Pump the brakes boys: We transformed our entire offensive identity while adding new coaching and turning over our roster. Hiccups are bound to happen.

[btowngopher]

All of us are hungry for big plays. But with this offense it seems to be very difficult to achieve. It’s as if PJ would prefer 4 10 yd. plays versus 1 40 yd. play. “Helps win the TOP.” As if we get extra credit .

Pretty sure Fleck preferred that we would have completed the half dozen long balls we put up vs UNC.

 

[btowngopher]

Agree with the initial comment completely. I do believe that AK has to be held to a higher standard than when ML was here though. Time to quit babying him and allow him to make plays and mistakes. It would be nice if we gave him something quick or a high percetage throw once in awhile.

They give him plenty of quick and high percentage throws, screens, early down throws etc. It’s way better than when Sanford was OC.

 

[thor]

From what I've seen so far the scheme seems to be fine. Skill guys are open a fair amount. Play calling has been okay IMO. It's the QB coach I worry about. Have to teach proper footwork, mechanics, progression, along with many other skills. Haven't seen that development from QBs this season I hoped for.

I'm confident QBs will see improvement moving forward.

 

[Dakota2]

Dylan Wright would be the 3rd or 4th receiver on this team and only had 17 catches in 12 games. That is hardly a safety net.

I'll take Crooms, Jackson, and Brockington over him and if we ever see CrAB return to form.

We have three good

Dylan Wright would be the 3rd or 4th receiver on this team and only had 17 catches in 12 games. That is hardly a safety net.

I'll take Crooms, Jackson, and Brockington over him and if we ever see CrAB return to form.

We have three good receivers plus CRAB if he gets ready. Brockington is better than anyone knows. Also, I’m not giving up on Spencer yet. He has a long history of being good. Hard to understand why he has two catches and two drops on the numbers.

 

[Dakota2]

Good thing that most of our division seems to be experiencing similar circumstances. Glad our issues are happening this season instead of next year. Although we play OSU, Michigan, and UNC this year, most of the rest of our opponents appear to be a bit worse than usual at this point of the season.

Hate it when new players show up and don’t have a couple years to get used to system and QB. Like McCollum who flew in from Georgia Tech and caught 15 balls the first day he touched the field.

 

[PMWinSTP]

You would run a guy 35 times when he was fighting cramps? To establish TOP? Brilliant. No separation by WRs? Jackson beat his guy by 10 yards on the Kramer pass. Kramer had an unblocked blitzer in his face which caused him to turn his body slightly, altering the throw.

Watch the film and discuss what really happened. The play call was great, the receiver was open. Someone missed a blocking assignment.

Not sure what you are looking at, the guy who got in on Kramer was a lineman who was able to get off his block. The blitz was picked up was blocked. The guy who intercepted was the deep cover over the top and picked up the coverage as Jackson got closer to the endzone

 

[Go Gophs]

We had 2 NFL WR's that were big-brothering secondaries all over the country. After that, having a guy like Dylan Wright was a huge safety net for us. Look, I'll never discount the role that Mo played for this program, but we also had weapons on the outside that could, and did, bail us out when we needed it. We don't have those guys at WR this year

Yes they do. This WR corp is good. This is on the QB mostly.

It's OK to admit that AK has been nothing but bad so far. As in much worse than he was last year and much worse than anything TM gave you. He HAS to play better. That is a fact. I think he can and will. I am not certain if it will come this year though, he makes some mind boggling throws into double and triple coverage at times and seems to favor the deep ball almost every time.

This team's offense is the same it has been for years. Hand the ball off a zillion times and try to shorten the game. That is how we will win now and likely into the future. That is the only way to win when you aren't able to outrecruit anyone. It is what it is. Minnesota is almost impossible to recruit to.

 

[Go Gophs]

The Gophers need to be able to pass to win the west. That's the desire.

We've proven we can run the ball to 8 or 9 wins and falling short of a west title for a decade. If we can't pass, we won't win the west. Again.

Iowa has won the west playing a game of football that died in the 70s.

 

[RememberMurray]

The Kramer play was wide open. Make a throw. There’s no momentum when your qb goes out injured. People assume we could have just ran it over and over and scored a td on that drive, like they wouldn’t expect us to run it with the back up qb. The wrs got separation down field multiple times and we couldn’t hit them once.

EXACTLY!!!!

If they call no deep passes, it's bad play-calling.

If they call a deep pass and it doesn't work, it's bad play-calling.

If the QB throws a bad pass high and behind a tight end, he tips it and it's picked, it's bad play-calling.

If they can't run the ball (against Nebraska), it's bad play-calling.

Broken record.

 

[Go Gophs]

All of us are hungry for big plays. But with this offense it seems to be very difficult to achieve. It’s as if PJ would prefer 4 10 yd. plays versus 1 40 yd. play. “Helps win the TOP.” As if we get extra credit .

This is how you win when you are out-talented. You can flat out win games with your conditioning this way. Newsflash, our rosters isn't full of 4 and 5 star guys. We have to win ugly. It is what it is. PJ understands this.

 

[RememberMurray]

Yes they do. This WR corp is good. This is on the QB and offensive playcalling.

It's OK to admit that AK has been nothing but bad so far. As in much worse than he was last year and much worse than anything TM gave you. He HAS to play better. That is a fact. I think he can and will. I am not certain if it will come this year though, he makes some mind boggling throws into double and triple coverage at times and seems to favor the deep ball almost every time.

This team's offense is the same it has been for years. Hand the ball off a zillion times and try to shorten the game. That is how we will win now and likely into the future. That is the only way to win when you aren't able to outrecruit anyone. It is what it is. Minnesota is almost impossible to recruit to.

Spot on.

The receivers this season are better than last season.

Dylan Wright had a million chances here and never really blossomed. The same can be said for Mike Brown-Stephens.

Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin need to run the ball to win at a certain level, because those schools almost never recruit Ohio State-level athletes. Wisconsin appears to be moving away from the run-first philosophy now, and we'll have an opportunity to watch and see how that works out for them. Meanwhile, Iowa remains the same as they have been forever. The Wisconsin vs Iowa comparison will be fascinating to follow going forward.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Iowa has won the west playing a game of football that died in the 70s.

Iowa has only won the west twice, and in 2015 they had a solid QB in CJ Bethard.

In 2021 their QB play was pretty terrible, but it was Petras best season. The difference in the division that year was Alex Padilla playing the best game of his career and outplaying Tanner Morgan in Iowa City. Then they were destroyed by Michigan in the B1G title game.

 

[RememberMurray]

Iowa has only won the west twice, and in 2015 they had a solid QB in CJ Bethard.

In 2021 their QB play was pretty terrible, but it was Petras best season. The difference in the division that year was Alex Padilla playing the best game of his career and outplaying Tanner Morgan in Iowa City. Then they were destroyed by Michigan in the B1G title game.

Michigan is another interesting case.

As a true helmet school, they usually have a lot of success recruiting amazing athletes. Yet they choose to be quite run-oriented, and recently that philosophy seems to be working quite well for them. They certainly seem to have the Buckeyes back on their heels a bit.

 

[Go Gophs]

Iowa has only won the west twice, and in 2015 they had a solid QB in CJ Bethard.

In 2021 their QB play was pretty terrible, but it was Petras best season. The difference in the division that year was Alex Padilla playing the best game of his career and outplaying Tanner Morgan in Iowa City. Then they were destroyed by Michigan in the B1G title game.

OK, let's use Wisconsin then. Same game plan, same level of talent. A bunch of West titles.

 

[MNfootballfan]

We have three good

We have three good receivers plus CRAB if he gets ready. Brockington is better than anyone knows. Also, I’m not giving up on Spencer yet. He has a long history of being good. Hard to understand why he has two catches and two drops on the numbers.

Agree with everything you said.

Although, I really thought Spencer and Crooms would be having opposite seasons with Spencer leading the group and Crooms with a couple of catches.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

OK, let's use Wisconsin then. Same game plan, same level of talent. A bunch of West titles.

Not many lately though. How many did Mertz win? Coan had a very good season in 2019 and the reason the Gophers didn't win the west was because he was dropping dimes in the snow. Prior to that, Hornibrook wasn't a world beater, but he still completed 62% of his passes and threw for 25 TDs in 2017.

Their QB play was not good 2014 and prior, but they had guys like Melvin Gordon, James White and Montee Ball at RB, and the Gophers have not had RBs that could hit homeruns like they could since Barber and Maroney. That was also nearly a decade ago and the game has changed quite a bit since then.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

Michigan is another interesting case.

As a true helmet school, they usually have a lot of success recruiting amazing athletes. Yet they choose to be quite run-oriented, and recently that philosophy seems to be working quite well for them. They certainly seem to have the Buckeyes back on their heels a bit.

I have nothing against being a run first team and I think the Gophers should always be built as a run first and defensive oriented team. But QB play is what separates the Gophers from taking the next step. Harbaugh was on the hot seat then McNamara helped get them past Ohio St and a B1G championship. Now McCarthy may be the reason they win it all this year.

This Gopher season will go as far as AK can take them. If he progresses and finds the consistency he had against WI and to start the Syracuse game, then I think they win the west. If AK remains near the bottom of the B1G in most QB categories, they won't win the west, and they may struggle to make it to a bowl game.

 

[RememberMurray]

I have nothing against being a run first team and I think the Gophers should always be built as a run first and defensive oriented team. But QB play is what separates the Gophers from taking the next step. Harbaugh was on the hot seat then McNamara helped get them past Ohio St and a B1G championship. Now McCarthy may be the reason they win it all this year.

This Gopher season will go as far as AK can take them. If he progresses and finds the consistency he had against WI and to start the Syracuse game, then I think they win the west. If AK remains near the bottom of the B1G in most QB categories, they won't win the west, and they may struggle to make it to a bowl game.

I agree with everything you said.

I wonder, though... taking into account Kaliakmanis' relative lack of football experience, and adding in Taylor's obvious talent plus our o-line's seemingly above-average run-blocking abilities...

... would it be the dumbest thing in the world to stay with the quasi-"Mo" offense (post-Mo), for this season, at least? Would it be a mistake to give Kaliakmanis a chance to get some sea legs, before we expect him to be Drake Maye or Patrick Mahomes?

 

[btowngopher]

I agree with everything you said.

I wonder, though... taking into account Kaliakmanis' relative lack of football experience, and adding in Taylor's obvious talent plus our o-line's seemingly above-average run-blocking abilities...

... would it be the dumbest thing in the world to stay with the quasi-"Mo" offense (post-Mo), for this season, at least? Would it be a mistake to give Kaliakmanis a chance to get some sea legs, before we expect him to be Drake Maye or Patrick Mahomes?

I think we should definitely lean on the run game especially when it is clicking.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

You would run a guy 35 times when he was fighting cramps? To establish TOP? Brilliant. No separation by WRs? Jackson beat his guy by 10 yards on the Kramer pass. Kramer had an unblocked blitzer in his face which caused him to turn his body slightly, altering the throw.

Watch the film and discuss what really happened. The play call was great, the receiver was open. Someone missed a blocking assignment.

Right and he wasn’t able to step into the throw. He should have released it a half second earlier

 

[UpAndUnder43]

We had 2 NFL WR's that were big-brothering secondaries all over the country. After that, having a guy like Dylan Wright was a huge safety net for us. Look, I'll never discount the role that Mo played for this program, but we also had weapons on the outside that could, and did, bail us out when we needed it. We don't have those guys at WR this year

Ahh yes. The great Dylan Wright. With stats like 35 catches and 3 touchdowns in 24 games I can see how he is irreplaceable.

 

[Some Day...Maybe]

Just got a chance to watch that game.

• NC is not a top 20 team
• Athan started out very much off, & once he got better his receivers dropped balls
• Cole Kramer was a thousand times worse than Athan. That throw from a sr. was indescribable. Would love to hear his explanation.
• Need more of Brockington and less of Spencer
• Need Autman Bell
• Stop trying so hard to get the ball to BSF
• Play calling in the red zone & on short yardage continues to be terrible.
• Play calling in general not good.
• It’s too bad, because this group of players could be really good.

With all that being said, I have hope for this week. However, long term this season, I don’t have a lot of hope. MI, OSU, IA we don’t seem to have a chance without massive improvement. Guessing this season will not match expectations. I’ll gladly be wrong.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

I agree with everything you said.

I wonder, though... taking into account Kaliakmanis' relative lack of football experience, and adding in Taylor's obvious talent plus our o-line's seemingly above-average run-blocking abilities...

... would it be the dumbest thing in the world to stay with the quasi-"Mo" offense (post-Mo), for this season, at least? Would it be a mistake to give Kaliakmanis a chance to get some sea legs, before we expect him to be Drake Maye or Patrick Mahomes?

I don't think anyone is expecting him to be Maye or Mahomes. Most including myself were expecting him to improve upon some of the success he had last season, but so far he has regressed.

I get that experience is part of the issue, but shouldn't that have been a bigger issue last year? He's now had a full offseason, spring and fall camps being the #1 QB, and so far the results have been worse despite having more experience under his belt.

As far as using the Mo offense again, I don't think we should be giving a true FR 30+ carries every game despite how talented Taylor is. Plus we need to develop AK and a better passing game at some point, delaying that another year hurts AK, hurts the WRs, and hurts recruiting at those positions.

 

[I'm A Maroon 2!]

I read the title and thought a badger fan made the post. Weird.

 

[MplsGopher]

Forgot about one thing: recall there was that open practice this fall camp where AK didn’t throw. Fleck did his thing where he claims the training staff gets to dictate the football team.

Did something happen this fall, that he (still) hasn’t recovered fully from?

Tennis elbow? Sprained UCL? Separated shoulder? (Obviously talking about throwing arm side.)


If it was something like that … how the hell hasn't it leaked out?? Fleck threaten torture on leakers?

 

[Mr. 131]

This entire forum needs to go on a collective meditation retreat and seems to have amnesia over what has transpired over the last offseason with regards to roster overhaul, new coaching, and implementing a new offensive philosophy.

Until we square away our OC situation and recruit better athletes at WR, this will take some time. I'm still convinced we have enough guys to make some plays and put up points on the board.

Now, if this trend continues for the next 2-3 years (PJ refusing to make difficult decisions with his staff) then I'd start to worry too. But we aren't tOSU or Michigan, we don't have a pantry full of 4 stars to pull from at the skill positions and high caliber OC's lining up to run our offense

I don't peruse every thread - but I haven't noticed any knee jerk reactions beyond a few wanting our OC gone. What have you been noticing? (No sarcasm intended here homie, just curious)

You did say something that I think gets to the heart of frustration - on the one hand you're saying we need to square away our OC situation and recruit better athletes at WR, but on the other you're saying we have enough guys to make plays and put points up. Those two sentiments are somewhat at odds with one another, but I think most posters fall on the latter side of those statements - that we do in fact have plenty of playmakers at skill positions.

I believe ol Mr. Burns has gone on record multiple times saying this WR core is deep and has plenty of talent.

Lack of execution from our QB, a middling identity crisis, and some critical drops are why this offense looks so shabby from where I sit. AK is just flat out missing on some routes where points are there for the taking, and guys like BSF have reverted back to the mean - frankly, I've never been super high on him.
SKI U MAH, baby!

 

[Go Gophs]

Not many lately though. How many did Mertz win? Coan had a very good season in 2019 and the reason the Gophers didn't win the west was because he was dropping dimes in the snow. Prior to that, Hornibrook wasn't a world beater, but he still completed 62% of his passes and threw for 25 TDs in 2017.

Their QB play was not good 2014 and prior, but they had guys like Melvin Gordon, James White and Montee Ball at RB, and the Gophers have not had RBs that could hit homeruns like they could since Barber and I Maroney. That was also nearly a decade ago and the game has changed quite a bit since then.

I mean, look at the names you are listing as QB's there. None were really very good if you are being honest. None can compare to guys that were and are being run out by PSU, OSU or almost any team south of the Mason Dixon line.

MN, IA, WI, NW, etc have to win ugly or they don't win. Flat out these teams skill players just aren't at the level of Ohio State, Penn State, SEC, ACC teams. It just is what it is.

I do however agree with you that even in these systems a decent to good QB is what seperates them from the rest of the teams in the West.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Right and he wasn’t able to step into the throw. He should have released it a half second earlier

See post #35.

 

[Dakota2]

IMO, it looked like either Kramer threw to the wrong space, OR the intended receiver ran the route wrong. I still disagree with the call, but it was a player execution error that lead to the interception.

Obviously Cole threw to the wrong place. Jackson ran a great route and had the defender going the wrong direction.

The

I agree with everything you said.

I wonder, though... taking into account Kaliakmanis' relative lack of football experience, and adding in Taylor's obvious talent plus our o-line's seemingly above-average run-blocking abilities...

... would it be the dumbest thing in the world to stay with the quasi-"Mo" offense (post-Mo), for this season, at least? Would it be a mistake to give Kaliakmanis a chance to get some sea legs, before we expect him to be Drake Maye or Patrick Mahomes?

60/40 run/pass ratio is about right. AK will be ok.

 

[Dakota2]

I think we should definitely lean on the run game especially when it is clicking.

Can’t fully lean on run game rest of year without a reliable second back. The odds of Taylor playing 13 games (14 total with just one carry in first one) with 30 or more carries a game are remote.

Someone has to help out.