PSU, WI, blah blah blah, what about NU

Donate To GopherHole
Tim Riggins

Tim Riggins

#33
Joined
Jun 4, 2011
Messages
836
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Anyone care to talk about this weekend's game?

I have a feeling it will be a high scoring affair, neither team plays particularly well on defense. I like our chances a little less than I did 2 weeks ago but still feel if we play well, we can win. We don't need to play perfect, as was the case with MSU and WI, but we need to be close to it.

The forecast is improving, I'm hoping for another game under the November sun.
 

Riggo-

Thanks for starting this thread. I was growing tired of multiple forms on PSU and Wisconsin. Especially the p!ssing match threads about Sconnie without even discussing the game. I am going to start there, by looking back at the Wisconsin game.

I was really disappointed in the offense, especially coming off of the performance at MSU. You knew going into the game, what the Gopher defense would be able to do or not do against Sconnie, so it was up to the offense to sustain drives and they did not do that. The first series of the game was particularly disappointing. Remember, we started with the reverse pass by Brandon Green to Eric Lair. Lair for some reason decided not to run through the ball and it was incomplete. The second play was a fake bubble screen, QB-counter which Wisconsin stuffed for about a 4 yard loss. That set the tone for the entire game offensively and it was really disappointing.

Looking at the NW game, they are a tough team to figure out at 5-5. Lose @ Iowa, Win @ Nebraska. I think it will be fairly high-scoring, but how can I say that when the most points we have scored all year is 27? The weather also could be a largre factor, as of now a 30% chance of rain, high 52 and wind out of the south at 16. I think windy and rainy can only help us.

I really think NW's no-huddle spread attack is really going to put pressure on our defense. We like to sub out multiple DL'men mid drive and NW's attack will most likely not allow that, so I am concerned about the conditioning of our DL against this offense.
 

I have the same worry I had against Wisconsin (although Wisconsin is a far better team that we really don't match up with physically). If we snooze in the first quarter and Northwestern gets up by 14, we'll likely lose by 60-40 or something like that. I think we can score on them and we are going to have to control the time of possession because Northwestern's QBs are a mega-headache for defenses and can do all kinds of stuff with the ball in their hands.

On the plus side, I think across the front lines, we can match Northwestern's strength and athleticism. Their plus seems to be they don't make a ton of mistakes within their system. What they lack in eye-popping athletic ability, they more than make up for with savvy play. They are the epitome of a well-coached and intelligent squad.

All this said, I think we can win if Gray has a big game and we can control the clock.
 

We need to control the ball, and keep Northwestern's offense off the field. Here are our Big Ten opponents we hae played, in order of yards per game given up by the defense.

3 Michigan State, 259.40, 22 TD.
6 Wisconsin, 280.40, 20 TD.
17 Michigan, 322.22, 19 TD.
30 Nebraska, 352.00, 29 TD.
65 Purdue, 389.70, 32 TD.
72 Iowa, 399.30, 32 TD.

Northwestern ranks 83, with 411.8 yards per gave and 41 TD given up. We should be able to move the ball against them. We just can't afford dropped balls and missed wide open receivers, because our defense will really have its hands full with Northwestern's offense.
 

50PoundHead said:
I have the same worry I had against Wisconsin (although Wisconsin is a far better team that we really don't match up with physically). If we snooze in the first quarter and Northwestern gets up by 14, we'll likely lose by 60-40 or something like that. I think we can score on them and we are going to have to control the time of possession because Northwestern's QBs are a mega-headache for defenses and can do all kinds of stuff with the ball in their hands.

On the plus side, I think across the front lines, we can match Northwestern's strength and athleticism. Their plus seems to be they don't make a ton of mistakes within their system. What they lack in eye-popping athletic ability, they more than make up for with savvy play. They are the epitome of a well-coached and intelligent squad.

All this said, I think we can win if Gray has a big game and we can control the clock.[/QUOTE]

IMO, NU is the second toughest BT opponent to prepare for after Wisconsin.
Click to expand...
 


I think we will be frustrated multiple times as NW's QB's wiggle out of trouble and pick up sizable amounts of yardage with their legs. It will be maddening to watch. However, I am with the rest of you when we have the ball. We must pound them and then take advantage of play action and avoid the HORRIBLE drops that have plagued us all year. MSU McKnight needs to show up and if Eric Lair gets on the field, he needs to actually CATCH the ball. I know we as fans have lowered our standards a bit this year, but I honestly am just hoping for a relatively mistake free game. It would be great to get a W at NW and have a chance to beat Illinois to go 3-5 in the BT.
 

Stan The Caddy said:
I think we will be frustrated multiple times as NW's QB's wiggle out of trouble and pick up sizable amounts of yardage with their legs. It will be maddening to watch. However, I am with the rest of you when we have the ball. We must pound them and then take advantage of play action and avoid the HORRIBLE drops that have plagued us all year. MSU McKnight needs to show up and if Eric Lair gets on the field, he needs to actually CATCH the ball. I know we as fans have lowered our standards a bit this year, but I honestly am just hoping for a relatively mistake free game. It would be great to get a W at NW and have a chance to beat Illinois to go 3-5 in the BT.
Click to expand...

You're right that NW is going to score points, and watching our D vs their QB is going to be aggravating as hell. The only way to avoid that is for our offense to be on the field. Way too many 3 and outs last week. You're right that dropped passes were a big part of that. But talent and size-wise we match up much better vs. the wildcats. On defense, if our guys can keep the play in front of them, it gives us a chance. On offense, we need Gray and our WR's can play mistake free ball and put points on the board to have a shot. All of our points last week came off of special teams play. That ain't gonna get it done in Evanston.
 

Also, I think the defense needs to TACKLE. NW's offense thrives on short, quick passes and YAC. Ebert is really good and the Gophers need to get him on the ground and not allow him to run free after the catch.

I agree that physically NW is a better matchup than Wisconson or MSU or Iowa, but NW's system will give us fits. If we can have the offensive performance from the MSU game against the NW defense, we will score more than 27 points and have a chance to win.
 

Northwestern is very hard to prepare for because you really can't prepare for Persa or Colter. What gives me some measure of hope is that I do believe we can match up with them physically (size, strength, and speed). I agree that can be misleading because of the home run capability Persa and Colter possess.

It's going to be a frustrating game. Stan is absolutely right. NW's system will give us fits. I can guarantee that. But if we can keep it close and get it down to a "whoever has the ball last" kind of game, I think we can win.
 



Gray is really healthy; they should be able to score Saturday. Stopping NW at least occasionally is still going to be the problem. The only time the Gopher Defense has been even partially successful is when they've blitzed and put some pressure on the QB. The secondary has been awful, completely understandable since T.S. was hurt in the first game and Royston has been playing hurt nearly all season himself. The front four on defense have been overmatched size wise nearly every game also. The ends in particular seem to be giving-up 40-60 lbs. plus against every opponent. They never get pressure by themselves.

Claeys himself has talked about the problem. Blamed the New Mexico, maybe even the NDSU loss on not "trying things" in the First Half.

The problem is when they blitz and it's not successful they give up big plays. They've got to keep trying it though, it's there only chance.

Oh, and have the backs in coverage turn around once and awhile and look FOR THE DAMN BALL! Letting them catch it and then try and make the tackle wears a little thin when you end-up giving up the TD anyway. That and it's frustrating watching the ball nearly hit the DB while he's heading for the tackle. :mad:
 

Let's face it, Northwestern is going to get their 400 yards on offense. We're just not good enough, especially in the secondary to stop them. So the key in my mind is creating turnovers. We win the turnover battle and we have a good chance of winning.
 

I watched some of the NW/Nebraska game a few weeks back, and was really impressed with their back-up QB, Kain Colter. His speed was at a different level than anyone else on the field, and he also appeared to have pretty good accuracy throwing the ball. Even with Persa back, he gets some playing time and I could see him causing some problems.

The key for the Gophers will be putting together some long, sustained drives and keeping their offense off the field.
 

Watching Northwestern, one gets a very clear idea of what Kill means when he talks "football speed."
 



Iceland12 said:
Oh, and have the backs in coverage turn around once and awhile and look FOR THE DAMN BALL! Letting them catch it and then try and make the tackle wears a little thin when you end-up giving up the TD anyway. That and it's frustrating watching the ball nearly hit the DB while he's heading for the tackle. :mad:
Click to expand...

BANG! THIS! I was really frustrated by this at the Wisky game. I know Claeys doesn't want to get burned, but it seemed like there were opportunities for our guys to jump some routes for a pick. To do that, though, they need confidence that there's someone over the top in case you whiff on the INT. And like you said, it's hard to pick one off when you don't look back at the QB. But if you're even partially successful maybe you take away some passing lanes. At a minimum, you get the other team reacting to what you're doing. There's another word for when you just react to your opponent's moves. It's called losing.
 

The absolute key to this game is running the football. It controls the clock, keeps Northwestern's offense off the field, and it also keeps the offense in manageable situations, where we don't have Gray having to try to complete a whole bunch of 3rd and 8+'s. If we don't run well, this game could get out of hand rather quickly, cause I just don't have very much confidence in the defense slowing their offense. Hopefully they surprise me.
 

Yes please, a running game besides Gray AND I would like to see our receiving corps work on aggressively going after the ball. In some cases, this means coming back to the ball or going over or through someone. I know it is great when the ball is placed on the hands and one is in stride, but think Decker. Go get it like a rebound! We don’t need interceptions or turnovers in this game.
 

Hard to see a win here on the road. I remember a game at Evanston in the 80s ('87?) that was a shoot-out in bad weather with Rickie Foggie and Darrell Thompson providing the heroics. Won't happen this time. Illinois is our best bet for another victory.
 

I agree with us needing to establish the run to have a chance in this game. It would be nice to see continued improvement in our O-line these last two games and get momentum going into next year again.

The other reason we need this is to know where we're at with our running backs. Bennett has 2 games left in his career, Edwards is at LB for good, and the 3 Freshmen haven't yet proven to me that they can be consistent B1G backs. Kirkwood has shown flashes, but I'd like to see him put together a complete game and get 15+ carries and 75+ yards. I have no idea what Wright or Cobb will give us next year, and it would be nice to see each of them get 4-5 carries each of the last 2 games as well.
 

Looks like overcast, windy & 50 degrees with a 20% chance of rain. Not sure that gives anybody an advantage, but will be nice for those of you making the trip to an always sold out and hostile Ryan Field...Ha Ha
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom