The sun came up this morning.

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The big thing for me is that we had a chance to wake up with a win or a close loss and the hope that we could handle the murderer's row we've got coming up on the schedule. It's gonna be a bloodbath.
 

The sun did rise. I was a bit skeptical that it would exiting The Bank last night.
 

The positives of even a sloppy or marginal Gophers win from this game cannot be overstated.

Huge opportunity cost in bursting the hope springs eternal bubble.
 

It's pissing rain here in Chicago this morning. That feels like a more appropriate metaphor for what went down in the second half last night.
 



Change in outlook: We have some brutal games coming up. I support the players on this team. They are kids. They are trying very hard. They didn’t give up; they didn’t quit. They gave it their all.

Underdogs (and we will be the dog in every game going forward) don’t win by trying to play superior teams straight up. They win with creative game plans; by taking chances; by doing the unexpected; by pouring it on when they get an opening; and by having the ability to make adjustments in real time. I don’t believe that we have the OC to do this on offense. On defense, I like the new DC, but he has to do something about recognition of misdirection and counter plays which punish collective over pursuit.

I want to keep watching the Gophers this year. I think the team is loaded with good kids trying their best. I will support the players all year long.

To my unsophisticated eye, it seems as though PJ’s game plans are uncreative and limited, at least for a team that doesn’t have a physical and/or athletic advantage over its opponents. We almost never start the game fast, and we often appear surprised by and unprepared for the fact that our opponents make half-time adjustments. This stuff is on the coaches as much as if not more than in the players.

So, my reasonable expectation for the season has become that we could well lose out. Might not get a B1G win given our coaching staff’s limitations. I won’t be crestfallen by any losses, including the brutal losses we will suffer in the coming weeks. I will celebrate the efforts of our players, who I know won’t quit, and accept the fact that this coaching staff might not be creative or flexible enough to coach from an underdog perspective, to put our players (we have some damn good ones!) in the position to play up to the highest of their ability.

If we snatch a win here and there, I will be very happy. Go Gophers!
 

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