BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 62,331
- Reaction score
- 19,032
- Points
- 113
per Chip:
Moral victories are the sports equivalent of roundabouts. You can talk yourself in circles explaining them.
They’re not wins, but they’re not embarrassments when that was the expectation, which leaves you conflicted in trying to frame it.
There is no such thing as a good loss. But encouraging signs can be found in a disappointing outcome, knowing a grand opportunity at something special went unfulfilled.
That tug-of-war of thought occurred while watching the Gophers push the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes into the ropes before falling 30-14 at Ohio Stadium.
The Gophers played tough and inspired and unafraid of the big stage as 29 ½-point underdogs against one of the best teams in college football on its home turf in front of 100,000 fans.
The competitive nature of the game probably stunned even the most optimistic souls. The Gophers’ youth has become a broken record, but it’s worth acknowledging in the context of what transpired. And it bodes well for their future if they take some confidence from putting up a fight against a playoff-caliber opponent on the road.
The oft-criticized offensive line had its strongest performance of the season. Tailback Mohamed Ibrahim ran determined in gaining 157 yards. The defense gave up big plays and 412 yards passing but made clutch stops in the red zone to force field goals, which kept the deficit at six points entering the fourth quarter.
There were a lot of positives in the Gophers’ performance, mostly the way they competed. Players should feel some disappointment because they played well enough to regret their mistakes.
“I love coaching that team,” Fleck said. “We might not be this, we might not be that. That doesn’t matter. I love what we have. I’m so proud of how hard they play. I’m not proud of the result. But the result is on me.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-leave-ohio-state-frustrated-and-that-s-a-good-sign/497483201/
Go Gophers!!
Moral victories are the sports equivalent of roundabouts. You can talk yourself in circles explaining them.
They’re not wins, but they’re not embarrassments when that was the expectation, which leaves you conflicted in trying to frame it.
There is no such thing as a good loss. But encouraging signs can be found in a disappointing outcome, knowing a grand opportunity at something special went unfulfilled.
That tug-of-war of thought occurred while watching the Gophers push the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes into the ropes before falling 30-14 at Ohio Stadium.
The Gophers played tough and inspired and unafraid of the big stage as 29 ½-point underdogs against one of the best teams in college football on its home turf in front of 100,000 fans.
The competitive nature of the game probably stunned even the most optimistic souls. The Gophers’ youth has become a broken record, but it’s worth acknowledging in the context of what transpired. And it bodes well for their future if they take some confidence from putting up a fight against a playoff-caliber opponent on the road.
The oft-criticized offensive line had its strongest performance of the season. Tailback Mohamed Ibrahim ran determined in gaining 157 yards. The defense gave up big plays and 412 yards passing but made clutch stops in the red zone to force field goals, which kept the deficit at six points entering the fourth quarter.
There were a lot of positives in the Gophers’ performance, mostly the way they competed. Players should feel some disappointment because they played well enough to regret their mistakes.
“I love coaching that team,” Fleck said. “We might not be this, we might not be that. That doesn’t matter. I love what we have. I’m so proud of how hard they play. I’m not proud of the result. But the result is on me.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-leave-ohio-state-frustrated-and-that-s-a-good-sign/497483201/
Go Gophers!!