The reason we lost

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RememberMurray

RememberMurray

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It wasn't because of the play calling.

It wasn't because of poor QB play.

It wasn't because we play too conservative.

It wasn't because our WRs are subpar.

It wasn't because of coaching decisions, or game/time management.

It wasn't because Taylor didn't play.

========

We lost this game because North Carolina's defensive front outplayed our offensive line.

That's why the Gopher offense looked out of synch. When the player with the ball in his hands (QB or RB) has no chance because he is being swarmed upon, your offense has no chance.

I believe this problem will be fixed, because the Gophers have good players and good coaching on the offensive line.

Onward!
 

Murray - with all due respect, the OL play was a factor in the game.

but the first six items you list were also contributing factors to some extent.

a good football team is like a jigsaw puzzle - all of the pieces have to fit together. offense - defense - special teams.

in my book, if you are looking for one reason why the Gophers lost - the returning B1G kicker of the year missed a short field goal and then missed on a potential game-winning kick.

despite all of the other issues on offense and defense, if the kicker makes those two kicks, the Gophers win the game.

if the Gophers had played better in other aspects of the game, it would not have come down to the kicker. but it did - and he didn't.
 


I wouldn't say it was so simple as O-line being beat by the North Carolina front. A couple of the sacks the QB had the ball quite a bit, and receivers were not open, the QB didn't step up in the pocket or roll away from pressure and maybe NC had the right blitz call. That and North Carolina brought linebackers and corners off the edge a lot, all evening. Max has to be better at recognizing blitzes and communicating with his backs and tight ends, but those two groups also need to communicate and not line up on the wrong side of the line. Also the center, if we're gonna get simple loop and twist stunts inside somebody has to watch film and see that and point out what is happening. Kicker or holder had an off night, or the LS too, on both missed field goals the snap was a little high and I think threw off the timing of the play. Gophers made to many first game mistakes. It was one loss that likely should have been a win. Linebackers cannot miss tackles especially #45 but he was dinged up too. We missed the safety Green on defense I think, that guy is a pretty good player. Correctable mistakes. Gophers can pull some upsets, there is enough talent, just gotta get healthy.it was one loss that likely could have been a win. Cannot let it snowball, Max Johnson for North Carolina made a lot of nice plays until he got hurt, especially running. Green the safety being out did not help, he's a pretty good player. Coaches need to be a little more aggressive on play calls on offense, a little more creativity would go a long way.
 
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short ornery norwegian said:
Murray - with all due respect, the OL play was a factor in the game.

but the first six items you list were also contributing factors to some extent.

a good football team is like a jigsaw puzzle - all of the pieces have to fit together. offense - defense - special teams.
Click to expand...


I think he wrote that to be a little provocative.

And to point a spotlight on what has been overlooked in the other conversations.

Yea, they were in the backfired or stacking a wall near the line.
 

I realize that FB schedule building can be a challenge but, perhaps, Rhode Island or Nevada would have been safer week 1 opponents than UNC. The Gophers have been notorious slow starters and often take 2-3 games to really hit their stride. Even our much-lauded 2019 season began with three nail-biters against teams we really should have dominated. After squeaking by those lesser opponents we started beating up on B18 teams.
 


I think Murray's right. Losing the line of scrimmage was the disease, and all the rest of the things were symptoms. Poor rushing YPC stalls drives. They can't call more elaborate plays that take longer to develop when losing the line. The timing of pass plays gets thrown off (yes, there were a couple bad throws). They started throwing more RB passes which is a classic tactic for dealing with the opponent in your backfield.

On the bright side, the UNC offense mostly lost the LOS to the Gophers and didn't do that great either. The Gophers have a new DC and did not suck, at all.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
Murray - with all due respect, the OL play was a factor in the game.

but the first six items you list were also contributing factors to some extent.

a good football team is like a jigsaw puzzle - all of the pieces have to fit together. offense - defense - special teams.

in my book, if you are looking for one reason why the Gophers lost - the returning B1G kicker of the year missed a short field goal and then missed on a potential game-winning kick.

despite all of the other issues on offense and defense, if the kicker makes those two kicks, the Gophers win the game.

if the Gophers had played better in other aspects of the game, it would not have come down to the kicker. but it did - and he didn't.
Click to expand...
buzzkill SON to the rescue
 

RememberMurray said:
It wasn't because of the play calling.

It wasn't because of poor QB play.

It wasn't because we play too conservative.

It wasn't because our WRs are subpar.

It wasn't because of coaching decisions, or game/time management.

It wasn't because Taylor didn't play.

========

We lost this game because North Carolina's defensive front outplayed our offensive line.

That's why the Gopher offense looked out of synch. When the player with the ball in his hands (QB or RB) has no chance because he is being swarmed upon, your offense has no chance.

I believe this problem will be fixed, because the Gophers have good players and good coaching on the offensive line.

Onward!
Click to expand...
Do you have stats to support this?

We all saw at least a few plays where what you described happened, sure. But how many were like that? How many times did that happen to use per game in 2021, 2019, etc? Numbers to me tell the story best. My opinion

This is an honest question, not a gotcha. With things like PFF, I have no idea what kinds of stats exist these days. Thanks!
 

MonikerSchmoniker45 said:
Nothing was good enough, but we lost because of the two missed kicks.
Click to expand...

In NCAA a 30 yarder is roughly a 80% proposition, a 47 yarder a literal coin flip. Even in the NFL that’s gonna be tough.

Gotta try and get to, at least, the 15-20. Feels like PJ clamps up, gets into FG mode too often after crossing the 40-45. Dragan has a big leg but the percentages are what they are. I’m not going to blame the kid. Team loss.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Murray - with all due respect, the OL play was a factor in the game.

but the first six items you list were also contributing factors to some extent.

a good football team is like a jigsaw puzzle - all of the pieces have to fit together. offense - defense - special teams.

in my book, if you are looking for one reason why the Gophers lost - the returning B1G kicker of the year missed a short field goal and then missed on a potential game-winning kick.

despite all of the other issues on offense and defense, if the kicker makes those two kicks, the Gophers win the game.

if the Gophers had played better in other aspects of the game, it would not have come down to the kicker. but it did - and he didn't.
Click to expand...
Yup the kicks and the fumble. The play calling is taking 90% of the heat, but the players didn’t execute in the clutch.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
In NCAA a 30 yarder is roughly a 80% proposition, a 47 yarder a literal coin flip. Even in the NFL that’s gonna be tough.

Gotta try and get to, at least, the 15-20. Feels like PJ clamps up, gets into FG mode too often after crossing the 40-45. Dragan has a big leg but the percentages are what they are. I’m not going to blame the kid. Team loss.
Click to expand...
He's not a kid. He's the big ten kicker of the year. Of course it wasn't all on him, but I think his percentages say he should have made those.
 


RememberMurray said:
It wasn't because of the play calling.

It wasn't because of poor QB play.

It wasn't because we play too conservative.

It wasn't because our WRs are subpar.

It wasn't because of coaching decisions, or game/time management.

It wasn't because Taylor didn't play.

========

We lost this game because North Carolina's defensive front outplayed our offensive line.

That's why the Gopher offense looked out of synch. When the player with the ball in his hands (QB or RB) has no chance because he is being swarmed upon, your offense has no chance.

I believe this problem will be fixed, because the Gophers have good players and good coaching on the offensive line.

Onward!
Click to expand...
RememberMurray said:
It wasn't because of the play calling.

It wasn't because of poor QB play.

It wasn't because we play too conservative.

It wasn't because our WRs are subpar.

It wasn't because of coaching decisions, or game/time management.

It wasn't because Taylor didn't play.

========

We lost this game because North Carolina's defensive front outplayed our offensive line.

That's why the Gopher offense looked out of synch. When the player with the ball in his hands (QB or RB) has no chance because he is being swarmed upon, your offense has no chance.

I believe this problem will be fixed, because the Gophers have good players and good coaching on the offensive line.

Onward!
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more. We do not know yet what our balanced offense looks like because the passing side had little chance to work as designed due to our line being overrun by the defense.

And by allowing -- inviting -- NC to bring nine defenders close to the line it blew up the run blocking schemes as well. Add to that our tendency to delay the back hitting the line by holding the ball in his stomach an extra beat, gives a numerically superior defense more time to overwhelm the blockers and plug the holes.

It was a bit of a wakeup to see a NC defense appear to have better athletes than the home team. Most of the experts here have said NC is not a good team and mediocre at best in the ACC.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Gophs lost because the star kicker went 1 for 3. Theirs didn't. The teams literally played evenly to the end in score and stats. Make a kick, Gophs win.
Click to expand...
yup, two flawed but respectable mid-tier P5 teams like so many we play each year in the Big Ten. reminded me of a lot of recent Iowa games.
 

GopherGrit said:
Do you have stats to support this?

We all saw at least a few plays where what you described happened, sure. But how many were like that? How many times did that happen to use per game in 2021, 2019, etc? Numbers to me tell the story best. My opinion

This is an honest question, not a gotcha. With things like PFF, I have no idea what kinds of stats exist these days. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yes, stats would be helpful for those who didn't see the game. If you watched it, you know what happened without stats.
 


MonikerSchmoniker45 said:
He's not a kid. He's the big ten kicker of the year. Of course it wasn't all on him, but I think his percentages say he should have made those.
Click to expand...

It’s a difficult kick even for NFL level kickers with years of experience and mental conditioning. What did we see happen? MN got to the 33 yard line with 41 seconds. Then MN ran around in confusion with a wierd Chinese fire drill and wasted the next 25 seconds. Then, a four yard run and THEN clocks the ball.

If your plan to set up a 50-60% chance walk off FG is lay up at the 30 yard line rather than take an opportunity to matriculate the ball further down the field for an easier kick that’s a fireable offense.

That last series was a symptom of the disease/malaise/anxiety at the top.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Gophs lost because the star kicker went 1 for 3. Theirs didn't. The teams literally played evenly to the end in score and stats. Make a kick, Gophs win.
Click to expand...

Yup. There's really no way to put it otherwise. Fleckball is milking the clock and keeping the game close. It was a field goal kicking contest and we lost.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
It’s a difficult kick even for NFL level kickers with years of experience and mental conditioning. What did we see happen? MN got to the 33 yard line with 41 seconds. Then MN ran around in confusion with a wierd Chinese fire drill and wasted the next 25 seconds. Then, a four yard run and THEN clocks the ball.

If your plan to set up a 50-60% chance walk off FG is lay up at the 30 yard line rather than take an opportunity to matriculate the ball further down the field for an easier kick that’s a fireable offense.

That last series was a symptom of the disease/malaise/anxiety at the top.
Click to expand...
Nobody is saying it wasn't difficult. Still have to make it. You can't parade around Indy at media days like your some kind of celebrity, then fold like that.
 

To continue Murray's point further: UNC showed how to scheme the defense against Minnesota.


The UNC game was good experience for showing improvement opportunities. Too bad the Gophers didn't win.
 

MonikerSchmoniker45 said:
Nobody is saying it wasn't difficult. Still have to make it. You can't parade around Indy at media days like your some kind of celebrity, then fold like that.
Click to expand...

I’m into beating the horse territory here so my apologies. I’m only taking issue with the people saying blame the kicker. The guy already had the mental burden of a chip shot miss earlier in the game and now was asked to make a kick from downtown, close to the right hash, in a slight breeze, damp field. Asking for disaster. That last 41 seconds was ridiculous.

I think we all prefer a 3 foot putt to a 10 foot putt. Sure, great golfers can hit those a decent percent of the time. But, percentages tend to average out over time unless we think he’s Superman.
 

I’ve seen plenty of college kickers miss 47 yard FGs, I’ve never seen worse play calling than our redzone offense and whatever you call what happened at the end of the game.

We lost for a lot of reasons. To conclusively say it was the kicks or the line is just silly.
 


I have noticed over the years that huge Gopher offensive lines excel at run blocking but are generally not athletic enough to pass block adeptly.
 

Disappointing to see PJ is still coaching scared. We will not improve while he continues to do this. Running on a long 3rd & goal one play after you just lost a yard on a run, in the first quarter of a scoreless game = "I'm so scared sh*tless, I'm not going to trust my D-1 football players that I recruited to not turn the ball over for one play."
 



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