Gophergrandpa
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I'm on the Drake Lindsay bandwagon. But the kid has played exactly three P4 games and we've anointed him the savior. I don't want to jinx him. He is going to have some rough games (Cal was a little bit rough). He has receivers who drop more than they should. He hasn't, so far, had a strong running game to set up the pass. He's fighting some headwinds ... and will run into a hurricane tomorrow. But how good has Drake been to this point, IN HIS FIRST THREE POWER 4 GAMES? Below is a comparison to Athan's opening three games in 2023 (after he played several in 2022) and Brosmer's opening three games in 2024 (after 4 years at New Hampshire):
Athan, playing against Nebraska, Eastern Michigan and UNC was 45 for 88 (51.14%) for 446 yards (9.91/comp.) with 1 TD and 3 INTs. Ouch.
Brosmer, facing an easier opening against UNC, Rhode Island and Nevada, was 53 for 77 (68.83%) with 627 yards (11.83/comp.) 3 TDs and 1 INT. Brosmer had two senior WRs, Jackson and Spencer, to lean on.
Drake, playing against Buffalo, Cal and Rutgers (on par with Athan's 2023 opening schedule) was 69 for 108 (63.89%) for 819 yards (11.87/comp.) with 6 TDs and 2 INTs. One INT was not only a fluke (off Geers foot) but probably should have been reversed for the covering LB's dropping Geers beyond the 5 yard mark.
Drake is starting out better than Brosmer, a fifth year senior, did. Drake is light years ahead of Athan's opening three games in 2023 (and Athan started a few games in 2022). PJ is giving Drake more freedom to throw. And Drake has piled up yardage and TDs faster that either of his two predecessors.
I'd love to see Drake continue his upward ascent against Ohio State. But he will be facing the best defense in the nation. He will be armed with a mediocre running attack (so far), receivers who have dropped a number of catchable throws, and a coach who for some reason (including lack of turnovers by the defense, and no field-flipping punts) finds himself on the wrong side of the field position battle for much of the game. The Gopher offense will need several short fields to keep up with Ohio State, but short fields have been very elusive for the Gopher offense this year.
One last stat geek observation: how did Athan and Brosmer fare against their highest rated opponent in the studied years? Athan, facing No. 1 Michigan, was 5 for 15 for 52 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. Max, facing No. 5 Penn State, was 15 for 23 for 173 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Drake, facing No. 1 Ohio State in only his 4th P4 game, will have to far outplay Athan and Max if the Gophs are to be competitive. Go Gophers!!
Athan, playing against Nebraska, Eastern Michigan and UNC was 45 for 88 (51.14%) for 446 yards (9.91/comp.) with 1 TD and 3 INTs. Ouch.
Brosmer, facing an easier opening against UNC, Rhode Island and Nevada, was 53 for 77 (68.83%) with 627 yards (11.83/comp.) 3 TDs and 1 INT. Brosmer had two senior WRs, Jackson and Spencer, to lean on.
Drake, playing against Buffalo, Cal and Rutgers (on par with Athan's 2023 opening schedule) was 69 for 108 (63.89%) for 819 yards (11.87/comp.) with 6 TDs and 2 INTs. One INT was not only a fluke (off Geers foot) but probably should have been reversed for the covering LB's dropping Geers beyond the 5 yard mark.
Drake is starting out better than Brosmer, a fifth year senior, did. Drake is light years ahead of Athan's opening three games in 2023 (and Athan started a few games in 2022). PJ is giving Drake more freedom to throw. And Drake has piled up yardage and TDs faster that either of his two predecessors.
I'd love to see Drake continue his upward ascent against Ohio State. But he will be facing the best defense in the nation. He will be armed with a mediocre running attack (so far), receivers who have dropped a number of catchable throws, and a coach who for some reason (including lack of turnovers by the defense, and no field-flipping punts) finds himself on the wrong side of the field position battle for much of the game. The Gopher offense will need several short fields to keep up with Ohio State, but short fields have been very elusive for the Gopher offense this year.
One last stat geek observation: how did Athan and Brosmer fare against their highest rated opponent in the studied years? Athan, facing No. 1 Michigan, was 5 for 15 for 52 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs. Max, facing No. 5 Penn State, was 15 for 23 for 173 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. Drake, facing No. 1 Ohio State in only his 4th P4 game, will have to far outplay Athan and Max if the Gophs are to be competitive. Go Gophers!!
