Would you view 8-4 or 7-5 as a successful season at this point?

Donate To GopherHole
At the start of the season I was hoping for 9 wins but at this point I'd definitely take 7. Although we display flashes of talent across the team I just don't get that sense that we have the depth of leadership to win the close ones. Both Penn State and Iowa were there for the taking but we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Really hope I'm wrong but I fear we will continue to panic (silly penalties, dropped passes, bad decisions etc) at critical moments and I'm not convinced we will win any of the games on the road.
 

I don't lower expectations in season because a team has played poorly. I looked at this year as a litmus test for this style of coaching/leadership with a 5th year Quarterback, the easiest schedule of my lifetime and it being (in some ways) year 6. Not only could the Gophers not match what Iowa did with this schedule, but they are almost out of contention in early October. This team could have got to 10 regular season wins without beating a top 25 team....maybe not even a top 35 team. It will be difficult to look back at this season as anything other than a massive missed opportunity (assuming they don't run the table) and it's tough to imagine this group ever surpassing 8 regular season wins if they don't do it this year and haven't done it in the past.
 


8 (not including a bowl win) would have been fine if one of the wins was against Iowa or Wisconsin.

At this point they need to win the next 4. A loss to Rutgers and Claeys should be fired immediately and replaced by Jeff Horton to finish up the year
 

DougMN said:
I guess I'm crazy...5th year QB that some projected to be drafted. Two good RB's and the easiest schedule we will ever have. Didn't Einsten define Insanity as: 'Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.'? I think most people on this board would qualify...
Click to expand...

Amen man, amen.
 


Counting on the squad to not be highly motivated this weekend at Maryland. Potential of even more significant conservative approach on offense (oh boy) if Leidner is out due to concussion. Defense giving up big plays because they are on the field about 60% of game. Maryland 28 Gophers 17. Can we hope for 6-6?
 

I predicted 8-4...lose one of Penn St and Iowa, lose to Neb and Wisconsin, and lose one we shouldn't because the gophers always seem to. I shouldn't be disappointed because 8-4 is still very attainable but I am, like many others.
 

EG#9 said:
I don't lower expectations in season because a team has played poorly. I looked at this year as a litmus test for this style of coaching/leadership with a 5th year Quarterback, the easiest schedule of my lifetime and it being (in some ways) year 6. Not only could the Gophers not match what Iowa did with this schedule, but they are almost out of contention in early October. This team could have got to 10 regular season wins without beating a top 25 team....maybe not even a top 35 team. It will be difficult to look back at this season as anything other than a massive missed opportunity (assuming they don't run the table) and it's tough to imagine this group ever surpassing 8 regular season wins if they don't do it this year and haven't done it in the past.
Click to expand...

You nailed it.
 

Anybody else get the feeling that this season will end up being a week-by-week meltdown resulting in major negativity, disillusionment and apathy on the team?
 



DoubleAlum said:
Anybody else get the feeling that this season will end up being a week-by-week meltdown resulting in major negativity, disillusionment and apathy on the team?
Click to expand...

Certainly possible. The good news is that the Gophers get as easy as schedule as they could possibly get from 10/22-11/5, with Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue. If there's a shred of pride and desire left on the team after this weekend, they should beat Rutgers and that could lift the spirits enough to overcome two pretty bad opponents in Illinois and Purdue.

Of course, the opposite could happen - if they get pounded at Maryland this weekend they could lose the will and a loss to Rutgers would effectively mean giving up on the season entirely. I don't think that will happen, but it's possible.
 

DoubleAlum said:
Anybody else get the feeling that this season will end up being a week-by-week meltdown resulting in major negativity, disillusionment and apathy on the team?
Click to expand...

I am concerned that the team itself is emotionally out of it or fragile and may collapse. Kill may have been the emotional core that held it all together.

I hope that isn't the case but it is a concern.
 

Gopher07 said:
Certainly possible. The good news is that the Gophers get as easy as schedule as they could possibly get from 10/22-11/5, with Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue. If there's a shred of pride and desire left on the team after this weekend, they should beat Rutgers and that could lift the spirits enough to overcome two pretty bad opponents in Illinois and Purdue.

Of course, the opposite could happen - if they get pounded at Maryland this weekend they could lose the will and a loss to Rutgers would effectively mean giving up on the season entirely. I don't think that will happen, but it's possible.
Click to expand...

The Gophers won't lose to Rutgers. (please let that be true) That's an entirely different level of stink.
 

SelectionSunday said:
The Gophers won't lose to Rutgers. (please let that be true) That's an entirely different level of stink.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's "1-11 Brewster" levels of awful that I don't think we'll get to barring a complete mental collapse. Which is why it's good news we get them first, and not someone like Illinois that I could see us losing to in a fragile mindset.
 



DoubleAlum said:
Anybody else get the feeling that this season will end up being a week-by-week meltdown resulting in major negativity, disillusionment and apathy on the team?
Click to expand...

Depends on how it all shakes out. I think this team is still better then most of the teams left on the schedule outside of Nebraska and Wisconsin so could definitely see a rebound record wise. Problem there is then it becomes a missed opportunity season, one where we could see ourselves sitting at 8-4 knowing we should be 10-2 but pissed away opportunities to win very winnable BIG games against Penn State and Iowa.
 

Spoofin said:
Good thing no one would base expectations off what a coach says preseason.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Guess your being sarcastic since plenty of people would and did base their expectations off what a coach said preseason.
 

SelectionSunday said:
The Gophers won't lose to Rutgers. (please let that be true) That's an entirely different level of stink.
Click to expand...

Barring a total beat down by Maryland which is highly unlikely, it will be impossible to lose to Rutgers. I'm pretty sure the players at Rutgers are well beyond having a fragile psyche. My guess they are moving right on past depression and into the acceptance stage that they will not win another game this season.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
Barring a total beat down by Maryland which is highly unlikely, it will be impossible to lose to Rutgers. I'm pretty sure the players at Rutgers are well beyond having a fragile psyche. My guess they are moving right on past depression and into the acceptance stage that they will not win another game this season.
Click to expand...

Well they did lose to Iowa by the same score we did so I wouldn't say it's impossible.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Well they did lose to Iowa by the same score we did so I wouldn't say it's impossible.
Click to expand...

Did you see the result from their last game? I'm guessing this took a little wind out of their sail. But I see your point and will say they have about as much of a chance of winning one of their remaining games as Trump does carrying the Black, Latino, and Muslim voters.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
Did you see the result from their last game? I'm guessing this took a little wind out of their sail. But I see your point and will say they have about as much of a chance of winning one of their remaining games as Trump does carrying the Black, Latino, and Muslim voters.
Click to expand...

Rutgers is a bad team and the Gophers should be able to handle them. But Kill's first Gopher team lost 58-0 to Michigan and still beat Iowa later in the year. The following week Iowa beat Michigan. You just never know.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Rutgers is a bad team and the Gophers should be able to handle them. But Kill's first Gopher team lost 58-0 to Michigan and still beat Iowa later in the year. The following week Iowa beat Michigan. You just never know.
Click to expand...

You never know, but that is Iowa in a nutshell, just super unpredictable. I swear Kirk's teams just quit on him one week and then go crazy the next... you never know.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Rutgers is a bad team and the Gophers should be able to handle them. But Kill's first Gopher team lost 58-0 to Michigan and still beat Iowa later in the year. The following week Iowa beat Michigan. You just never know.
Click to expand...

Granted 58-0 is terrible. 78-0 is, well, unbelievably terrible. It is worse than the 84-13 beat down Nebraska put on us and we all know how well our team responded to that one. If Rutgers can pull themselves off the canvas after taking a Mike Tyson (in his prime) punch square on the jaw, I'll be very surprised.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
Granted 58-0 is terrible. 78-0 is, well, unbelievably terrible. It is worse than the 84-13 beat down Nebraska put on us and we all know how well our team responded to that one. If Rutgers can pull themselves off the canvas after taking a Mike Tyson (in his prime) punch square on the jaw, I'll be very surprised.
Click to expand...

Rutgers main playmaker, that little guy, is done for the year, and I think any semblance of an offense is totally gone.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom