Players lost this more than coaches

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Some Day...Maybe

Some Day...Maybe

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I actually think this was one of the better coached games this season. I think #2’s fumble, #4’s dropped TD and #8’s panic throw on 3rd down were all really bad mistakes. Crooms at least hasn’t made many mistakes this year.

You could argue 2 shouldn’t have been on the field, not sure he will be again in the near future unless it’s a blowout. I’d say #2’s fumble and #8’s bad miss on 3rd down lost this game more than anything. I also think #4 on offense won it for Illinois. Made 3 great plays/throws.

Finally, wtf was the last 4 plays by MN???? There was plenty of time and 2 timeouts? That was absolutely pitiful.
 


Agree with this

Long term coaches recruited the players but today was more about execution than scheme or plan
 




O coordinator toyed with Rossi… Coaching! They had no answers
 


I thought it was pretty equal.

The offensive gameplan in the 1st half was pretty good. The 3rd and 9 run at the end sucked and it was terrible after that. I’m still shaking my head on the 3rd and 1 slow developing run out of shotgun.

The defensive gameplan in the 1st wasn’t very good but got more aggressive later.

The Crooms drop and Nubin bad angle was bad.

Down the stretch there were a number of blunders.

Athan not just trying to get upfield on the 2nd down run.
Athan’s 200 mph throw to the TE 5 yds downfield.
Not blitzing a new QB on 4th down. Even so, allowing a guy to get that open on 4th and long.
Somehow allowing a WR to get wide open deep downfield while in a prevent defense.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I thought it was pretty equal.

The offensive gameplan in the 1st half was pretty good. The 3rd and 9 run at the end sucked and it was terrible after that. I’m still shaking my head on the 3rd and 1 slow developing run out of shotgun.

The defensive gameplan in the 1st wasn’t very good but got more aggressive later.

The Crooms drop and Nubin bad angle was bad.

Down the stretch there were a number of blunders.

Athan not just trying to get upfield on the 2nd down run.
Athan’s 200 mph throw to the TE 5 yds downfield.
Not blitzing a new QB on 4th down. Even so, allowing a guy to get that open on 4th and long.
Somehow allowing a WR to get wide open deep downfield while in a prevent defense.
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I think you nailed most of the opportunities the Gophers had to put the game away, but the one that really torques me is the 4th and 12 with a totally cold second string QB practically in his end zone throwing the rock. The absolute time to send in the cavalry and put pressure on him to make a quick decision. So he has time and makes a 22yd throw to an their absolutely open #1 receiver. #2 on my list is the TD play. We call a timeout to discuss whatever PJ discusses in such a situation and then allow their #1 receiver, the same one who caught the 22 yarder to go on his route without a corner holding him up or a safety acknowledging the route he was taking. Unbelievable. You didn't mention the two point try, but that's another what if.
 



As I mentioned before, when you drop 5 or 6 in the secondary, no one covers anyone. They are all expecting “you to cover him” when in essence no one is covering anyone. That’s the excuse on their final TD pass. “I saw the receiver but I thought ——-was going to pick him up”. Just poor coaching—poor communication.
 

Gopher 461 said:
I think you nailed most of the opportunities the Gophers had to put the game away, but the one that really torques me is the 4th and 12 with a totally cold second string QB practically in his end zone throwing the rock. The absolute time to send in the cavalry and put pressure on him to make a quick decision. So he has time and makes a 22yd throw to an their absolutely open #1 receiver. #2 on my list is the TD play. We call a timeout to discuss whatever PJ discusses in such a situation and then allow their #1 receiver, the same one who caught the 22 yarder to go on his route without a corner holding him up or a safety acknowledging the route he was taking. Unbelievable. You didn't mention the two point try, but that's another what if.
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The defense pushed Illinois back on that last drive and had them in a 4th and 11. The coaches called an absolutely hideous play. I can forgive if Illinois just makes a great play to pick that up.....but the coaching staff with that zone made it so easy. Uncontested catch as their receiver just sat between the zones. Coaching staff deserves the blame here.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
I actually think this was one of the better coached games this season. I think #2’s fumble, #4’s dropped TD and #8’s panic throw on 3rd down were all really bad mistakes. Crooms at least hasn’t made many mistakes this year.

You could argue 2 shouldn’t have been on the field, not sure he will be again in the near future unless it’s a blowout. I’d say #2’s fumble and #8’s bad miss on 3rd down lost this game more than anything. I also think #4 on offense won it for Illinois. Made 3 great plays/throws.

Finally, wtf was the last 4 plays by MN???? There was plenty of time and 2 timeouts? That was absolutely pitiful.
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Just before Tyler fumbled the opening kickoff, someone put him back there with a green light to return it. Which player made the decision to spot Illinois seven points in a game lost by one?

Which player called for a failed two- point conversion in a game lost by one?
 




Dakota2 said:
Players scheme at the end of the first half?
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We didn’t complete a pass and settled for a field goal. I can’t remember if he was open or not.

Was more disappointed with first possession of second half than last one of first half if I remember correctly.
 

It's all coaching as evidenced by the Vikings game.
 

Why we were in Cover 2 at the end when they NEEDED a touchdown is confusing to me.
 

Ultimately coaches do bear the responsibility of wins and losses over the long haul, fair or not, but I do kind of agree with OP. I thought the coaches put the players in a position to win had they executed. I feel the same way about Northwestern game. I don't think Sean Tyler is coached to fumble the ball, I don't think Nubin was coached to take horrible angles on those two long touchdowns, I don't think Athan is coached to sail the ball over his TE's head, etc.

We all want to look for explanations and someone to point fingers at after a devastating loss, but the reality is sometimes you just lose, plain and simple. We could argue for years over who's at fault, but Illinois made one more play, got one more bounce, made one more block, one more tackle, etc. Two evenly matched teams played a close game that was decided by one point in the last minute. There's not always a simple explanation to why we lose.
 

I think we are in a somewhat down year talent-wise. When the talent isn't as strong, the margin for error isn't as great. I think our 2019 team had a lot of talent which came through in some key situations. We are pretty weak at a few positions (DBs and QB come to mind as well as RB due to injuries) so execution by those players has to be perfect or it breaks down quickly.

So like Some Guy said, long-term it's a coaching issue because they are responsible for bringing in the talent. In the moment though, it was on the players.
 

It starts with the University itself which decided to put Mark Coye in charge of athletics who hired PJ who recruited the players. A player known to fumble; #2 didn't put himself deep to take the opening kickoff but when Beleima saw him back there, the Illinois coaches knew to kick the ball to him and cause a fumble with the kickoff team. Fleck put #2 back there, and at that moment he showed me he doesn't want to win games as bad as some fans want to win. It goes on and on.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
I actually think this was one of the better coached games this season. I think #2’s fumble, #4’s dropped TD and #8’s panic throw on 3rd down were all really bad mistakes. Crooms at least hasn’t made many mistakes this year.

You could argue 2 shouldn’t have been on the field, not sure he will be again in the near future unless it’s a blowout. I’d say #2’s fumble and #8’s bad miss on 3rd down lost this game more than anything. I also think #4 on offense won it for Illinois. Made 3 great plays/throws.

Finally, wtf was the last 4 plays by MN???? There was plenty of time and 2 timeouts? That was absolutely pitiful.
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Losses are on everyone, but it starts with coaching. The coaches put players in place to make the plays. We gave up 4 TD drives and that is coaching (3 over 75 yard drives). Our defense turned them over 3 times in the second half and the offense scored 6 points.
 

Dakota2 said:
Just before Tyler fumbled the opening kickoff, someone put him back there with a green light to return it. Which player made the decision to spot Illinois seven points in a game lost by one?

Which player called for a failed two- point conversion in a game lost by one?
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Give me a break....

Going for 2 in that situation was the right call, you can disagree with the play call but the decision was correct. If we kick the extra point there then Illinois just kicks the extra point after their TD and we still lose by 1.

As for putting Tyler back there on the kickoff.....that one can be debated but they were giving the kid a chance and he unfortunately fumbled again. You can pin that one on the coaches for not giving up on the kid I guess.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Losses are on everyone, but it starts with coaching. The coaches put players in place to make the plays. We gave up 4 TD drives and that is coaching (3 over 75 yard drives). Our defense turned them over 3 times in the second half and the offense scored 6 points.
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I don't disagree but there are some who want to place all the blame on the coaches and that is BS as well. We can all go back and forth about decisions that could have/should have been made over the course of the game but the reality is that if the players make the plays at the end of the game we win.

Their guys made the plays....ours didn't.
 

Perfect execution 100% of the time for any player in any sport is impossible. The coaches are well (overly) paid professionals with responsibilities of recruiting, preparing, controlling, educating, and calling plays on game day. They get the accolades for winning and deserve the scorn for losing and for this regime losing in too-often head scratching fashion.

PJ’s chosen overall strategy leaves zero room for error, and the development and depth hasn’t been as good as maybe desired. Do the players know what they’re supposed to be doing.

The end of the two halves were concerning, or emblematic to say the least.
 

I blame the sports gods. They hate Minnesota football...actually, Minnesota sports. And just to mess with us they had the pro team's brand new quarterback lead the way to a victory, building up the hopes of Vikings fans...only to pull the rug out from under them down the road.
It's a story oft repeated.
 

Dakota2 said:
Just before Tyler fumbled the opening kickoff, someone put him back there with a green light to return it. Which player made the decision to spot Illinois seven points in a game lost by one?

Which player called for a failed two- point conversion in a game lost by one?
Click to expand...
To be fair, if the PAT was converted and the rest of the game played out like it did, IL would have kicked a PAT and still win the game by one point!
 


I mean the obvious explanation is that PJ hurt Tyler's feelings in the postgame presser after MSU, causing him to fumble that opening kickoff.
 


Key moments of the game where we had poor play calling / game management, and poor execution by the players.

1:28 mark - Trips left. 3x1 they motion Williams to quads (empty). Both LB's seem like they have the flats(motion). We let #1 free, completely uncovered for a free TD. Terrible.

4:30 mark - 3rd & 8. Trips left again. We let #2 have a completely uncontested TD. How can this happen? What are we playing here? Gousby was aligned on him, but he just lets him free. Looks like it's man, but is it a pattern read? But #2 doesn't break outward, so it can't be. Completely ridiculous pee wee level football there. Embarrassing and comical at the same time.

8:40 mark - 3rd & 1. We go under center and make 3 yds easy. Very easy. For the love of God, can we do this more often? This situation comes back again in a critical spot in the 2nd half.

8:52 mark - 3rd & 9 for us. 2:15 left before half. Illini have 7 in the box but the call was to run it. Maybe PJ should just waive the white flag in the air on the sidelines, to signal his passiveness to all his players and all the fans in the stadium. That's what you're telling your offense, that we have no confidence in you (especially the QB and WR's) to make a big 3rd down play through the air. We run it for a couple yds, and kick the FG. Fans are booing.

10:03 mark - We get the ball back on our 27 with 0:27 on the clock and a timeout left. It's challenging to move it enough to get into FG range, I get that. But my God....you have a kicker with one of the strongest legs in College FB, wouldn't you want to try to take advantage of that? He can be a weapon for you. Fans are booing again.

15:13 mark - 3rd & 1 for us. Critical 4th qtr play. 9 man box for Illini. Why not go under center again and sneak, instead of trying the slow developing run? And Newton is playing a 4i on the play, so don't tell me the future NFL draft pick impacts a sneak.

15:26 - 3rd & 3 for Illini. Empty 3x2 for them. Why is the hell do we have Selig lined up against Williams? Can't Walley travel with anyone, especially in key situations? Illini are laughing when they see the matchup, knowing it's not even close to fair. Lindy makes a huge game changing punch out for us. Tremendous play!!

16:24 mark - Two 2p conversion for us. It was there. It was a pretty tight window, but it was open. Just needed the throw to be a little lower. Critical play. Have to find a way to execute.

17:20 mark - 3rd & 2 Illini. Why in the hell does Nubin have his heels at 9 yds on 3rd & 2? We're playing Cov. 2 with no slot presence on 3rd & 2?! Are you kidding me?! Opposing OC's are laughing at this.

17:54 mark - We shift to unbalanced. Tremendous play call for the situation. Was wide open and likely seals the win. A simple 5 yd pitch and catch. This might be one of the worst throws I've ever seen on a football field, taking into consideration the importance on sealing a victory with the simplest of all throws. Pause it midway through the play. Look how open and easy it is. My God.

18:25 mark - 4 & 11. Win is sealed with one defensive stop. Cold, backup QB in now. And you decide to rush 3?! Soft. Passive. Playing not to lose. Looks like Striggow is a spy (WHY???) and he decides to rush just a split second late. Of course Williams finds the soft spot in the zone.

And the rest is history.

This is poor game management and coaching, and poor execution, in so many different ways.

And the results are a critical Big Ten loss.
 

Polski said:

Key moments of the game where we had poor play calling / game management, and poor execution by the players.

1:28 mark - Trips left. 3x1 they motion Williams to quads (empty). Both LB's seem like they have the flats(motion). We let #1 free, completely uncovered for a free TD. Terrible.

4:30 mark - 3rd & 8. Trips left again. We let #2 have a completely uncontested TD. How can this happen? What are we playing here? Gousby was aligned on him, but he just lets him free. Looks like it's man, but is it a pattern read? But #2 doesn't break outward, so it can't be. Completely ridiculous pee wee level football there. Embarrassing and comical at the same time.

8:40 mark - 3rd & 1. We go under center and make 3 yds easy. Very easy. For the love of God, can we do this more often? This situation comes back again in a critical spot in the 2nd half.

8:52 mark - 3rd & 9 for us. 2:15 left before half. Illini have 7 in the box but the call was to run it. Maybe PJ should just waive the white flag in the air on the sidelines, to signal his passiveness to all his players and all the fans in the stadium. That's what you're telling your offense, that we have no confidence in you (especially the QB and WR's) to make a big 3rd down play through the air. We run it for a couple yds, and kick the FG. Fans are booing.

10:03 mark - We get the ball back on our 27 with 0:27 on the clock and a timeout left. It's challenging to move it enough to get into FG range, I get that. But my God....you have a kicker with one of the strongest legs in College FB, wouldn't you want to try to take advantage of that? He can be a weapon for you. Fans are booing again.

15:13 mark - 3rd & 1 for us. Critical 4th qtr play. 9 man box for Illini. Why not go under center again and sneak, instead of trying the slow developing run? And Newton is playing a 4i on the play, so don't tell me the future NFL draft pick impacts a sneak.

15:26 - 3rd & 3 for Illini. Empty 3x2 for them. Why is the hell do we have Selig lined up against Williams? Can't Walley travel with anyone, especially in key situations? Illini are laughing when they see the matchup, knowing it's not even close to fair. Lindy makes a huge game changing punch out for us. Tremendous play!!

16:24 mark - Two 2p conversion for us. It was there. It was a pretty tight window, but it was open. Just needed the throw to be a little lower. Critical play. Have to find a way to execute.

17:20 mark - 3rd & 2 Illini. Why in the hell does Nubin have his heels at 9 yds on 3rd & 2? We're playing Cov. 2 with no slot presence on 3rd & 2?! Are you kidding me?! Opposing OC's are laughing at this.

17:54 mark - We shift to unbalanced. Tremendous play call for the situation. Was wide open and likely seals the win. A simple 5 yd pitch and catch. This might be one of the worst throws I've ever seen on a football field, taking into consideration the importance on sealing a victory with the simplest of all throws. Pause it midway through the play. Look how open and easy it is. My God.

18:25 mark - 4 & 11. Win is sealed with one defensive stop. Cold, backup QB in now. And you decide to rush 3?! Soft. Passive. Playing not to lose. Looks like Striggow is a spy (WHY???) and he decides to rush just a split second late. Of course Williams finds the soft spot in the zone.

And the rest is history.

This is poor game management and coaching, and poor execution, in so many different ways.

And the results are a critical Big Ten loss.
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Good breakdown of a number of key moments in the game. Shows clearly how there is plenty of blame to go around.

I hated the run on 3rd and 9 from the 22 late in the first half. I am a big supporter of Fleck but that is gutless to either not run a play with a shot of getting a first down or maybe even taking a shot at the EZ. I fully understand the desire to make sure you get points there but they needed to at least run something with a chance of getting a first down and keeping the drive moving.

I don't however have any issue with taking the knee with under 30 seconds on the clock and a 3 point lead in the first half. No point being risky there when throwing downfield is not something you are good at.
 


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