Well I've tried to take a step back for a second, rewatched some of the game and man... this is really a tough one to swallow. UNC with numerous bounces/calls at just the right moments (Gousby holding call on the Johnson fumble, them getting the Brosmer fumble and recovering their own fumble late in the game, the Int drop that would've been a pick 6 for the Gophers, the Dragan doink, a missed ineligible downfield on their late long TD pass). That being said...
Regarding the team...
On offense, they have some pieces that are nice. Major is a good complementary back, the OL should be ok, Brosmer seems like a reasonable balance guy to a good rushing attack, and Jackson and Taylor when he's back are studs. But so many unforced errors from ineligible downfields, to takedowns turned holdings (cooper just let him go; the 10 yards are a crippler in that situation), to dropped passes that are TDs (thank goodness for that elijah spencer sighting or i would've wondered if he was playing), this team does not play with enough pace/explosiveness to have ANY margin on this side of the ball. one of 3 plays on each series of 3 to get a first down is going to be a RUTM (if not 2). If you negative a play, you cannot make up for it when this happens (Brosmer, to his credit, did this a couple times tonight, once with some big help from Jackson and once from Nubin). That style is a bygone era. But the players are playing within the system they are fed and cannot change that. I have a hard time faulting them as they're college players and going to make mistakes.
On defense, the aggression is fun and I think actually fits this team that has a decent set of corners and some good pass rushers. It will lead to tough big plays (Walley in no mans land, penalty on Gousby, etc.) but also leads to opportunity on early passes and QB pressures. Gotta come up with them better when they're there as we were only 1/3 on opportunities tonight (Walley pick, missed one by I think Bryan, and missed fumble). Big plays/TOs is the new era given all the offensive advantages. Have to sew what you reap however.
On ST, this whole unit was awful. Idk what the message was but the PRs were bad, the punts were floppy, and Kesich had the worst game of his career and may have played himself out of an NFL contract as they're that finicky.
Coaching. It's hard to really say it with any detail, but it feels we have no real identity that players buy into. PJ is a "we are sound, fundamental, don't beat ourselves, and win close games" kind of coach. However, if you're going to do that, you also need a coach who understands what metrics and analytics show as well as understands game flow. PJ seems to get it somewhat well when winning by double figures, but has an abysmal understanding of game theory overall. And given he seems to add next to nothing from an X's and O's standpoint based on how he interviews, that's a problem.
Now it's a problem you can account for by hiring great assistants who then get to run their stuff and for whatever reason, he seems to let the defense do that at least for the most part. Instead he chooses to leverage and hamstring the offense season after season by inserting himself, none of which was more apparent than when in his post interview he reiterated that running on 3rd and long in a goal to go situation is a good play call. It's really hard for me to say much about Harbaugh (or Sanford for that matter, or even Ciarrocca) knowing how much he is apparently mettling. And instead of him showing he knows his shit and showing he can ascend, his one season at WMU of 13-1 (others combined 17-23) and MN of 11-2 (others combined 39-33) are raising more questions than answers.
I've thought PJ was going to be it for a long time and was going to bring us to a different era, have loved what's he's stood for, and enjoyed how he's always sought to represent the U well. Unfortunately he just seems to be unable to understand when to let go of control and let risk exist when it's intelligent to do so like the top coaches do. I think this season is going to be the beginning of the end for him. Coyle won't have the money and stones to do it this year, but next year's team looks rough on paper (this team unloads a lot of older leadership and I'd expect the portal comes calling if this is the style we're going to play). Hard to know what to really do/where to turn as a gopher fan at this point. Looks like a long year ahead of us.
