ESPN's Mitch Sherman: "the progress in Minneapolis is difficult to ignore."

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN's Big Ten Week 9: Did you know?

Minnesota, meanwhile, needs a win, too, to gain bowl eligibility, a milestone that hasn't exactly been kind to the Gophers over the past decade. They've lost five straight bowl games since 2004. Still, the progress in Minneapolis is difficult to ignore. Minnesota has won 11 of its past 20 games, averaging 24.7 points. In its previous 20 games, it was 5-15 and scored 19.7 points per game. Much of the improvement can be traced to growth in the Gophers' ground game. Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/87502/big-ten-week-9-did-you-know

Go Gophers!!

 

[e.bigelow]

per ESPN's Big Ten Week 9: Did you know?

Minnesota, meanwhile, needs a win, too, to gain bowl eligibility, a milestone that hasn't exactly been kind to the Gophers over the past decade. They've lost five straight bowl games since 2004. Still, the progress in Minneapolis is difficult to ignore. Minnesota has won 11 of its past 20 games, averaging 24.7 points. In its previous 20 games, it was 5-15 and scored 19.7 points per game. Much of the improvement can be traced to growth in the Gophers' ground game. Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/87502/big-ten-week-9-did-you-know

Go Gophers!!

The last part is a pretty interesting fact! Didn't know that! Thanks for the post Bleed!

 

[Governor Sibley]

Pretty amusing the difference a fourth quarter field goal makes.

Hawthorn makes it and "The Progress is Obvious!"

Hawthorn misses it and "Kill Era On the Brink"

 

[MNVCGUY]

The last part is a pretty interesting fact! Didn't know that! Thanks for the post Bleed!

The only issue I have with that quote Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967. is that it would imply, to someone that didn't know better, the last time we had a good ground game was 1967 which could not be farther from the truth. Say what you want about the Mason years but the one thing we could do during that time was run the ball.

 

[fryguy22]

Pretty amusing the difference a fourth quarter field goal makes.

Hawthorn makes it and "The Progress is Obvious!"

Hawthorn misses it and "Kill Era On the Brink"

Yeah because the NU game was REALLY that close.

Do you think we play as soft on D down the stretch if we are up 7 rather than up 10?

 

[MrGopher]

Pretty amusing the difference a fourth quarter field goal makes.

Hawthorn makes it and "The Progress is Obvious!"

Hawthorn misses it and "Kill Era On the Brink"

That's football, my friend. The same could be said for the trajectory of two programs after a blocked punt.

 

[maroonedinCA]

per ESPN's Big Ten Week 9: Did you know?

Minnesota, meanwhile, needs a win, too, to gain bowl eligibility, a milestone that hasn't exactly been kind to the Gophers over the past decade. They've lost five straight bowl games since 2004. Still, the progress in Minneapolis is difficult to ignore. Minnesota has won 11 of its past 20 games, averaging 24.7 points. In its previous 20 games, it was 5-15 and scored 19.7 points per game. Much of the improvement can be traced to growth in the Gophers' ground game. Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/87502/big-ten-week-9-did-you-know

Go Gophers!!

This is a stupid argument to make (regarding the win/loss totals). It's a convenient spot in the schedule to say the past twenty games they've been X and Z but the twenty games prior they were A and B. The past twenty games have included two seasons of OOC games while the twenty before that included only 1 seasons worth of OOC games. In fact, based on number of conference wins per OOC wins we're actually doing WORSE than we were in the first 20. Go back and work through the latest 20 games and the 20 before that and you'll see this is true.

 

[Unregistered User]

Four players this year have rushed for 100 yards or more in a game -- a feat Minnesota last accomplished in 1967. is that it would imply, to someone that didn't know better, the last time we had a good ground game was 1967...

No. No it does not imply that. It's an anomaly.

 

[Unregistered User]

This is a stupid argument to make (regarding the win/loss totals). It's a convenient spot in the schedule to say the past twenty games they've been X and Z but the twenty games prior they were A and B. The past twenty games have included two seasons of OOC games while the twenty before that included only 1 seasons worth of OOC games. In fact, based on number of conference wins per OOC wins we're actually doing WORSE than we were in the first 20. Go back and work through the latest 20 games and the 20 before that and you'll see this is true.

Ugh. Post 1, and it's not a good start.

 

[GophersInIowa]

This is a stupid argument to make (regarding the win/loss totals). It's a convenient spot in the schedule to say the past twenty games they've been X and Z but the twenty games prior they were A and B. The past twenty games have included two seasons of OOC games while the twenty before that included only 1 seasons worth of OOC games. In fact, based on number of conference wins per OOC wins we're actually doing WORSE than we were in the first 20. Go back and work through the latest 20 games and the 20 before that and you'll see this is true.

Going back four more games to include the non conference games actually helps his argument though. Would it have been better for him to say the Gophers went 6-18 in 2010-2011 while they are 11-9 in the last 20 games?

 

[gophmeister]

I think 40 games is a good sample size. As GophersInIowa points out tacking on the poor showing in the 2010 non conference schedule, which included a loss to the f'n University of South Dakota a D2 team only a few years before, you it's hard to argue that there hasn't been any real progress made.

 

[fryguy22]

In fact, based on number of conference wins per OOC wins we're actually doing WORSE than we were in the first 20.

If this isn't the worst way I've ever heard of to look at a football season, then I'm not sure what is. Conference wins to OOC wins ratio? So, you want to penalize a team for doing better OOC?

Hypothetical Team:
Year 1: 2-2 OOC, 4-4 BIG, 6-6 overall (ratio of BIG / OOC: 2)
Year 2: 4-0 OOC, 7-1 BIG, 11-1 overall (ratio of BIG / OOC: 1.75)

By your logic year 1 was the better season....

 

[ImaGopher]

A wise man on this board has repeatedly told us that it's about BIG 10 WINS! That's how I measure progress.

 

[Unregistered User]

A wise man on this board has repeatedly told us that it's about BIG 10 WINS! That's how I measure progress.

Your team doesn't play in the B10, Eagan.

 

[maroonedinCA]

Going back four more games to include the non conference games actually helps his argument though. Would it have been better for him to say the Gophers went 6-18 in 2010-2011 while they are 11-9 in the last 20 games?

I don't care what altering the games says, his analysis is flawed. He included 2 OOC seasons in his win totals for the 11 wins and only included 1 OOC season in the first 20 games. It's not comparing apples to apples and thus you can't use it to say there's been progress.

 

[maroonedinCA]

Ugh. Post 1, and it's not a good start.

Sorry about that, I've been lurking this board a long time. One thing I have noticed, you don't ever contribute to any conversations. Just snipe at people that aren't 100% pro-everything about the Gopher program as it stands today. Try adding some value once in awhile, it might be good for you.

 

[Unregistered User]

Sorry about that, I've been lurking this board a long time. One thing I have noticed, you don't ever contribute to any conversations. Just snipe at people that aren't 100% pro-everything about the Gopher program as it stands today. Try adding some value once in awhile, it might be good for you.

Gee...thanks for the encouraging words, coach. I'll try to make you proud of me!

 

[maroonedinCA]

Gee...thanks for the encouraging words, coach. I'll try to make you proud of me!

No problem! And you're not doing it for me. You're doing it for you.

 

[fryguy22]

^^ feel free to respond to my point regarding why your "analysis" is unfathomably stupid

 

[maroonedinCA]

If this isn't the worst way I've ever heard of to look at a football season, then I'm not sure what is. Conference wins to OOC wins ratio? So, you want to penalize a team for doing better OOC?

Hypothetical Team:
Year 1: 2-2 OOC, 4-4 BIG, 6-6 overall (ratio of BIG / OOC: 2)
Year 2: 4-0 OOC, 7-1 BIG, 11-1 overall (ratio of BIG / OOC: 1.75)

By your logic year 1 was the better season....

But that's not how it played out, I was using this in this specific context. Their remarkable 11-9 progress came at the expense of racking up tons of those wins OOC while not getting many of those wins in conference. The terrible 5-15 record was a result of getting beat up in a bunch of conference games and not having a lot of OOC games to rack up wins. It's not a fair comparison. Again, you're comparing the results of individual seasons to make a point about a better/worse season, which is an accurate way to go about comparing them. The author simply made an arbitrary stop/start point to create the illusion of TONS of progress. I'm not doubting there is progress, but the way the author framed it is incorrect and misleading.

 

[maroonedinCA]

^^ feel free to respond to my point regarding why your "analysis" is unfathomably stupid

Done. Want to try again?

 

[fryguy22]

Have a little patience. Don't expect a response for a few hours, this is probably a surprise to you but there is actually a college football game going on right now that most of us care about quite a bit

 

[maroonedinCA]

Have a little patience. Don't expect a response for a few hours, this is probably a surprise to you but there is actually a college football game going on right now that most of us care about quite a bit

Says the guy who jumped on me instantly when I came back asking for a response to his unfathomably stupid call-out.

 

[maxwellsmart]

No problem! And you're not doing it for me. You're doing it for you.

Well you're unique. And all-knowing too. I'd say the "ugh" description is accurate.

 

[50PoundHead]

Pretty amusing the difference a fourth quarter field goal makes.

Hawthorn makes it and "The Progress is Obvious!"

Hawthorn misses it and "Kill Era On the Brink"

And I think that's the problem when you measure a program in re-build mode solely on wins and losses. I'm not saying I'm the wisest of football fans, but the progress under Kill has been steady and marked and that is starting to show.

 

[fryguy22]

Says the guy who jumped on me instantly when I came back asking for a response to his unfathomably stupid call-out.

Too happy to bother coming up with a well-thought out reply, and it's not worth the time. Suck it troll! GO GOPHERS!!!

 

[GopherinPhilly]

I nominate this threat for "Pointless Thread of the Year"