What grade would you give the 2023 Gophers football season?

What grade would you give the 2023 Gophers football season?

  • A

    Votes: 2 1.7%
  • B

    Votes: 2 1.7%
  • C

    Votes: 44 38.3%
  • D

    Votes: 64 55.7%
  • F

    Votes: 3 2.6%

  • Total voters
    115

GopherHole Staff

GopherHole Admin
Staff member
Joined
Nov 3, 2008
Messages
5,182
Reaction score
1,391
Points
113
What grade would you give the 2023 Gophers football season?
 


I went with a C for the season but considered a D.
 

"C". At least there was a victory over the stinkin' Hawkeye.
 

I have a feeling we are going to see a common theme with the C grades based on the Iowa win because that is where I am at as well. Without the Iowa win the season is a D overall but beating Iowa and to a lesser degree winning the bowl game bump it up to a C.
 


I am a big Gopher booster, but I went with D. Reasons: Inexcusable, coaching-failure giveaway to NW. Perplexing player+coaching failures in Illinois's final drive. Iowa win--Yay--but we needed a penalty (controversial for some) to win it when just a smidgen of offensive competence could have sealed it without controversy. Don't mind losing to Ohio State, but this wasn't the best OSU team yet we looked like we didn't belong on the field with them. Couldn't find a way to stop a certain single receiver on UNC from catching about 15 balls wide open. Got steamrolled by a not very good Purdue team--almost looked like we quit. Didn't look competitive against an OK but not great Badger squad. Somehow this collection bad games moves me south of a "C" which I equate with an average season. This season had too many games that simply were well below average for PJ's Gophers.

I expect next year to produce better game day play. Our record might not change much, as the New B1G will be very tough. But how we feel after each game--were the Gophers competitive, did they play up to their ability?--likely will change for the positive, if only because we could have an offense with a functional passing game to match our very good running game. A functional passing game, one the coaches could trust at key junctures in the game, could have won us at least two and maybe more games in 2023. The gap between a 5-7 record and an 8-4 record in 2023 wasn't very big; it can be bridged. Many parts of the Gopher team are up to snuff and will be there in 2024. The running game will be there. The defense could be pretty decent. Our record, and our feelings about the 2024 season, are likely to turn on whether we have a competent, passing game ... something the coaches can turn to rather than shun at key junctures in the game.
 

I am a big Gopher booster, but I went with D. Reasons: Inexcusable, coaching-failure giveaway to NW. Perplexing player+coaching failures in Illinois's final drive. Iowa win--Yay--but we needed a penalty (controversial for some) to win it when just a smidgen of offensive competence could have sealed it without controversy. Don't mind losing to Ohio State, but this wasn't the best OSU team yet we looked like we didn't belong on the field with them. Couldn't find a way to stop a certain single receiver on UNC from catching about 15 balls wide open. Got steamrolled by a not very good Purdue team--almost looked like we quit. Didn't look competitive against an OK but not great Badger squad. Somehow this collection bad games moves me south of a "C" which I equate with an average season. This season had too many games that simply were well below average for PJ's Gophers.

I expect next year to produce better game day play. Our record might not change much, as the New B1G will be very tough. But how we feel after each game--were the Gophers competitive, did they play up to their ability?--likely will change for the positive, if only because we could have an offense with a functional passing game to match our very good running game. A functional passing game, one the coaches could trust at key junctures in the game, could have won us at least two and maybe more games in 2023. The gap between a 5-7 record and an 8-4 record in 2023 wasn't very big; it can be bridged. Many parts of the Gopher team are up to snuff and will be there in 2024. The running game will be there. The defense could be pretty decent. Our record, and our feelings about the 2024 season, are likely to turn on whether we have a competent, passing game ... something the coaches can turn to rather than shun at key junctures in the game.
Agree with pretty much everything you said with the exception of the bit about needing a controversial to some penalty to win the Iowa game. The only reason there is a controversy is because there are people that either don't understand or refuse to accept the rule.
 

I went with a C. It was a disappointing season, but there were some good games, and of course we beat Iowa and kept our Bowl Win streak alive.
 

D. The games sucked ass to watch pretty much everyone of them.
 




Barely made a C. If they would have beaten Northwestern and Illinois, then a solid C plus maybe a B. Not close to beating the Michigan's Ohio States etc. Did beat Iowa that was good.
 

The post season victories of the bowl win and signing the new QB, plus beating Iowa, is restoration from a down year.
 

I went with D, the way they lost to Northwestern and Illinois were unacceptable
 




With all due respect to the guys that played their hearts out this was a bad (power 5) team. Below average. Next year the additions, deletions, emergences, different chemistry, different coaches could lead to vastly different results.
 

B. Average, middle of the curve results. I’ll add, against really an inordinate amount of unforeseen adversity.
 

D. I don’t get how beating Iowa brings it to a C. If they lost to Iowa I’d say it was an F.

Who the hell voted A?

5-7 in year seven is not a C IMO. 6-6 would be.
More than likely a troll. We seem to have a lot of them at times. Apparently they find happiness on our board as opposed to daily activities in life.
 

D, and an F if it weren't for Iowa. 7 years in, we have the right to expect better. No capable back-ups, yet we hear about the great recruiting that is going on. Comes a point where the schtick needs to go and between technique and talent, you can knock people off the ball. 1 Good year by TM is all we really have to show for 7 years of QB play. Next year will be telling.... Could be the year PJ jumps if things don't improve.
 

D, beating Iowa saves it from an F. I can see a D+ given Iowa victory and bowl win

Had we beat Wisconsin and lost different game, I probably would've gone C, but otherwise I can't give a 5-7 season any higher than D
 

If C is average and we're comparing to our average over the last four years, this one was well below average. Iowa win and closing on a high note with the bowl victory in the midst of all the crappy portal stuff and our not great qb leaving keeps this one salvageable out of the F. Hope we can find a d coordinator who rights the ship. Brosmer is the hinge piece for this poll next year.
 

Need more bathrooms to drain the Duck Duck beer!
 

Special Teams-- B+
Offense-D
Defense-C-
Overall-C-
Thank God they won the Bowl game
 


I went with a D.

One overdue victory does not make the season mediocre!

In 2 of the 3 'other big games' I wanted us to show some gumption, Fleck apparently determined we didn't belong on the field with them and didn't seem like he was trying to win (we all know that's not true, but the effort with his coaching was suspect). Fleck and the staff also gave away 2 other games and once again Fleck stuck with a QB that should have been challenged by handing the ball to another QB to see what they could do or at the very least light a fire under his guy. Didn't he even state in spring ball we'd get a look at him someday on Sundays? WOW, was he wrong there!

The axe game was a disaster and to me has more meaning than the hog game and in giving a D, I was actually closer to an F than a C.
 
Last edited:


I went C. (Definite C-)

Why,

We beat Nebraska to start the year. We FINALLY beat iowa. We won the bowl game.

Northwestern and Illinois collapses were straight F's.

Everything else was a D- .
 


I went C. (Definite C-)

Why,

We beat Nebraska to start the year. We FINALLY beat iowa. We won the bowl game.

Northwestern and Illinois collapses were straight F's.

Everything else was a D- .
C- for me as well. Would have been a D without the bowl win.
 




Top Bottom