Gopher aftermath

[ringthebells]

Re: Gopher aftermath

I've spent plenty of time around college football programs to know and appreciate how much time and effort the coaches put into preparing from week to week. But this is week 10 of the season plus fall camp. The "new" coaches that are in the system know the offense and know the players and how to utilize them. Would TOB be better with a QB coach, yes, I won't argue that.

I have no qualms calling out the play calling from Saturday. Why? Because as I sat watching the game with a former SDSU QB who put up one of the best single seasons in school history we each kept commenting on similar situations. Here's my big beef, and yes I'm biased because of the position I played. We have an outstanding TE in Cochart, who from my memory, only had one reception on the one ball that was thrown his way. The Gophs D was stacked to stop the run and was eating up the flats. Why on Gods green earth were we not attacking the middle of the field with Cochart up the seam, or sending Fox on a deep post route? Watching from a great vantage point, our FG resulting drive in the 4th quarter had the middle of the field open for more than the one ball that Cochart caught down the middle. OK, he had two balls thrown his way, the second with another SDSU receiver in the same location, bringing another defender into the mix. Point is, Minnesota had too much team speed for the flats two work effectively and their safeties were playing the run because we never threatened the deep middle.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda, we lost. Did we have a chance to win. Yes. Was it all the fault of the play calling. Not by a long shot. Did our defense play lights out. Damn right they did.

I said it before, I'll say it again. There are no moral victories in this game. I hope to heck that these players take the bitter taste from this game and put an ass whooping on Western Illinios like they've never delivered before.


This game is going to stick with me for a very long time. I only hope our players do what they are supposed to and forget about this game ASAP. Hopefully the coaches don't even show the game film as it might keep them lingering on what could have been rather than what they need to do next week.

FootballWidow, I can only assume your husband is a coach on staff. Trust me, I know what they put in for hours and can imagine the affect it has on you and your family. You and wives like you are the bedrocks of each and every coaching family and should be saluted and recognized by all fans of the game.

I make no apologies though for questioning some of the play calling decisions. As a poster on a chat board it's my duty to play arm chair quarterback and think I know what's best.

Can we please limit the senseless shifting and motioning though? Really, does a guy have to walk in three steps and turn around and walk back to where he came from? What's that do for us?

I assume it allows the QB to get a read on a particular defensive player. If not, I'm with you.

[CatchEmAll]

Re: Gopher aftermath

I assume it allows the QB to get a read on a particular defensive player. If not, I'm with you.

Typically motion does force the defense to tip there had somewhat, or it allows the offense to bring and extra blocker into play, or puts an extra receiver into the pattern. Too often it seemed as if SDSU motioned a guy just to have someone in motion and no advantage was gained.

[launcher46]

Re: Gopher aftermath

I have no qualms calling out the play calling from Saturday. Why? Because as I sat watching the game with a former SDSU QB who put up one of the best single seasons in school history we each kept commenting on similar situations. Here's my big beef, and yes I'm biased because of the position I played. We have an outstanding TE in Cochart, who from my memory, only had one reception on the one ball that was thrown his way. The Gophs D was stacked to stop the run and was eating up the flats. Why on Gods green earth were we not attacking the middle of the field with Cochart up the seam, or sending Fox on a deep post route? Watching from a great vantage point, our FG resulting drive in the 4th quarter had the middle of the field open for more than the one ball that Cochart caught down the middle. OK, he had two balls thrown his way, the second with another SDSU receiver in the same location, bringing another defender into the mix. Point is, Minnesota had too much team speed for the flats two work effectively and their safeties were playing the run because we never threatened the deep middle.

Definitely a former player with great knowledge of the game! I think I heard similar comments about the constant throwing of out routes and lack of throws downfield and to the middle of the field about 97 times during and after the game yesterday. The comments coming from past and current coaches, players, knowledgeable fans, and at least 8 or 9 middle school girls.

Point being... anyone with any football knowledge at all knows that our current offensive play calling has been quite strange- to put it nicely. Never throwing the ball to the interior of the field and rarely stretching the field vertically to create space underneath is not normal. The constant throwing of terminal routes (routes such as five yard outs that are not condusive to getting yards after the catch and usually end when the player catches the ball) is making it easy for defenses.

Think of all the routes that were jumped against Southern Illinois and the ones yesterday- All 30 yard throws across the field to a receiver running a short out route... makes it tough on the QB.

[Nidaros]

Re: Gopher aftermath

When I am walking on Sunday Morning I like to listen to the Sid Hartman's show. I thought this morning something would be said about South Dakota State and how they scared the Gophhers. Nope, just two references " Lets forget about the South Dakota State game, the rest of the conversation was about how great the Gophers are and how they miss this Decker guy. So much for making a splash in the Twin Cities. I am happy we got so close and perhaps the guys who said that the Gophers are no better than UNI are right. If we had a chance to beat a Big Ten school in football it was yesterday. But the good thing is the SDSU athletic department has or should soon receive $300,000 that it did not have before. So lets start thinking Western Illinois and a playoff bid.

[Nidaros]

Re: Gopher aftermath

Definitely a former player with great knowledge of the game! I think I heard similar comments about the constant throwing of out routes and lack of throws downfield and to the middle of the field about 97 times during and after the game yesterday. The comments coming from past and current coaches, players, knowledgeable fans, and at least 8 or 9 middle school girls.

Point being... anyone with any football knowledge at all knows that our current offensive play calling has been quite strange- to put it nicely. Never throwing the ball to the interior of the field and rarely stretching the field vertically to create space underneath is not normal. The constant throwing of terminal routes (routes such as five yard outs that are not condusive to getting yards after the catch and usually end when the player catches the ball) is making it easy for defenses.

Think of all the routes that were jumped against Southern Illinois and the ones yesterday- All 30 yard throws across the field to a receiver running a short out route... makes it tough on the QB.

Would have an experienced qb coach Don Bailey made different calls? Probably, I would not want to be Josh Davis or the young Mr. Tripplett. Both are going to be good coaches as long as they decide that is their calling, but for now they are all we got and are probably doing the best they can with their knowledge and experience. We all learn by doing, so I question if second quessing is helpful?

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: Gopher aftermath

Well I thought after about 20 beers and a nights sleep I would not be as dejected as I was at the final gun yesterday. Not so much. When I walked out of the stadium I was wishing the Jacks would have lost by 3 TDs.

Now I know how Northern Iowa fans feel after every time they lose. And Kyle Minnet stated it yesterday in the press conference. The Gophers were not better than SIU (who would destroy UofM) or UNI. His statement was a statement of dejection. They should have won, period.

It just took TOB a couple too many throws yesterday to figure out the secondary is just too damn fast to throw those cute little passes he was trying in the first quarter. After he started slinging it to the outside, he was adequate. But yes, Catchemall, where the heck were the passes in the middle of the field?

But the running game was still the most maddening to me. Kyle Minett, 19 carries for 79 yards, I believe. TOB had 39 pass attempts. I think they ran one draw out of the shotgun and Kyle got about 12 yards. After UofM figured out they were throwing 2 out of 3 plays the whole second half, they had their front 4 and 2 linebackers playing up on the shotgun formation. Run the ball please!

I'm sorry to the Reifenrath lovers out there, but he should not have the placekicking job anymore. The miss at Youngstown under 30 yards was bad, the 26 yarder yesterday was just inexcusable, I don't care if it was into the wind. And the execution at the end of the half into the wind was pathetic. Harris had to kick at least 10 yards longer than if they would have just run the ball to the middle of the field.

I'm obviously still irate and they had better roll WIU by 30 next week or the selection commitee might get a little hesitant about this team.

Way to go Gophers, you are bowl eligible. You should be proud of the team yesterday. The articles in the Star Trib this morning say it all.

[FootballWidow]

Re: Gopher aftermath

People when we played UNI you complained because we ran alot. Now you are mad because we are throwing the ball. I think some people just want to complain, which I guess is what this board is for. You cannot have it both ways.

[gopherbill]

Re: Gopher aftermath

The Gophers were not better than SIU (who would destroy UofM) or UNI. His statement was a statement of dejection. They should have won, period. Way to go Gophers, you are bowl eligible. You should be proud of the team yesterday. The articles in the Star Trib this morning say it all.

sfjacksfan99, why the smack? Let's rearrange your post a bit.

SDSU is no better than USD (USD beat Cal Poly yesterday which SDSU was unable to do) The Gophers should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter and kept rolling, period. Way to go SDSU, you are 0-2 against DIA opponent in your ENTIRE history and don't know what a bowl is. You should be proud.

[rjacks21]

Re: Gopher aftermath

Cal Poly is also a shell of the team they were at the start of the season due to injuries on both sides of the ball. I'm sure you don't know that though GB since you don't watch any FCS football and just make uneducated blanket statements like most Gopher fans have been doing. Time for you to go back to Gopher Nation. Good luck the rest of the season.

Not taking anything away from the Yotes, a road win is a road a win and they should be extrememly happy with the victory. I'm just getting tired of all of this comparative scoring crap.

[NoVaJack]

Re: Gopher aftermath

sfjacksfan99, why the smack? Let's rearrange your post a bit.

SDSU is no better than USD (USD beat Cal Poly yesterday which SDSU was unable to do) The Gophers should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter and kept rolling, period. Way to go SDSU, you are 0-2 against DIA opponent in your ENTIRE history and don't know what a bowl is. You should be proud.

And your team is not good enough to talk smack outside a smack thread.

[gopherbill]

Re: Gopher aftermath

And your team is not good enough to talk smack outside a smack thread.

And your team isn't good enough to win. I have never started any smack here at all, I have only responded to it.

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: Gopher aftermath

And your team is not good enough to talk smack outside a smack thread.

Ding!

I'm glad the 25 Gopher fans I tailgated with yesterday, most of which I have never met before, were all very nice people and not as argumentative as gopherbill. His first post on here he nicely asked for some information on the Jacks. I gave a long post with my thoughts on the Jacks and listed a couple of observations I had on the few Gopher games I had seen this year. He never commented on my info on the Jacks, he just wanted to argue about one of the comments I made on the Gophers. He hasn't quit arguing with people on this board since then.

Good bye. It's Hawkeye week, go to their board and argue with them.

[bub94]

Re: Gopher aftermath

sfjacksfan99, why the smack? Let's rearrange your post a bit.

SDSU is no better than USD (USD beat Cal Poly yesterday which SDSU was unable to do) The Gophers should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter and kept rolling, period. Way to go SDSU, you are 0-2 against DIA opponent in your ENTIRE history and don't know what a bowl is. You should be proud.

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to agree with sfjacksfan99. Maybe you haven't seen SIU play gopherbill. SIU is a very sound team. They capitalized on all SDSU turnovers. They got in the red zone, they scored. UNI is also a very good team. You say the Gophers should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter, how about the 2 series SDSU had in your redzone in the first half and get no points. Score would have been 14-14 then (allowing the Gophers scored). SDSU left points on the field too. You are being too defensive regarding sfjack's statement. If you saw both of those team play this year, you might have a different opinion.

[gopherbill]

Re: Gopher aftermath

Ding! I'm glad the 25 Gopher fans I tailgated with yesterday, most of which I have never met before, were all very nice people and not as argumentative as gopherbill. His first post on here he nicely asked for some information on the Jacks. I gave a long post with my thoughts on the Jacks and listed a couple of observations I had on the few Gopher games I had seen this year. He never commented on my info on the Jacks, he just wanted to argue about one of the comments I made on the Gophers. He hasn't quit arguing with people on this board since then.

Wrong!

I STARTED the "Gopher Thoughts" thread yesterday, go read the first post! I posted lots of questions and thoughts, but few responded. You even posted in that same thread, but didn't respond to any of my questions or thoughts. If you had, I would have responded.

As for those 25 Gopher fans, if you talked smack with them, wouldn't you expect them to respond? If they didn't, I guess you might rip on them for not being "true" fans.

[gopherbill]

Re: Gopher aftermath

I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to agree with sfjacksfan99. Maybe you haven't seen SIU play gopherbill. SIU is a very sound team. They capitalized on all SDSU turnovers. They got in the red zone, they scored. UNI is also a very good team. You say the Gophers should have been up 14-0 in the first quarter, how about the 2 series SDSU had in your redzone in the first half and get no points. Score would have been 14-14 then (allowing the Gophers scored). SDSU left points on the field too. You are being too defensive regarding sfjack's statement. If you saw both of those team play this year, you might have a different opinion.

I agree SIU is a good team and would give the Gophers all they could handle. But sfjacksfan99 said they would "destroy" Minnesota, which is highly unlikely.

I agree about the touchdowns, my point was to show how his post was making blanket statements. Maybe I am being too defensive, but if he's going if he's going to rip on my team, I will respond to it.