Key to beating Northwestern?

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Gopher Bandanna Guy

Gopher Bandanna Guy

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Curious to others thoughts as to the primary key to beating Northwestern (aside from scoring more points than them:rolleyes:)

My feeling is that we HAVE to get our run game going early, and control the clock vs. NU to keep Persa on the sidelines. We can't get caught up in a shoot out with Persa.

Of course, if the Wildcat's deucedly average running backs can run free like Spann did, things are going to get ugly.

Oh, and the GEGH preview is up. Not my best work, its been an exhausting week.
 

There is no key in beating Northwestern because it's not going to happen. Northwestern will win this game 52-21. Northwestern is a lot better team than people are giving them credit for. We don't have a chance! If we win this game, it's the end of the world as we know it.
 

We obviously won't overpower NU on offense, so a slight degree of unpredictability will be necessary. Run-run-pass-(punt) will not cut it. Try passing on first down. Try running it to the outside. Bootlegs. Screen passes. Something interesting please!!!

On defense, we need to try to have some attitude. Don't be reactive against a guy like Persa. Make him think. Make NU's offense react to us.

The offensive portion of what I just suggested will be the easiest to pull off (given the inexperience of our D) but from what I've seen this season, I don't anticipate the Gophers even trying to do these things, much less succeeding in them.

It will be basic, it will be boring, it will be predictable. The problem with that is our fundamentals of basic blocking and tackling and route running are so poor, that a basic and boring approach actually will hurt this team.

I hope I'm wrong.
 

MrGopher said:
We obviously won't overpower NU on offense, so a slight degree of unpredictability will be necessary. Run-run-pass-(punt) will not cut it. Try passing on first down. Try running it to the outside. Bootlegs. Screen passes. Something interesting please!!!

On defense, we need to try to have some attitude. Don't be reactive against a guy like Persa. Make him think. Make NU's offense react to us.

The offensive portion of what I just suggested will be the easiest to pull off (given the inexperience of our D) but from what I've seen this season, I don't anticipate the Gophers even trying to do these things, much less succeeding in them.

It will be basic, it will be boring, it will be predictable. The problem with that is our fundamentals of basic blocking and tackling and route running are so poor, that a basic and boring approach actually will hurt this team.

I hope I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

We can't be creative because our running backs have no speed. Therefor they have to run up the middle every play or we lose 5 a run going to the outside.
 

Our speed at running back is a big problem. Everyone blames the line but Bennet, Eskridge and Kirkwood have no speed. It's time for us to use the weapons we have at receiver and go to the spread.
 


gold04 said:
There is no key in beating Northwestern because it's not going to happen. Northwestern will win this game 52-21. Northwestern is a lot better team than people are giving them credit for. We don't have a chance! If we win this game, it's the end of the world as we know it.
Click to expand...

Can we bet lunch? You give me MN +32? We know the Gophers' issues, but NW is not that good... thinking NW wins by a field goal.
 

Generally you'd tried to "solve" a teams strength. In this case because we're so far back in our defensive development we have to go for closing off everything but the strenght, and then hope Persa makes a mistake. Meanwhile, Weber and crew will have to improve more as they have been and keep up so we can capitalize on said mistake.

Ball control will be key to limit possessions to keep the game close enough to make this long shot work.

That's it. A game plan based on getting lucky.
 

If they could tackle, it would help. Also, stop with the inexplicable coaching decisions. Maybe a good game plan would help too.
 




Play well on both sides of the ball. We haven't seen this team play its best football yet. We can win today, just have some faith.
 

In my experience, if one team can score more than 20 points and hold the other team under 20 points, the team with more points almost always wins. So that would be my strategy.
 

Doogie said:
Can we bet lunch? You give me MN +32? We know the Gophers' issues, but NW is not that good... thinking NW wins by a field goal.
Click to expand...

I agree Doogie. NW may still win even though they are down a score at halftime (and win comfortably), but--and this is getting old--our guys are bigger and faster and if we can get people playing to their ability, this should be a game.

Northwestern isn't that physically talented. They are a disciplined "scheme" team that doesn't make that many mistakes and has a really good QB that fits the system they run. They are the polar opposite of the Gophers. What the lack in recruiting "stars," they more than make up for in on-field smarts, both on the coaching staff and on the field.
 

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