Scoggins: Now that P.J. Fleck has a QB he can trust, it’s a whole new ballgame for Gophers

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short ornery norwegian said:
I think at least part of the issue is that the Gophers are just not a great running team this year. Fleck may be stubborn, but he's not crazy. So I think that the new focus on the passing game is partly by choice and partly by necessity.

last wk vs Maryland, Gophers had 29 rushing attempts for a net of 123 yards - an average of 4.2 yards/att. But - If you take out the 51-yr run by Darius Taylor, Gophers had 28 rushing attempts for 72 yards - an average of 2.6 yds/att.

even with the 51-yd run, Taylor averaged 5.4 yds/att. without that run, he had 30 yds in 14 att - 2.1 yds/att.
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We definitely don't seem to have the ability to just line up and run it down a teams throat this year the way we have in previous years.

So kudos to the coaches for realizing that and employing a short passing game that plays to the strengths of Brosmer and also allows Taylor to use his abilities as a pass catcher to get the ball in space and make things happen.

The great thing about having a guy like Taylor though is that even if he is struggling, the home run potential is always there and it is something defenses always have to keep in the back of their mind.
 

MNVCGUY said:
We definitely don't seem to have the ability to just line up and run it down a teams throat this year the way we have in previous years.

So kudos to the coaches for realizing that and employing a short passing game that plays to the strengths of Brosmer and also allows Taylor to use his abilities as a pass catcher to get the ball in space and make things happen.

The great thing about having a guy like Taylor though is that even if he is struggling, the home run potential is always there and it is something defenses always have to keep in the back of their mind.
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Exactly right. MN doesn't need to run the same scheme every single year, the coaches should be tailoring their scheme to what they have talent wise.

Last season, Darius proved to us all that he is a talented RB, but it is amazing to see the coaches tap into his pass-catching skills as a former WR.

It is also refreshing to see the coaches adjust the offensive play-calling based on what the defense is giving them. The teams we have played have sold out to stop the run (UCLA did non-stop run blitzing) or have elite run defenses (Iowa, Michigan, even Maryland). When you have a Max Brosmer at QB, you can actually abandon the run to win games.

It feels like we haven't seen this kind of adjustment before under Fleck. Hard to know if this is Fleck changing or if the Gophers just haven't had the talent to pull it off before. Either way, it is fun to watch!
 


On the offensive line,

Maybe they aren’t doing a great job of run blocking, but there have been a couple games where Max hasn’t been sacked. 1 where he wasn’t hit! Combine that with the increase in pass plays and this line looks pretty damn good at pass blocking.

Will this help the draft status of Ersery and Carrol?
 

I think if our run game was as good as it had been in years past we would see a less even split, and still favor the run, but it would be closer to an even split than in recent years because we'd also be able to take advantage of Brosmer's passing ability.

Regardless, it's a good sign that we've been able to adjust to our player's strengths better than we have in the past IMO.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
I think at least part of the issue is that the Gophers are just not a great running team this year. Fleck may be stubborn, but he's not crazy. So I think that the new focus on the passing game is partly by choice and partly by necessity.

last wk vs Maryland, Gophers had 29 rushing attempts for a net of 123 yards - an average of 4.2 yards/att. But - If you take out the 51-yr run by Darius Taylor, Gophers had 28 rushing attempts for 72 yards - an average of 2.6 yds/att.

even with the 51-yd run, Taylor averaged 5.4 yds/att. without that run, he had 30 yds in 14 att - 2.1 yds/att.
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The focus on the passing game is an offensive strategy triggered by the acquisition of Brosmer. The running game will be a continuing focus yet because the purpose of the offense is to be balanced and force the defense to cover the whole field.

The glitch is simply the shocking fall off at offensive line. But you can't stop running because it is integral to the strategy of balanced offense and keeping the defense honest.

Nobody, including most of all Fleck and Harbaugh is happy with averaging two and a half yards a carry. But you keep doing it because it serves a purpose.
 


Dakota2 said:
The focus on the lack of a passing game as an offensive strategy triggered by the acquisition of Brosmer. The running game will be a continuing focus yet because the purpose of the offense is to be balanced and force the defense to cover the whole field.

The glitch is simply the shocking fall off at offensive line. But you can't stop running because it is integral to the strategy of balanced offense and keeping the defense honest.

Nobody, including most of all Fleck and Harbaugh is happy with averaging two and a half yards a carry. But you keep doing it because it serves a purpose.
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FIFY
 

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