I'm trying not to be afraid of being excited

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm surreptitiously harboring a lot of optimism about this year's team. When I read that there's a difference between where the players were last year, and where they are now, I believe it. Kill's had a year to put in his system, his way of doing things, his work ethic, and I think the players are buying in.

We saw some brutally bad football last year. The Michigan game. I honestly believe we lost every snap of that game. Every single snap Michigan out executed us. At that point I struggled to comprehend how badly Sconnie would beat us.

But, with the Iowa and Illinois games at the end of the year, it felt like a team that was actually improving. Signs of actual progress. We didn't lose too much and I think this off-season a lot of guys improved individually with work and just being older.

I look at the schedule and it doesn't really scare me: @UNLV, New Hampshire, Western Michigan (key game for recruiting against them), Syracuse, @Iowa (I've done a lot of healing since 55-0), Northwestern (always annoying but beatable), @Wisconsin (I have a fire in my soul burning for beating them again), Purdue, Michigan, @Illinois (BREWSTER beat 'em there), @Nebraska (scary), Michigan St (played with them last year on the road).

Yeah, conference play is pretty hairy (and by the way do we EVER get Indiana, c'mon...) but there's a lot of winnable games to be had if this team is truly improved.

I'm not saying that I'm booking Rose Bowl tickets or anything, I'm saying that if I was in Vegas, I'd take the over on total wins if it was 5.5. Beyond Bets has it projected at 4.5. And weird, first game of the season is in Vegas.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

Our biggest problems are at the WR position and overall depth. If Harbison, McDonald, Mayes, etc step up at the WR position we may surprise the football world. If we get a break on lack of injuries,
especially on the OL we might start to see the worm turn in how the state of Minnesota views Gopher football. I would love someday to drive down to TCF stadium for a game and see on the reader boards at all bars: " Your place for Gopher Football"

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

There's an opportunity, that's for sure. Interest in the Twins and Vikings is about as low as it's been in the past decade. Granted, the Vikings are still big, but there's room in the market. The schedule is favorable. If the Gophers can go to 3-0 with Syracuse coming to town for a night game, there's a good chance that there will actually be demand for those tickets.

 

[Sparlimb]

There's an opportunity, that's for sure. Interest in the Twins and Vikings is about as low as it's been in the past decade. Granted, the Vikings are still big, but there's room in the market. The schedule is favorable. If the Gophers can go to 3-0 with Syracuse coming to town for a night game, there's a good chance that there will actually be demand for those tickets.

I doubt local interest in the Twins and Vikings is going to help the Gophers win any games. And since we're at best a fringe bowl team this year, there will be no new demand for Gopher tickets. Anyone who wants to see a game will have no problem getting a ticket to do so. My hope, and it may be a stretch, is that we make a bowl game or at least finish 6-6. Our NC schedule has some very winnable games, so we need a minimum of 3 W's there. Wins have been really hard for us to come by the last few years, so let's hope we see something different. Game 1 is often a mirage (see USC game last year), but by the end of game 3 you know what you have...

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

I doubt local interest in the Twins and Vikings is going to help the Gophers win any games. And since we're at best a fringe bowl team this year, there will be no new demand for Gopher tickets. Anyone who wants to see a game will have no problem getting a ticket to do so. My hope, and it may be a stretch, is that we make a bowl game or at least finish 6-6. Our NC schedule has some very winnable games, so we need a minimum of 3 W's there. Wins have been really hard for us to come by the last few years, so let's hope we see something different. Game 1 is often a mirage (see USC game last year), but by the end of game 3 you know what you have...

I'm not talking about winning games, I'm talking about winning over some of the fans who have left and given up. I believe if they Gophers are 3-0 when Syracuse comes to town, especially with a night game, there's a decent chance that people will be willing to come back to TCF, especially the student section.

 

[Sparlimb]

I'm not talking about winning games, I'm talking about winning over some of the fans who have left and given up. I believe if they Gophers are 3-0 when Syracuse comes to town, especially with a night game, there's a decent chance that people will be willing to come back to TCF, especially the student section.

I didn't pay attention, but I assume the beer bill was signed by the govenor. It will be interesting to see if that has any affect o nthe number of students at games. I bet it doesn't, but we'll see. Sure would like to have a consistently full student section...

 

[Killjoy]

I didn't pay attention, but I assume the beer bill was signed by the govenor. It will be interesting to see if that has any affect o nthe number of students at games. I bet it doesn't, but we'll see. Sure would like to have a consistently full student section...

Really! I would have never guessed that you didn't pay any attention. If you had, you might have realized that the bill was really about being able to sell alcohol in the premium seats. To do that, they needed to include the beer garden to placate some of the legislators. The reality is that for the rest of the stadium, if you want a beer, you will need to go to the beer garden to get it. Then you won’t be allowed to leave with it either. Since you also have to be 21 to drink, it isn't going to result in a full student section because they can’t drink beer there legally. The only thing that will fill up the student section is winning.

 

[wait!what?]

my hopes are no higher than 4 wins.

 

[John Galt]

On paper, we should go at least 3-1 in the non-conference games. We also should have the last 2 years, but ended up starting out 1-3 each year with some terrible losses. These first 4 games will tell us loads about the improvement of the team. Can we beat New Hampshire and Western Michigan at home by 10-14 points and pretty much control the game? If so it will show some progress.

On defense, we still don't have a lot of depth, but it's comforting to know that pretty much every player is a returning starter or got significant pt last year. Over the past few years, we've had to count on plugging in a true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, or unknown JC player and it's been disastrous. Take last year, we had to start Shady and C Lewis at safety. Shady had no experience and Lewis barely played his junior year. At DE we were starting Amaefula and Perry by game 2, a true freshmen and redshirt freshmen. That's 4 players on defense that had pretty much no D-1 game experience. This year, pretty much everyone on defense has played before, so there shouldn't be many surprises or deer in the headlights looks.

Offense is a different story. Can MarQueis improve his accuracy? Which WR has the ability to catch 50 passes this year? 40? 30? What RB has the potential to put together a 100 yard game? The O-line is still young (0 seniors, 2 juniors), can they create running lanes for the backs and pass protect consistently. Lot of questions with the offense.

Bottom line, we should see some improvement this year, but we're still a ways off from being an 8 win team. But I hope I'm wrong...

 

[HouseOfHagen]

Really! I would have never guessed that you didn't pay any attention. If you had, you might have realized that the bill was really about being able to sell alcohol in the premium seats. To do that, they needed to include the beer garden to placate some of the legislators. The reality is that for the rest of the stadium, if you want a beer, you will need to go to the beer garden to get it. Then you won’t be allowed to leave with it either. Since you also have to be 21 to drink, it isn't going to result in a full student section because they can’t drink beer there legally. The only thing that will fill up the student section is winning.

You may be right in that "filling" the student section will require winning, but the beer garden should help at least slightly with some student ticket sales. Last time I checked, the U had some students that were 21+ which is typical of four year universities. I take it you went to a community college.

Example: my coworker, a 27 year old male, is a student at the U in the MBA program. He has not previously purchased season tickets and was borderline to purchase student season tickets this year. A beer garden was definitely a factor in his decision to buy student tickets, as he's mentioned.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

It's impossible to gauge the impact or assign a number to the improvement from Year One to Year Two in the same system, same coaches, same routine, etc. but it will be SIGNIFICANT. Guys will just plain be THINKING a lot less than last year.

I hate trying to predict a number of wins because that doesn't necessarily indicate the level of improvement. This team will be markedly better than last year, and it won't even be close. Will that translate into a huge increase in wins? No clue.

I really wish the opener wasn't on the road. UNLV is not good, but the first game is always a wild card.

 

[GoAUpher]

You may be right in that "filling" the student section will require winning, but the beer garden should help at least slightly with some student ticket sales. Last time I checked, the U had some students that were 21+ which is typical of four year universities. I take it you went to a community college.

Example: my coworker, a 27 year old male, is a student at the U in the MBA program. He has not previously purchased season tickets and was borderline to purchase student season tickets this year. A beer garden was definitely a factor in his decision to buy student tickets, as he's mentioned.

Ok, but if the team isn't winning is a beer garden really going to keep drawing students who are 21+? Why would they overpay to be stuck in a beer garden when they could drink more cheaply at their own place, at a house party, or even at a campus bar?

 

[HouseOfHagen]

Ok, but if the team isn't winning is a beer garden really going to keep drawing students who are 21+? Why would they overpay to be stuck in a beer garden when they could drink more cheaply at their own place, at a house party, or even at a campus bar?

Well I don't know about you, but I'd rather sit and watch the Gophers lose in person than go to a house party to drink cheap beer. And the same went for when I was a student at the U.

 

[GoAUpher]

Well I don't know about you, but I'd rather sit and watch the Gophers lose in person than go to a house party to drink cheap beer. And the same went for when I was a student at the U.

We're not talking about you and me. We're talking about students who are influenced by the presence of a beer garden as a deciding factor for going to games (i.e. not diehards). In any case, it's very likely you aren't going to be able to see the game from the beer garden because of it's placement. At best, they may have TV's set up but then you aren't really watching in person and are overpaying for the privilege of watching on TV (albeit in the stadium).

 

[supadupafly]

interesting headline by the original poster.

 

[Schnauzer]

Well, the excitement of the original post, and the opportunity to discuss how excited we should be for the season... has been replaced by another beer debate. Sigh...

I can hardly wait for the season to arrive. I'm really looking forward to see more signs of improvements (and wins) that I got to enjoy the second half of last year. Q with another year under his belt actually playing QB for starters, and all the good things that can come from the continuity offered by a full returning coaching staff should all lead to better things.

 

[jovs]

interesting headline by the original poster.

If they happen to go 4-0 in NC play I think the headline will express a real and noticeable sentiment, even 3-1, until that happens my expectations are going to be tempered a bit.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I think the OP is going toward this: As Gopher fans, we've been burned so many times that it's hard to get too excited, because there's the nagging suspicion that the other shoe is always going to drop.

There is so much apathy and skepticism toward Gopher FB, that I'm convinced that there is no quick fix. If the Gophs somehow win 7 or even 8 games this year, the skeptics will proclaim that it's a fluke.

The only way to really turn things around, and make Gopher FB "cool" again, will require at least 2 or 3 consecutive seasons where the Gopher perform at or above expectations. Rivalry games are a must. (If they could just beat the stinkin' Badgers, it might speed up the timetable). The best way to build a revitalized fan base is slow and steady, a win at a time.

If the Gophs can show real, consistent improvement, I hope to see the 'Bank' packed and a real game-day atmosphere emerge by year 3 or 4 of the Kill era. Show me a season-ticket waiting list, and I will proclaim that Gopher FB is back.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

One thing I have learned after being a Gopher fan the past 100 years is to be patient. The Coach Kill era is no different.

I think all Gopher fans expect to see an improvement over last years team for reasons noted in this thread. There are numerous weak areas yet and a lack of overall experience and depth. I don't buy into star ratings but anyone can see that the UM lags bigtime compared to the top competition in stockpiling top rated athletes. Coach Kill needs to build a foundation with late bloomers and over achievers.

Starting in 2013, I hope Coach Kill can average 4 BT wins in a three year stretch which, along with 3 NC wins, will put the program in a position to attract better athletes. If the Gophers can become a bit better than a mid tier BIG,, they could be ready to make a run for a top three finish or (gasp) even be in contention for a BIG title on the last day in Nvember of 20 fill-in-the-blank.

 

[howieramone]

One thing I have learned after being a Gopher fan the past 100 years is to be patient. The Coach Kill era is no different.

I think all Gopher fans expect to see an improvement over last years team for reasons noted in this thread. There are numerous weak areas yet and a lack of overall experience and depth. I don't buy into star ratings but anyone can see that the UM lags bigtime compared to the top competition in stockpiling top rated athletes. Coach Kill needs to build a foundation with late bloomers and over achievers.

Starting in 2013, I hope Coach Kill can average 4 BT wins in a three year stretch which, along with 3 NC wins, will put the program in a position to attract better athletes. If the Gophers can become a bit better than a mid tier BIG,, they could be ready to make a run for a top three finish or (gasp) even be in contention for a BIG title on the last day in Nvember of 20 fill-in-the-blank.

+1

 

[MrC]

I am definitely excited for the new season. We saw real improvement at the end of last year, the coach and staff are consistent, the talent level is better.

But am I afraid of having my hopes dashed again? Not yet. At this time I really have no expectations. However, if they manage a 4-0 start and my expectations begin to rise, then my anxiety, born of years of experience, will rise with those expectations.

And if those higher expectations are fulfilled, it will be awesome to have been a loyal fan through the worst of times. But if we get another disappointing year, I will look forward to 2013. Or 2014. Or 2015...

 

[ruppertflywheel]

If the Gopher's are 3-0 when " Cuse" comes to town for a 7:00 game beer will not be the deciding factor for people to attend. A couple of things will come into play:
1. How did we play the first 3 games? Yes, a win is a win, but if we just squeeze by
in getting the wins. It will bring out the skeptics with the old: " Well, they've been lucky to get those first three" Believe me, you'll hear that from the media down too the fair weather fan. Now, if Gray and company light it up and they're fun to watch and win by comfortable margins the fan on the fence might think. Hey, let's check them out.
2. The weather. It is what it is. The diehards will be there, but the skeptic won't go if there is a hint of bad weather.
3. Summer of losing. The Twins. They might not win 60 games.
4. Marketing from the new AD's Office. It has been pathetic. The last good campaign was the "Gopher Fever" push when Holtz came to town.
5. The cynicism in me wants to see the Viking stadium issue fall flat on it's face. It will put a damper on the Viking hype that engulfs the state. Throw in another bad year of Viking football at the dome without the stadium issue resolved creates a " Debbie Downer" on the football scene.
6. The " Kill Factor" I posted a few weeks ago that the man on the street likes coach Kill. As several people said to me at an auction: " He seems like one of us" To the stoic Minnesota fan base, Brewster came across as a BS/blowhard. My 84 year old father-in-law said it best the first time he heard Brewster: " He's full of sh-t"!! and he laughed at me that I bought his dog and pony show.

 

[highwayman]

I'm not talking about winning games, I'm talking about winning over some of the fans who have left and given up. I believe if they Gophers are 3-0 when Syracuse comes to town, especially with a night game, there's a decent chance that people will be willing to come back to TCF, especially the student section.

As you guys may have seen before, I have little or no patience for those that have left and given up. Bye. Yeah, it's been frustrating. We thought we were getting there 10 years ago, but we stalled out and regressed...

It's impossible to gauge the impact or assign a number to the improvement from Year One to Year Two in the same system, same coaches, same routine, etc. but it will be SIGNIFICANT. Guys will just plain be THINKING a lot less than last year.

I hate trying to predict a number of wins because that doesn't necessarily indicate the level of improvement. This team will be markedly better than last year, and it won't even be close. Will that translate into a huge increase in wins? No clue.

I really wish the opener wasn't on the road. UNLV is not good, but the first game is always a wild card.

...The stall out and regression was institutionally based. There was no way this program was going to take the next step. I have spoken to several hold-overs in the program (Mason to Kill), from training and AD staff. The unifying theme that seems to now be bluntly clear is that the U has been running a minor-league operation. For over 40 years, from to the top to the bottom, from Malcolm Moos, to C. Peter Magrath, Ken Keller, and sports HATING Nils ("No coach should be more popular than me") Haslmo, the Presidents of this school consciously destroyed the athletic program, especially football. They hired sub-standard AD candidates (yes, like Paul Giel, God love him) on the cheap and then handcuffed them at every turn. Innovation was discouraged, if not eliminated.

I think we actually have pretty good AD employees, but have had no leaders, no innovators. This organization needs a complete overhaul and "reboot". We have been so far down the rabbit hole, we have had no clue how a DI athletic program or a football program should be run. We've blamed bad luck, bad coaching, bad recruiting, bad facilities. They are only symptoms of a bigger disease that doesn't need to just be cured, it needs to be eradicated.

I think that Bob Bruininks finally saw the light when he met Jerry Kill, and don't think that Eric Kaler didn't have some say in the hire as well. Yeah, Bruininks misfired on Brewster, but it was really his AD that let him down. It wasn't going to happen again. Kaler has come in and seen what a disastrous FUBAR has manifest itself over the last 40-50 years. To put it poetically, Kill is the prophet, Teague the sword, Kaler, the light-bearer. These three fellas may very well change the face of Gopher athletics for the next 50 years. The foundation is not there, but it's being built up.

Whew.

As for UNLV, they really, really, really suck. New Hampshire lost 90% of their offensive production to graduation, Syracuse about 80%. WMU is going to be tough. 3-1 should be the goal, 4-0 is quite attainable. I think this team will make some mistakes, but they are going to be far better than last year. Far.

 

[mplsbadger]

Ok, but if the team isn't winning is a beer garden really going to keep drawing students who are 21+? Why would they overpay to be stuck in a beer garden when they could drink more cheaply at their own place, at a house party, or even at a campus bar?

Because it is fun? Bars stay in business despite the fact that people can 'drink more cheaply at their own place'.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

On paper, we should go at least 3-1 in the non-conference games. We also should have the last 2 years, but ended up starting out 1-3 each year with some terrible losses. These first 4 games will tell us loads about the improvement of the team. Can we beat New Hampshire and Western Michigan at home by 10-14 points and pretty much control the game? If so it will show some progress.

On defense, we still don't have a lot of depth, but it's comforting to know that pretty much every player is a returning starter or got significant pt last year. Over the past few years, we've had to count on plugging in a true freshmen, redshirt freshmen, or unknown JC player and it's been disastrous. Take last year, we had to start Shady and C Lewis at safety. Shady had no experience and Lewis barely played his junior year. At DE we were starting Amaefula and Perry by game 2, a true freshmen and redshirt freshmen. That's 4 players on defense that had pretty much no D-1 game experience. This year, pretty much everyone on defense has played before, so there shouldn't be many surprises or deer in the headlights looks.

Offense is a different story. Can MarQueis improve his accuracy? Which WR has the ability to catch 50 passes this year? 40? 30? What RB has the potential to put together a 100 yard game? The O-line is still young (0 seniors, 2 juniors), can they create running lanes for the backs and pass protect consistently. Lot of questions with the offense.

Bottom line, we should see some improvement this year, but we're still a ways off from being an 8 win team. But I hope I'm wrong...

Pretty much my feelings, too. I'm not confident we can sweep the non-con and can't see three straight wins against either Illinois or Iowa, both of which should rebound at home; Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin look out of reach. That leaves Northwestern (who beat Nebraska in Lincoln last year), Michigan State (division winner) and Purdue. I don't see a lot of wins there - maybe two. The Michigan State game could be the one that determines bowl eligibility for us - and weather could be a factor. I'd love to see 7 wins, but I don't expect it.

 

[popeyoung5]

Most undergrads are not 21 for the beer anyway. I see 4-0 nc with WMU the only real test. 3-4 in the big. "Can't Wait"

 

[upnorthkid]

Really all the speculation on the "who we beat" is irrelevant. What I want to see is can this team be a consistent competitor with EVERYONE they play. You will beat who you beat. At this point its not about a set number of wins; its about being able to put together seasons that can build towards a bigger future goal. this program will not be built in one season or two seasons or even three. as someone said in an earlier post, we need to work towards first becoming a mid level big ten team and be able to capture some more highly rated recruits. then you progress into an upper mid level team and you go from there.Jerry seems like the kind of guy that can sell this program and i hope im right about that feeling.
all that being said, this team will go as far as Q can carry them. what will decide this season is the play of the offensive line and the accuracy of gray. we all know we've got some more exciting athletes than we've had in the last few years that are playing skill positions on offense. if gray can get the ball there consistently and accurately we could be a dangerous team. of course none of that can happen without the line opening up some holes and keeping Q upright.
i see this team winning 5-7 games. whoever they beat they beat. i dont want to try pick which teams we'll beat because way too much can happen between now and then. for now the hope is that when kickoff comes in the fall that Kill has the boys ready and fired up to come out with something to prove. the rallying cry for this team should be to put Gopher football back on the map!

 

[BigGopherFan]

It makes me sick that we have a big game against Directional Michigan in a battle for recruits. Sad, very very sad.

 

[Formo]

It makes me sick that we have a big game against Directional Michigan in a battle for recruits. Sad, very very sad.

This ain't 1961 no' mo'. Where have you been?!

 

[GoAUpher]

Because it is fun? Bars stay in business despite the fact that people can 'drink more cheaply at their own place'.

As I noted, if folks want that social aspect, the campus bars will be cheaper than the beer garden. Plus they'll serve a wider variety of alcohol. A beer garden holding several hundred people at a time (tops) is not going to keep drawing 21+ students if the team sucks. Not when they can get the same (if not better) drinking experience for less elsewhere. I'm not saying it won't have a minor impact at first. I'm saying it won't do jack longterm without wins.