My 2 cents worth

[Gold Rush]

There were a lot of good moments from this past season, especially knocking off Nebraska and the nice 4 game Big Ten win streak, but the Gophers faded at the end and lost to Syracuse, a team inferior to any Big Ten team they played, except possibly Indiana. Coach Kill and his staff did a good job putting 8 wins with this squad. I think offensively we are just not there yet. Our line got better, our RB's got better and posted some better numbers, but the passing attack is nowhere close to being a quality. We need a serious upgrade at WR and the QB position has been sporadic and mediocre at best. Defensively, I am impressed - this staff has finally gotten a defensive unit in place that can give us a chance to win. Defense wins championships and this has set us back for 50 years (argh.)

Still not impressed with the offense. We have not had a good offense since Glen Mason left and it makes me wonder why we got away from an offense that not even the best rush defenses in the country, (Alabama, Wisconsin, Ohio St. and Michigan) could stop. OK, Brewster comes in and you have to let the coach dictate his offense he wants to run, but he changed his offense around each year and none of those worked. While it was better this year, why not implement part or all of Mason's old blocking and offensive schemes? We had coaches flying in (Auburn for one) to see what made it work and what they could learn from it. The answer might be found in our own back yard! I think if you took Mason's offense and Kill's defense you might really have something there. But I for one am just sick and tired of watching 20 QB draws a game because that is the only play in the entire playbook that yields positive yardage. We should have beaten Syracuse by 21 points if we were a halfway decent team but the fact is we simply are not and until this team can consistently move the football, we will continue to be a mediocre to terrible team even with the improved defense.

RB Jones would be a nice addition to this team - we really need this kid and I think if we get him, he will really help this team. However, we need at least 3 good WR additions - kids who can catch the ball with some speed so they can stretch the defense.

All in all, not a bad season, but we have a long ways to go before we can be considered a great or even good football team. I am afraid the last 3 games cost us about 5,000 season tickets, but you move on and you try to get better. That's what it's all about!!

 

[ruppertflywheel]

Some good points Rush. I'm glad you didn't mention OL coach Gordie Shaw the hole would've barbecued you. Mason/Browning/Shaw ran a zone blocking system which relied on quickness from the OL. Setterstrom and Eslinger
were both under 300 pounds. Brewster came in with a pro/set offense demanding more bulk up front for passing situations. I believe Brewster's ratio between pass and run was 60-40. Kill is 40-60 and wants 300 pound plus guys up front. He always talks about getting bigger and stronger up front. The read/option is more about driving and turning the defensive guy to the right or left to create a lane. It was always fun watching Eslinger pull and leading Barber/Maroney/ Russell on sweeps. He was so f-ing quick for his size. With Kill at the helm you will never see them go too that type of system. Year's 4-5 will see if we pass the good Mason years. On one of your other points I don't
think we will lose 5, 000 season tickets. I think 8 wins will actually bring an increase in season ticket sales. I hear ya
though! Watching the game with friends my buddy said at halftime: " A Maroney/Barber Mason team would be killing
these f-ker's"...

 

[Gold Rush]

Yeah -- they would be killing them until they got to the 4th Quarter and then they would give up 4 TD'S!!!! haha. Good points and you are right - I think the offensive plan will be to get bigger up front like Wisconsin which isn't a bad model to follow. The line is getting bigger and should be a pretty good unit next year. We still need the QB's to play better and be able to throw as well as some receivers. Jeff Jones will have a good offensive line to block for him if he can get here and Cobb should continue to post some good numbers, too.

 

[hungan1]

What hurt the Gophers toward the end of the season are critical injuries to Bak & Christenson in addition to the end of season wear and tear on the rest of the team.

They are not quite there yet with a quality team depth and experience in all aspects. They are only going to get better.

Maybe Kill and company should go see Gus Malzahn at Auburn in the off season. We need to breath some life into our offensive scheme.

We need an exciting brand of football.

We trust in Kill!

 

[bemidjigopher]

A Mason team couldn't stop anyone either, and on those days when we couldn't run we were ****ed

 

[ruppertflywheel]

A Mason team couldn't stop anyone either, and on those days when we couldn't run we were ****ed

I don't remember Mason teams not be able to run?

 

[We're Comin']

2nd half collapse of Mason teams usually started with a 3 and Out.

 

[EG#9]

Some revisionist history in the original post which seems to be more common the further we get away from the Mason decade. While their is no doubt the zone running scheme under Glen Mason was at times extremely effective, the huge numbers usually came against the cupcake non-conference schedule and the softest part of the Big Ten schedule. There were certainly plenty of games where the run game was extremely effective against a better opponent and the Gophers still lost, but there was also a number of games where that run game got shut down. We never had a passing game to go with that impressive (at times) running games. Glen was at Minnesota for ten years and never defeated a team that finished in the top 3 of the conference (only Minnesota and Indiana failed to land in the top 3 even once in that decade), so it's not like the zone running game (by itself) is some sort of cure all. It's certainly not true that not even the best rush defenses in the country couldn't stop the Gophers run game, or we wouldn't have finished a cumulative 8th out of 11 B1G teams during that decade. At the very least, you'd need to add a more diversified passing game to the Mason/Shaw/Browning run game if you expect the offense to be consistently good.

 

[EG#9]

I don't remember Mason teams not be able to run?

Just a quick search, could easily find more:

2004 @Michigan State (L) 51-17 Gophers rushed for 102 yards
@ Wisconsin (L) 38-14 Gophers rushed for 73 yards
2002 @Ohio State (L) 34-3 Gophers rushed for 53 yards
@ Purdue (L) 28-15 Gophers rushed for 83 yards
2006 North Dakota State (W) 10-9 Gophers rushed for 99 yards
Wisconsin (L) 48-12 Gophers rushed for 106 yards

Checck out ericthrall.com for box scores of all the games for Mason, Brewster, Kill, etc.

 

[mplsbadger]

the huge numbers usually came against the cupcake non-conference schedule and the softest part of the Big Ten schedule

The above is pretty much going to be true of any great rushing team. Wisconsin only went for 104 at Ohio State this year for example.

We never had a passing game to go with that impressive (at times) running games.

I'd be careful here. Two of the top 4 Gopher QB's in passing yards are Mason QB's - despite being from run first offenses. They could pass the ball and they put a few tight ends in the NFL.

Glen was at Minnesota for ten years and never defeated a team that finished in the top 3 of the conference (only Minnesota and Indiana failed to land in the top 3 even once in that decade), so it's not like the zone running game (by itself) is some sort of cure all.

Hard to argue with this but I don't think the OP was making that point ("running game (by itself) is some sort of cure all"). I think he even indicated that he'd like to pair the Mason O with the Kill D.

I was at the Michigan game in '03 and I'd say while it would have been nice to convert some third downs throwing the ball the inability to cover Chris Perry in the flat was a greater problem. The Mason O was, in my opinion plenty good enough to win the Big Ten had it been paired with a top five defense year in and year out.