Iowa redemption

[Great Plains Gopher]

To be honest, if the Gophers beat Iowa and win the bowl game, most of us will be happy with an 8-5 record in a year with a very tough schedule and a lot of injuries. The Iowa game is as important as ever - interest will pick up in the media over the next two weeks.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

The Iowa game just became huge from a momentum perspective. If we come out flat in the first half, in a rivalry game, at home, trying to shake off a bad loss, it will create some serious questions about this team's motivation level. If we beat Iowa, we can start to forget Illinois in a hurry.

 

[cjbfbp]

To be honest, if the Gophers beat Iowa and win the bowl game, most of us will be happy with an 8-5 record in a year with a very tough schedule and a lot of injuries. The Iowa game is as important as ever - interest will pick up in the media over the next two weeks.

Yep, I know I'll be happy with that.

 

[e.bigelow]

#BeatIowa

 

[John Galt]

The Iowa game just became huge from a momentum perspective. If we come out flat in the first half, in a rivalry game, at home, trying to shake off a bad loss, it will create some serious questions about this team's motivation level. If we beat Iowa, we can start to forget Illinois in a hurry.

IMO, if we beat Iowa it will be even harder to get over Illinois, since we would have been 5-0 in the conference...

 

[mnsportsgeek]

IMO, if we beat Iowa it will be even harder to get over Illinois, since we would have been 5-0 in the conference...

We'll be 2 weeks removed from Illinois at that point, so I don't think it will be as hard as it seems today.

 

[DoubleAlum]

The Iowa game just became huge from a momentum perspective. If we come out flat in the first half, in a rivalry game, at home, trying to shake off a bad loss, it will create some serious questions about this team's motivation level. If we beat Iowa, we can start to forget Illinois in a hurry.

I never played collegiate sports, though I played lots of high school, junior high, little leagues, rec leagues, intra-murals and playground sports with friends. Not once was I ever not motivated to play hard and win. To think that our players may lack a high level of motivation seems unfathomable to me. They may lack speed, strength, size, skill and belief in themselves, but to suggest a lack of motivation is really coming down way too hard. If a player wasn't highly motivated, I trust that our coaches wouldn't let him see the field.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I never played collegiate sports, though I played lots of high school, junior high, little leagues, rec leagues, intra-murals and playground sports with friends. Not once was I ever not motivated to play hard and win. To think that our players may lack a high level of motivation seems unfathomable to me. They may lack speed, strength, size, skill and belief in themselves, but to suggest a lack of motivation is really coming down way too hard. If a player wasn't highly motivated, I trust that our coaches wouldn't let him see the field.

It may be coming down hard, but I refuse to believe that what we saw in the first half for the last two games is what our team looks like when they have everybody working their hardest. They are too good for that to be the case.

 

[STPGopher]

It may be coming down hard, but I refuse to believe that what we saw in the first half for the last two games is what our team looks like when they have everybody working their hardest. They are too good for that to be the case.

I think they tried their hardest. It is just that no matter how hard one tries, it is very difficult to be 100% pumped up all of the time. As a program however, our Gophers are getting close to being able to win flat. Flat meaning even keeled.

 

[Johnob2]

Illinois were at home after a bye week. The extra time to prepare helped them out offensively on the first two series as their scripted plays worked really well against us. Hoping a home game coming off the bye does the same for us. We need a much faster start.

Beat Iowa and, regardless of any other results after that, we have had a successful season IMHO.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

IMO, if we beat Iowa it will be even harder to get over Illinois, since we would have been 5-0 in the conference...

You're obviously not a coach- first job win or lose is getting your team to forget what you accomplished or failed to do so the previous week.

 

[EG#9]

I am sorry, I just don't believe the "hard schedule" narrative. The Gophers had a chance to get to 5-0 in the conference without playing a team ranked in the top 25. Ohio State is a good team, but this is likely a down year by their standards with the QB injury. Wisconsin is currently not ranked and is also down a bit this season by their standards. It's entirely possible that the Gophers will play two teams ranked in the top 25 (Nebraska and Ohio State) in their 8 conference games.

Who knows if the conference will be this weak again next year or in another year or two. There's clearly an opportunity for someone to move up in the standings and grab some momentum for their program THIS year. Minnesota still has that chance, but losing to Illinois made it much longer shot than it appeared to be a week ago.

In my opinion, beating Iowa and losing the rest of the conference games merely keeps the program in a holding pattern. Beating Iowa and Wisconsin (or anyone else, but obviously that's the one the program needs the most) is a good season and step forward for the program. Lose out and any momentum this program had is gone and it becomes imperative that 2015 is a significant step forward.

 

[John Galt]

You're obviously not a coach- first job win or lose is getting your team to forget what you accomplished or failed to do so the previous week.

I'm not a D-1 coach, I'm speaking as a fan. I think 6-2 wins the west this year. "If" we had beaten Illinois and then Iowa, we'd be sitting at 5-0. 1 win in our last 3 games may have got it done, 2 out of 3 definitely would have.