BleedGopher
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per Megan:
The Gophers will rely on the same mentality they have had all season to avoid that. They’ve preached starting every week at 0-0, focusing only on going 1-0 against whichever opponent was on the schedule next. That served them well in victories, with Fleck saying there was no indication in practice last week the Gophers were heading for a letdown after Penn State. But it might be even more vital in defeat.
“This season could go two ways,” linebacker Thomas Barber said. “We can end up losing the next two. Or having this be a wake-up call for us and not having it later in the season. So it definitely, it still helps us from getting on a downward spiral.”
Receiver Tyler Johnson said that shows up within games, too, when the Gophers focus on the next play instead of obsessing on mistakes or reveling in successes. It’s about having “tunnel vision” to “live in the moment,” according to Johnson. That’s how the Gophers came within four points with minutes to play at Iowa despite a 20-3 disadvantage in the first half.
“We went 0-1 in the Iowa season. It’s over with. Now as a team, we just have to turn the next page,” running back Rodney Smith said. “We still can do what we set out to accomplish. Just get back to work.”
Fleck said he follows the same strategy after a loss as after a win, allowing the players to feel hurt instead of celebratory Saturday night before coming to practice Sunday ready to analyze the game and improve. He doesn’t want his players to lose sight of what remains possible. The same goes for Minnesota fans, who seem to expect disillusionment after decades of mediocrity.
“This is not the end of the world,” Fleck said. “… Everything we want and everything we wrote down is right in front of us. Nothing’s changed. … How many times after Week [12], when we’re 9-1 at the University of Minnesota, is everything right in front of us, and we control our own destiny? How many times does that happen?”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...ith-two-regular-season-games-to-go/565075262/
Go Gophers!!
The Gophers will rely on the same mentality they have had all season to avoid that. They’ve preached starting every week at 0-0, focusing only on going 1-0 against whichever opponent was on the schedule next. That served them well in victories, with Fleck saying there was no indication in practice last week the Gophers were heading for a letdown after Penn State. But it might be even more vital in defeat.
“This season could go two ways,” linebacker Thomas Barber said. “We can end up losing the next two. Or having this be a wake-up call for us and not having it later in the season. So it definitely, it still helps us from getting on a downward spiral.”
Receiver Tyler Johnson said that shows up within games, too, when the Gophers focus on the next play instead of obsessing on mistakes or reveling in successes. It’s about having “tunnel vision” to “live in the moment,” according to Johnson. That’s how the Gophers came within four points with minutes to play at Iowa despite a 20-3 disadvantage in the first half.
“We went 0-1 in the Iowa season. It’s over with. Now as a team, we just have to turn the next page,” running back Rodney Smith said. “We still can do what we set out to accomplish. Just get back to work.”
Fleck said he follows the same strategy after a loss as after a win, allowing the players to feel hurt instead of celebratory Saturday night before coming to practice Sunday ready to analyze the game and improve. He doesn’t want his players to lose sight of what remains possible. The same goes for Minnesota fans, who seem to expect disillusionment after decades of mediocrity.
“This is not the end of the world,” Fleck said. “… Everything we want and everything we wrote down is right in front of us. Nothing’s changed. … How many times after Week [12], when we’re 9-1 at the University of Minnesota, is everything right in front of us, and we control our own destiny? How many times does that happen?”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...ith-two-regular-season-games-to-go/565075262/
Go Gophers!!
