RandBall: Gophers football: Can this season be saved? We'll know more Saturday

[BleedGopher]

per RandBall:

To Rush's point, though, if the Gophers come out Saturday, execute their game plan and win as a two-touchdown favorite against Rutgers, the narrative will be that they are back on track and carrying momentum into the final four games of the season.


It would be easier to imagine the Gophers racking up more wins after Saturday if they win Saturday. As writers, we like to look ahead and imagine narratives. As players, particularly in P.J. Fleck's program, the focus is singular.

"Just knowing that we're coming out to play a game. You can't be any more grateful about that," Rush said. "All the talk about what-ifs and stuff, it doesn't really come across to me as something that's important. This is the week that's important."

But can it still be a successful season if the biggest prizes — a Big Ten title, possible national recognition — have been eradicated by this three-game losing streak?

It's all a matter of perspective.

"We have five games left in the season. We kind of coined it GFP — Gopher Football Playoff," Rush said. "We're going to play these five games — starting with Rutgers and [it] being the most important one because it's next — just go one game at a time, continue our process. In the end, we'll look up and see where we're at.''

Gophers football: Can this season be saved? We'll know more Saturday

Philosophical questions after a three-game losing streak illustrate the difference in how things look from the outside vs. the inside of the program.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gold Rush]

I would agree this season can still be saved with a win on Saturday but the reverse may also be true. A loss here and the rest of the season is probably toast. You are probably looking at 5-7 at best.

This IS a must-win game.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I'm excited that we qualified for the first GFP!

 

[mnsportsgeek]

"All the talk about what-ifs and stuff, it doesn't really come across to me as something that's important."

Glad we've moved on from the goal of winning the division. I guess we'll always have that co-title to look back on.

 

[metrolax]

There was chat about 1982 a few threads ago, but there is another frame of reference that comes to mind. In 1978, Texas A&M opened up 4-0, completely dominating their first four opponents much in the same manner as the Gophers this season. They were riding high, and many considered Emory Ballard's Aggies as a dark-horse contender for national honors. Sound familiar?

They then went to Houston to play Bill Yoeman's UH Cougars and got blasted 33-0. It was a long bus ride back to College Station. Expectations in Aggieland had grown high under Ballard's watch. The following week they got beat by Grant Taeff's Baylor Bears, 24-9. Despite all his success, and despite being the virtual inventor of the wishbone offense, Ballard resigned as A&M head coach.

Either the wheels were going to fall off completely or they would rally. Remember, the SWC had some great teams back then. Not just Baylor and UH, but Fred Akers was at Texas and Lou Holtz was at Arkansas also. Texas Tech was also strong.

Tom Wilson, an assistant, took the reigns for the remainder of the season. They did not exactly dominate their opposition, but finished the regular season 7-4, and then knocked off Earle Bruce's Iowa State team in the Hall of Fame Bowl to finish 8-4.

While they may not have had a season that was reflective of the first four weeks, they still went out and made something of it. The Gophers can still do that also.

 

[cjbfbp]

There was chat about 1982 a few threads ago, but there is another frame of reference that comes to mind. In 1978, Texas A&M opened up 4-0, completely dominating their first four opponents much in the same manner as the Gophers this season. They were riding high, and many considered Emory Ballard's Aggies as a dark-horse contender for national honors. Sound familiar?

They then went to Houston to play Bill Yoeman's UH Cougars and got blasted 33-0. It was a long bus ride back to College Station. Expectations in Aggieland had grown high under Ballard's watch. The following week they got beat by Grant Taeff's Baylor Bears, 24-9. Despite all his success, and despite being the virtual inventor of the wishbone offense, Ballard resigned as A&M head coach.

Either the wheels were going to fall off completely or they would rally. Remember, the SWC had some great teams back then. Not just Baylor and UH, but Fred Akers was at Texas and Lou Holtz was at Arkansas also. Texas Tech was also strong.

Tom Wilson, an assistant, took the reigns for the remainder of the season. They did not exactly dominate their opposition, but finished the regular season 7-4, and then knocked off Earle Bruce's Iowa State team in the Hall of Fame Bowl to finish 8-4.

While they may not have had a season that was reflective of the first four weeks, they still went out and made something of it. The Gophers can still do that also.

Good story! Thanks for posting that one. The last sentence is the critical one to keep in mind.

 

[Allshade]

There was chat about 1982 a few threads ago, but there is another frame of reference that comes to mind. In 1978, Texas A&M opened up 4-0, completely dominating their first four opponents much in the same manner as the Gophers this season. They were riding high, and many considered Emory Ballard's Aggies as a dark-horse contender for national honors. Sound familiar?

They then went to Houston to play Bill Yoeman's UH Cougars and got blasted 33-0. It was a long bus ride back to College Station. Expectations in Aggieland had grown high under Ballard's watch. The following week they got beat by Grant Taeff's Baylor Bears, 24-9. Despite all his success, and despite being the virtual inventor of the wishbone offense, Ballard resigned as A&M head coach.

Either the wheels were going to fall off completely or they would rally. Remember, the SWC had some great teams back then. Not just Baylor and UH, but Fred Akers was at Texas and Lou Holtz was at Arkansas also. Texas Tech was also strong.

Tom Wilson, an assistant, took the reigns for the remainder of the season. They did not exactly dominate their opposition, but finished the regular season 7-4, and then knocked off Earle Bruce's Iowa State team in the Hall of Fame Bowl to finish 8-4.

While they may not have had a season that was reflective of the first four weeks, they still went out and made something of it. The Gophers can still do that also.

So, you're saying PJ should resign? (Tongue in cheek).

 

[CentralGopher]

I think even an ugly win will leave more questions than answers for the rest of the season.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I think even an ugly win will leave more questions than answers for the rest of the season.

I've never understood the obsession with ugly wins (or moral victories). In 2019, we had three games against out of conference opponents that generated a lot of concern, and we went on to go 11-2 and finish top 10. This year, we beat down our out of conference opponents and one bad in conference opponent, and then crapped the bed three times in a row. I'm not convinced that how convincingly we beat a bad opponent matters at all. If we finish with more points than Rutgers, I'll be smiling.

 

[CentralGopher]

I've never understood the obsession with ugly wins (or moral victories). In 2019, we had three games against out of conference opponents that generated a lot of concern, and we went on to go 11-2 and finish top 10. This year, we beat down our out of conference opponents and one bad in conference opponent, and then crapped the bed three times in a row. I'm not convinced that how convincingly we beat a bad opponent matters at all. If we finish with more points than Rutgers, I'll be smiling.

I’m not talking ugly in the sense of the final score but if we continue to show zero ability to throw the ball I doubt many people will predict a bunch of wins in the remaining games.

 

[MGGopher]

Recency bias is just brutal in sports fandom. I'm as in the dumps as the rest of you, but this is the same team that decimated MSU in East Lansing. The book has ALWAYS been out on how to stop Minnesota on O -- the question is whether a team has the personnel to do it. The last 3 teams they've played have been talented enough (and gotten the breaks) to do so. We'll see if Rutgers does.

Win out or go 4-1 with nice wins over Wisc and Iowa followed by a good bowl win and most will forgive.