My $0.02

[stevedave23]

-Javid Best could be THE top RB in college football. Easily top 5.

-Overall I wasn't blown away by Cal. They're good don't get me wrong but their QB played average and their receivers should be a lot better with the 2 excellent backs that they have.

-Cal D was better than expected. Pac 10 isn't noted for tough D but their interior 7 impressed me.

-Despite 35 points, this is the best gopher defense in years. Linebackers can run down people laterally, dbs can close and the d-line is solid.

-Gopher O-Line is officially the weak link. They are too big to finesse defenses with zone blocking and they aren't overpowering enough to get a good push with power plays. Pass blocking is suspect too. I noticed the o-coordinator called a lot of sprint out and bootleg to help the o-line in the second half. Drop back = dodging bullets.

-I thought the gophers outplayed Cal on special teams. Didn't amount to much in this game but in a close game down the road special teams could easily be the difference.

-I liked the coaching adjustments at halftime. Both offense and defense.

-3rd down continues to be a problem for the gopher defense. 3rd and 5, give up 6 yards. 3rd and 3, give up 5 yards. 3rd and 9, give up 12 yards...

-TCF Bank Stadium and the crowd are unreal. Truly, truly a home field advantage. I noticed the gophers had a couple of close calls go their way and the Cal QB was absolutely rattled in the 2nd half. None of this would EVER have happened in the dome. NEVER.

-I went to the game and it was a blast. A total blast.

 

[borninthebarn]

+1

 

[GopherSOB]

Nice recap of the game, honest and accurate.

 

[50PoundHead]

Thanks

Thanks for the report. Didn't get to see much of the game. Listened to D-cubed, but I sometimes wonder if that is worse that imagining the game in my head.

Thing that still bugs me and this goes way back to the Gutekunst years is how little mistakes haunt this team on offense and 3rd-and-a million doesn't seem to bother opposing offenses.

I never really liked Mason that much, but I'm not going to bark at his record. He did some things right. But he seemed satisfied to have the Gophers kind of sit where they were in the middle of the pack and depend on a cupcake non-conference schedule to position the team for a bowl bid. Whether or not Brewster is a better coach or will do better remains to be seen, but at least he's going to try and elevate the team's overall profile. He may fail, perhaps fail miserably, but he's not going to be resigned to a fate that says we can't compete.

 

[Gophers507]

+2

 

[Darby11]

That "average" Cal QB took apart the Gophers in the 4th quarter when it mattered. If an average QB can do that at the Bank then the Gophers are in big trouble this year.