Entering last 3 controlling own destiny

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MplsGopher said:
Why wouldn't Iowa (and every team here on out, frankly) just do what BG and then Illinois did to us?

That's all you have to do. It's not like it's something that can't be done.


Illinois beat us with edge rushers that were 3* recruits.
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Well, every team after Bowling Green undoubtedly tried that to a point but our passing game was more effective and, more importantly, our line was better in the games that followed.

I don't know what will happen but what I do know is that, after a sluggish game at home against Miami Ohio, the team went on the road (as an underdog) and beat Colorado 30-0. After a sluggish game at home against Bowling Green, the team went on the road (again as an underdog) and beat Purdue. Now we have another sluggish game at home and another trip on the road as an underdog to Iowa. Last time I checked, the line went down to a 6 point Iowa edge. My guess is that line would be 2 or 3 points less if we had beaten Illinois. I like the way this team plays on the road and as an underdog.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I would frame the question this way:

Are the Gophers capable of beating Iowa? Yes.

But, this same team was capable of beating Illinois - and they didn't. This same team was capable of beating Bowling Green - and they didn't. that has to be part of the equation.

so I'm sorry, but right now, I just don't have a lot of confidence that this team is going to be able to pull off another turn-around - on the road - against a quality opponent.

let me put it this way - if IA had played the way the Gophers did in their last game, 98% of the people on this board would be declaring that "there's no way we can lose to that team....."

Don't get me wrong - I hope they can win, but my head is telling my heart to keep my expectations low.
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short ornery norwegian said:
I would frame the question this way:

Are the Gophers capable of beating Iowa? Yes.

But, this same team was capable of beating Illinois - and they didn't. This same team was capable of beating Bowling Green - and they didn't. that has to be part of the equation.

so I'm sorry, but right now, I just don't have a lot of confidence that this team is going to be able to pull off another turn-around - on the road - against a quality opponent.

let me put it this way - if IA had played the way the Gophers did in their last game, 98% of the people on this board would be declaring that "there's no way we can lose to that team....."

Don't get me wrong - I hope they can win, but my head is telling my heart to keep my expectations low.
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People on this board have been known to be somewhat excessive in letting their emotions run amuck based upon their expectations.

And so it goes…
 

cjbfbp said:
I'd say Wisconsin is playing close to a Top 10 team right now.
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I said two weeks ago that Wisky is the team to beat and still believe that. Somehow the Gophers need to rekindle their Rocky Mountain High experience
 


Bayfield Gopher said:
I said two weeks ago that Wisky is the team to beat and still believe that. Somehow the Gophers need to rekindle their Rocky Mountain High experience
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Yeah, I said that 4 weeks ago.

iowas offense is worse than the gophers and their defense isn’t as good as Wisconsin’s
 


cjbfbp said:
Well, every team after Bowling Green undoubtedly tried that to a point but our passing game was more effective and, more importantly, our line was better in the games that followed.

I don't know what will happen but what I do know is that, after a sluggish game at home against Miami Ohio, the team went on the road (as an underdog) and beat Colorado 30-0. After a sluggish game at home against Bowling Green, the team went on the road (again as an underdog) and beat Purdue. Now we have another sluggish game at home and another trip on the road as an underdog to Iowa. Last time I checked, the line went down to a 6 point Iowa edge. My guess is that line would be 2 or 3 points less if we had beaten Illinois. I like the way this team plays on the road and as an underdog.
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Maybe it's just the underdog part, that keeps them focused!
 

short ornery norwegian said:
if IA had played the way the Gophers did in their last game, 98% of the people on this board would be declaring that "there's no way we can lose to that team....."
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Iowa kind of DID play their last game the way the Gophers did. Iowa simply had the fortune of playing the worst team in the Big Ten and won by five points.

Minnesota beat that same team the previous week on the same field by 27 points.

Iowa allowed 363 yards to that team. Minnesota allowed 241 yards to that team.

Iowa put up 361 yards against that team. Minnesota put of 442 yards against that team.
 

tjgopher said:
Iowa kind of DID play their last game the way the Gophers did. Iowa simply had the fortune of playing the worst team in the Big Ten and won by five points.

Minnesota beat that same team the previous week on the same field by 27 points.

Iowa allowed 363 yards to that team. Minnesota allowed 241 yards to that team.

Iowa put up 361 yards against that team. Minnesota put of 442 yards against that team.
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Absolutely true, and the reason many believe MN has a great chance to win -- despite the total egg they laid last week against Illinois. Iowa has just as many problems as MN and put up two real stinkers against PU and Wisconsin. Those are good teams, but Iowa wasn't really competitive in those games. MN and Iowa are probably fairly evenly-matched and the game will hinge on turnovers, penalties, big plays, etc. If MN plays a clean game and finds some success early on O they'll win.
 

Wisconsin #1 in the nation against the run and by a good margin; Iowa #8. Gophers won't win those games without passing, which they have not been doing well lately. Of course, emotion always can play a role, as can weather.
 



A team is the sum of all its parts.

It's easy to zero in on the OC after unexpected if not monumental losses. It is ultimately a combination of things going wrong.

There are lots of shoulda, woulda, coulda after such loses. Ultimately, a good part of the blame rests on Sanford and Fleck.

Such a loss points to abject micro failures within the game.

How much of the loss is miscues by players missing assignments? An RB missing a key block. WRs not really in sync with a QB who was thrown out of rhythm. We can do all the post-partum dissections of the game and get all roiled up to the level of JJ of Corn Nation.

The important thing is the miscues are all fixable. The Gophers do control their own destiny.

They have to earn the right to be Big Ten West Champions.
 
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hungan1 said:
A team is the sum of all its parts.

It's easy to zero in on the OC after unexpected if not monumental losses. It is ultimately a combination of things going wrong.

There are lots of shoulda, woulda, coulda after such loses. Ultimately, a good part of the blame rests on Sanford and Fleck.

Such a loss points to abject micro failures within the game.

How much of the loss is miscues by players missing assignments? An RB missing a key block. WRs not really in sync with a QB who was thrown out of rhythm. We can do all the post-partum dissections of the game and get all roiled up to the level of JJ of Corn Nation.

The important thing is the miscues are all fixable. The Gophers do control their own destiny.

They have to earn the right to be Big Ten West Champions.
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Spot. On.

There are four solid but not great teams tied for first in the West, with three weeks remaining. All have strengths; all have flaws.

Minnesota has the extreme good fortune — the golden opportunity — to still have upcoming games against two of their three main rivals. Not only that, but the Gophers already have a win in hand over the third competitor.

This Gopher team is quite capable of beating Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin, if they play at or near their best. Will they do it?

This remaining schedule could lead to a very memorable finish.
 

hungan1 said:
A team is the sum of all its parts.

It's easy to zero in on the OC after unexpected if not monumental losses. It is ultimately a combination of things going wrong.

There are lots of shoulda, woulda, coulda after such loses. Ultimately, a good part of the blame rests on Sanford and Fleck.

Such a loss points to abject micro failures within the game.

How much of the loss is miscues by players missing assignments? An RB missing a key block. WRs not really in sync with a QB who was thrown out of rhythm. We can do all the post-partum dissections of the game and get all roiled up to the level of JJ of Corn Nation.

The important thing is the miscues are all fixable. The Gophers do control their own destiny.

They have to earn the right to be Big Ten West Champions.
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It's easy to zero in on the OC after almost every game absent tOSU.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
Wisconsin #1 in the nation against the run and by a good margin; Iowa #8. Gophers won't win those games without passing, which they have not been doing well lately. Of course, emotion always can play a role, as can weather.
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Rushing defense, B1G ranking (yards allowed rushing per game):

1) Wisconsin (54.7)

2) Iowa (98.6)

3) Minnesota (103.1)

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Rushing offense, B1G ranking (yards gained rushing per game):

2) Wisconsin (222.6)

3) Minnesota (207.4)

11) Iowa (113.9)

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— All three teams are strong against the run.
— Wisconsin and Minnesota both have very strong rushing attacks.
— Iowa is the only outlier offensively, with a so-so ability to run the ball.

Maybe Minnesota's strong run defense can make Iowa one-dimensional on offense. Iowa will probably have to rely on a QB making his very first start. That being said, I'd bet that Iowa and the Ferentz boys will show us some new wrinkles on offense to keep the Gophers off-balance.
 
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Great Plains Gopher said:
Wisconsin #1 in the nation against the run and by a good margin; Iowa #8. Gophers won't win those games without passing, which they have not been doing well lately.
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Of course they need to pass against those opponents, but I don't think the Gophers have been as bad at passing as you seem to think.

Our passing yards are so low because we have the fewest attempts per game in the conference (19.4 per game) by a fairly significant margin. Wisconsin is next to last in attempts (22.7) but that's an average of 3 more attempts per game. The Gophers' completion percentage is higher than both Iowa and Wisconsin and, more importantly, the Gophers are 6th in the league in yards per attempt (7.9) while Iowa is 10th at 6.2 yards per attempt and Wisconsin is 9th at 6.9 per attempt. We have only one more interception on the season than Iowa and three fewer than Wisconsin. We are tied for last with Wisconsin with only 7 TD passes so that's concerning but Iowa isn't much better with 9.
 



hungan1 said:
Love it or hate it, this will come down as one of the most intriguing battle to the finish on record in the Big Ten West.

I love the drama! Bring it on!
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Exactly. If you can't enjoy this, are you really a football fan?
 

RememberMurray said:
Exactly. If you can't enjoy this, are you really a football fan?
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I mean....I would love it more if we were cruising to the West title and looked unbeatable. But yeah, the West is a division that should be crazy most years with a bunch of very evenly matched programs vying for the title. Going to be fun to see how the next 3 weeks play out, hopefully when it is all said and done we find ourselves in the #1 spot.
 

Mo(ses) is not there to part the seas. The Gophers have to row the boat hard and all in sync to the drum beat of war to the promised land.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
I mean....I would love it more if we were cruising to the West title and looked unbeatable. But yeah, the West is a division that should be crazy most years with a bunch of very evenly matched programs vying for the title. Going to be fun to see how the next 3 weeks play out, hopefully when it is all said and done we find ourselves in the #1 spot.
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We've been saying all along it would be great if Minnesota could get to a place where we were on an equal footing with programs like Iowa and Wisconsin.

Well... here we are. Now we have an opportunity to prove we actually belong in the same tier with those two.

There's nothing like head-to-head competition to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Prove you belong by beating the best.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I mean....I would love it more if we were cruising to the West title and looked unbeatable. But yeah, the West is a division that should be crazy most years with a bunch of very evenly matched programs vying for the title. Going to be fun to see how the next 3 weeks play out, hopefully when it is all said and done we find ourselves in the #1 spot.
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The Big Ten West is becoming very competitive. Many teams can beat or upset Big Ten East teams.

The Big Ten East have to worry about Big Ten West teams spoiling their seasons.
 

RememberMurray said:
We've been saying all along it would be great if Minnesota could get to a place where we were on an equal footing with programs like Iowa and Wisconsin.

Well... here we are. Now we have an opportunity to prove we actually belong in the same tier with those two.

There's nothing like head-to-head competition to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Prove you belong by beating the best.
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Yep, the gap between Minnesota and the regular contenders in the West has narrowed significantly in the last few years. Now it is time to take that next step and start winning the division on a somewhat regular basis.

As long as this division stays in tact it is going to be really competitive. Which should make things a lot of fun most years.
 

hungan1 said:
The Big Ten West is becoming very competitive. Many teams can beat or upset Big Ten East teams.

The Big Ten East have to worry about Big Ten West teams spoiling their seasons.
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Been talked about for a while. The East is very top heavy whereas the West is pretty flat from top to bottom. Wisconsin still holds the top spot in the West overall but they are not far above the rest of the pack. Very different than how it is with Ohio State, where there are a few teams kind of on their level and a bunch of teams that are definitely not, in the East.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Yep, the gap between Minnesota and the regular contenders in the West has narrowed significantly in the last few years. Now it is time to take that next step and start winning the division on a somewhat regular basis.

As long as this division stays in tact it is going to be really competitive. Which should make things a lot of fun most years.
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Everyone keeps talking about doing away with the divisions but if the playoff expands to 12 it actually HELPS the chances for multiple playoff teams to have divisions.
For instance, if the second and third best teams in the same division as the conference champ…the 4th place team takes the extra loss in the championship game instead of the 2nd place team.
 



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