Gophers Football

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Not watching the game, but I see Croft is continuing where he left off last week. 5-18 for 46 yards and an interception. This is the best guy this team has? Rhoda and Croft... And leidner. Kill and co really messed this up.

Heard a lot of it driving on the radio. Sounds like lots of flat-out dropped passes. I saw the last futile drive he had decent pocket presence but the Iowa rush was too strong, maybe. There was a low sideline pass that would have been a first down but the receiver couldn't corral it. Not a bad pass but a hard catch for a college player. Probably someone else will chime in here with some good thoughts.

 

Edit: that is still a horrible line and I don't want to make excuses

Edited October 29, 2017 by Hosken Bombo Disco

[Badsmerf]

Maybe the receivers were off tonight, but that wasn't the case last weekend. They don't have a ton of talent there, but Tyler Johnson is a pretty solid receiver. These guys are making me miss Matt leidner, and that is tough to do.

[bluechipper]

I liked watching The Gophs continuously throwing at Josh Jackson, who is probably the best corner in the B10 and has a chance to be an All-American. Now that's good game-planning.

[Vanimal46]

Weird day in the Big 10... Ohio State gets destroyed by Iowa. Penn State falls to Michigan State. The conference is now anybody's to take.

[Vanimal46]

371 rushing yards given up by the Gophers. Had to turn it off because it was that embarrassing. Fleck better be the best recruiter we've ever seen, because they're light years away from being competitive in the Big 10.

[drjim]

I don't buy the spin that the talent on the roster (especially the defense) collapsed this much.

 

I understand the hit they take changing the system, but remains to be seen if he'll recruit enough to make it worth it. So far not especially impressed.

[Vanimal46]

I don't buy the spin that the talent on the roster (especially the defense) collapsed this much.

 

I understand the hit they take changing the system, but remains to be seen if he'll recruit enough to make it worth it. So far not especially impressed.

Agreed. QB was a huge question mark coming into the year, but they still had enough talent to continue running the ball well.

 

I'm not sure what's going on with Brooks. He looked like the best RB overall last year. Now he's off and on playing.

[Badsmerf]

I think Brooks is injured again. Has to be. That game was embarrassing. The defense has lost a bunch of starters, but mostly in the secondary. That said, the d line and linebackers are terrible.

 

I'm not sure what the game plan had been lately. The last 5 years, it's been pretty clear what the game plan was. Now, the team is paying aimlessly with a weak defense and worse qb. Fleck will have to make some changes to the coaching staff, regardless of the talent on this team isn't top notch.

[Mr. Brooks]

I think I owe Mitch Leidner an apology. I didn't think I'd ever see worse QB play, but I was wrong. This Croft kid makes Leidner look like Tom Brady.

[ashbury]

I think I owe Mitch Leidner an apology. I didn't think I'd ever see worse QB play, but I was wrong. This Croft kid makes Leidner look like Tom Brady.

39-0. The way you're carrying on, I was thinking it was a rout or something.

[Vanimal46]

Croft: 2 for 11 - 43 yards - 3 INTs - 6 dropped passes from WRs. 

 

Ouch. 

[Vanimal46]

Doesn't look like the QB dilemma will be answered by someone outside the program now. Brennan Armstrong rescinded his commitment from Minnesota earlier this year and chose Virginia today. That leaves the Gophers with zero QB commits in the latest class.  

 

Barring a miracle, the Gophers will lose next week to the Badgers for the 14th year in a row. They'll end the season 5-7, with a 2-7 record in the Big 10. 

 

Fleck so far has made this team and program irrelevant again... 

[Badsmerf]

I'll give him a longer leash. Not impressed so far. He's been blatantly outcoached this entire year. The talent is very depleted, but that isn't an excuse for lack of fundamentals and horrible game plans. Clock is ticking. Hopefully Coyle will go down with him.

[Mike Sixel]

Just shut it down already! Or, since that won't happen, I got no idea, but good luck ever being relevant

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

What was wrong with Kill, again?

[drjim]

 

What was wrong with Kill, again?

 

His health.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

His health.

Well, that's what we thought, but he is back on the sideline with Rutgers this year?

[drjim]

 

Well, that's what we thought, but he is back on the sideline with Rutgers this year?

 

Correct. Took him two years to get his health right before he could coach again. It would be awesome if he could keep it going, but he couldn't keep his regimen as the Gopher coach.

[Badsmerf]

Well, that's what we thought, but he is back on the sideline with Rutgers this year?

I liked Kill. I thought he put together good game plans and the players had solid fundamentals. Claeys was ok, but there was questionable decisions. Claeys was also terrible at recruiting. Kill or Claeys might have done a little better with this team, but not much.

 

I expect coaching changes from Fleck. Both coordinators need to go. D line coach needs to go... You know what, he needs to turn over almost the entire staff imo. Just waiting for another embarrassment against Bucky.

[nicksaviking]

My brother-in-law is a Big 10 official and was assigned to do some late summer Gopher practices. He said at the time that this team looked to have as little talent as it's ever had and it wouldn't surprise him if the team went winless in the conference. 

 

I don't know, I don't follow the Gophers like I used to, was this collapse that unexpected considering how bad the offense was expected to be from the onset?

[drjim]

 

My brother-in-law is a Big 10 official and was assigned to do some late summer Gopher practices. He said at the time that this team looked to have as little talent as it's ever had and it wouldn't surprise him if the team went winless in the conference. 

 

I don't know, I don't follow the Gophers like I used to, was this collapse that unexpected considering how bad the offense was expected to be from the onset?

 

It was pretty much expected. There was graduations, transfers, players who quit, and lost recruits. Either way, kind of bad to follow up the best season in decades with this gong show. But switching coaches at a program like Minnesota is going to result in at least 3 years of rebuilding. I hope I never have to hear Fleck speak again, but he does have a track record of success at smaller schools.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

It was pretty much expected. There was graduations, transfers, players who quit, and lost recruits. Either way, kind of bad to follow up the best season in decades with this gong show. But switching coaches at a program like Minnesota is going to result in at least 3 years of rebuilding. I hope I never have to hear Fleck speak again, but he does have a track record of success at smaller schools.

Maybe the whole dorm scandal goes down differently with Kill still leading the program, or maybe it doesn't happen at all. Sure having epilepsy is unusual for a football coach, but I'm just wondering if his "health" was a face-saving move of some kind to get him out of the program. I have no clue but in hindsight it looks like if they really wanted to keep him they could have. Because he is coaching again.

 

Edit: snarky comment about Gophers athletics removed

Edited November 22, 2017 by Hosken Bombo Disco

[drjim]

 

Maybe the whole dorm scandal goes down differently with Kill still leading the program, or maybe it doesn't happen at all. Sure having epilepsy is unusual for a football coach, but I'm just wondering if his "health" was a face-saving move of some kind to get him out of the program. I have no clue but in hindsight it looks like if they really wanted to keep him they could have. Because he is coaching again.

Edit: snarky comment about Gophers athletics removed

 

I think Kill resigned himself under pressure from his family. The U would have kept him if he would have stayed.

 

The dorm scandal is not the reason that Claeys was let go, it just happened to be a very convenient and well-timed scapegoat for the Administration.

[Badsmerf]

I'd say the result this season was expected. Can't win in the big 10 without talent anywhere besides rb and db. However, there is a thing as losing with dignity. The last loss was bad. A well put together game plan and adjustments can go a long way (Claeys made good in game adjustments). Hopefully this Saturday is a bit better.

[#1ShaneMackFan]

 

Maybe the whole dorm scandal goes down differently with Kill still leading the program, or maybe it doesn't happen at all. Sure having epilepsy is unusual for a football coach, but I'm just wondering if his "health" was a face-saving move of some kind to get him out of the program. I have no clue but in hindsight it looks like if they really wanted to keep him they could have. Because he is coaching again.

Edit: snarky comment about Gophers athletics removed

Jerry Kill retired. The U didn't fire him or force him out. Considering how quickly he went back to coaching, you could actually say he quit on us. He was a decent coach. That's it. 

[nicksaviking]

 

It was pretty much expected. There was graduations, transfers, players who quit, and lost recruits. Either way, kind of bad to follow up the best season in decades with this gong show. But switching coaches at a program like Minnesota is going to result in at least 3 years of rebuilding. I hope I never have to hear Fleck speak again, but he does have a track record of success at smaller schools.

 

Right but last year everyone knew their record had over-performed their true talent based almost solely on an incredibly easy schedule. Add to that that they were having a QB competition between two guys who couldn't beat out one of the most maligned QBs in program history the last several years and I don't see how anyone could have had reasonably optimistic expectations this year. 

[drjim]

Right but last year everyone knew their record had over-performed their true talent based almost solely on an incredibly easy schedule. Add to that that they were having a QB competition between two guys who couldn't beat out one of the most maligned QBs in program history the last several years and I don't see how anyone could have had reasonably optimistic expectations this year.

The schedule was not that much harder this year. The nonconference schedule was a joke, the Big Ten West is pretty terrible and the Big Ten as a whole is mediocre.

 

I haven't followed super closely, but I really think they could have been more of a pound and d team and had more success, but changing systems with mismatched (and limited) talent is probably the main culprit.

 

The next two years are probably going to be worse on the field, and Fleck is not exactly killing it in recruiting (though it is ok).

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Jerry Kill retired. The U didn't fire him or force him out. Considering how quickly he went back to coaching, you could actually say he quit on us. He was a decent coach. That's it.

 

I don't remember it being as tidy as him wanting to retire, but I can respect that. I don't follow it that close. Seemed like he wanted more control of the program too.

[Mr. Brooks]

Fleck is in way over his head. Not even trying. Running the ball the entire game despite being down 20+ most of the game.

 

This guy is a joke. Makes Brewster look modest by comparison. This entire program is a joke for falling for this guys shtick.

[drjim]

Fleck is in way over his head. Not even trying. Running the ball the entire game despite being down 20+ most of the game.

 

This guy is a joke. Makes Brewster look modest by comparison. This entire program is a joke for falling for this guys shtick.

I'm no Fleck fan but he probably needs 3 years before we'll know this for sure.

 

But if you're right, it's another lost decade of Gopher football.