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Three weeks ago, the Gophers were desperately craving a strong defensive performance. They received one in Saturday’s game against Northwestern, but this time, the offense simply couldn’t take advantage. Minnesota’s defense was the lone reason why they competed with the Big Ten West champions.
As the offense struggled to click, the coaches deployed creative pressure to stay within striking distance. The Gophers committed three turnovers as the defense started to wear down in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tanner Morgan tossed for just 197 yards, threw two interceptions and fumbled to help Northwestern claim the turnover battle. A late explosive play by wide receiver JJ Jefferson helped the Wildcats pull away from the Gophers for a 24-14 win.
Gophers offense struggles, commits costly turnovers
Northwestern entered Saturday’s game with an extremely depleted secondary. One of the top cornerbacks in the Big Ten, Montre Hartage, missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. The Wildcats were also without cornerback Trae Williams and safety Jared McGee. Minnesota quickly took advantage of this, but two early turnovers by quarterback Tanner Morgan were costly.
The intermediate game started to click as Morgan found Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson for completions of 14 and 16 yards. Two plays later, Morgan tried to fit a slant across the middle to Bateman and it was intercepted. On the next drive, Morgan attempted to hit Tyler Johnson on a corner route, but forced the pass into zone coverage with a linebacker handling the boundary. Both of these throws were mental breakdowns as Morgan incorrectly read the defense. He struggled the entire day not just with his processing, but delivery. His passes lacked velocity and the delay led to several potential completions closing up. Minnesota also couldn’t get the ball to playmakers off screens or bubbles because he was simply taking too long to deliver passes. Morgan also didn’t feel the pocket well and struggled to find his targets downfield. In addition, the Gophers had a handful of dropped passes that were costly throughout the game, too.
The coaches clearly wanted to use the slant and intermediate game to exploit a short-handed Northwestern secondary, but the offense didn’t feature much balance. The Gophers ran on predictable downs, including a fourth-and-short where they were stopped short of the sticks. In the early stages of the game, Minnesota didn’t have enough firepower through the use of play-action.
They finally started to achieve a little balance on their sixth drive of the game. They used seven runs and four passes, including 47 yards from Mohamed Ibrahim to cap an 11-play, 62-yard scoring drive. When Minnesota blended in the running game, it helped achieve more unpredictability with their playing-calling. It also neutralized Northwestern from being more aggressive with its pass rush. Ibrahim ran the ball well when called upon, rushing for 98 yards and a touchdown.
There was just never a moment where the offense could get into a groove, though. In the third quarter, a 9-play, 46-yard drive was showing signs of life as Mohamed Ibrahim was averaging more than five yards per carry. However, the drive quickly stalled in the red zone and Emmit Carpenter missed a 38-yard field goal.
At one point, Minnesota had four possessions inside Northwestern territory, but couldn’t come way with points. When they reached midfield in the fourth quarter, they ran for no gain twice and threw short of the sticks on third down.
Defense keeps Minnesota in the game with pressure
Early in the game, Minnesota continued to perform well on third down after allowing zero conversions on 12 tries against Purdue. It wasn’t until late in the game when the defense allowed an explosive play on third-and-7. Clayton Thorson connected with JJ Jefferson for a 68-yard reception. Safety Jordan Howden took a poor angle and Jefferson burst free behind the defense. It was a costly play and helped Northwestern go up two scores early in the fourth quarter.
However, before the late game lapse, the Wildcats were just 3-for-9 on third down as Minnesota continued to be aggressive through blitzes and occasional press coverage.
On a third-and-short running play, Minnesota continued to widen the edge and actually played a 3-4 look with Tai’yon Devers entering the game. By widening splits, the Gophers are forcing things back inside. Defensive tackle Jamaal Teague has also been a critical aspect of the run defense as he clogs interior lanes. When he plays a two-gap, he can draw attention and free up opportunities for players to get downhill for stops. Gary Moore also had several notable reps against the run, including six tackles.
Minnesota’s third down defense has improved because they are playing more physical on the outside via press. Chris Williamson again added a physical element in the slot to prevent receivers from getting separation out of the break. Blake Cashman also was dominant as both a run defender and blitzer. On fourth-and-short, Joe Rossi dialed up a fantastic pressure package. They shaded Carter Coughlin inside and sent Cashman off the edge for a sack. It led to a 14-yard loss as Cashman showed off his ability and productivity when used as a downhill blitzing linebacker. Cashman put together another monstrous performance, tallying 20 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a sack. He was flying all over the field to make stops and has been the top performer on Minnesota’s defense this season. The senior has continually improved his draft stock as NFL teams look for ultra-productive and versatile linebackers.
MORE: http://www.1500espn.com/gophers-2/2018/11/notebook-turnovers-cost-gophers-24-14-loss-northwestern/
As the offense struggled to click, the coaches deployed creative pressure to stay within striking distance. The Gophers committed three turnovers as the defense started to wear down in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tanner Morgan tossed for just 197 yards, threw two interceptions and fumbled to help Northwestern claim the turnover battle. A late explosive play by wide receiver JJ Jefferson helped the Wildcats pull away from the Gophers for a 24-14 win.
Gophers offense struggles, commits costly turnovers
Northwestern entered Saturday’s game with an extremely depleted secondary. One of the top cornerbacks in the Big Ten, Montre Hartage, missed Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. The Wildcats were also without cornerback Trae Williams and safety Jared McGee. Minnesota quickly took advantage of this, but two early turnovers by quarterback Tanner Morgan were costly.
The intermediate game started to click as Morgan found Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson for completions of 14 and 16 yards. Two plays later, Morgan tried to fit a slant across the middle to Bateman and it was intercepted. On the next drive, Morgan attempted to hit Tyler Johnson on a corner route, but forced the pass into zone coverage with a linebacker handling the boundary. Both of these throws were mental breakdowns as Morgan incorrectly read the defense. He struggled the entire day not just with his processing, but delivery. His passes lacked velocity and the delay led to several potential completions closing up. Minnesota also couldn’t get the ball to playmakers off screens or bubbles because he was simply taking too long to deliver passes. Morgan also didn’t feel the pocket well and struggled to find his targets downfield. In addition, the Gophers had a handful of dropped passes that were costly throughout the game, too.
The coaches clearly wanted to use the slant and intermediate game to exploit a short-handed Northwestern secondary, but the offense didn’t feature much balance. The Gophers ran on predictable downs, including a fourth-and-short where they were stopped short of the sticks. In the early stages of the game, Minnesota didn’t have enough firepower through the use of play-action.
They finally started to achieve a little balance on their sixth drive of the game. They used seven runs and four passes, including 47 yards from Mohamed Ibrahim to cap an 11-play, 62-yard scoring drive. When Minnesota blended in the running game, it helped achieve more unpredictability with their playing-calling. It also neutralized Northwestern from being more aggressive with its pass rush. Ibrahim ran the ball well when called upon, rushing for 98 yards and a touchdown.
There was just never a moment where the offense could get into a groove, though. In the third quarter, a 9-play, 46-yard drive was showing signs of life as Mohamed Ibrahim was averaging more than five yards per carry. However, the drive quickly stalled in the red zone and Emmit Carpenter missed a 38-yard field goal.
At one point, Minnesota had four possessions inside Northwestern territory, but couldn’t come way with points. When they reached midfield in the fourth quarter, they ran for no gain twice and threw short of the sticks on third down.
Defense keeps Minnesota in the game with pressure
Early in the game, Minnesota continued to perform well on third down after allowing zero conversions on 12 tries against Purdue. It wasn’t until late in the game when the defense allowed an explosive play on third-and-7. Clayton Thorson connected with JJ Jefferson for a 68-yard reception. Safety Jordan Howden took a poor angle and Jefferson burst free behind the defense. It was a costly play and helped Northwestern go up two scores early in the fourth quarter.
However, before the late game lapse, the Wildcats were just 3-for-9 on third down as Minnesota continued to be aggressive through blitzes and occasional press coverage.
On a third-and-short running play, Minnesota continued to widen the edge and actually played a 3-4 look with Tai’yon Devers entering the game. By widening splits, the Gophers are forcing things back inside. Defensive tackle Jamaal Teague has also been a critical aspect of the run defense as he clogs interior lanes. When he plays a two-gap, he can draw attention and free up opportunities for players to get downhill for stops. Gary Moore also had several notable reps against the run, including six tackles.
Minnesota’s third down defense has improved because they are playing more physical on the outside via press. Chris Williamson again added a physical element in the slot to prevent receivers from getting separation out of the break. Blake Cashman also was dominant as both a run defender and blitzer. On fourth-and-short, Joe Rossi dialed up a fantastic pressure package. They shaded Carter Coughlin inside and sent Cashman off the edge for a sack. It led to a 14-yard loss as Cashman showed off his ability and productivity when used as a downhill blitzing linebacker. Cashman put together another monstrous performance, tallying 20 tackles (2.5 for loss) and a sack. He was flying all over the field to make stops and has been the top performer on Minnesota’s defense this season. The senior has continually improved his draft stock as NFL teams look for ultra-productive and versatile linebackers.
MORE: http://www.1500espn.com/gophers-2/2018/11/notebook-turnovers-cost-gophers-24-14-loss-northwestern/