Gourdie: I truly believe in the next two years, Minnesota will overtake Wisconsin as the premier program in the Big Ten West

More so the loss of NFL-caliber WR play... It's not as if Ciarocca has been burning it up at his next stops. He's gone from celebrated BIg 10 offensive coordinator to fired Big 10 offensive coordinator to some sort of offensive analyst... He benefited just as much as Tanner.
Rumor is that Neal Brown is allowing Ciarocca more input in the offense in WVU and that's why it's going well now. Sure he was fired last year, but I don't think most people think that'd be the case w/o covid. Regardless, I understand we've lost two all B1G receivers -- I was just saying why the OP's narrative makes sense (his stats)
 


Gopher offense in 2019 - average plays per game
Passing - 24.8 Rushing 43.1

If that is an "air raid" offense, then what the bleep are they running in the (old) Big 12.

And what is the "downfall of Morgan?"

this guy does not sound like he has been giving the Gopher program a great deal of scrutiny.
I was gonna post something similar. I agree with his thesis, but not necessarily with the arguments he made to build it. More appropriate might be things like recruiting at a higher level than seen around here, putting players in the NFL, developing a competent passing game (not air raid, lol), building a dominant running attack, creating a culture that can withstand adversity, etc.
 

I have heard this old tune now for about 10 years. "Minnesota has what Iowa and Wisconsin don’t have: swagger"

I like the theory and next Saturday in Iowa city and then at our place a couple weeks later would be a good starting point for this. Iowa and Wisconsin whoop us again this year, the theory is dead, again.
This. When we beat IA and WI in the same year in back to back years…thats the signal right there.

until that happens, its gonna be a toss up
 

this article is like the plastic food on TV commercials. looks yummy but a closer inspection reveals some questionable meat
There are actually regulations about food photography in advertising. They don't use plastic food.

They might spray it down with some kind of clearcoat glaze, but it is real food.
 


I have heard this old tune now for about 10 years. "Minnesota has what Iowa and Wisconsin don’t have: swagger"

I like the theory and next Saturday in Iowa city and then at our place a couple weeks later would be a good starting point for this. Iowa and Wisconsin whoop us again this year, the theory is dead, again.
You heard our teams being referred to as having swagger in the Kill/ Claeys regime? They were about as anti-swagger as it gets IMO.
 


per Gourdie:

I truly believe in the next two years, Minnesota will overtake Wisconsin as the premier program in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin runs an outdated offensive scheme that consistently has to be bailed out by an elite defense. What will happen when Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard leaves for a head-coaching position?

Minnesota has what Iowa and Wisconsin don’t have: swagger. They play in a big city with an energetic head coach that’s willing to make the necessary changes by taking risks. Fleck, in 2019, employed an air-raid attack with Tanner Morgan as quarterback. Now with the downfall of Morgan, he’s gone full smashmouth with his offensive line. Fleck has a history of firing coordinators and replacing them with proven names that he is willing to cough up the money for.

If you’re an Illinois fan, watching Minnesota succeed should give you hope that Bielema can turn the Illini into the next annual contender for Indianapolis. Fleck, an Illinois native, has 13 players on his roster from the Land of Lincoln. Fleck has a big personality, like Bielema himself. Fleck has dedicated himself to his university, signaling he isn’t going anywhere.


Go Gophers!!
There are so many things that are factually wrong with this article that it's a little hard to take it seriously. The most offensive statement is by far: "An energetic head coach that's willing to make the necessary changes by taking risks."
 






We beat them 2 years ago, so it can be done.

Yes, of course it can. Having said that, I think there were more visible signs going into the 2018 game that Wisconsin was a paper tiger of sorts. They were 7-4 heading into that final game but I believe the collective winning percentage of their 7 opponents in those wins was around 38%. They had only beaten one team with a winning record (Iowa). This year's Wisconsin defense appears to be exceptionally tough over the last five weeks or so and their running game produces like ours if you fail to stop it. I do think if both teams' running games are stifled and they're forced to pass more, we have the advantage in that scenario.
 





There are so many things that are factually wrong with this article that it's a little hard to take it seriously. The most offensive statement is by far: "An energetic head coach that's willing to make the necessary changes by taking risks."
I assumed that was referring to the decision to fire Robb Smith mid season, and not about our tendency to go for it on 4th down or try to score before halftime.
 


Swagger and mn are funny - you may look at almost any big timer from mn and the are not swagger people. Dylan and Prince are great examples.
 

per Gourdie:

I truly believe in the next two years, Minnesota will overtake Wisconsin as the premier program in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin runs an outdated offensive scheme that consistently has to be bailed out by an elite defense. What will happen when Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard leaves for a head-coaching position?

Minnesota has what Iowa and Wisconsin don’t have: swagger. They play in a big city with an energetic head coach that’s willing to make the necessary changes by taking risks. Fleck, in 2019, employed an air-raid attack with Tanner Morgan as quarterback. Now with the downfall of Morgan, he’s gone full smashmouth with his offensive line. Fleck has a history of firing coordinators and replacing them with proven names that he is willing to cough up the money for.

If you’re an Illinois fan, watching Minnesota succeed should give you hope that Bielema can turn the Illini into the next annual contender for Indianapolis. Fleck, an Illinois native, has 13 players on his roster from the Land of Lincoln. Fleck has a big personality, like Bielema himself. Fleck has dedicated himself to his university, signaling he isn’t going anywhere.


Go Gophers!!

Article theme aside, Air Raid offense?

I didnt click the link but is this a student site?
 

I'm still trying to discern that Minnesota has "swagger ".

That's a new one to me.
Line up in front Conner Olsen and the boys and see if it changes your perspective.
 

Lost me with the second line of the article....unless I am reading it wrong:

Illinois and Minnesota are two schools on the rise. While Minnesota has enjoyed more recent success, the product on the field for Illinois is undoubtedly better.
 





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