Fleck doesn't think last year's fair catch fiasco adds any juice to Iowa showdown

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Per Tony:

"Rivalries are rivalries because they do go back and forth. They're usually border wars, border battles, they're really close, everybody knows each other, you're recruiting a lot of the same kids," Fleck said. "That's where all the rivalries started. I am just honored to be a part of it, and you'd like to have a little more balance as you go forward and that's what we're working and striving to do all the time here at Minnesota. We're fortunate to have a lot of rivalries."

"No, not at all," Fleck said. "We were 1-0 last year, that was it. You know me, I don't carry things over from one year to the next. That game was its own entity, that game had its own 60 minutes for both teams to have a chance to go and win the football game. We were able to bring Floyd home."

www.si.com

Fleck doesn't think last year's fair catch fiasco adds any juice to Iowa showdown

After last year's notorious invalid fair catch signal fiasco, the Gophers will face Iowa in a highly-anticipated rematch this Saturday in Minneapolis.
www.si.com www.si.com

Go Gophers!!
 




I disagree with PJ's logic about a lot of things...the fact he doesn't believe in momentum probably leads the way for me.
But PJ, the point is IOWA is coming in here h u n g r y! They are pissed off. They lost. They think they got screwed. They will be ready!
So, the point is our guys need to be aware of Iowa's mindset. The fact that Iowa will be more juiced up than North Carolina was or anybody else we have played to date... It isn't just a normal game under any circumstances but especially in light of the fact it's the first time they lost to us and the way they lost...I'd suggest needs to be pointed out to the Gophers if we are going to rise up to meet their fire. Awareness...no stone unturned.
I don't think you can treat that as business as usual and give your team the best chance to win.
 
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Let's wait and see. I don't know if we can depend on Ferentz not stirring the pot. It was two weeks after the game last year and he was still telling people they go jobbed by that call when doing any interviews.
 

60's Guy said:
I disagree with PJ's logic about a lot of things...the fact he doesn't believe in momentum probably leads the way for me.
But PJ, the point is IOWA is coming in here h u n g r y! They are pissed off. They lost. They think they got screwed. They will be ready!
So, the point is our guys need to be aware of Iowa's mindset. The fact that Iowa will be more juiced up than North Carolina was or anybody else we have played to date... It isn't just a normal game under any circumstances but especially in light of the fact it's the first time they lost to us and the way they lost...I'd suggest needs to be pointed out if we are going to rise up to meet their fire.
I don't think you can treat that as business as usual and give your team the best chance to win.
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With all due respect, do you really believe what PJ says to those of us outside the locker room and those players inside the locker room is even remotely the same message? I'd be very surprised if everything you list isn't stated multiple times throughout their prep this week.
 

this smacks of PJ taking the "high road." if Ferentz or anyone connected with Iowa keeps talking about the play last year - which was called correctly by the officials - then that just makes Iowa look petty by comparison.

but since PJ apparently never does anything casually, I have to think that this position was taken deliberately.

and make no mistake - if Ferentz gets an opportunity to come back at PJ, he will. remember "I thought we'd take Floyd home and leave the time-outs..."
 

60's Guy said:
I disagree with PJ's logic about a lot of things...the fact he doesn't believe in momentum probably leads the way for me.
But PJ, the point is IOWA is coming in here h u n g r y! They are pissed off. They lost. They think they got screwed. They will be ready!
So, the point is our guys need to be aware of Iowa's mindset. The fact that Iowa will be more juiced up than North Carolina was or anybody else we have played to date... It isn't just a normal game under any circumstances but especially in light of the fact it's the first time they lost to us and the way they lost...I'd suggest needs to be pointed out to the Gophers if we are going to rise up to meet their fire. Awareness...no stone unturned.
I don't think you can treat that as business as usual and give your team the best chance to win.
Click to expand...
It’s the big10 opener against one of our top rivals. Pretty sure both teams will be fired up regardless of what happened last year.
 



Up by 14+, Fleck, having miraculously not used any of his 2nd half time outs, uses all of them in the Gophs last possession...with Max taking a knee for the last play of the game.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Up by 14+, Fleck, having miraculously not used any of his 2nd half time outs, uses all of them in the Gophs last possession...with Max taking a knee for the last play of the game.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately due to a rule change this year, Fleck wouldn't be able to use all the TOs back to back.

Either Iowa would need to use a timeout, or Fleck would need to do something like:
TO
First Down Play
TO
Second Down Play
TO
Third Down Play -> kneel to end the game.
 


At my age, I figured I had learned all I needed to know about Iowa fans. I was wrong. There is still a few more feet until rock bottom. There is an article in the Strib today too about this, as if it is controversial. It isn’t.

The part that gets me is for a fan base that has little else to interest or distract them, they are amazingly uninformed about football or lack the capacity to even understand what was actually called.

Probably over 95% of them THINK the refs made a call that the punt returner called for a fair catch. You see it all the time: “that wasn’t a fair catch” or “his hand never went above his shoulder”

The call was INVALID FAIR CATCH and there is a difference between what was called (properly) and what they think was called. Any quick trip to the rule book illuminates the fact it was indeed an invalid fair catch. It’s indisputable. The only reffing mistake was the play should have been blown dead the second the returner possessed the ball. Instead they let it play out and that opened the door to a lot of misunderstanding.

But, they did get the call right. There is no debate.

Another irritation is how all the highlight packages include this punt return that never happened. You will NEVER see an 80 yard touchdown that was negated by a holding call or a false start in a highlight package, but for some reason this non-play is on every highlight reel from that game.
 



TBF to the slow boat Iowa fans, sometimes rules do seem optional so it’s easy to get conditioned that something may actually be OK when it is 100% a foul. What gets me here, with this episode, is that Kirk isn’t an idiot and went so far as to “clear it” with the officials before the game and seems to think that entitles him to a bully pulpit and an ability to rewrite the NCAA rule book. Then the blubbering from Dejean after his cheat failed…man, that was just too much.
 

Gopher Poke:

Well, I'd like to believe you because you make good sense. But, we have heard Gopher players echo PJ's mantra that we don't believe in momentum.
So, well I like your thinking...PJ makes a pretty big deal about his 1 and 0 Championship seasons and every game having equal importance. So, I'm a tad skeptical.
I dunno...hopefully we at the worst match Iowa's intensity. For sure guys can get too jacked up and they fizzle early. Everybody says treat em all the same. Fine in principle but sometimes the other team isn't treating it that way.
I don't think it's an especially good Iowa team but I do think they'll be inspired.
 

That 'fiasco' saved the school's image. If Iowa had won and had an 11-2 record going into their bowl game they would have faced an actual top team....#17 Tennessee beat their brakes off 35-0, I can only imagine how badly they would have been destroyed playing a higher ranked team.
 


And Iowa fans seem to forget that the call was thoroughly reviewed by the Big Ten Office.

The pig is ours. Let's keep it that way! Ski-u-mah!
 

60's Guy said:
Gopher Poke:

Well, I'd like to believe you because you make good sense. But, we have heard Gopher players echo PJ's mantra that we don't believe in momentum.
So, well I like your thinking...PJ makes a pretty big deal about his 1 and 0 Championship seasons and every game having equal importance. So, I'm a tad skeptical.
I dunno...hopefully we at the worst match Iowa's intensity. For sure guys can get too jacked up and they fizzle early. Everybody says treat em all the same. Fine in principle but sometimes the other team isn't treating it that way.
I don't think it's an especially good Iowa team but I do think they'll be inspired.
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You seem to be really hung up on this whole momentum issue, despite the fact that there's no evidence of the concept of "momentum" in football games.

And even if it is a real thing I'm not sure what the benefit would be of having the players and coaches buy into this idea.
 


It was a call by the refs.

It's not like Minnesota made that call ... so yeah I don't think it ads anything even if Iowa fans who don't know the rules are still bitter about it.
 


GopherPoke said:
With all due respect, do you really believe what PJ says to those of us outside the locker room and those players inside the locker room is even remotely the same message? I'd be very surprised if everything you list isn't stated multiple times throughout their prep this week.
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I always find it interesting when you see fans who seem to think the internal and external messages are identical.

It is a rivalry game....the coaches and players will be locked in.
 

Gophers1992 said:
You seem to be really hung up on this whole momentum issue, despite the fact that there's no evidence of the concept of "momentum" in football games.

And even if it is a real thing I'm not sure what the benefit would be of having the players and coaches buy into this idea.
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I'm not sure how anyone could play sports and not experience the exhilaration of momentum and on the flip side the utter devastation of losing to an opponent who just seemingly inexplicably catches fire and goes on a run you can't stop to defeat you. A run you are seemingly powerless to stop.

But as a coach you learn by believing in it...practicing it, demonstrating it, discussing it, that you can convince your team to believe in it. To make game winning plays knowing their importance understanding the results if you do not make those plays....avoiding Northwestern, Illinois occurences in recent memory. If you believe in it...you can train and explain the prevention of it. You are in control.

Watch a good volleyball team and tell me they are not feeding on momentum they create.
Shutting off the other teams momentum is far away the hardest task. But awareness means you realize that if somebody just makes one play you can derail it and prevail. Acknowleding it exists allows you to stop it.
Interesting broad discussion about it... Momentum
 


You hear in basketball all the time..."It's a game of runs." No denying that. What does that mean?
To me it means momentum. Not understanding how to create it and how to stop is foolhardy. It's real!
You gotta talk about it, drill it, practice it, experience it, understand it, believe in it to have any chance to stop it or create it. Teach your team...create believers.

Denying it exists will get you beat.
 

60's Guy said:
You hear in basketball all the time..."It's a game of runs." No denying that. What does that mean?
To me it means momentum. Not understanding how to create it and how to stop is foolhardy. It's real!
You gotta talk about it, drill it, practice it, experience it, understand it, believe in it to have any chance to stop it or create it. Teach your team...create believers.

Denying it exists will get you beat.
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Sure, but basketball and football are very different sports. You absolutely see teams go on runs in basketball for multiple minutes at a time that can totally flip a game on its head. That happens far less in football.
 

Momentum is absolutely real. It’s dumb that PJ says otherwise. On the scale of dumb things he says, this one isn’t a big deal.
 

60's Guy said:
I disagree with PJ's logic about a lot of things...the fact he doesn't believe in momentum probably leads the way for me.
But PJ, the point is IOWA is coming in here h u n g r y! They are pissed off. They lost. They think they got screwed. They will be ready!
So, the point is our guys need to be aware of Iowa's mindset. The fact that Iowa will be more juiced up than North Carolina was or anybody else we have played to date... It isn't just a normal game under any circumstances but especially in light of the fact it's the first time they lost to us and the way they lost...I'd suggest needs to be pointed out to the Gophers if we are going to rise up to meet their fire. Awareness...no stone unturned.
I don't think you can treat that as business as usual and give your team the best chance to win.
Click to expand...
I don't think he was comparing North Carolina to Iowa. I think he was comparing the Iowa 2024 game vs. the Iowa 2023 game, etc. I think just the fact that it is Iowa vs. Minnesota, Floyd of Rosedale, National TV, etc adds all the juice you need. The whole return and invalid fair catch call is a chapter of the rivalry and maybe adds a little juice, but I would be surprised if that is the focal point of the Iowa team and staff. Maybe I am wrong... Ferentz can be pretty petty at time so maybe it is?

While I agree with you that Iowa thinks they got screwed and not happy, but I don't think because of that they are any more fired than they would be if they lost 21-10 last year.
 


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