Moving on to next season

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Gold Rush

Gold Rush

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A nice win for the Gophers and it's great to end the season on a high note after a brutal schedule. Nice to break the losing bowl record and maybe
start a string of winning bowls!!

I think next year's schedule is definitely easier and should yield a few more victories hopefully but I do have some concerns.
Replacing our two corners will be tough, especially Murray who locked down his side of the field and we will miss Boddy-Calhoun's play-making abilities.
I am a little concerned about our offensive line which does not have the depth and a lot of men leaving (7-8!) Hopefully we can get some guys
that can move in and lock down a position but we need to work on that.

I think we need to work on our entire offense actually. The Gophers extremely vanilla offense features two very good young RB's, but did anyone count
how many times we went up the middle for little or no gain? I counted 19 times of a run up the middle for 2 yards or less - and this is with an offensive
line that is losing 7-8 players. I do not like the Gophers running scheme and I have not liked it since Glen Mason left. Maybe they need to talk to Mase
and see what he has to say because you know both Brooks and Smith would have been over 1,000 yard rushers and we would have run the ball down the throats
of the best rush defenses in the country, too if Mase were around. (We also would have blown huge leads and given up huge yards too but on offense he was
golden!!)

If the coaching staff opens it up a bit, Leidner could have a very good senior season next year. Wish we still had KJ Maye for another year!
Leidner should have some good TE's to throw to but it would sure be nice to see some receivers emerge so we could have more of a vertical passing attack!!
The schedule allows the team to develop early a bit especially the offensive line but if we can find enough quality replacements and maybe tweak the offense a bit
we can be pretty good!! I am already looking forward to next season!!
 

agree that our O was bland as could be, hopefully Jay Johnson spices things up a bit.
 

Gold Rush said:
A nice win for the Gophers and it's great to end the season on a high note after a brutal schedule. Nice to break the losing bowl record and maybe
start a string of winning bowls!!

I think next year's schedule is definitely easier and should yield a few more victories hopefully but I do have some concerns.
Replacing our two corners will be tough, especially Murray who locked down his side of the field and we will miss Boddy-Calhoun's play-making abilities.
I am a little concerned about our offensive line which does not have the depth and a lot of men leaving (7-8!) Hopefully we can get some guys
that can move in and lock down a position but we need to work on that.

I think we need to work on our entire offense actually. The Gophers extremely vanilla offense features two very good young RB's, but did anyone count
how many times we went up the middle for little or no gain? I counted 19 times of a run up the middle for 2 yards or less - and this is with an offensive
line that is losing 7-8 players. I do not like the Gophers running scheme and I have not liked it since Glen Mason left. Maybe they need to talk to Mase
and see what he has to say because you know both Brooks and Smith would have been over 1,000 yard rushers and we would have run the ball down the throats
of the best rush defenses in the country, too if Mase were around. (We also would have blown huge leads and given up huge yards too but on offense he was
golden!!)

If the coaching staff opens it up a bit, Leidner could have a very good senior season next year. Wish we still had KJ Maye for another year!
Leidner should have some good TE's to throw to but it would sure be nice to see some receivers emerge so we could have more of a vertical passing attack!!
The schedule allows the team to develop early a bit especially the offensive line but if we can find enough quality replacements and maybe tweak the offense a bit
we can be pretty good!! I am already looking forward to next season!!
Click to expand...

I'm hopeful Claeys and Sawvel can manufacture another good secondary like they have seemingly every year. Myrick looked just a good as the starters at times this year, and with Travis back at safety and the depth they added by playing guys this year that shouldn't be a problem.

The OL needs fresh blood. I don't know if it's a Kill/Limegrover thing or just bad luck but our senior O-linemen have finished seasons beat to hell and not all that effective.
Moore needs to add strength but i like the idea of a 4 year starter at C.
Pirsig is what he is, a massive road grater with ok pass blocking skills.
I think losing 7-8 guys off this line will help not hurt the running game.
I'll say this about Connelly, he moves like a big TE, and in watching him compete in track I know he's got good feet. I'm hoping he's added some bulk and strength, but he could be a good one. Calhoun and Wright will start at guards unless Mayes or someone else ups their game. Anyway we should be ok there especially if our new OC can scheme to our strengths a bit more and not just try to outmuscle the defense every game.
 

Ole said:
The OL needs fresh blood. I don't know if it's a Kill/Limegrover thing or just bad luck but our senior O-linemen have finished seasons beat to hell and not all that effective.
Click to expand...

Totally agree here. We needed to push the reset button on the OL, so the new coaching and massive player losses don't really concern me. It will lead to a bit of a rebuilding project next season and our depth will be thin, but in the long run we should be better for it.
 

QB - should be better
RB - should be better
TE - should be better
OL - starting over. I can't see how we're that much worse, but may take some time to gel.
WR - Potential to be better, but someone needs to step up and replace Maye's production. He was our go to.

DL - should be better
LB - should be better
DB - This is the really scary part. In Sawvel we trust.

Spec - Same - could be better if someone can adequately replace Mortell
 


Everyone fretting about the DBs keeps forgetting about Craig James, when Coach Claeys is asked about redshirts that could contribute the first person he mentions is Ray Buford, with Myrick back that's likely your likely starting corners and nickel. with Travis and Rodgers your safeties.
 

gopher7 said:
QB - should be better
RB - should be better
TE - should be better
OL - starting over. I can't see how we're that much worse, but may take some time to gel.
WR - Potential to be better, but someone needs to step up and replace Maye's production. He was our go to.

DL - should be better
LB - should be better
DB - This is the really scary part. In Sawvel we trust.

Spec - Same - could be better if someone can adequately replace Mortell
Click to expand...

And so begins a new year as we try to replace some very good players and we move on with some question marks just like everyone else.
Glad we aren't STARTING a search committee for a new head coach with no recruits right now!!! Hopefully we can get some quality
coaching additions in the next few weeks and finish off the recruiting season strong. Really, football season never ends!
 

nsmike said:
Everyone fretting about the DBs keeps forgetting about Craig James, when Coach Claeys is asked about redshirts that could contribute the first person he mentions is Ray Buford, with Myrick back that's likely your likely starting corners and nickel. with Travis and Rodgers your safeties.
Click to expand...

There definitely is potential, but losing the players we do and hoping there will not be a drop off may be a bit of a reach. My concern is that any dropoff in our pass defense at all is going to also hurt our run defense, which hasn't been great.
 

nsmike said:
Everyone fretting about the DBs keeps forgetting about Craig James, when Coach Claeys is asked about redshirts that could contribute the first person he mentions is Ray Buford, with Myrick back that's likely your likely starting corners and nickel. with Travis and Rodgers your safeties.
Click to expand...

Everyone is forgetting about Craig James because we haven't seen him play CB very much. When he played on special teams this year he was terrible as a punt returner. Also, he is pretty short for being a starting corner.
 



Next Years Schedule:

Thurs. Sep. 1 Beavers Oregon State Beavers TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 1-0

Saturday Sep. 10 Sycamores Indiana State Sycamores TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 2-0

Saturday Sep. 17 --- Open Date --- ---

Saturday Sep. 24 Rams Colorado State Rams TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 3-0

Saturday Oct. 1 Nittany Lions at Penn State Nittany Lions Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA TBA --- Loss 3-1

Saturday Oct. 8 Hawkeyes Iowa Hawkeyes TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Loss 3-2

Saturday Oct. 15 Terrapins at Maryland Terrapins Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD --- Win 4-2 (where is Snelson game)

Saturday Oct. 22 Scarlet Knights Rutgers Scarlet Knights TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 5-2

Saturday Oct. 29 Fighting Illini at Illinois Fighting Illini Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL TBA --- Win 6-2

Saturday Nov. 5 Boilermakers Purdue Boilermakers TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 7-2

Saturday Nov. 12 Cornhuskers at Nebraska Cornhuskers Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE TBA --- Loss 7-3

Saturday Nov. 19 Wildcats Northwestern Wildcats TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 8-3

Saturday Nov. 26 Badgers at Wisconsin Badgers Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI TBA --- Loss 8-4

I'm hoping the Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin games will be close and we can somehow win 2 of the three and win the West. But I just can't predict it right now. Should be at least an 8 win season or I will be disappointed.
 

Stuff said:
Everyone is forgetting about Craig James because we haven't seen him play CB very much. When he played on special teams this year he was terrible as a punt returner. Also, he is pretty short for being a starting corner.
Click to expand...
He's the exact same height as Myrick.
 

gopher7 said:
QB - should be better
RB - should be better
TE - should be better
OL - starting over. I can't see how we're that much worse, but may take some time to gel.
WR - Potential to be better, but someone needs to step up and replace Maye's production. He was our go to.

DL - should be better
LB - should be better
DB - This is the really scary part. In Sawvel we trust.

Spec - Same - could be better if someone can adequately replace Mortell
Click to expand...

Agree with your takes however I think I would divide up a few spots on defense
DT - Should be better
DE - Massive Question Mark
S - Should be fine with Travis back
CB - Massive question mark, especially with James transferring

On offense I agree with all your assessments however I would put WR at still a major question mark. Maye was really the only guy that did much at WR and he is gone. The guys that have played to this point behind him have not exactly torn it up and the ones that haven't been able to get on the field yet probably never will. X-Factor is a guy like Snelson who if he stays committed could be the kind of talent that steps in right away and makes an impact. WR has been a black hole for this staff to this point, hopefully we start to see that change here in the near future.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
He's the exact same height as Myrick.
Click to expand...

Yep and those two plus Kiante who is also 5-10 have speed to make up for it. Those guys are the fastest in their respective recruiting classes. And Briean has said he is only 5-9, 5-10. Losing Craig hurts with or without Elijah Battle coming in.
 



nsmike said:
Everyone fretting about the DBs keeps forgetting about Craig James, when Coach Claeys is asked about redshirts that could contribute the first person he mentions is Ray Buford, with Myrick back that's likely your likely starting corners and nickel. with Travis and Rodgers your safeties.
Click to expand...

Craig James will be transferring, he wants to move close to home and he was passed up by Hardin both at CB and PR.
 

QB - better
RB - better
WR - push (but I like the potential if Still improves and Register, Gentry, Holland, or Gant step-up)
TE - better, plus we may get Plsek back
OL - better
DT - much better
DE - worse
LB - better
S - much better with Travis/Rogers back
CB - Worse
ST - push
 


I'm excited about this team moving forward. We've come a long way from Jerry's first 2 years.

I'm worried about cornerback, wide receiver, defensive end, and offensive line. Those are the groups that will need to better than expected for us to push for the West and be the difference between a 7-8 win team and a 10 win team.
 

gopher7 said:
QB - should be better
RB - should be better
TE - should be better
OL - starting over. I can't see how we're that much worse, but may take some time to gel.
WR - Potential to be better, but someone needs to step up and replace Maye's production. He was our go to.

DL - should be better
LB - should be better
DB - This is the really scary part. In Sawvel we trust.

Spec - Same - could be better if someone can adequately replace Mortell
Click to expand...


Agreed. Get Jonah back on the left side and we'll be fine on OL...it was average on best days; train wreck on its worst days. Plenty of DBs got field time this year and will only be better next year.
 

Otis said:
Next Years Schedule:

Thurs. Sep. 1 Beavers Oregon State Beavers TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 1-0

Saturday Sep. 10 Sycamores Indiana State Sycamores TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 2-0

Saturday Sep. 17 --- Open Date --- ---

Saturday Sep. 24 Rams Colorado State Rams TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 3-0

Saturday Oct. 1 Nittany Lions at Penn State Nittany Lions Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA TBA --- Loss 3-1

Saturday Oct. 8 Hawkeyes Iowa Hawkeyes TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Loss 3-2

Saturday Oct. 15 Terrapins at Maryland Terrapins Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD --- Win 4-2 (where is Snelson game)

Saturday Oct. 22 Scarlet Knights Rutgers Scarlet Knights TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 5-2

Saturday Oct. 29 Fighting Illini at Illinois Fighting Illini Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL TBA --- Win 6-2

Saturday Nov. 5 Boilermakers Purdue Boilermakers TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 7-2

Saturday Nov. 12 Cornhuskers at Nebraska Cornhuskers Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE TBA --- Loss 7-3

Saturday Nov. 19 Wildcats Northwestern Wildcats TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN TBA --- Win 8-3

Saturday Nov. 26 Badgers at Wisconsin Badgers Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI TBA --- Loss 8-4

I'm hoping the Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin games will be close and we can somehow win 2 of the three and win the West. But I just can't predict it right now. Should be at least an 8 win season or I will be disappointed.
Click to expand...
I would say PSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Northwestern could all go either way. I would call PSU a win at home, but Happy valley is tough. Northwestern is usually a close game, no matter the records or the location, they also don't lose a lot of guys from this year's team. Iowa will be a close game just like last year, but I think we have the edge at home. I don't look at this schedule and say to myself there isn't a game we can't win, but a bad day against any of these teams is a definite loss. With that said I can see us winning nine as long as we don't slip up against Purdue, Illini, Rutgers, MD and the non con schedule
 


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