I'm trying not to be afraid of being excited

[dpodoll68]

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

Is this whole thing a bit, or are you really this unintelligent? We have never lost, and never will lose, a recruiting "battle" with Western Michigan. It's not surprising at all that the humor in that post flew a mile over your head.

And what's with this "we" nonsense?

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

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.

+1
Students of age can already get a pre-game bump at the Mac Center. I fail to see where a TCF beer garden will attract students.

 

[mplsbadger]

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.

True, it is not enough by itself.

 

[Goldteam]

I'm expecting 4-0 and see absolutely no reason they can't go in and beat a very average iowa team

i see 4-0........and the iowa games as being a determiner in whether we get on the map with the state behind us

 

[OutHouseGopher]

I'm expecting 4-0 and see absolutely no reason they can't go in and beat a very average iowa team

i see 4-0........and the iowa games as being a determiner in whether we get on the map with the state behind us

Because we have zero depth at most positions is one reason. By game 4 or 5, we will be extremely lucky to not be bitten by the injury bug in a vulnerable position or two. Hey PSU, Michigan and Pitt, what's it like to play a very average iowa team on their turf?

 

[Goldteam]

I asked northwestern what is was like to play them at home......my bad

and this is the vandenberg, cokerless, mcnuttless offense combined with their already poor defense......maybe i'm missing it

 

[OutHouseGopher]

+1
Students of age can already get a pre-game bump at the Mac Center. I fail to see where a TCF beer garden will attract students.

What you are failing to see, is that people cannot resist paying $7 or $8 for 12 oz of 3.2 slop brand beer. They flock to it in voracious, keg-draining hordes and mobs.

 

[OutHouseGopher]

+1
Students of age can already get a pre-game bump at the Mac Center. I fail to see where a TCF beer garden will attract students.

I asked northwestern what is was like to play them at home......my bad

and this is the vandenberg, cokerless, mcnuttless offense combined with their already poor defense......maybe i'm missing it

I think NW lost there last year, but have it your way, Mr 5-0, it's the easiest place to play in the Big 10.

 

[matt]

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"

+1

I expect the Western Michigan game to be a good one, and I think it will be a good indicator of how the season will go. It'll be a good test for the team.

 

[Goldteam]

I think NW lost there last year, but have it your way, Mr 5-0, it's the easiest place to play in the Big 10.

never said it was easy, but it's hardly, "oh noooo, we have to go play this vaunted iowa team"

that game is winnable and deep down you believe that also

by the way...whatup PH

 

[MrC]

I think NW lost there last year, but have it your way, Mr 5-0, it's the easiest place to play in the Big 10.

Hey, we own Iowa. Don't ask me why, we just do. It is like the Twins versus the Yankees, only if the Twins were Iowa and the Yankees were the Gophers. Again, don't ask me why. Really, please don't. Because I don't know why I just know. But I do. So there.

 

[Sumtimegophs]

I expect to see a lot of improvement. Whether or not that improvement results in a winning record, I don't have a clue.

I know many on this board have said the 2012 schedule is a lot easier than 2011, but I am not so sure. I think the non-conference schedule is every bit as challenging as last year. I think every game is winnable and the Gophers could very well be 4-0, but they could also be only 2-2. UNLV is a for sure win, but after that it gets tougher. New Hampshire has been solid against FBS opponents and W Michigan was tough last year and are an improving program. 'Cuse is also coming back.

Regardless, it should be a fun season.

 

[BreakTheGopherCurse]

it seems to me that how well the gophers do this season will rest at least 75% on the passing effectiveness of one M. Gray. if Mr. Gray makes a large leap in his effectiveness as a reader of pass coverage, not focusing in on one receiver, checking down, and arm accuracy, I would say we could win 7 games. Such improvement would also allow Kill and Co. to more fully open up the playbook. If he's only marginally better than last year as a passing qb and field general, i wouldn't expect more than 4 wins. while Gray strikes me as a great person and, of course, very athletic, i've yet to see the extreme confidence and clutch play-making ability required to lead a team to a remarkable season. i really hope he has improved by leaps and bounds, mostly because i want the best for this young man. It seems like he really deserves it after all he's been through. Go Gophers and thank you Jerry Kill and staff for already upgrading the culture and aura of Gopher Football. Win or lose, the program just feels a lot more stable.

 

[highwayman]

I expect to see a lot of improvement. Whether or not that improvement results in a winning record, I don't have a clue.

I know many on this board have said the 2012 schedule is a lot easier than 2011, but I am not so sure. I think the non-conference schedule is every bit as challenging as last year. I think every game is winnable and the Gophers could very well be 4-0, but they could also be only 2-2. UNLV is a for sure win, but after that it gets tougher. New Hampshire has been solid against FBS opponents and W Michigan was tough last year and are an improving program. 'Cuse is also coming back.

Regardless, it should be a fun season.

Not exactly true for 2012. WMU is tough.

New Hampshire is graduating QB Decker, who accounted for 3700 of their 5000 yards TO. Their returning QBs are a TOTAL of 9 attempts, 4 completions for 24 yards. Their offense is starting from scratch.

Syracuse gets their QB Nassib back. He passed for 200 yards a game, but is not running threat. Their top returning rusher had 134 yards. Their top receiver is returning, but the next 4 top receivers graduated. They are very one-dimensional.

We'll see...

 

[wait!what?]

Any of us who watched the NM State game last year understands that losses happen. Sodak, NDSU, NM state. Each IA/IL win only kinda offsets these losses.

 

[GopherHomer]

As has been said numerous times before, quite possibly the biggest drawback of the Brewster era was lack of continuity. During the Brewster era, I began every season with excitement that the program would build on the level of play from the year before. It always seemed, though, that each of Brewster's teams started from scratch every year...it was almost like we had 4 straight years of new regimes. Now, if my said premise holds any water, with the continuity of Kill's system/staff we SHOULD see this year's team build on what they did last year, feel more comfortable, and take a step forward. If this happens, I think we will be rewarded with a 4-0 start (possibly 3-1 depending on numerous things).

If this doesn't happen and we end up 2-2 or worse, I'm going to proclaim Kill as a failure because maybe it's just a slower process than any of this think. I just think that the team that ended last year, would definitely have gone 3-1 if they could have replayed the non-conference schedule.

 

[wait!what?]

If this doesn't happen and we end up 2-2 or worse, I'm going to proclaim Kill as a failure.

You don't really mean this? do you?

 

[Rescooter]

....... I just think that the team that ended last year, would definitely have gone 3-1 if they could have replayed the non-conference schedule.

As an interesting side-note; who would the loss have been too? Remember, we were very close to beating USC and NMSU, so are you thinking we'd have lost to North Dakota?

 

[GopherInPittsburgh]

I expect to see a lot of improvement. Whether or not that improvement results in a winning record, I don't have a clue.

I know many on this board have said the 2012 schedule is a lot easier than 2011, but I am not so sure. I think the non-conference schedule is every bit as challenging as last year. I think every game is winnable and the Gophers could very well be 4-0, but they could also be only 2-2. UNLV is a for sure win, but after that it gets tougher. New Hampshire has been solid against FBS opponents and W Michigan was tough last year and are an improving program. 'Cuse is also coming back.

Regardless, it should be a fun season.

I thought this about NMSU. I went into that game and expected the Gophers to walk all over them. And, sigh...

 

[GopherHomer]

If this doesn't happen and we end up 2-2 or worse, I'm going to proclaim Kill as a failure.

You don't really mean this? do you?

Oops! my bad. I meant "I'm NOT going to proclaim Kill as a failure." Thanks

 

[GopherHomer]

As an interesting side-note; who would the loss have been too? Remember, we were very close to beating USC and NMSU, so are you thinking we'd have lost to North Dakota?

No. In my made up scenario, I figured that USC would be the loss. If we would have come out and played like we did against MSU, Iowa, and Illinois I think we could have beaten ND.

 

[Sumtimegophs]

Not exactly true for 2012. WMU is tough.

New Hampshire is graduating QB Decker, who accounted for 3700 of their 5000 yards TO. Their returning QBs are a TOTAL of 9 attempts, 4 completions for 24 yards. Their offense is starting from scratch.

Syracuse gets their QB Nassib back. He passed for 200 yards a game, but is not running threat. Their top returning rusher had 134 yards. Their top receiver is returning, but the next 4 top receivers graduated. They are very one-dimensional.

We'll see...

New Hampshire has been tough on FBS opponents, however, and some of those players are still on the team. From 2006-2009 UNH beat Ball State, Army, Marshall, and Northwestern. I still think this will be a tougher game than most expect.

 

[GoAUpher]

New Hampshire has been tough on FBS opponents, however, and some of those players are still on the team. From 2006-2009 UNH beat Ball State, Army, Marshall, and Northwestern. I still think this will be a tougher game than most expect.

This is misleading. New Hampshire beat no FBS teams in 2010 or 2011. So what you should say is that from 2006-2009 they beat those 4 teams. Also, the details matter. In each case, they were beating some very bad teams while performing at a high FCS level themselves in 3 of the 4 seasons:
- 2006: Northwestern finished 4-8. This was the season that Randy Walker died during the summer and that Fitz took over unexpectedly. Their wins came over a 1-11 Eastern Michigan team, a 2-10 Miami of Ohio team, a 2-10 Illinois team (one of those wins was also E. Mich), and (somehow) a 6-6 Iowa team. New Hampshire still had Chip Kelly and was 9-4 while making the FCS quarterfinals.
- 2007: Marshall finished 3-9, including wins over 2-10 UAB and 3-9 Rice. New Hampshire was only 7-5 this season.
- 2008: Army finished 3-9, including wins over 2-10 Tulane and 3-9 Eastern Michigan. New Hampshire was 10-3 while making it to the FCS quarterfinals
- The 2009 Ball State team that lost to NH was 2-10 overall (including a 2 pt win over winless Eastern Michigan and a 5 pt win over 5-7 Western Michigan). New Hampshire was 10-3, again with a trip to the FCS quarterfinals
- 2010: No FBS wins, New Hampshire is 8-5.
- 2011: No FBS wins, New Hampshire is 8-4.

This year's UNH team loses the biggest contributors from the 2011 squad. Losing to this team would be BAD. I'm not saying it can't happen (see NMSU last year, easily a worse loss than NDSU in terms of opponent quality) but folks have some legitimate reasons not to be super worried about it. Most of all, there are very few reasons put forth by UNH to be concerned that it will be a tougher game.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

interesting headline by the original poster.

Thanks I was high when I wrote it.

 

[Sumtimegophs]

This is misleading. New Hampshire beat no FBS teams in 2010 or 2011. So what you should say is that from 2006-2009 they beat those 4 teams. Also, the details matter. In each case, they were beating some very bad teams while performing at a high FCS level themselves in 3 of the 4 seasons:
- 2006: Northwestern finished 4-8. This was the season that Randy Walker died during the summer and that Fitz took over unexpectedly. Their wins came over a 1-11 Eastern Michigan team, a 2-10 Miami of Ohio team, a 2-10 Illinois team (one of those wins was also E. Mich), and (somehow) a 6-6 Iowa team. New Hampshire still had Chip Kelly and was 9-4 while making the FCS quarterfinals.
- 2007: Marshall finished 3-9, including wins over 2-10 UAB and 3-9 Rice. New Hampshire was only 7-5 this season.
- 2008: Army finished 3-9, including wins over 2-10 Tulane and 3-9 Eastern Michigan. New Hampshire was 10-3 while making it to the FCS quarterfinals
- The 2009 Ball State team that lost to NH was 2-10 overall (including a 2 pt win over winless Eastern Michigan and a 5 pt win over 5-7 Western Michigan). New Hampshire was 10-3, again with a trip to the FCS quarterfinals
- 2010: No FBS wins, New Hampshire is 8-5.
- 2011: No FBS wins, New Hampshire is 8-4.

This year's UNH team loses the biggest contributors from the 2011 squad. Losing to this team would be BAD. I'm not saying it can't happen (see NMSU last year, easily a worse loss than NDSU in terms of opponent quality) but folks have some legitimate reasons not to be super worried about it. Most of all, there are very few reasons put forth by UNH to be concerned that it will be a tougher game.

I can't argue with you, and won't.

Some may be interested in knowing, and perhaps watching, the best defensive player in FCS. New Hampshire's MLB Matt Evans, won the Buck Buchanan award last year as a Jr. He had a 165 tackles last year, undersized, but he is supposed to be a tackling machine.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/...ork&page=cfoot2/writers/infcshuddle/index.htm