has made some fantastic catches!
 



imthewalrus said:
The problem is that snow, wind sleet, rain and cold sometimes can hamper a passing attack. WR Big Ten west university does sound pretty sexy though.
I think CAB will be great next season. In fact, I think he has been pretty remarkable as a third receiver this year.
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This is, of course, true for Wisconsin as well and they fared pretty well since 2000.
 

Don’t forget the axe! said:
I love this thread, so far. Let’s not turn it into a CAB pointless argument.

What would this take? You’d have to assume that Matt Simon deserves a ton of credit. He is spoken so highly of as a coach and recruiter. They need to keep him. As well, it is obvious by talent and sheer volume that this staff is recruiting the position hard.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking one thing it would take is a consistent raise to keep Simon around.
 

imthewalrus said:
And that would shoot a hole in his talk about wanting to run the ball at least 65% of the time.

PJ only throws the ball 20 to 25 times a game though unless the team is getting beat. There is that limiting factor in play.
Click to expand...

According to Team Rankings, our breakdown this season was about 6 to 4, run to pass:

Rush Play %61.27%
Pass Play %38.73%

For reference, the top 3 teams in the Big Ten in terms of WR production are OSU, MSU, and Michigan. Here are their 2019 breakdowns:

OSU
Rush Play %61.96%
Pass Play %38.04%

MSU
Rush Play %48.79%
Pass Play %51.21%

Michigan
Rush Play %53.14%
Pass Play %46.86%

Clearly, MSU and Michigan pass much more than do we. OSU and the Gophers are essentially the same.
 




Fleck had 3 WR drafted from Western Michigan. Hoping that carries over even more so for the Gophs.
 


Do you realize that msu threw the ball around the yard so darn much this year because they had such a horrible offensive team. They couldn’t run OR pass this year. For msu to pass over 50% of the time you KNOW they are hurting.

Against PSU the GOPHER threw the ball 20 times. Against Iowa and whiskey they averaged 38 passes a game. (Iowa and Wisky games were losses and in both, the strong defensive packages of both border battle foes took away our run game
AND still hurt our passing game in spite of our fantastic wide outs.

I say the GOPHER will be better served focusing on becoming offensive line U, defensive line U, linebacker U and go back to throwing the ball 20 to 25 times a game to our well-coached wide outs AND tight ends. Throw in a punter, kick off artist and money place kicker.
 
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I'm expecting CAB to break out next year. He just didn't have many targets this year, but seemed to make the most of his opportunities with very few mistakes.
 

fair said:
I'm expecting CAB to break out next year. He just didn't have many targets this year, but seemed to make the most of his opportunities with very few mistakes.
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Rarely a dropped ball and quite a few elite catches.
 

Purdue will have a couple of phenomenal receivers next year.
 



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