SOUND OFF! Post-Game Thread: Gophers Lose Heartbreaker to Hawkeyes, Again, Fleck Remains Winless vs Iowa.

Because iowa watched film on how bad gopher linebackers can't defend the tight ends I have watch that all year
I never want to see #55 take another snap again, period. I don't give a crap bout his love of Cuban food or what a great run stopper he is, the guy just blows.

The fact is that the great PJ cannot recruit talent at LB, and when when he rarely does get a 3-4 star guy, they end up never playing and leave. The LB play with Fleck's recruits is almost as bad as the Glen Mason era of wretchedness. At this point I'd take a 2 star Kill type player over anything PJ gets done with the defense.
 

We need a much better punter and punt defense if we are going to play this way next year.
I thought the game would be won by Iowa because of their punter. It didn’t quite work that way but we should expect above average special teams starting next year.
 


After yet another letdown, PJ needs to decide if he’d rather win the time of possession or win the game. If he’d rather win the rushing yardage or win the game. The only stat that matters is final score. His game strategy isn’t winning what matters. I thought that when we let Mason go we were finally done with run-only offense. But if anything, we’re more run-heavy now than we were under Mase.
 



Been doing my best to avoid watching football after the Purdue loss then IL. As a fan sometimes you hope if you dont watch they’ll do better. They won some more games.

Fleck has raised the bar and our hopes as well.

He clearly does not believe that our current receivers are ready for a more balanced offensive attack, and that last INT will not help.

NIL has changed the recruiting landscape as well.

Next year is going to be tough, so I hope we surprise one or two games maybe.

His seat is not hot, he’s even alluded to being told all that matters is that you beat WI. For so long thats all we cared about. Now that its become a series again, we have moved onto bigger goals.

I can wait two more years, lets see where we are then. I remember when we were elated to just make a bowl game, that wasnt so long ago.
 


I never want to see #55 take another snap again, period. I don't give a crap bout his love of Cuban food or what a great run stopper he is, the guy just blows.
Was at the game and I couldn’t see who blew their assignment on the first play of the game (interior TE screen but I’m guessing it was MSM. Lindenberg absolutely read and blew it up when Iowa tried to run it a second time.
That T Smith tip opportunity wasn’t easy with the deflection happening right in front of him but that would have been another winning play. I will miss Nubin and T Smith but Smith had a few shoulda been picked balls this year and a couple of them would have changed the game.
 






Been doing my best to avoid watching football after the Purdue loss then IL. As a fan sometimes you hope if you dont watch they’ll do better. They won some more games.

Fleck has raised the bar and our hopes as well.

He clearly does not believe that our current receivers are ready for a more balanced offensive attack, and that last INT will not help.

NIL has changed the recruiting landscape as well.

Next year is going to be tough, so I hope we surprise one or two games maybe.

His seat is not hot, he’s even alluded to being told all that matters is that you beat WI. For so long thats all we cared about. Now that its become a series again, we have moved onto bigger goals.

I can wait two more years, lets see where we are then. I remember when we were elated to just make a bowl game, that wasnt so long ago.
Did Dylan Wright die this week or is he just back in the doghouse?
 

If we were more aggressive AK probably throws 3 ints. We were running great. Just couldn’t finish.
Exactly there were several drives where Mo seemed to be averaging 7 yards per carry. The Gophers were kicking their butts but made three big mistakes. I don’t fault the coach for that but the last 30 seconds of the game were pretty bad.
 



Was at the game and I couldn’t see who blew their assignment on the first play of the game (interior TE screen but I’m guessing it was MSM. Lindenberg absolutely read and blew it up when Iowa tried to run it a second time.
That T Smith tip opportunity wasn’t easy with the deflection happening right in front of him but that would have been another winning play. I will miss Nubin and T Smith but Smith had a few shoulda been picked balls this year and a couple of them would have changed the game.
In fairness to MSM 55 I have no idea if he blew the coverage or not on the big early play to #84, but I just assume he is at fault after seeing over the years how worthless he is in pass coverage.

To make it much worse our DC keeps putting him out there in situations where he has no chance to do anything but fail, so it does not really matter.
 

If PJ loosens the noose on anything other than Mo, you may have a point. As it stands, no.
I assumed you were talking about that drive specifically. There’s nothing on that drive that indicates they were playing not to lose. Other times, absolutely.
 

It is simply ASTOUNDING to me that our offensive minds did not introduce ONE SINGLE WRINKLE to the offensive game plan for Iowa. Not one! We have had weeks to prepare for this defense which we knew was going to be tough. We did nothing more than what we do every week.

After Georgia beat the brakes off Tennessee and shut down their vaunted offense, Kirby Smart said that 3 weeks ago he told Will Muschamp to lock himself in a office and do nothing but game plan Tennessee. PJ should have had KC or and assistant do the same thing for the best defense in the league. Instead, they did NOTHING. I know you have some limitations with AK8 due to his inexperience, but you can’t curl up in the fetal position because of that inexperience. To recycle the exact same game plan you have trotted out there for 10 weeks is poor coaching, plain and simple. It played right into Iowa’s hands and they knew that is what PJ would do. They seen it year after year.
I don’t think putting the game in Athan’s hands would have been the way to go. The Gophers ran all over Iowa but just like last year, Iowa players made winning plays and our Gophers made mistakes.
 

Ever since the infamous Bowling Green game, it seems Fleck has been so hesitant to go for it on 4th and short. There are times it makes perfect sense, esp. with this running attack. That was so costly in this game.
 


Minnesota managed to make Iowa's wretched QB look like a younger Tom Brady today They guy looked loose standing back in the pocket looking to sling it, with zero pressure at all. They actually tried to move the ball in negative territory with under a minute left in the half.
 

Ever since the infamous Bowling Green game, it seems Fleck has been so hesitant to go for it on 4th and short. There are times it makes perfect sense, esp. with this running attack. That was so costly in this game.

Fleck loves going for it on 4th down...when on his own 30 yard line.
 

In fairness to MSM 55 I have no idea if he blew the coverage or not on the big early play to #84, but I just assume he is at fault after seeing over the years how worthless he is in pass coverage.

To make it much worse our DC keeps putting him out there in situations where he has no chance to do anything but fail, so it does not really matter.
Also on that play, Iowa had 2 lineman 10 yards down field. For a game that ended with 0 penalties, that was an easy one. Maybe the TE was behind the line of scrimmage, but I don't think so
 

You're one of the least educated posters on here - other than the Sconny and Iowa trolls. It's like reading Matt Birk's inner dialogue
Listen Mark, I’m no Matt Birk fan but losing to Iowa for nigh on a decade is starting to piss me off.
 

I don’t think putting the game in Athan’s hands would have been the way to go. The Gophers ran all over Iowa but just like last year, Iowa players made winning plays and our Gophers made mistakes.
Putting the game in his hands isn’t exactly what I meant. How about some two back sets with Mo and Potts (or Evans) to give Iowa something new to see?? What about some misdirections or a reverse? We did NOTHING different from what we do every single week.
 

Reminded me of the close games between Murray Warmath and Bob Devaney. Warmath would play it conservative, running a lot, ball control, clock. Then Devaney would beat him with a couple of big plays, typically long passes for scores. The deficit in yardage, clock, first downs, didn't bother Devaney.
 

Our offense is really scary to think about next year. We just have nothing other than Mo.
Fleck needs from the portal a couple of running backs and at least three receivers so that AK can unload next year. Generally, the offensive line was good this year and the defense good in most games.
 


Fire Fleck crowd coming in hot after this game. I agree that he became too conservative in second half. But Mo was moving the ball. PJ has now lost to Iowa two straight games where we outplayed them. Agree that he needs to roll the dice more often against that team as history shows we are not likely to beat them at their game.
I agree if you mean that we need to do something to create a big gain. Its just too hard to take 18 plays to drive down the field. We will eventually make a mistake or get a drive killing penalty. The drive where Mo fumbled I was hoping against hope that they would go up top and try something long, or like everyone, hoping that Mo would break a long run. As we all know, neither of those things happened and in our attempt to grind it out we a mistake that cost us. Let's at least beat Wisconsin.
 
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I just saw the interception replay. I couldn't find a slow motion replay. It looked like a good pass, but the ball (I think) bounced off the top of Brockington's helmet with the defender on his back. How is that is even possible? Either our receivers are some of the worst of all times, or that was pass interference. Or maybe the Gophs are just cursed.
 

I just saw the interception replay. I couldn't find a slow motion replay. It looked like a good pass, but the ball (I think) bounced off the top of Brockington's helmet with the defender on his back. How is that is even possible? Either our receivers are some of the worst of all times, or that was pass interference. Or maybe the Gophs are just cursed.
I didn’t see anything at all wrong with the pass. It was pretty much dead on the money. The defender got a hand in there and made a great play. That interception is not on Athan.
 





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