Post Game Thread - SOUND OFF: Gophers get back on winning track by dominating Rutgers

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RememberMurray said:
I'd love to see it.

I know people think Tanner Morgan is the problem, but it is the receiving corps that I suddenly have no confidence in. Catch the ball, adjust to the throw, get some separation. Please!

Also, can this o-line pass block? I'm not sure.
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Even Mo has bailed out our OL at times.
 

FanSinceTheFifties said:
This viewpoint always amazes me. I love boring games in which my team controls it from beginning to end. The goal is to win the game, not entertain fans. For sports entertainment, follow the WWF.
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It really never ceases to amaze me how hard people work to find ways not to enjoy things. We just got done shutting out a Big Ten opponent and there are already people complaining that we didn't do this or we didn't do that or we have to do this or we have to do that.....

Was it an exciting game....nope.....but we completely dominated from start to finish and won in convincing fashion.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Yeah anything is possible but our odds of winning went way up in my mind after that.

Defenses only have so much in the tank.
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Yes. That drive was crucial on so many levels.

— It was BRUTAL, in that it was extremely physical, an 'impose-your-will' moment.

— It came immediately after the Knights all-world punter made an all-world play. Rutgers had to have felt like they were going to get the ball back in excellent field position after downing the ball inside Minnesota's one-yard line. Instead, the Gophers grind up 10 minutes of actual game clock time to travel the entire length of the field, and punch it in the Rutgers end zone to go up 7-0.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It really never ceases to amaze me how hard people work to find ways not to enjoy things. We just got done shutting out a Big Ten opponent and there are already people complaining that we didn't do this or we didn't do that or we have to do this or we have to do that.....

Was it an exciting game....nope.....but we completely dominated from start to finish and won in convincing fashion.
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“6 games….”

 


MNVCGUY said:
It really never ceases to amaze me how hard people work to find ways not to enjoy things. We just got done shutting out a Big Ten opponent and there are already people complaining that we didn't do this or we didn't do that or we have to do this or we have to do that.....

Was it an exciting game....nope.....but we completely dominated from start to finish and won in convincing fashion.
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I agree, and I don't know what the deal is with these folks.

Are they video gamers, who think that's how football should be played?
 

I'm not sure how much "balance" people are looking for on a team with a top 5 national RB, but Minnesota dropped back to pass on like 15 of their first 35 plays. They weren't particularly memorable passing plays in this era of basketball on turf, but a few were critical completions and Morgan scrambled on a couple others.

The bottom line is the current WRs are just not very talented. That sucks and is 100% on the staff for not recruiting and developing well enough, and they'll have to fix that moving forward. For now, I think they're doing what they can and what they think gives them the best chance to win. I hope it works.
 

Defense was ELITE! Mo was awesome as usual! Passing game showed some life. Crawford and Kesich were/are great. Team avoided penalties and 'no win' situations. Still concerned about WR and QB play--game plan and opponent didn't require them to do much but wonder if they could have if we needed them to. All in all, a 31 point win against a 4-3 Big Ten Team, after what the team has experienced the last month, I am relieved, comforted...and a little bit hopeful. Me and my lady had a great time at the game!
 




MNVCGUY said:
It really never ceases to amaze me how hard people work to find ways not to enjoy things. We just got done shutting out a Big Ten opponent and there are already people complaining that we didn't do this or we didn't do that or we have to do this or we have to do that.....

Was it an exciting game....nope.....but we completely dominated from start to finish and won in convincing fashion.
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First big ten shutout since 2004 I think I heard. Also when was the last time we had 2 shutouts in one season?
 

Word said:
First big ten shutout since 2004 I think I heard. Also when was the last time we had 2 shutouts in one season?
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Good question, can't imagine it has happened much in the past 50+ years. Sure some old time teams had multiple shutouts back when the game was very different.
 

Hey PJ - I know you or Heather read GH. Please , your receivers lack the speed to get separation, please start running crossing patters so that the defender has to watch for traffic. Thus giving the receiver a chance. Best tight end pattern in football is the delay block than across the field. At the same time, how about a rub or pick play with your slot. Especially inside the red zone. Everyone runs this pattern except the Gophers.
 

GopherHole Staff said:
What say you GopherHolers, you feeling better after todays game?!
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No. All I can think about is what might have been. The team can't think that way and the coaches can't think that way. They've got to play every next game like its the most important one of the season. But fans have the luxury of looking back. And I'm looking back at 3 B1G losses in a row just as we were starting to get some national cred and exposure. Spanking Rutgers today does not assuage that much for me.
 
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When it’s all said and done at the end of the season I think that it’ll be safe to say 2 to 3 of our wins would of been loses without Mo. He probably gains 60 to 70% more yards than our other backs would gain.
 
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Literally fell asleep watching the replay just now.

Best part of the game was Matt Millen once again locking onto a player he likes and riding it into the ground, this time poor Gavin Wimsatt. Announcing “time to put the game on Wimsatt’s shoulders” right before Wimsatt launched a beautiful downfield intercepted pass was a satisfying moment for me, a real gem. Perfect comedic timing.

Other than that, Mo is a stallion. The Rutgers punter is great. Plenty of practice. Alas, this game feels like fool’s gold. Hard to get toooo excited but it’s always better to win than lose, and it was a team win today. Solid outing.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Alas, this game feels like fool’s gold. Hard to get toooo excited but it’s always better to win than lose, and it was a team win today. Solid outing.
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I get not getting overly excited about a win against a team like Rutgers but it should give people hope for a solid end to the season because what we have seen so far is that we dominate mediocre to bad teams and struggle against good ones. The rest of our schedule is filled with mediocre to bad teams.

Purdue is the one outlier this year. We were the better team but couldn't overcome not having Mo and made far too many unforced critical errors. Illinois and Penn State are both top 20 teams and played like it. Disappointing that we couldn't beat them but those are not bad losses from the standpoint of the quality of the opponent.

Looking Ahead:

Nebraska - mediocre to bad team, a few playmakers but just not a good all around team.
Northwestern - Bad team, losing to them would be super disappointing.
Iowa - Good Defense, bad offense. Will have to play well but very beatable if we don't beat ourselves with mistakes.
Wisconsin - Very mediocre team across the board.

3-1 or even 4-0 in that stretch is very doable if the team stays healthy and plays well.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I get not getting overly excited about a win against a team like Rutgers but it should give people hope for a solid end to the season because what we have seen so far is that we dominate mediocre to bad teams and struggle against good ones. The rest of our schedule is filled with mediocre to bad teams.

Purdue is the one outlier this year. We were the better team but couldn't overcome not having Mo and made far too many unforced critical errors. Illinois and Penn State are both top 20 teams and played like it. Disappointing that we couldn't beat them but those are not bad losses from the standpoint of the quality of the opponent.

Looking Ahead:

Nebraska - mediocre to bad team, a few playmakers but just not a good all around team.
Northwestern - Bad team, losing to them would be super disappointing.
Iowa - Good Defense, bad offense. Will have to play well but very beatable if we don't beat ourselves with mistakes.
Wisconsin - Very mediocre team across the board.

3-1 or even 4-0 in that stretch is very doable if the team stays healthy and plays well.
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Concur. Just need to execute and make it a November to remember.

If the Gophers pull out the next four we'll have The Broken Chair, Floyd, and The Axe all in Minneapolis. By any accounting that is a great season.

Seeing Illinois go further than us is very painful. Other goals may not be met but these trophy games do count. Ski U Mah...
 

MNVCGUY said:
It really never ceases to amaze me how hard people work to find ways not to enjoy things. We just got done shutting out a Big Ten opponent and there are already people complaining that we didn't do this or we didn't do that or we have to do this or we have to do that.....

Was it an exciting game....nope.....but we completely dominated from start to finish and won in convincing fashion.
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The day AP ran for 298 yards for the Vikes I texted a buddy and said "There will be a call on Whine Line where someone complains that they didn't find a way to get him 300". He laughed off the idea. Was literally the first call.

The average Minnesota Sports Fan is only happy when they are complaining. They are the most fragile fanbase I have ever seen.
 

RememberMurray said:
I'd love to see it.

I know people think Tanner Morgan is the problem, but it is the receiving corps that I suddenly have no confidence in. Catch the ball, adjust to the throw, get some separation. Please!

Also, can this o-line pass block? I'm not sure.
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100% agree with you on all of this.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
When it’s all said and done at the end of the season I think that it’ll be safe to say 2 to 3 of our wins would of been loses without Mo. He probably gains 60 to 70% more yards than our other backs would gain.
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I think Purdue is a W with Mo. As Burns said there were literally ZERO broken tackles by our backs in that game. No way that happens to Mo.
 

Had some folks by me losing their minds that we weren’t “throwing the ‘effin’ ball!!!” This, despite: our sustained early drive(s), our pass protection, our wrs strengths/weaknesses, the opponent and their obvious inability to strike quickly (i.e. mount a comeback), the situation(s) and game theory. Immediately after the last outburst, Mo rips off his 34 yd TD and puts the game to bed. So funny and perfect.

We are a flawed and incomplete team - and I have my own wishes/hopes about improving - but screaming to go vertical/aerial, yesterday, against that team, made and makes zero sense.
 

Dave H said:
The day AP ran for 298 yards for the Vikes I texted a buddy and said "There will be a call on Whine Line where someone complains that they didn't find a way to get him 300". He laughed off the idea. Was literally the first call.

The average Minnesota Sports Fan is only happy when they are complaining. They are the most fragile fanbase I have ever seen.
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I am sure other fanbases have their constant complainers. And the reality is that is a small portion of the fanbase they just also tend to be a really really vocal portion of the fanbase.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I am sure other fanbases have their constant complainers. And the reality is that is a small portion of the fanbase they just also tend to be a really really vocal portion of the fanbase.
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Every fanbase has some, our fanbases are filled with them. It is a lot of goalpost moving, woe is me BS across all sports. Massive inferiority complexes that never let them enjoy anything. And it isn't the minority, and it isn't new either.

This thread is the perfect microcosm of Minnesota sports fandom. Team struggles, everyone climbs to the highest peak ready to jump if things dont turn around, team rebounds, fans say it isn't good enough and they still are gonna jump because what does this mean for the future and who cares the world sucks and we will never be [insert rival here] and our coach is too old/young/fun/boring/stupid/smart/fashionable...etc! Rinse repeat.
 

Dave H said:
Every fanbase has some, our fanbases are filled with them. It is a lot of goalpost moving, woe is me BS across all sports. Massive inferiority complexes that never let them enjoy anything. And it isn't the minority, and it isn't new either.

This thread is the perfect microcosm of Minnesota sports fandom. Team struggles, everyone climbs to the highest peak ready to jump if things dont turn around, team rebounds, fans say it isn't good enough and they still are gonna jump because what does this mean for the future and who cares the world sucks and we will never be [insert rival here] and our coach is too old/young/fun/boring/stupid/smart/fashionable...etc! Rinse repeat.
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Yep, it is sad how hard some work not to enjoy things like sports.
 

spermophilus said:
We are a flawed and incomplete team - and I have my own wishes/hopes about improving - but screaming to go vertical/aerial, yesterday, against that team, made and makes zero sense.
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That is true but dedicated fans watching the Rutgers game can't help thinking:

Good teams probably won't let us rush for over 250 yards; and

Completion rate was fine and having no turnovers was even better but 5.8 yards per passing attempt may not be enough against better teams. Can something be done to shake these receivers free? One thing Rutgers did pretty well yesterday was stay on our receivers.
 

cjbfbp said:
That is true but dedicated fans watching the Rutgers game can't help thinking:

Good teams probably won't let us rush for over 250 yards; and

Completion rate was fine and having no turnovers was even better but 5.8 yards per passing attempt may not be enough against better teams. Can something be done to shake these receivers free? One thing Rutgers did pretty well yesterday was stay on our receivers.
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The only defense the rest of the way that is better than Rutgers is Iowa.
 

cjbfbp said:
That is true but dedicated fans watching the Rutgers game can't help thinking:

Good teams probably won't let us rush for over 250 yards; and

Completion rate was fine and having no turnovers was even better but 5.8 yards per passing attempt may not be enough against better teams. Can something be done to shake these receivers free? One thing Rutgers did pretty well yesterday was stay on our receivers.
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The passing game is limited by poor pass blocking and protection. Morgan needs to get rid of the ball before receivers have time to run medium or deep routes. This allows defenses to press receivers up tight and take away separation.

The Oline is not going to get better in the last third of the season. Morgan is not going to start eluding pressure in his last year.

The only possible change that might help is to play the quarterback who can move up or out of the pocket when pressure comes and buy the time needed for real routes to develop. This would also force the defense to cover the field.

I am not expecting the coaches to deviate from what we are doing.
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
The only defense the rest of the way that is better than Rutgers is Iowa.
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For the most part, Rutgers has done that against bad teams. Here are their results for the season:

1) a 1 point win over 2-6 Boston College
2) a huge win over a really terrible FCS team (Wagner)
3) a 2 point win over 2-6 Temple
4) a 17 point loss to Iowa, a credible team that is weak offensively
5) a 10-49 loss to OSU (it must be said that they held OSU to 413 yards total offense - surpassed by only Iowa and Notre Dame)
6) a 1 point loss to 3-5 Nebraska
7) a 1 score win over 3-5 Indiana
8) a blowout loss to us

Wisconsin is allowing 5.3 yards per play compared to Rutgers' 4.7 but Wisconsin's schedule to date includes 4 P5 teams with records of .500 or better (OSU, Illinois, Purdue, and Wash St).
 

MGGopher said:
I'm not sure how much "balance" people are looking for on a team with a top 5 national RB, but Minnesota dropped back to pass on like 15 of their first 35 plays. They weren't particularly memorable passing plays in this era of basketball on turf, but a few were critical completions and Morgan scrambled on a couple others.

The bottom line is the current WRs are just not very talented. That sucks and is 100% on the staff for not recruiting and developing well enough, and they'll have to fix that moving forward. For now, I think they're doing what they can and what they think gives them the best chance to win. I hope it works.
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Yeah if you introduce balance then… you get less yards because half the balance is not as good.

Yay?
 

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