What do you need to see Saturday to feel like we are back on track?

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The Purdue debacle sure was poorly timed. I can't recall a game with that much hype, a flat performance followed up by two agonizingly long weeks with the bye in there. It feels like forever ago since we had our swagger. It's like two long weeks of bitter taste.

First and foremost, we need to reestablish the trenches. I thought Tony's preview was spot on that we need to win this game in the trenches as does the Illini.

I will feel very encouraged if we can get back to the basics and dominate the line. A loss this weekend with the prospects of going into the White Out and possibly facing 3 loses in a row is daunting. We must win this game.
 

Just need to see the team get back to executing the way they are capable of. Things felt off during the Purdue game. Hopefully they have had time to diagnose what happened, move past it, and are ready to come out and show that game was the exception not the rule as far as the 2022 Gophers are concerned.
 


100+ yards for Mo, passing game with 0 drops, 0 missed kicks, and a win.
 

The team must play fundamentally sound football that it is capable of. If we do that, we will win Saturday and I'll be happy. If we are not fundamentally sound, I will be disappointed.
 



Obviously I don't know what will happen in this game but here is my central assumption based on the data for both teams so far this season: neither team will be able to rack up a big total of rushing yards even though they both have premier running backs.

Although I prefer our balanced attack to Purdue's pass dominant game, I'd like to see if our team can do a reasonable imitation of Purdue if they have to. If we're not getting much on the ground, don't wait for 3rd down to go to the pass. Don't force Tanner and the receivers to get it right every time. Don't shy away from passing if Tanner throws an interception. If this turns into a pass dominant game for both teams, I like our chances if it's Tanner vs. Sitkowski. One thing I will say about Sitkowski: he's had only 5 interceptions since his awful freshman year; but, he rarely throws for the yardage per pass that Tanner has done throughout his career.
 

cjbfbp said:
Obviously I don't know what will happen in this game but here is my central assumption based on the data for both teams so far this season: neither team will be able to rack up a big total of rushing yards even though they both have premier running backs.

Although I prefer our balanced attack to Purdue's pass dominant game, I'd like to see if our team can do a reasonable imitation of Purdue if they have to. If we're not getting much on the ground, don't wait for 3rd down to go to the pass. Don't force Tanner and the receivers to get it right every time. Don't shy away from passing if Tanner throws an interception. If this turns into a pass dominant game for both teams, I like our chances if it's Tanner vs. Sitkowski. One thing I will say about Sitkowski: he's had only 5 interceptions since his awful freshman year; but, he rarely throws for the yardage per pass that Tanner has done throughout his career.
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Sitkowski has also only appeared in 15 games over the last 4 years and I don't think many of those were starts. Crazy that his yards per attempt is under 5 for his career which is just crazy low for a QB. NCAA.com lists 119 QBs in their Yards per Attempt stats for this year and the lowest is 5.01. There are only 5 QBs out of those 119 with a yards per attempt under 6.

Fun side note, 2 of those 5 under 6 yards an attempt are Petras at Iowa and Bazelak at Indiana.
 

150+ yards rushing. the running game has to be enough of a threat so that Illinois cannot just go after the QB or try to shut down the passing game.

On defense - prevent big plays. Chase Brown is going to get his yards. Just can't let him bust out for multiple 20+ yard runs. Make Illinois drive the length of the field. Of course, special teams have to do their part on field position.
 



What am I looking for? Execution.

- Caught balls.
- Made field goals.
- Win the turnover battle.
- Made critical short yardage 3th and 4th downs.
- No whiffing on the O-line.
- RBs taking what's given to them instead of dancing into TFLs.
- Containing any big plays on defense.
 

Off-GridTNgopher said:
A dismantling of one of the top defences in the nation
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Absolutely. That Purdue game was kind of a shit show. That interception really hurt. They are a good team still with everything in front of them. A nice solid win and offensive performance against Illinois would go a long way for confidence.
 


If Mo averages 5+ a carry and has more than 20 carriers we will win, assuming defense continues to play the way they have.

Passing game should be much easier for Tanner then and will be successful.
 



They are going to force T Morgan to pass. They are going to blitz a lot.

A win with T Morgan throwing for over 200 yards and no INTs would be fantastic.
 


Even if Mo has a great day, 150 yards, and Bryce and Trey add another 100, Tanner will probably have to complete lots of passes, ideally one or two in the end zone, if we are to win. Of course, if the Gophers defense could itself bring some points on a Pick 6 and/or Scoop and Score, pressure on the Offensive would be relieved some. Our D vs. Illinois O is tilted in our favor. Our O vs. Illinois D might be more of a push, unless our O performs at the upper range of its potential.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Even if Mo has a great day, 150 yards, and Bryce and Trey add another 100, Tanner will probably have to complete lots of passes, ideally one or two in the end zone, if we are to win. Of course, if the Gophers defense could itself bring some points on a Pick 6 and/or Scoop and Score, pressure on the Offensive would be relieved some. Our D vs. Illinois O is tilted in our favor. Our O vs. Illinois D might be more of a push, unless our O performs at the upper range of its potential.
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If we rush for 250 against Illinois the game will be an absolute route. If either team is able to be dominant with their run game that team will win the game.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
150+ yards rushing. the running game has to be enough of a threat so that Illinois cannot just go after the QB or try to shut down the passing game.

On defense - prevent big plays. Chase Brown is going to get his yards. Just can't let him bust out for multiple 20+ yard runs. Make Illinois drive the length of the field. Of course, special teams have to do their part on field position.
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Establish the passing game first and make them defend the field. The run game comes on strong when the defense is spread.

Early pass blocking will be key to getting an early lead and dictating what Illinois must do on defense. They want to stack up and stop the run and force us to pass on third and long. We can't let them control how the game is played.

On defense, if it is Sitkowski, assign a permanent spy to play Brown every snap. That will be Dixon and Stapp sharing time at nickel back. If we hold Brown to 60-80 yards and nothing long we can hold them to a few field goals, no TDs.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
150+ yards rushing. the running game has to be enough of a threat so that Illinois cannot just go after the QB or try to shut down the passing game.

On defense - prevent big plays. Chase Brown is going to get his yards. Just can't let him bust out for multiple 20+ yard runs. Make Illinois drive the length of the field. Of course, special teams have to do their part on field position.
Click to expand...
Establish the passing game first and make them defend the field. The run game comes on strong when the defense is spread.

Early pass blocking will be key to getting an early lead and dictating what Illinois must do on defense. They want to stack up and stop the run and force us to pass on third and long. We can't let them control how the game is played.

On defense, if it is Sitkowski, assign a permanent spy to play Brown every snap. That will be Dixon and Stapp sharing time at nickel back. If we hold Brown to 60-80 yards and nothing long we can hold them to a few field goals, no TDs.
 

skiumah1 said:
If Mo averages 5+ a carry and has more than 20 carriers we will win, assuming defense continues to play the way they have.

Passing game should be much easier for Tanner then and will be successful.
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Other way around. If we try to establish run first to make passing easier, Mo is not going to get 5+ per carry. That would be playing into Illinois' strength and into the way they want to play the game. They are very strong against the run when they can bunch in close.

For us to run the ball well we need to first force them to defend the whole field. Throw early and often.
 



Texan Gopher said:
They are going to force T Morgan to pass. They are going to blitz a lot.

A win with T Morgan throwing for over 200 yards and no INTs would be fantastic.
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Yes, and helped by Art turning it over at least three times. I see two interceptions when he throws it up for grabs under pressure and a strip sack for good measure.

But I certainly hope we are not forced to pass under blitz attack. That sounds like a lot of thirds and long. Let's pass on early downs and get them out of their preferred defense.
 

Dakota2 said:
Other way around. If we try to establish run first to make passing easier, Mo is not going to get 5+ per carry. That would be playing into Illinois' strength and into the way they want to play the game. They are very strong against the run when they can bunch in close.

For us to run the ball well we need to first force them to defend the whole field. Throw early and often.
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I hear ya and do agree. Somebody had mentioned Michigan St and I believe that's how we started that game. Illinois is a better team and better defense though so easier said than done.

Full health Mo and I think we'll be fine. Just have a good mix.
 

100+ yards by Mo + 1-2 tds, a couple of tds and accurate passing by Tanner, stout defense with a win by more than 2 tds.
 

A W.

Or an A&W, i could really go for a root beer float right now.
 


Bert binge eating to overcome the depression of a beat down from the Gophers
 

Dakota2 said:
Establish the passing game first and make them defend the field. The run game comes on strong when the defense is spread.

Early pass blocking will be key to getting an early lead and dictating what Illinois must do on defense. They want to stack up and stop the run and force us to pass on third and long. We can't let them control how the game is played.

On defense, if it is Sitkowski, assign a permanent spy to play Brown every snap. That will be Dixon and Stapp sharing time at nickel back. If we hold Brown to 60-80 yards and nothing long we can hold them to a few field goals, no TDs.
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Did exactly that against Sparty.
 

I’m watching the gopher Michigan state game this morning. My 2 1/2 year old asked to watch football before daycare (parent of the year?) so here I am.

What I want to see is competence from the OL run blocking and a more decisive game plan. They seemed lost without Mo but that shouldn’t have been the case. I don’t think Potts suddenly forgot how to run. There was no space for him against Purdue. They need to be better.

Defensively, aside from the looooonnnnngggggg run—they were very good against Purdue with an offense that didn’t help them a lot.
 

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