STrib: Gophers' control-the-clock strategy foiled by their abysmal defense

[BleedGopher]

per Randy:

The strategy is as old as the game itself: Keep feeding your physical running back the football as your offensive line bludgeons the opponent’s defense, breaks its will, and keeps the opposing offense on the sideline.

It’s an approach that’s served P.J. Fleck well since he arrived in Minnesota, especially in big wins. For example, the Gophers got 35 minutes of possession and 121 rushing yards from Mohamed Ibrahim in the 2018 win at Wisconsin. In last year’s Outback Bowl triumph over Auburn, the Gophers held the ball for 37:26, as Ibrahim rushed for 140 yards.

That strategy, however, does have a weakness: It doesn’t always work if you have a porous defense. That was the case Friday night, when the Gophers fell 45-44 in overtime at Maryland.

Gophers' control-the-clock strategy foiled by their abysmal defense

The Gophers' proven rushing strategy faded late against Maryland, and the defense was in no position to help.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[PMWinSTP]

Wait, what? Thought it was the offense?

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Or if you get like a yard all the 4th quarter.

Like I'm not down with blowing up the offensive strategy ... but score once in the 4th and you'd be ok.

 

[RememberMurray]

Or if you get like a yard all the 4th quarter.

Like I'm not down with blowing up the offensive strategy ... but score once in the 4th and you'd be ok.

Or... make a tackle or two on defense. Maybe cover a guy or two.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Maryland stole our signals. It was odd how they predicted where we weren’t.

 

[spackler]

How about the offense and defense both sucked in the fourth quarter

 

[Zeppelin Gopher]

That, or it was foiled by the inability of our offense to get a 4th Q 1st down, and some ridiculously conservative playcalling.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

That, or it was foiled by the inability of our offense to get a 4th Q 1st down, and some ridiculously conservative playcalling.

Jerry Kill would have been proud.

 

[UMwolverine]

So, either the strategy or the defense needed to be changed to be successful. I wonder which one could have been more readily altered during the game?

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Jerry Kill would have been proud.

. I could see Max Duggan At TCU getting tired of the kill offense after this season.

 

[tjgopher]

nm

 

[Word]

I am ok with keeping our defense off the field as much as possible.

 

[tmvander]

I am ok with keeping our defense off the field as much as possible.

So 2-4 plays before a TD? Haha

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

So 2-4 plays before a TD? Haha

It was kinda playing out that way with time of possession.... for a while

 

[Gophergrandpa]

So, either the strategy or the defense needed to be changed to be successful. I wonder which one could have been more readily altered during the game?

Precisely.

 

[fmlizard]

Why's the strategy to control the clock?

The Gophers are fairly explosive on offense when they try, and the best / most experienced players are the QB and WRs.

Minnesota keeps trying over and over and over under many coaches to be a running, ball control team because that's what a Midwest team should be, I guess? Other than some bright years under Mason it hasn't worked very efficiently.

 

[Some guy]

Why's the strategy to control the clock?

The Gophers are fairly explosive on offense when they try, and the best / most experienced players are the QB and WRs.

Minnesota keeps trying over and over and over under many coaches to be a running, ball control team because that's what a Midwest team should be, I guess? Other than some bright years under Mason it hasn't worked very efficiently.

Because that is the strategy that got fleck here if you have watched his teams play going back to his WMU days

 

[MGGopher]

Because that is the strategy that got fleck here if you have watched his teams play going back to his WMU days

Yup. We've seen the same conservative approach his entire tenure. The "the ball is the program" doesn't just mean don't turn it over -- it means the other team can't score if they don't have the ball. MN has the offensive talent to play like a Big 12 team in airing it out 40+ times and throwing caution to the wind with defense in an attempt to win shootouts, but that's just not Fleck's style.