Post Game Thread: Minnesota Gives Up 600 Yards and 49 Points to Purdue


Disagree. Our LB core next year with Lindenberg, Maverick, and Williams looks to be the best in years. Joyner, Eastern, Striggow all return on D line. Kaliakmanis’s experience this year will be invaluable. Two headed monster at RB with Taylor and Evans. I really believe this years team will be the worst we see in the next few years.
The transfer portal says hello
 


Watching highlights of other teams right now, Gophers can't win with the current QB-receiving game. Not sure what solution emerges. AK in another year? How do I know?
 





Let’s be happy that Michigan State hasn’t hired PJ yet.
 




The portal really stung the defensive depth this year. There were no impact players added, but losing Bishop, Oliver, Booker, definitely hurt depth. Maybe add Carter and Schuster to the list.

edit add: I forgot Dixon.
 
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PJ needs to spend less time molesting the Axe and Floyd the PIG with him and wife in bed. How about spending more time teaching players to tackle and take good angles to the football. Less bull bleep nonesense, and more football. People are bored with chasing the bald midget at quarter change, and culture crap.
 

Gopher volleyball sucks.

Gopher football sucks.


Looking forward to the Vikings game!


Won’t even tune in the Gophers vs Ohio State game. First Big Ten game in a while that I will miss.

Close to being done with Fleck.

Hope like hell we somehow pull it together to beat Wisc
 

I say it’s a down year which happens. Some of the ridiculous knee jerk reactions on this site are out of touch. Let’s beat Wisconsin and keep the Axe with Floyd!
Maybe we can knock off tOSU while we’re at it. 💁‍♂️
 



Gopher volleyball sucks.

Gopher football sucks.


Looking forward to the Vikings game!


Won’t even tune in the Gophers vs Ohio State game. First Big Ten game in a while that I will miss.

Close to being done with Fleck.

Hope like hell we somehow pull it together to beat Wisc
I got lucky for next week. I’m going pheasant hunting, which is one of the only things that I care more about then our football team. It’s gonna get ugly.
 

I wasn't able to watch much of the game. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn't that frustrated and irritated that I couldn't watch, even prior to the game starting.

This team just looks like they're going through the motions. There's no fire. And that includes Fleck. It's like he's annoyed he has to spend his Saturdays working. Very disappointing season.

The calls for Fleck to be fired are ridiculous but the program is not going in the right direction.
 


For the first time this season, I didn’t watch much. And frankly I was fine with it and glad I spent my time doing other stuff.

Just two quick thoughts:
1. I was glad to see Coleman Bryson out there. I always wondered why he wasn’t getting more run after his performance in the bowl game last year and Gousby getting beat over the top so consistently. Obviously he didn’t help much…
2. I keep think about Fleck’s post game press conference after PSU in 2019. As I remember it, he was saying “Minnesota fans need to stop thinking ‘here we go again’. The history is behind us”. Well here we are with 4 years chock full of awful losses like this one
 

Four of the five Gopher losses have been demoralizing: Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois and Purdue. In each, defense was the main problem - it collapsed in the second half each time. Today the Gopher defense looked gassed near the end, slow, weak, being run over by ball carriers they could have stopped in other years. Worn out. Why?
 

How do you even get up to go to Ohio State and play?

How do you motivate yourself to try hard in practice, at this point? This game will be brutal.


Thankfully there is the Wisc game at the end of the year.
 

Four of the five Gopher losses have been demoralizing: Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois and Purdue. In each, defense was the main problem - it collapsed in the second half each time. Today the Gopher defense looked gassed near the end, slow, weak, being run over by ball carriers they could have stopped in other years. Worn out. Why?
Adjustments
 

After a night of sleep the five stages of grief are in full effect. I’d guess some people are further along the curve. Some will stay at step 1, the most comfortable place.

We‘ve known all year this is a pretty bad team. Maybe the only reason the record isn’t even worse is a plethora of bad opponents this season. There are some individual bright spots, the defensive line has been better, etc.

OTOH, the letdown from (plebe fan viewpoint) the back 7 on defense, quarterback, BSF, receivers has been a slap to the face. Special teams are a push at very best with a handful of boneheaded plays. Fleck’s dedication to slowing down the game is comical at this point. MN was trying to run out the play clock on nearly every play in the third quarter despite being down by 15. A feature, not a bug.

Which brings us to Fleck. I reached the pit of despair yesterday and am now at depression inching towards acceptance. One can rationally say this is just a down year and they’d be right and that’s a fair assessment. Chances are very good as new players cycle in and mature the team improves. But, given his now-established and widely known philosophy can Fleck convince (or pay) high level skill players to come here. Even at RB, is the one horse rodeo approach wise in the era of the portal. Fleck‘s approach to special teams is suspect. Time management, understanding moments, sensing momentum are not good. Sabotaging or icing one’s own players. Few people are going to get jacked about donating NIL with a product like this. Maybe pay for play anda salary cap will “save” MN football long-term. Another discussion.

Bottom line is: 🤷‍♂️. If this is the low point of his tenure we can accept it. The defense should evolve towards competence. The offensive approach and execution isn’t good. I like Fleck as the CEO face of the team. I don’t like the cult stuff. If toning that down helps attract a better, strong-willed OC maybe Fleck’s residence will go out with a bang than a whimper.


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What about those Minnesota Timberwolves! :) They started playing well just in the nick of time, right!
 

Then how did we beat Iowa, in Iowa City??? With a QB throwing balls into the dirt, mind you, on a windy ass day.

People were saying Rutgers was going to help us out, for sure. Uh, no. 22-0 win by Iowa.
 

BSF, my hat is off to him, as one example of a guy who has done a complete and total 180 from earlier in the season.

AK I think has had some improvement.

Lines have been fairly consistent, if not great they've at least been decent. Hat's off to Nubin "5th string" stepping up huge.


But otherwise, feels like everyone else has gone downhill.
 

Chances are very good as new players cycle in and mature the team improves.

You're still thinking about CFB in the old way, the way that makes sense.

That's not reality any more.

Why wouldn't guys just portal out?? Go down a level if they just want to play and don't care, or try to do a lateral move somewhere else.
 

Four of the five Gopher losses have been demoralizing: Northwestern, Michigan, Illinois and Purdue. In each, defense was the main problem - it collapsed in the second half each time. Today the Gopher defense looked gassed near the end, slow, weak, being run over by ball carriers they could have stopped in other years. Worn out. Why?

I think it's a combination of several factors.

1. due to portal losses and graduation, I don't think that this year's defense is as athletic as in previous years - size, speed, strength, quickness. that makes any error in execution stand out.

2. since I don't think Rossi has forgotten how to coach, I suspect that this year's group of players - for whatever reason, is struggling with some of the mental aspects of the game - learning the schemes, and then being able to take what they learn in practice or the meeting room and translate that to the field on game day. If a LB is trying to read his keys and then has to think about what that means he's supposed to do, it's easy for a RB or WR to get by him for a big play.

3. depth. with portal losses, I think there is a bigger drop-off from starters to back-ups than we've see in recent years.
 

Then how did we beat Iowa, in Iowa City??? With a QB throwing balls into the dirt, mind you, on a windy ass day.

People were saying Rutgers was going to help us out, for sure. Uh, no. 22-0 win by Iowa.

Turnovers
 

Disagree. Our LB core next year with Lindenberg, Maverick, and Williams looks to be the best in years. Joyner, Eastern, Striggow all return on D line. Kaliakmanis’s experience this year will be invaluable. Two headed monster at RB with Taylor and Evans. I really believe this years team will be the worst we see in the next few years.
I agree. Something was off yesterday besides missing two linebackers. The D Line was dominated. Anyone remember that Purdue extra point where the center and guard picked up our d tackle and body slammed him? The D Line was dominated yesterday.
 

It's hard enough to recruit to Minneapolis without a year like this. I'd say it's fair to be concerned.

It's hard enough to recruit to Minneapolis without a year like this. I'd say it's fair to be concerned.
Huh? I think for a lot of young people it is a big selling point. It’s one of the top ten cities in the country I would argue.
 

Has the Rossi secondary always played this much zone? God they are terrible in zone for much of the year. I know Walley and Nubin are good to great players. Can Rossi make an adjustment to man or coach up the zone?
 




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