By Matt Humbert
The Gophers destroyed a rival last Saturday, a feat unprecedented in the recent history of the series and affirmation that the funk from previous Minnesota regimes has been left in the dust.
There's an inflection point during a particularly enjoyable sporting event where the emotions switch from the temporary sugar high of instantly gratified bliss over to the more profound state of unadulterated satisfaction. The former whisks you away for a brief moment and allows one to forget previous wounds if only for a short while. The latter is what heals the soul of a fan.
51-14 was intensely, overwhelmingly satisfying.
Minnesota has just finished its most complete and dominating victory of consequence in ages. There were signs earlier in the year that something like this was possible, such as a thorough first half emasculation of Middle Tennessee or tossing the grease-soiled empty pizza box that is the current era of Michigan football into the garbage. And yet, nothing was as complete or definitive as the wanton destruction of the Hawkeyes last Saturday.
Is this what the Kill program is capable of? Not just victories, but thrashings in two of the three most important games this team will play each and every year? Manifestly so, and it is glorious.
In just Year 4, Jerry Kill has elevated the Gophers beyond a team that was routinely bullied by the upper crust of this conference, and on the rare occasion they would compete, meekly scrape by to notch victories. It's one thing to push around Illinois or Purdue. It's a completely different animal to physically dominate Nebraska, Michigan or Iowa, as they have managed over the last 2 seasons. Forcing our will upon an Iowa squad roughly of similar overall talent and out-executing, out-playing, out-toughing and out-coaching them to arguably their worst loss in the Ferentz era? These are uncharted territories.
http://www.thedailygopher.com/2014/...n-hope-hawkeyes-maxx-williams-jerry-kill-hope
The Gophers destroyed a rival last Saturday, a feat unprecedented in the recent history of the series and affirmation that the funk from previous Minnesota regimes has been left in the dust.
There's an inflection point during a particularly enjoyable sporting event where the emotions switch from the temporary sugar high of instantly gratified bliss over to the more profound state of unadulterated satisfaction. The former whisks you away for a brief moment and allows one to forget previous wounds if only for a short while. The latter is what heals the soul of a fan.
51-14 was intensely, overwhelmingly satisfying.
Minnesota has just finished its most complete and dominating victory of consequence in ages. There were signs earlier in the year that something like this was possible, such as a thorough first half emasculation of Middle Tennessee or tossing the grease-soiled empty pizza box that is the current era of Michigan football into the garbage. And yet, nothing was as complete or definitive as the wanton destruction of the Hawkeyes last Saturday.
Is this what the Kill program is capable of? Not just victories, but thrashings in two of the three most important games this team will play each and every year? Manifestly so, and it is glorious.
In just Year 4, Jerry Kill has elevated the Gophers beyond a team that was routinely bullied by the upper crust of this conference, and on the rare occasion they would compete, meekly scrape by to notch victories. It's one thing to push around Illinois or Purdue. It's a completely different animal to physically dominate Nebraska, Michigan or Iowa, as they have managed over the last 2 seasons. Forcing our will upon an Iowa squad roughly of similar overall talent and out-executing, out-playing, out-toughing and out-coaching them to arguably their worst loss in the Ferentz era? These are uncharted territories.
http://www.thedailygopher.com/2014/...n-hope-hawkeyes-maxx-williams-jerry-kill-hope
