What grade would you give the Gophers

[Some Day...Maybe]

I say C+. Offense should have been better. Running game and red zone brought the grade down.

 

[Triple D]

Didn’t put the game away until the 4th against a subpar opponent = C, extra + for how Lindsey played in his first start

 

[BilldGopher]

I graded high at a B but certainly see the reason for the C+ votes without any problem.

Nothing wrong with expecting better results on the field in Year 8 + 0 in the Fleck Era.

 

[PMWinSTP]

I say C+. Offense should have been better. Running game and red zone brought the grade down.

But for the flukey INT off the shoe, it probably would have ended 37-3.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

I graded a B. Redshirt freshman QB first start with only 1 returning reciever back. 3 New Olineman starting, and a new defensive coordinator calling his first game. We left points on the table at the 10 yard line twice, and controlled line of scrimmage. That opponent had 6 returning starters on defense, and 6 on offense with a 7th year QB and were 9 and 4 last year. I know Buffalo not a big name but they were a solid well coached football team. I knew they would not be a push over. Gophers have some younger players that will get better as the season goes along. Darius Taylor is still a damn good running back and earned some rough yards tonight. Gophers clean up the dropped passes and mistakes and they have a chance to put up quite a few points. Anthony Smith is an excellent pass rusher, if he get's help the D line has a chance to be a difference maker. Safety Perich and Gousby are both good football players as is Kerry Brown. The safety room is deep in talent. I like this team, good potential.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

I went with B
QB: A-
RB: A- (Taylor is an A+)
WR/TE: B- too many drops
OL: C-
DL: A+
LB: B
DB: C+ (Can't get burned)

Probably averages out to a B or so.

A win is a win and a loss is a loss so I will never be too upset after a win. In 2019 we barely beat a couple of non conference teams and that team turned out to be pretty good.

 

[nitramnaed]

B- Looks like that where most everyone is at.
Drake in all would get a higher score but he made a few questionable throws and I'm not talking about the ones to Geers. Ou!
In the words of former Viking great, Christian Ponder; "It's easily fixable". Well in his case. Not so much.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

But for the flukey INT off the shoe, it probably would have ended 37-3.

That's a little optimistic. Buffalo didn't score their touchdown on the possession after the interception.

 

[BilldGopher]

Thought experiment.

Would last night's edition of the Gophers have beaten last years edition of North Carolina, who arguably were not a good as the 2023 team that beat us in Chapel Hill?

Going to the GopherSports game recap looks like both teams had a rough go, especially NC losing their QB. The Gophers had a shot at the end but Dragan's FG went wide right (as we would see for several games). Final score 19-17 going to NC.

Of course just a mind exercise but I think with all the new pieces, including the Gophers' QB, the answer would be no. Scheduling Buffalo for this one was just right for this season. Good job Coyle.

 

[scools12]

C+

Buffalo D was pretty good but Gophers had a few chances to put them away and didn’t.

 

[mngg11]

Thought experiment.

Would last night's edition of the Gophers have beaten last years edition of North Carolina, who arguably were not a good as the 2023 team that beat us in Chapel Hill?

Going to the GopherSports game recap looks like both teams had a rough go, especially NC losing their QB. The Gophers had a shot at the end but Dragan's FG went wide right (as we would see for several games). Final score 19-17 going to NC.

Of course just a mind exercise but I think with all the new pieces, including the Gophers' QB, the answer would be no. Scheduling Buffalo for this one was just right for this season. Good job Coyle.

It's hard to compare due to the talent disparity between unc and Buffalo, but the QB performance last night was night and day compared to Brosmer's first start. Again, probably an unfair comparison but Drake looked pretty damn good and we certainly weren't playing the little sisters of the poor

 

[cheeseheadgophfan]

B- All things considered a win is a win!!!

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Didn’t put the game away until the 4th against a subpar opponent = C,

That's true (the not putting the game away until the 4th quarter part). As far as their opponent, I don't know that Buffalo is particularly subpar compared to the opening game opponents of FBS teams who have played to date. Of the 22 games played by FBS teams so far, 10 have featured FCS opponents

At this point, we can only make a judgement on team performances for the opening game. Among teams who have played to date, the Gophers' first game stats are more impressive than the final score.

Offense:

	Number	Rank
First Downs	27​	1​
Total Yards	443​	7​

Of the 6 teams ranked ahead of us in Total Yards, 5 played FCS teams in their opening game.

Defense:

	Number	Rank
First Downs	8​	5​
Total Yards	151​	5​

Of the 4 teams ranked ahead of us (fewer yards and first downs surrendered), 3 of them played FCS teams.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

C+

It was fine, offense sputtered for a variety of reasons.


Drake:

Drake looks promising, but green. Some plays it looks like he saw the space and WR making his way there before it happened, that was great. Other plays his touch was way off and he locked onto the wrong guy / missed open guys.

I was pretty nervous in that 3rd quarter ... defense saved the game really.

That long TD at the end REALLY changed how that game looked from very shaky to fans being very confidant.

I do like the passes to Taylor to free up things at the line. Get a good play maker in the game more and make the LBs have to account for that rather than t off on the OL / QB.

Criticisms / worries:

I'm very worried about run blocking ... it looked chaotic and Taylor made a lot of yards that the OL just didn't provide ... maybe I'm wrong but the way those plays played out looked almost nonsensical. There were times when Taylor followed the line and had nowhere to go, he was often better off picking a different path that what seemed like the blocking scheme called for.

OL gelled as the game went on but at times when they were facing fewer DL than OL they seemed confused as to who blocks who. I was watching at the game and guys were hesitant and would lose a step to the DL and get in trouble even when 1 on 1.


Play I don't get:

I DO NOT understand the direct snap to the RB play. So the QB runs out to be a receiver and RB jumps in there to take the snap and he gets a blocker too ... so if I'm a linebacker NOW I KNOW TO FOLLOW THE RB. Even more so on a team with a rookie QB and star RB...

There's no misdirection here, the defense kinda doesn't have to DO anything in response (coverage has to adjust a bit but Buffalo hardly seemed to move), they almost seem like they can be MORE sure of where the play is going.

Maybe there's some magic to that play I don't get but it didn't work and I don't know what that magic is.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Feels like a B/B- type of game to me. Not nearly as close as the score indicated but lots to work on as well.

First games can be messy so good to get this one out of the way against what will most likely end up being a solid opponent.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Again, probably an unfair comparison but Drake looked pretty damn good and we certainly weren't playing the little sisters of the poor

Yeah, 290 yards passing in the first start by a redshirt freshman is nothing to sneeze at. The only negatives I saw were that he seemed to force some passes into coverage and he didn't look particularly mobile.

 

[MNVCGUY]

C+

It was fine, offense sputtered for a variety of reasons.


Drake:

Drake looks promising, but green. Some plays it looks like he saw the space and WR making his way there before it happened, that was great. Other plays his touch was way off and he locked onto the wrong guy / missed open guys.

I was pretty nervous in that 3rd quarter ... defense saved the game really.

That long TD at the end REALLY changed how that game looked from very shaky to fans being very confidant.

I do like the passes to Taylor to free up things at the line. Get a good play maker in the game more and make the LBs have to account for that rather than t off on the OL / QB.

Criticisms / worries:

I'm very worried about run blocking ... it looked chaotic and Taylor made a lot of yards that the OL just didn't provide ... maybe I'm wrong but the way those plays played out looked almost nonsensical. There were times when Taylor followed the line and had nowhere to go, he was often better off picking a different path that what seemed like the blocking scheme called for.

OL gelled as the game went on but at times when they were facing fewer DL than OL they seemed confused as to who blocks who. I was watching at the game and guys were hesitant and would lose a step to the DL and get in trouble even when 1 on 1.


Play I don't get:

I DO NOT understand the direct snap to the RB play. So the QB runs out to be a receiver and RB jumps in there to take the snap and he gets a blocker too ... so if I'm a linebacker NOW I KNOW TO FOLLOW THE RB. Even more so on a team with a rookie QB and star RB...

There's no misdirection here, the defense kinda doesn't have to DO anything in response (coverage has to adjust a bit but Buffalo hardly seemed to move), they almost seem like they can be MORE sure of where the play is going.

Maybe there's some magic to that play I don't get but it didn't work and I don't know what that magic is.

I agree on any wildcat look where the QB remains on the field split out as a receiver.....never been a fan of that look. I'm sure there is an option with it that gets the QB involved but teams never do it and it just ends up being a dead player on the outside.

 

[GophEnEspaña]

Based on the eye test alone, I think this team can be very good. We look bigger, faster, and more skilled than ever. A lot of the mistakes are things that happen with new pieces and first game jitters

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I agree on any wildcat look where the QB remains on the field split out as a receiver.....never been a fan of that look. I'm sure there is an option with it that gets the QB involved but teams never do it and it just ends up being a dead player on the outside.

It seems like such a low % play.

Is your RB or maybe the other WR or TE who is the lead blocker a good passer / QB a great receiver? Not likely ... and if you drop back LBs are going to / rushing you anyhow ...

Same goes with the RB being able to read the defense and find some magic.

Flea flickers and so on that suck the defense in I get but this ... I don't see the defense having to do anything that might be a mistake that they weren't already doing when they lined up.

Granted running it a few times against Buffalo and it doesn't work, no big deal.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I agree on any wildcat look where the QB remains on the field split out as a receiver.....never been a fan of that look. I'm sure there is an option with it that gets the QB involved but teams never do it and it just ends up being a dead player on the outside.

Unless you have a Seth Green type, I just don't believe a wildcat formation is more effective than just lining up in a power formation with Lindsey and Taylor in shotgun. The threat of the pass to prevent the defense from completely selling out is just much more than the threat of him on the outside.

It's also like 10 years old, so defenses aren't confused on how to align anymore when a team goes into the wildcat.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

C+

It was fine, offense sputtered for a variety of reasons.

I'm very worried about run blocking ... it looked chaotic and Taylor made a lot of yards that the OL just didn't provide ... maybe I'm wrong but the way those plays played out looked almost nonsensical. There were times when Taylor followed the line and had nowhere to go, he was often better off picking a different path that what seemed like the blocking scheme called for.

OL gelled as the game went on but at times when they were facing fewer DL than OL they seemed confused as to who blocks who. I was watching at the game and guys were hesitant and would lose a step to the DL and get in trouble even when 1 on 1.

Sure, but we had a really slow start in rushing to open last season.

Opponent	Yards Per Carry
UNC	2.4​
Rhode Island	3.1​
Nevada	6.1​
Iowa	3.8​
Michigan	1.5​

Last night, the team averaged 3.5 yards per carry but I think that last extended drive that was just designed to grind it out and run out the clock likely brought down the average.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

It's hard to compare due to the talent disparity between unc and Buffalo, but the QB performance last night was night and day compared to Brosmer's first start. Again, probably an unfair comparison but Drake looked pretty damn good and we certainly weren't playing the little sisters of the poor

I thought Drake was much better than Brosmer in their respective debuts. It remains to be seen if Drake becomes a better player overall...but he seems on the right track...

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Based on the eye test alone, I think this team can be very good. We look bigger, faster, and more skilled than ever. A lot of the mistakes are things that happen with new pieces and first game jitters

What I noticed most on offense was more seemingly capable receivers than we've had in our most recent years (8 players caught a pass last night) and more speed among some of them (for example, Smith and Tracy).

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I agree on any wildcat look where the QB remains on the field split out as a receiver.....never been a fan of that look. I'm sure there is an option with it that gets the QB involved but teams never do it and it just ends up being a dead player on the outside.

I am not a big fan of the wildcat, but I think it makes sense to leave the QB on the field if your are going to do it. If you sub him out, then the defense can sub in a package knowing they arent facing a QB. Sure, we end up with a dead player on the outside, but the defense has to cover him, so they do too, and it just turns the wildcat play into 10 on 10.

 

[PMWinSTP]

That's a little optimistic. Buffalo didn't score their touchdown on the possession after the interception.

The game would have been a lot different if either the PI got called (huge miss from the refs) or that check off was incomplete.

 

[mngg11]

I thought Drake was much better than Brosmer in their respective debuts. It remains to be seen if Drake becomes a better player overall...but he seems on the right track...

Another comparison, following the Nebraska game in 23, I was looking for every single reason possible to convince myself that AK was the answer and the next dude to lead this program. Yeah, it was Nebraska, but he looked absolutely terrified and incapable of making any decision when he didn't have wide open receivers or wasn't locked onto one guy. I felt very little hope which was validated as the season progressed.

After last night, watching Drake occasionally go through progressions before finding a receiver and making a handful if crisp throws to spots that a defender couldn't pick if our guy couldn't get it, I feel so good about the future based on his decision making alone. Yes, there were some very clear freshman mistakes/bad throws, but they were the exception and not the norm, as was the opposite with AK. Drake very clearly got a lot out of working with Brosmer last year.

Drake may or may not become the best QB to ever lead this program (too early to tell at this point), but his floor appears SO much higher than AK's and I feel like the sky is the limit in terms of his ceiling. Receivers need to step up and PJ needs to keep letting Harbaugh open up the offense so he can build up his confidence. Cal will be a good barometer to how much cooking we'll be able to do this year, I'm pumped!

 

[MNVCGUY]

I am not a big fan of the wildcat, but I think it makes sense to leave the QB on the field if your are going to do it. If you sub him out, then the defense can sub in a package knowing they arent facing a QB. Sure, we end up with a dead player on the outside, but the defense has to cover him, so they do too, and it just turns the wildcat play into 10 on 10.

Would still rather see a WR in that spot then the QB. I'm sure the main reason teams do it is to keep the D guessing based on personnel but it rarely seems to fool anyone and it just comes down to whether or not the RB can get the yards or not while the QB stands around near the sidelline not doing anything.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Another comparison, following the Nebraska game in 23, I was looking for every single reason possible to convince myself that AK was the answer and the next dude to lead this program. Yeah, it was Nebraska, but he looked absolutely terrified and incapable of making any decision when he didn't have wide open receivers or wasn't locked onto one guy. I felt very little hope which was validated as the season progressed.

After last night, watching Drake occasionally go through progressions before finding a receiver and making a handful if crisp throws to spots that a defender couldn't pick if our guy couldn't get it, I feel so good about the future based on his decision making alone. Yes, there were some very clear freshman mistakes/bad throws, but they were the exception and not the norm, as was the opposite with AK. Drake very clearly got a lot out of working with Brosmer last year.

Drake may or may not become the best QB to ever lead this program (too early to tell at this point), but his floor appears SO much higher than AK's and I feel like the sky is the limit in terms of his ceiling. Receivers need to step up and PJ needs to keep letting Harbaugh open up the offense so he can build up his confidence. Cal will be a good barometer to how much cooking we'll be able to do this year, I'm pumped!

Totally agree. I probably have trauma remembering how high I was on AK after he played well in 2022 and all the hype on him in 2023...

Drake certainly looked the part, and I was really impressed with him.

 

[Triple D]

That's true (the not putting the game away until the 4th quarter part). As far as their opponent, I don't know that Buffalo is particularly subpar compared to the opening game opponents of FBS teams who have played to date. Of the 22 games played by FBS teams so far, 10 have featured FCS opponents

At this point, we can only make a judgement on team performances for the opening game. Among teams who have played to date, the Gophers' first game stats are more impressive than the final score.

Offense:

	Number	Rank
First Downs	27​	1​
Total Yards	443​	7​

Of the 6 teams ranked ahead of us in Total Yards, 5 played FCS teams in their opening game.

Defense:

	Number	Rank
First Downs	8​	5​
Total Yards	151​	5​

Of the 4 teams ranked ahead of us (fewer yards and first downs surrendered), 3 of them played FCS teams.

Good post

But anytime a B10 team plays an FBS team they should win by at least what the point spread was and we underperformed in that metric.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Good post

But anytime a B10 team plays an FBS team they should win by at least what the point spread was and we underperformed in that metric.

I guess my point was that we weren't alone among teams who didn't score a lot in their first game and in terms of yards gained we were pretty high among those who played an FBS instead of a FCS team.

We almost got to the point spread. The announcers said before the game that the spread was 16.5. Probably would have if Fleck would have allowed them to score in that last drive.