Official Gophers Spring Game Reaction/Analysis Thread

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Thoughts about Cobb? Lots of hype all spring, but I have heard nothing about him today.
 

LBJ said:
Thoughts about Cobb? Lots of hype all spring, but I have heard nothing about him today.
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Good question, LBJ.

My guess would be this...If he did not stand out, and nothing negative about him, he did his job. Sometimes the guy who does the most in doing his job, goes unnoticed.
 

Just watched the replay on the BTN. I agree with what most have said. Nelson, Harbison, Maxx Williams, and Cockran all looked good. I thought Baltazar looked pretty good as well. I'm excited about Jordan Hinojosa. He just looked like he was having a ton of fun out there.

As for the water, there really isn't any excuse for running out of that. Unused bottled water can be used at other events.
 

Just watched the replay. Seems like the comments here sum everything up.. One thing I noticed was that while Leidner had a solid day in the stat line, many of his passes seemed flat, or where a better defensive backfield wouldn't have allowed the gap in the first place. Seems like slightly quicker guys could get a read on him and cause some trouble. Just a thought. Overall looked really good and totally bummed I couldn't make it out..
 


GophersInIowa said:
Just watched the replay on the BTN. I agree with what most have said. Nelson, Harbison, Maxx Williams, and Cockran all looked good. I thought Baltazar looked pretty good as well. I'm excited about Jordan Hinojosa. He just looked like he was having a ton of fun out there.

As for the water, there really isn't any excuse for running out of that. Unused bottled water can be used at other events.
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The bottles of water they used today had an expiration date of yesterday. :)
 


I for one think between Jack Lynn and Damien Wilson we will be solid in the middle. We could finally have a Big10Middle Linebacker.
 

The alumni flag football game was a lot of fun, I hope this becomes a tradition. The crowd seemed pretty large, it must have been the biggest spring game attendance here in quite some time. I was impressed with Nelson's accuracy on his passes.
 



Some thoughts:

1. The four best defensive players were held out: Hageman, Wells, Amaefula, and Vereen didn't see the field at all. Makes sense, we know what they can do so there is no point in risking an injury.

2. The O-line was average. I would have liked to see some bigger holes in the first half considering they were playing against the 2nd/3rd string D-line.

3. Nelson was sharp. He's going to be a very accurate passer 20 yards and in. Leidner shows flashes, but he's not as consistent. Maxx Williams really impressed, I think tight ends will catch a lot of passes this year.

4. Still need playmakers on offense. Receivers struggle to get good separation, and we don't have a RB or WR who can outrun the defense or make guys miss in space.

5. Eric Murray got beat badly on the Hutton touchdown catch. Just completely lost him.

6. Cockran is going to be an absolute monster by the time he's done. Look for him to have a breakout year. Keith also looked good rushing the passer. I'm beginning to really like the depth we have on the D-line.
 

I thought Harbison was great. I was doing something else while watching the game, and I couldn't figure out who #16 in the white was until I read he caught 5 passes. He looked smaller than I expected and Max Williams looked larger. Impressed with both QB's.
 

John Galt said:
4. Still need playmakers on offense. Receivers struggle to get good separation, and we don't have a RB or WR who can outrun the defense or make guys miss in space..
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I felt that Fruechte and Engle both created separation today....KJ Maye can definitely outrun a D and make guys miss.
 

Did anyone else notice the Andre McDonald sighting on the home sideline? I saw him for a little bit talking to Quincy Lewis.
 



I had a lot of fun at the game today. Philip Nelson came out hot starting 10/10 and looked the part of a starting QB. I'm pretty excited for this season. Our offense should be fun to watch and if our defense can hold their own we could see a few upsets this year.
 

LBJ said:
Thoughts about Cobb? Lots of hype all spring, but I have heard nothing about him today.
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He didn't do anything to turn heads today, but he had a couple of good, hard runs. Kirkland looked very solid, as did Rodrick Williams.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I'm excited about Jordan Hinojosa. He just looked like he was having a ton of fun out there.
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He is destined to be a fan favorite. I remember commenting about how excited he appeared to be when he first signed, and since then I've been to 2 practices, a camp, and the spring game, and his enthusiasm is incredible. His energy is non-stop, and if you have the chance to say hello to him, you'll have to stop the conversation...he'll talk 'til the cows come home, and I mean that in the best way possible. Seems like a really great kid.
 

RodentRampage said:
The alumni flag football game was a lot of fun, I hope this becomes a tradition.
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At the end of the game, they referred to it as the "first annual" so I imagine that it's in the plans. By the way, Asad Abdul-Khaliq was named MVP.
 

Another player that showed up a lot was Victor Keise. Nice to see him get some run.
 

Nelson and Leidner had big openings to take off on foot and have the size and strength to break a few tackles. If there hadn't been a no contact rule, both would've had significantly more of rushing yards. Leidner seemed pretty comfortable with and adept at tucking the ball and taking off when the pocket collapsed, and has good speed. I'm hoping this is more relative to the defenses not keying on the qbs because of the no contact rule, rather than a gaping hole in run coverage as a decent team with a mobile qb might make us look silly like last year. Figure I'd poke my head in and include this, I didn't notice anyone else had.
 


Maxx Williams looks like a professional out there...he could be dangerous!
 

Sansevere: Gophers football: Program real winner of spring game

BS: Did you accomplish what you wanted this spring?

JK: Oh, absolutely. We've had a great spring. We haven't let any factors bother us -- the weather or anything like that. Our kids have worked extremely hard. Some people don't have a lot of contact in the spring. We had a lot of contact. It showed a little bit today. We had some guys a little bit fatigued. I still think we've got to mentally and physically develop some toughness, and I think we're doing that.

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_23123568/program-real-winner-spring-game

Go Gophers!!
 

@gopherhole: Sid and Dave said that yesterday's #Gophers Spring Game crowd was the biggest since Lou Holtz was here in the mid 80s. Ski-U-Mah!

Go Gophers!!
 

Dr.Don said:
So, does it look like our QB's are number one Nelson, number two Leidner, but not a big drop off?
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I would say that's a pretty fair assessment, Don. I just thought Nelson looked really sharp and almost all his throws were on point. Leidner had a few tosses that made me grimace a little bit as well that he had a few balls he threw that looked great.
 

Another thing I noticed, I was really surprised at how Leidner ran as well. On plays where he could take off and run, he showed a lot more mobility than I thought he would have. The 39 yard TD pass he had was pretty nice as well!
 


I don't know how much Leidner's performance was a result of his running ability, the gold shirt, or lapses on the part of the first team defense. If Leidner is able to break contain and have those scrambles, I worry what Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller are going to do to our D.

Not ragging on Leidner, as he took what was there. Just pointing out that our first team D was part of the equation as well. This is the main concern I had from the game. I had much more positive opinions of every other aspect, minus the kicking game.
 

Weaselyone said:
I don't know how much Leidner's performance was a result of his running ability, the gold shirt, or lapses on the part of the first team defense. If Leidner is able to break contain and have those scrambles, I worry what Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller are going to do to our D.

Not ragging on Leidner, as he took what was there. Just pointing out that our first team D was part of the equation as well. This is the main concern I had from the game. I had much more positive opinions of every other aspect, minus the kicking game.
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I have good news! We won't have to face him this year.

Until the B1G Championship game, that is :p
 

He was there the whole game, cheering everyone on, very active. Word is he will be back

pointer said:
Did anyone else notice the Andre McDonald sighting on the home sideline? I saw him for a little bit talking to Quincy Lewis.
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Weaselyone said:
I don't know how much Leidner's performance was a result of his running ability, the gold shirt, or lapses on the part of the first team defense. If Leidner is able to break contain and have those scrambles, I worry what Taylor Martinez and Braxton Miller are going to do to our D.

Not ragging on Leidner, as he took what was there. Just pointing out that our first team D was part of the equation as well. This is the main concern I had from the game. I had much more positive opinions of every other aspect, minus the kicking game.
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Our first team D minus Hageman, Vereen, Wells, and Amaefula you mean...
 

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