This will be a good team.

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btowngopher said:
They are a real opponent, but people act like they are one of the tougher teams we will face. I think they are definitely on the easier half if you rank our games by difficulty. The only gimmie really is Bowling Green and maybe Miami OH.
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Yes, we should beat them. But Colorado is a real team, and a threat to win. Not a “cupcake” non-conf game.
 

ESPN basically projects Gophers to be 6-6, with half of those wins coming in the next three weeks, and the others being IL, NE and MD.

It sounds like most here would be very disappointed by 6-6.
 

Goldmember said:
ESPN basically projects Gophers to be 6-6, with half of those wins coming in the next three weeks, and the others being IL, NE and MD.

It sounds like most here would be very disappointed by 6-6.
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I would be.

I'd also expect we'd be in market for new DC if that's the case.
 

RememberMurray said:
Regarding the bolded, EXACTLY!!!!

In fact, Bryce Williams scored with 5:31 remaining in the game, and that made the score 38-31. People, we were in this game to very near the end. We led at halftime! Without Autman-Bell for the whole game, and without Mo during crunch time at the close.

Minnesota had 24 first downs to OSU's 17. We had a big edge in TOP, 38:41 to 21:19.

If I had told you before that game that the Gophers would finish with 205 yards passing and 203 yards rushing, that they'd score 31 points, that they would be ahead at halftime and within a TD with 5:31 remaining in the game, would you have been all depressed about it?

Hold off on the gloom and doom, please. I know it's just the way we Scandanavian types roll, but... c'mon.

We played an elite team, the very best in the B1G, to a near standstill. We gave 'em all they could handle. So, here's a question: which team on the Gopher's remaining schedule is close to as good as Ohio State?
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And if the targeting call were made, the Gophers’ offense might have scored 38. Our offense performed really well. Our defense needs to get an identity and some leaders … and a pass rush.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
If we beat Colorado, I feel good about the rest of the season. Should win many and have a chance in all. If Mo is out for the season, and CAB is still sidelined for Colorado, I think our offense (which we will have to rely heavily upon again this year) will be quite diminished, and might be overmatched a Colorado.
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My goodness! Are you my actual grandfather? We think just alike! Totally agree. beat Colorado, go on to potentially run the table.

You, sir, are a wise man.
 




Goldmember said:
It sounds like most here would be very disappointed by 6-6.
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Most definitely! Anything less than 8-4, preferably with a bowl win to make it 9-4, would be disappointing. I don't expect this team to match the 2019 team but I think the record of the 2016 team should be doable.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Yes, we should beat them. But Colorado is a real team, and a threat to win. Not a “cupcake” non-conf game.
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They are pretty young but they definitely have some recruiting talent at the skill positions. Both their starting QB and their #2 RB (also both RS freshmen) are ESPN top 300 players. Their #1 RB, a RS soph, wasn't as highly rated as a recruit but has had a very good career so far.

If their first game is a true indication of their offensive style, they're primarily a running team (undoubtedly with significant speed); they threw only 15 passes in the first game. They had 281 yards rushing including 44 yards from their QB. I like to think that our team, as a Big Ten team, is built to stop the run but we all know that conventional wisdom has been challenged numerous times in the past few years and we often seem to have difficulty with running QBs.
 




Gophergrandpa said:
Colorado beat Northern Colorado 35-7. Hope we struggle against Colorado that well when we play them.
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Colorado started slow vs bad fcs team. At time I posted they had 3 drives and 3 3 and outs.

If mn is team we think it is they'll beat Colorado.

Colorado Vegas over under was 4
 







A few thoughts; see what y'all think...

1) With our offensive line, and with our stable of young backs, I'd expect our run game to be decent even without Mo. Mo is a truly great college back, and I would not expect any of our other guys to be as good as #24. But because of RB depth/talent and our o-line, we should be able to run the ball fairly well.

2) That being said, it seems likely that losing Mo would cause our offensive staff to adjust our overall game plan to some degree moving forward. Perhaps the staff will decide to put more on Tanner Morgan's shoulders. Even without Chris Autman-Bell, I thought our receivers looked quite good against Ohio State. Dylan Wright looks to be the real deal. Daniel Jackson makes plays. And... dare I say it?... Brevyn Spann-Ford seems quick, fluid and athletic for a big tight end.

Does anyone else think we might see a (slightly) more pass-oriented attack in upcoming games?

3) On defense, keep in mind we just faced the most explosive offense in the B1G. I expect Rossi to make adjustments, and the numbers to improve. For what it's worth, the big plays the defense gave up looked more like blown assignments than lack of athleticism.

For example, on the first TD both Mafe and Nubin initially crashed hard to the inside, leaving NOBODY on the edge to hold the perimeter. The Ohio State RB easily turned the corner and was gone.
 
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