BT Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2016

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Minnesota

“They’re kind of like most of the teams in the division in that they recruit to their makeup and they’re tough.”

“They run the ball really well, probably more in 2014 than 2015, but they are committed to running the ball first and foremost. They slipped a little bit as the year went on, maybe some injuries set in, but their quarterback made some plays to keep them in games. I don’t think they had a change in philosophy after Jerry Kill left, but they definitely didn’t run the ball as much.”

“I think they’re going to be good on the offensive line, and the two young running backs they had were productive and should get better, but does Mitch Leidner take the next step at quarterback? You look at that game when they almost beat Michigan, and it wasn’t some great scheme or Michigan making mistakes — it was just the quarterback making big plays in big moments. Can you get that from him game to game?”

“It’s a fine line between being committed to one philosophy and being one-dimensional. They didn’t have the big-play receivers or that one guy that they felt like could make a play if they needed it. Their best receiver was about 5'9", so it’s hard to ask him to go get a 50-50 ball.”

“Sometimes their offense just seems like it’s running into a brick wall, but that’s kind of who they are.”

“Where they had some trouble last year is teams got up on them early, and they didn’t necessarily have a great passing game. When they’re playing behind the eight-ball, it can turn ugly.”

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/big-ten-coaches-talk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-2016

Go Gophers!!
 

I'd say 3200 yds and 20-25 tds from our passing game will give opponents something to worry about as long as Leidner can keep turnovers in check. Things are lining up for those type of numbers.
 

I lol'd when I read this one... then I cried.

“Sometimes their offense just seems like it’s running into a brick wall, but that’s kind of who they are.”
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Let's hope we are a bit more explosive this year.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
I'd say 3200 yds and 20-25 tds from our passing game will give opponents something to worry about as long as Leidner can keep turnovers in check. Things are lining up for those type of numbers.
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Pretty optimistic numbers for the passing game. Unlikely unless a WR steps up big time.
 

scools12 said:
Pretty optimistic numbers for the passing game. Unlikely unless a WR steps up big time.
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From what I saw in spring practices it looks like we'll be using our running backs a lot on short passes in place of handing the ball off. 3000+ yards could become feasible quick when Brooks/smith breaks a couple of those per game for big gains.
 


Revealing article. Always interesting to get insight about the other Big Ten teams.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
I'd say 3200 yds and 20-25 tds from our passing game will give opponents something to worry about as long as Leidner can keep turnovers in check. Things are lining up for those type of numbers.
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So basically Connor Cook numbers. Only Nate Sudfeld threw for over 3200 and over 25 tds last year in the conference. Leidner be close to if not the best QB numbers in the conference if he reaches 3200 and 20-25 tds.
 

btowngopher said:
So basically Connor Cook numbers. Only Nate Sudfeld threw for over 3200 and over 25 tds last year in the conference. Leidner be close to if not the best QB numbers in the conference if he reaches 3200 and 20-25 tds.
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I really liked how Still looked the last few games of the year. Lingen is solid and Woli sounds like he's improving also. As bottlebass noted, the RBs could be a factor in the passing game as well. The caveat as always is will Leidner avoid foolish turnovers and mess things up. Call me Pollyanna, but I think Leidner can get to at least 3000 passing. He was one decent game short of that last season. And 20 tds is a reasonable goal in my opinion. That will depend on the receivers playing to their capabilities of course.
 

Until we see the new offense in a game, it's really hard to say what to expect. Rather than set numerical goals, I just want to see more balance, and see the offense become more unpredictable.

This is still going to be a run-oriented team - with backs like Brooks and Smith, you're going to run the ball. But, as others have said, the offense needs to be more diverse. Run on throwing downs, throw on running downs, spread the ball around to more receivers, and mix in the QB run. With Leidner healthy again, I would not be surprised to see him running more often - or at least be more effective in scramble situations.

BUT - it all comes back to the O-line. If the JUCO guys come through, and the main group stays healthy, I'm optimistic that the line will be a lot stronger this year.
 



btowngopher said:
So basically Connor Cook numbers. Only Nate Sudfeld threw for over 3200 and over 25 tds last year in the conference. Leidner be close to if not the best QB numbers in the conference if he reaches 3200 and 20-25 tds.
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Yeah, those are NFL numbers, but in the NFL the play 16 regular season games. I'll be happier with 2500 yards passing and two backs pushing 1000 yards each. But whatever happens, it all comes down to wins/losses.

I will say that I love reading these anonymous confessions articles. It's fun to speculate on who said what, and whether any of these quotes are from our beloved coach Claeys.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
I'd say 3200 yds and 20-25 tds from our passing game will give opponents something to worry about as long as Leidner can keep turnovers in check. Things are lining up for those type of numbers.
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Pretty big step for ML to get those yards. I can see more consistent play with like 2,850 yards, coupled with an improved 63% completion rate. Pass TDs close to 20, INTs under 10. That looks like 9-10 wins to me.
 

I'll say this: If our passing game produces 266yds and about 2TDs per game, one of two things will be true. 1) we will be very tough to beat, and 2016 will likely be the best season we have seen 40 years OR 2) the season was a bust - we fall way behind early and rack up a bunch of garbage time stats.

My point is - those numbers seem unlikely.

Avg #'s from 2013-2015 in games we won (22 games):

149yds/game 1.1 TDs/game

Avg #'s from 2013-2015 in games we lost (17 games):

193yds/game .9 TDs/game

Amazingly there has been only ONE game in the last three years where we reached the "266yds" passing number and won: 2013 @ Indiana (325yds passing).

There have 5 such games that we have lost over the last 3 years: Bowl game against Mizz (267yds); '15 vs Neb (301yds); '15 vs Mich (317yds); '15 @OSU (281 yds); '15 @ Iowa (301yds)

Not quite sure what all this means, but I was bored this morning so I decided look this stuff up.
 

GopherHomer said:
I'll say this: If our passing game produces 266yds and about 2TDs per game, one of two things will be true. 1) we will be very tough to beat, and 2016 will likely be the best season we have seen 40 years OR 2) the season was a bust - we fall way behind early and rack up a bunch of garbage time stats.

My point is - those numbers seem unlikely.

Avg #'s from 2013-2015 in games we won (22 games):

149yds/game 1.1 TDs/game

Avg #'s from 2013-2015 in games we lost (17 games):

193yds/game .9 TDs/game

Amazingly there has been only ONE game in the last three years where we reached the "266yds" passing number and won: 2013 @ Indiana (325yds passing).

There have 5 such games that we have lost over the last 3 years: Bowl game against Mizz (267yds); '15 vs Neb (301yds); '15 vs Mich (317yds); '15 @OSU (281 yds); '15 @ Iowa (301yds)

Not quite sure what all this means, but I was bored this morning so I decided look this stuff up.
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May mean that when they got a lead they were able to hold it. Could mean that in most Non-Conference games they didnt throw the ball much. It also means that after their constant "3rd and 8 or 9" games where they fell so far behind that they had to throw the ball, they were able to throw the ball quite well. They got back in the game in some of the "garbage time" quarters. Hopefully this season they aren't so predictable.

“It’s a fine line between being committed to one philosophy and being one-dimensional."
 




How about we don't set a "Randy Ratio" or "Kick-ass offense" and instead simply dictate to the defense. If we have to pass a lot, fine. If we have to run a lot, fine. Whatever works to get guys in better position to succeed; move the ball down the field, convert third downs, and score points.

I don't think we can be successful if we don't keep defenses honest. But, the offensive production will likely hinge on what the coaches can teach the guys in a limited amount of time w/o overloading them. We can all draw up exotic offenses but getting 11 guys to do their jobs with perfect technique with defenses throwing exotic blitzes at you in real time is a different animal. Who can perform in game situations? Who can be taught?
 

Pompous Elitist said:
How about we don't set a "Randy Ratio" or "Kick-ass offense" and instead simply dictate to the defense. If we have to pass a lot, fine. If we have to run a lot, fine. Whatever works to get guys in better position to succeed; matriculate the ball down the field, convert third downs, and score points.
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FIFY:)
 


Pompous Elitist said:
How about we don't set a "Randy Ratio" or "Kick-ass offense" and instead simply dictate to the defense. If we have to pass a lot, fine. If we have to run a lot, fine. Whatever works to get guys in better position to succeed; move the ball down the field, convert third downs, and score points.

I don't think we can be successful if we don't keep defenses honest. But, the offensive production will likely hinge on what the coaches can teach the guys in a limited amount of time w/o overloading them. We can all draw up exotic offenses but getting 11 guys to do their jobs with perfect technique with defenses throwing exotic blitzes at you in real time is a different animal. Who can perform in game situations? Who can be taught?
Click to expand...

Agree. I've been watching football for a long time, and in my experience, when one team scores more points than the other team, they almost always win.
 


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