Thomas Barber on Iowa game: “We just weren’t mentally prepared for the game.”

[BleedGopher]

per RandBall:

This doesn’t feel like the kind of Gophers team that will experience such a thing, but then again I thought Minnesota would play much more crisply than it did at Iowa. Whether that was the weight of expectations or just one of those days is up for debate, but Gophers linebacker Thomas Barber described it like this: “We just weren’t mentally prepared for the game.”

A team with realistic Rose Bowl aspirations – win Saturday and win against Wisconsin two weeks from now, and Pasadena becomes the most likely outcome – will need to make sure there are no mental missteps in Evanston.

Very good seasons are nice. But great ones are memorable.

New challenge for Gophers: Avoid the letdown after a heartbreak

Almost every success or failure a Gophers team has ends up getting compared inevitably to 2003.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Veritas]

I'm not buying that line at all. Those early Iowa plays worked because our game plan was in serious error and our players made huge errors like failure to contain. Just good football vs. bad football.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I'm not buying that line at all. Those early Iowa plays worked because our game plan was in serious error and our players made huge errors like failure to contain. Just good football vs. bad football.

Bad tackling and etc certainly could be a "not mentally prepared" situation.

 

[die hard gopher]

Interesting.

Fleck in his post game presser basically said the opposite, that this loss had nothing to do with being a "letdown" and that they had a great week of practice.

 

[ski-u-mah]

Interesting.

Fleck in his post game presser basically said the opposite, that this loss had nothing to do with being a "letdown" and that they had a great week of practice.

I get that Iowa is a tough place to play, but whether it was a let down or not mentally prepared, I saw a lot of errors that we just weren't making this year. And it was a winnable game which made it sting more.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I get that Iowa is a tough place to play, but whether it was a let down or not mentally prepared, I saw a lot of errors that we just weren't making this year. And it was a winnable game which made it sting more.

Yep, if you are going to go on the road and win against a good team in the Big Ten you can't afford to make many mistakes. We made a ton of them and somehow almost pulled out the victory. Sucks for right now but bodes well for the future that we could play that poorly in a really tough road environment and not get blown out of the stadium.

Hopefully players, coaches, learn from this one and it helps them down the road. This is still a very young team and being faced with a level of prosperity and attention that we have not seen around here. All involved didn't bring their A game to Iowa City and because of that we came up short.

 

[kandj]

It is really difficult to play great every game for the entire game. We had a clanker of a first half, and did not execute well enough in the second half to get the win. Iowa is no slouch, especially at their place. Many teams went into that place and have lost. I'm disappointed, but not reading too much into it. We played poorly for 1/2 or more of that game and had a very good chance to win it at the end, but it didn't happen. I hope we come back and win the next two so my dream of a Rose Bowl appearance is realized.

 

[TurfGopher]

MUST BEAT WISCONSIN , WORRY ABOUT GETTING FLOYD BACK NEXT YEAR

 

[Schnauzer]

There is a reason why there are only 3 undefeated power five teams left. It is sooooo hard to run the table. I'd like to think the Gophers would win at least 6, probably 7 times against Iowa if there were that many head to head opportunities but I can say that with all the emotion and good tidings that were unleashed a week earlier against Penn State, any coach or team would have a hard time keeping a team like the Gophers at a level without some sort of flat performance after that. Plus, as fans, we always seem to focus on our own team as if the opponent is a predictable variable. All teams play up and down throughout their season and Iowa came in with the right game plan and solid energy to the point the Gophers were pressed to stop the bleeding and then climb back in. As is the case in many losses involving an in-game comeback - there wasn't enough time.

 

[Stuff]

It seems the defense needs more speed at the LB position. It just seems like there are so many plays where #55 gets beat to the corner and is attempting to chase down the ball carrier.

I don't know if Thomas Rush is any faster, but I thought we would see some more playing time for him this year. He looked good in the Spring game.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

There is rarely just one factor that goes into a loss. Yes, the defense struggled in the first half - but if the offense would have held onto the ball and produced some longer possessions, that would have put less pressure on the defense. and the special teams were just not good in any phase of the game.

people tend to focus on the last part of the game - but a lot of games can be lost in the 1st quarter. If the Gophers come out on their first drive, go down the field and score, it is a completely different game.

as far as the "mentally prepared" - that could mean that, for whatever reason, players just were not maintaining the mental discipline and focus needed. lose focus on one play at the wrong time, and it turns into a big play for the other team.

 

[BilldGopher]

I think we knew this.

 

[Veritas]

There are still a lot of guys on this site who are thinking we have a very good defense that was just not "mentally ready" for the last game. My take is more that we have an excellent safety, a couple of very good Big Ten players and six or seven very average Big Ten players. We go with what we have, hope the starters are in excellent health and hope the O can be more effective in the remaining games. Go Gophers!!!

 

[MNVCGUY]

There are still a lot of guys on this site who are thinking we have a very good defense that was just not "mentally ready" for the last game. My take is more that we have an excellent safety, a couple of very good Big Ten players and six or seven very average Big Ten players. We go with what we have, hope the starters are in excellent health and hope the O can be more effective in the remaining games. Go Gophers!!!

Our defense won't be confused with the elite units in the conference and around the country but they are top half of the Big Ten. Good enough to keep us in most games and give our offense a chance to put up enough points for us to get the W.

Even against Iowa, for as bad as the D played in the first half (missed tackles....) they still only gave up 23 points to Iowa. Most games, 23 points is something our offense is able to top, unfortunately they just could capitalize against Iowa enough to overcome the slow start.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Don't underestimate the pink locker room.

 

[GOPHERSWINBIG]

per RandBall:

This doesn’t feel like the kind of Gophers team that will experience such a thing, but then again I thought Minnesota would play much more crisply than it did at Iowa. Whether that was the weight of expectations or just one of those days is up for debate, but Gophers linebacker Thomas Barber described it like this: “We just weren’t mentally prepared for the game.”

A team with realistic Rose Bowl aspirations – win Saturday and win against Wisconsin two weeks from now, and Pasadena becomes the most likely outcome – will need to make sure there are no mental missteps in Evanston.

Very good seasons are nice. But great ones are memorable.

New challenge for Gophers: Avoid the letdown after a heartbreak

Almost every success or failure a Gophers team has ends up getting compared inevitably to 2003.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

HOW the F does that happen ? not mentally prepared ?

 

[Mulligan]

Mike Zimmer, for one, must have been thinking it Sunday. Since you obviously have the answer start by contacting him. Then you can go right down the line: pro teams, college teams, high school teams. I'd imagine there are hundreds of coaches at all levels trying to figure out the answer every week.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I like to look at the positive things. I thought we made a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes. Dropped balls, penalties, terrible tackling, etc. Yet we still had a chance to win the game. In most seasons, those kinds of games turn into blowouts. It was still disappointing but I'm still very optimistic going forward.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

It seems the defense needs more speed at the LB position. It just seems like there are so many plays where #55 gets beat to the corner and is attempting to chase down the ball carrier.

I don't know if Thomas Rush is any faster, but I thought we would see some more playing time for him this year. He looked good in the Spring game.

Iowa offensive coordinator was picking offensive plays that would hit in the zones that #55 was in or was in a position to maintain run containment. Perhaps lack of game experience and confusion are the weaknesses. I don't think # 55 is slow, it is just taking correct angles and knowing which shoulder to attack how to keep the play in front of you that he needs to learn. #55 some his drops were too shallow in zone coverage.

 

[Yah-E]

Barber missed like 50 tackles himself so he shouldn't speak for others.

 

[MGGopher]

Iowa offensive coordinator was picking offensive plays that would hit in the zones that #55 was in or was in a position to maintain run containment. Perhaps lack of game experience and confusion are the weaknesses. I don't think # 55 is slow, it is just taking correct angles and knowing which shoulder to attack how to keep the play in front of you that he needs to learn. #55 some his drops were too shallow in zone coverage.

PSU was doing this all day as well. B1G coordinators are mostly geniuses who will find your weak spots and attack them mercilessly. My brother and I were calling out plays in crucial short yardage situations during the PSU game and they mostly involved throwing a slant or stick route in Sori-Marin's zone.

He's young, so hopefully he continues learning and makes huge strides like Howden did. He's obviously the best option right now in the eyes of the coaching staff, but he's a liability.

 

[MGGopher]

Barber missed like 50 tackles himself so he shouldn't speak for others.

OMG, I was going to post something about Barber this week, but the positivity around here has been so pleasant I didn't want to upset the apple cart...but since you did Man, Barber really seems to have regressed a ton this year. He looks slower and less athletic. I've honestly wondered if he's playing hurt. He's missing a ton of tackles, and I honestly can't recall too many outstanding plays he's made. I mostly remember him attempting to chase RB's down the field in coverage or missing tackles in the box. I'm not breaking down film, so perhaps somebody can correct me here...

 

[Pompous Elitist]

You guys covered the defense, but what about the offense?

Let’s dissect that last offensive series. Andries looked totally flummoxed on first and second down. This has been explained away as Epenesa being a first round talent which I won’t argue but Andries looked like he didn’t realize he was supposed to block Epenesa until he was already sliding inside him, both times. This seems like a possible coaching issue - how does a defense’s most dangerous player go unblocked? There have been other issues earlier in the year leading to a poor sack rate.

What was the blocking scheme?

 

[MGGopher]

You guys covered the defense, but what about the offense?

Let’s dissect that last offensive series. Andries looked totally flummoxed on first and second down. This has been explained away as Epenesa being a first round talent which I won’t argue but Andries looked like he didn’t realize he was supposed to block Epenesa until he was already sliding inside him, both times. This seems like a possible coaching issue - how does a defense’s most dangerous player go unblocked? There have been other issues earlier in the year leading to a poor sack rate.

What was the blocking scheme?

That's a really good question. The only thing I'll even speculate on is that perhaps Tanner being woozy played a role in that 2nd down pressure. Smith was clearly confused on what to do (I think he even threw his hands up in the air right before the snap), so maybe the protection wasn't clearly relayed to everyone. Against PSU we saw a lot of "fan" protection: T/G step to the outside gap no matter what and RB is responsible for inside pressure. You might remember Shannon's big blitz pickup on the first TD. Perhaps that was in play here and Rodney wasn't clear. I don't know. Either way, it was clearly blown -- either by Andries, Smith, or the coaches. This after 7 weeks of really improved protection. Bummer time for it and I hope they clean it up...

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Even if true that sounds like a recipe for disaster and for opposing coaches a possible exploitable weakness. Brooks eg blocked a DB not a lineman on that 66 yard TD vs PSU.

Rewatching the fourth quarter I didn’t see any hits on the prior series that would have led to a concussion but those two sacks on the last series certainly could have. Was there something that happened earlier? If so he still played really well. Epenesa was nearly unimpeded to the QB although 54 cleaned up on first down.

 

[Panthadad2]

Was Kamal stilled dinged up for Iowa? I didn't see him a whole lot and he only had 3 tackles - he's usually at the top of the tackle stats when healthy.

 

[Bad Gopher]

OMG, I was going to post something about Barber this week, but the positivity around here has been so pleasant I didn't want to upset the apple cart...but since you did Man, Barber really seems to have regressed a ton this year. He looks slower and less athletic. I've honestly wondered if he's playing hurt. He's missing a ton of tackles, and I honestly can't recall too many outstanding plays he's made. I mostly remember him attempting to chase RB's down the field in coverage or missing tackles in the box. I'm not breaking down film, so perhaps somebody can correct me here...

He looks a little heavier to me, but it might be layers of clothing.

 

[FatNTired]

You guys covered the defense, but what about the offense?

Let’s dissect that last offensive series. Andries looked totally flummoxed on first and second down. This has been explained away as Epenesa being a first round talent which I won’t argue but Andries looked like he didn’t realize he was supposed to block Epenesa until he was already sliding inside him, both times. This seems like a possible coaching issue - how does a defense’s most dangerous player go unblocked? There have been other issues earlier in the year leading to a poor sack rate.

What was the blocking scheme?

Here's what Espenesa had to say about the final drive in Sunday's Gazette:

“We were taking advantage of their slide,” Epenesa said. “The center would point and tell us where he’s going and we were able to take advantage of that.”

Wait, the center said where he was going?

“It’s not uncommon for the quarterback to call out the mike (middle) linebacker and determine where the strong side is and where they’re going to slide to,” Epenesa said. “We can take advantage of that.”

When Iowa got Minnesota into real passing downs, the Hawkeyes brought the real heat

IOWA CITY — In football, sometimes the hardest thing to do is take advantage of something that seems so obvious. …

www.thegazette.com

 

[Panthadad2]

Here's what Espenesa had to say about the final drive in Sunday's Gazette:

“We were taking advantage of their slide,” Epenesa said. “The center would point and tell us where he’s going and we were able to take advantage of that.”

Wait, the center said where he was going?

“It’s not uncommon for the quarterback to call out the mike (middle) linebacker and determine where the strong side is and where they’re going to slide to,” Epenesa said. “We can take advantage of that.”

When Iowa got Minnesota into real passing downs, the Hawkeyes brought the real heat

IOWA CITY — In football, sometimes the hardest thing to do is take advantage of something that seems so obvious. …

www.thegazette.com

I get angry every time I watch those 1st and 2nd down sacks. The lack of execution in the O line and RB pass blocking was on full display. I gotta stop.