Post Game Thread - Gophers Crush Aggies

I was recently listening to a podcast and they were talking about the three greatest factors to win a game and "possession of the ball" was essentially the biggest one. (Ties in with the 78%).

On a punt return, you can do two things wrong.
1. Have a defensive penalty that provides a team a first down.
2. Fumble - turnover the ball.

Both would fall into a negative big play category.

The positives that can happen (other than just gaining possession) is that you may accumulate additional yardage. In doing so however, you probably increase your chances of fumbling. (Guy in motion being hit by a gunner).

I'm guessing this has been analyzed, and if you are a head coach like PJ who is all about time possession and limiting mistakes, it's an easy decision to just gain possession of the ball without penalty and call it a win. Then let your veteran offense who doesn't turn over the ball much to go ahead and control more clock and break down the defense.

Summary, it's all about avoiding risk / mistakes.
Plus Gophs got yardage on one fair catch off a penalty.
 

I'd like us to schedule tougher opppnants in the future. That was pretty boring to watch.

Mostly agree. I would have preferred to not beat the betting line (37.5 point spread was the last that I saw) and bring in the subs a little earlier. I wished that Athan wasn't limited to one pass that was a beauty but not caught by the receiver. It was nice to see one of our top recruits (Anthony Smith) get in late and make a solo tackle.
 

What? 91 yards total. No stumble.
Yeah, there is nothing bad to be said about the defense last night. 91 total yards and 0 points against anyone is impressive. I mean there are always things to improve on and I am sure they will but that was a great performance to start the season. They never gave NMSU any hope that they might be able to make a game of it.
 


Mostly agree. I would have preferred to not beat the betting line (37.5 point spread was the last that I saw) and bring in the subs a little earlier. I wished that Athan wasn't limited to one pass that was a beauty but not caught by the receiver. It was nice to see one of our top recruits (Anthony Smith) get in late and make a solo tackle.
Yes, I think the receiver was in an awkward position and dropped it while falling backwards.
 


Yeah, there is nothing bad to be said about the defense last night. 91 total yards and 0 points against anyone is impressive. I mean there are always things to improve on and I am sure they will but that was a great performance to start the season. They never gave NMSU any hope that they might be able to make a game of it.
How about the crowd. Cameras panning stadium before kickoff showed no empty seats. This is a great semi-surprise since it was reported early in the week there were still 8-9,000 tickets unsold.
Kramer came in as the first backup QB still, right?
Correct, and was 3-3 on short passes. Also ran for a first down.

Kramer is a smart, steady backup and would be the guy for the next few games. By November, if Morgan can't go when we are fighting for a West title, I would not be surprised to see The Rifleman called upon to carry us through.
 


How about the crowd. Cameras panning stadium before kickoff showed no empty seats. This is a great semi-surprise since it was reported early in the week there were still 8-9,000 tickets unsold.

Correct, and was 3-3 on short passes. Also ran for a first down.

Kramer is a smart, steady backup and would be the guy for the next few games. By November, if Morgan can't go when we are fighting for a West title, I would not be surprised to see The Rifleman called upon to carry us through.
Announced attendance was about 44,000. Upperdeck visitors section was pretty much empty. Would guess around 40,000 actual.
 

Hey, beards are in. Definitely has lost some weight, which is a good thing for him. I thought he looked good.
Hard to tell from the television, but I thought Ol' Jer looked healthier. Looks like he's been working out some. Like someone said, he had the G or Old Farmer look with the cap.

I only saw the second half, so not a lot to add. Two bad PIs in the 4th when the secondary couldn't adjust after the QB broke the pocket. They showed Rossi going batsh*t on the one. Pretty hilarious. Kaliakmanis' one pass was a pretty impressive zinger that was right on the mark.

Good game against a bad team.
 



Great Night. Got to campus early, enjoyed The Market, enjoyed the win. 9/10. This is not a complaint - but something that I noticed. Why do we set up for a fair catch on every punt? We line up 10 near the line - block/ don’t rush / and leave no choice at all but to fair catch. Do other teams do this on every punt? Is this the cyber-metrics of CFB?
It's a great way for a walk-on to earn a letter.
 


Hard to tell from the television, but I thought Ol' Jer looked healthier. Looks like he's been working out some. Like someone said, he had the G or Old Farmer look with the cap.

I only saw the second half, so not a lot to add. Two bad PIs in the 4th when the secondary couldn't adjust after the QB broke the pocket. They showed Rossi going batsh*t on the one. Pretty hilarious. Kaliakmanis' one pass was a pretty impressive zinger that was right on the mark.

Good game against a bad team.
He's lost weight for sure. He did look worn down though. Like the past 7+ years have really been hard on him.

I hope he's able to do some good there and stick around for a bit. But have the feeling he'll hang it up after just one season. No inside knowledge, just a hunch.
 






again, no need to show anything you don't have to when the caliber of the opponent does not require it.

and next week - Western Illinois' defense allowed 577 yards to the vaunted UT-Martin.

If the Gophers keep the same attitude they had against NMSU, another chance to put the game out of reach early and let the reserves play the 2nd half.
 

Of course we all wanted to see more passes, but when you are running for 300 yards at will - from a coaching perspective - there is no reason to put stuff on film for future opponents. I'm sure we will see more passes over the next couple games, but at the same time, if they can handily beat Western Carolina and Colorado and do it mostly on the ground, why let Michigan State see more of a playbook than needed?
So that the receivers aren’t rusty and out of sync with Tanner for a key game? Curious: if we could beat NMST, Western Illinois and Colorado using mostly passing plays, why show future teams out running playbook? Why not pass 70+% and conceal our running plays?🧐
Our ground catalogue is pretty well known around the Conference, at least until KC unveils the jet sweeps and double reverses.
 


Mostly agree. I would have preferred to not beat the betting line (37.5 point spread was the last that I saw) and bring in the subs a little earlier. I wished that Athan wasn't limited to one pass that was a beauty but not caught by the receiver. It was nice to see one of our top recruits (Anthony Smith) get in late and make a solo tackle.
I would take a NMSU opener over a TOSU opener.
 

Quick recap of my observations:

Running game A-. I thought Mo and Potts both could have dinked instead of doinked a few times where a quick sidestep would have lead to more yards and/or touchdowns.

Offensive line B+. Their dominance of the NM DL was due more to sheer strength than technique.

Quarterback play A. Tanner played smart and reacted well on the occasions the called play broke down. I LOVED that Kirk called Tanner's number for two touchdowns. Cole looked pretty comfortable.

Defense A. The talent level between the two teams was consistently evident. I thought their positioning overall was excellent. Another great defense plan by Joe.

Overall A-. It's a win AND they covered the Vegas spread
 

I loved seeing the throw from Morgan to CrAB that was ruled out of bounds. Put it up high, only his guy had a chance at getting it, and gave CrAB a chance to go make a play. He’ll come down with those throughout the year, and I really liked seeing the confidence from Morgan in his guys.
 


Kaliakmanis's first college pass was a bullseye laser. The best ball thrown all night. Ike White, who will be a good receiver, dropped his first college pass.
I know it sounds insane to be excited about an incomplete pass made in a blowout, but you're not wrong.

The ball left his hand different than just about anyone we've seen here in years (Nelson threw a nice ball too).
 

I know it sounds insane to be excited about an incomplete pass made in a blowout, but you're not wrong.

The ball left his hand different than just about anyone we've seen here in years (Nelson threw a nice ball too).
It's not insane. The pass immediately caught my attention, as I was surprised and said outloud "whoa, Kramer threw that?" not realizing they switched QBs.
Once I heard Jamie announce it was Kaliakmanis, everything snapped into focus.

The blue hairs around my section were all laughing and trying to pronounce his name. I confidently told them to watch for him as the next starting QB.
 

ll3d2jrhkcl91.jpg



Admittedly I have those days too…
 
Last edited:





Best pass since Jacob Clark’s bomb?!
I do get his point though. I partially think that is also why Tanner was running more. Seems like Morgan was given the green light to run when there is an opportunity. Unlike the past.
 




Top Bottom