BleedGopher
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His right forefinger and thumb a couple of inches apart, P.J. Fleck wanted to make a point about his Gophers football team.
“We’re this close,” Fleck said, but acknowledged, “That gap in between there is a lot of work.”
That gap was evident Saturday afternoon at TCF Bank Stadium as Iowa defeated the Gophers 48-31, sending Minnesota to a second consecutive Big Ten loss following a 3-0 nonconference start. And now, the going gets even tougher for the Gophers, who travel to No. 3 Ohio State this week to face a Buckeyes team averaging 49 points per game.
“I saw a ton of growth in a lot of areas,” Fleck said after Iowa won its fourth consecutive against the Gophers. “… Until we keep growing as a team, some of the results could be like that.”
That’s the Gophers’ reality right now. The combination of starting freshmen in several key positions and losing their two best players, running back Rodney Smith and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., because of injuries means the Gophers must learn on the fly in Big Ten play.
On Saturday, the lessons came with mixed results. The Gophers scored 31 points, their most in Big Ten play since hanging 54 on Nebraska last Nov. 11. The defense had two takeaways — Jacob Huff’s interception and 21-yard return late in the second quarter and Carter Coughlin’s strip sack of Nate Stanley in the third — that set up the offense at the Iowa 6-yard line or closer.
Conversely, the Gophers showed several problems that led to the loss. Stanley shredded Minnesota’s defense for 314 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he was especially lethal on third down, when he went 10-for-16 for 198 yards and two TDs. “You’re going to lead the country if that’s your percentage,” Fleck said of the Hawkeyes, who were a combined 12-for-21 on third and fourth down.
http://www.startribune.com/within-the-gophers-loss-to-hawkeyes-growth-occurs/495567841/
Go Gophers!!
“We’re this close,” Fleck said, but acknowledged, “That gap in between there is a lot of work.”
That gap was evident Saturday afternoon at TCF Bank Stadium as Iowa defeated the Gophers 48-31, sending Minnesota to a second consecutive Big Ten loss following a 3-0 nonconference start. And now, the going gets even tougher for the Gophers, who travel to No. 3 Ohio State this week to face a Buckeyes team averaging 49 points per game.
“I saw a ton of growth in a lot of areas,” Fleck said after Iowa won its fourth consecutive against the Gophers. “… Until we keep growing as a team, some of the results could be like that.”
That’s the Gophers’ reality right now. The combination of starting freshmen in several key positions and losing their two best players, running back Rodney Smith and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., because of injuries means the Gophers must learn on the fly in Big Ten play.
On Saturday, the lessons came with mixed results. The Gophers scored 31 points, their most in Big Ten play since hanging 54 on Nebraska last Nov. 11. The defense had two takeaways — Jacob Huff’s interception and 21-yard return late in the second quarter and Carter Coughlin’s strip sack of Nate Stanley in the third — that set up the offense at the Iowa 6-yard line or closer.
Conversely, the Gophers showed several problems that led to the loss. Stanley shredded Minnesota’s defense for 314 passing yards and four touchdowns, and he was especially lethal on third down, when he went 10-for-16 for 198 yards and two TDs. “You’re going to lead the country if that’s your percentage,” Fleck said of the Hawkeyes, who were a combined 12-for-21 on third and fourth down.
http://www.startribune.com/within-the-gophers-loss-to-hawkeyes-growth-occurs/495567841/
Go Gophers!!