Finally seeing some playmakers on offense....

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Costa Rican Gopher

Costa Rican Gopher

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One thing that struck me tonight was that we finally have some young guys that are playmakers & that's what this vanilla offense desperately needs.

Maxx Williams is no secret to Gopher fans but he's still a pup & he's just such a mismatch for linebackers with his speed & for DB's with his size. Him hurdling the DB really highlighted just how athletic he is for a guy his size.

Donovahn Jones showed the kind of athleticism that turns 15 yard catches into 35 yard TD's by making a difficult catch, showing great body control & then hitting the burners. That's the kind of WR this offense has been missing.

Also, we finally got to see Berk Edwards make some plays. That long TD was the kind of home run threat that we haven't had here in a long time.

It's exciting to have multiple playmakers all starting to click.
 

No doubt about it. Excited about all three of them.

Really excited about the speed on both sides of the ball. We continue to get faster every season.
 

Love when all of them are on the field at once... Weapons.
 

cant wait for woli to get back on the field too. I thought that Maye was really quiet last night for all the hype. Would like to see more of what he could do.
 

t-docious said:
cant wait for woli to get back on the field too. I thought that Maye was really quiet last night for all the hype. Would like to see more of what he could do.
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Honestly I think we kept the quick screens to a minimum after Berk dropped the first one and Mitch couldn't hit them in stride. I think Maye gets more of the jet sweek/quick screen action in future games. Mitch will get that pass down and it will keep defenses honest.
 


Pretty damn excited about both Berk and Jones. Maxx is obviously great too.
 

Agreed. When Donovahn Jones is lined up against a CB playing 10 yards off him that should be an automatic quick throw to him and let him go to work. His first step is explosive and he always seems to break the first tackle or at least fall forward.

Same with Maxx, get him the ball and let him go. I think a TE screen would be a pretty effective play. As we saw last night, he's a great runner for being such a big guy.

Berkely was used in the right way last night IMO. Bubble screens, draws, and outside runs will be his role this year and it gives our offense something we just didn't have last year.

Bottom line, these 3 guys can make things easier on Mitch and make our struggling passing game better just with their ability to run after the catch. Limegrover just needs to continue to explore ways to get them the ball in space.
 

I think the reason Maye had such a quiet night, was because of the absence of Wolitarski. From looking at the depth chart, it appeared that Maye was the starter in the slot, but also the 'next man up' at Woli's position on the outside. It could be that he was playing a little out of position last night. I'm no OC, but this is my hypothesis.
 

I liked what I saw from Edwards and Co. But I'm going to wait until the TCU and bigger B10 games to judge. Catching a tough ball because a DB incorrectly gambled and then having a clear path to the endzone against Eastern Illinois hasn't sold me yet...not to say that things like that aren't a good sign.
 



I agree with the assessment on Berk. Man, that kid is EXCITING! I can envision him breaking a lot of long runs late in games, just like he did last night. Defenses get tired from being banged all day by Cobb, Williams, and Kirkwood. All of the sudden, a little seam (or a missed tackle) in the 4th quarter becomes a TD for the very fresh-legged Edwards because of his elite speed. We saw exhibit A last night, and it definitely has my imagination going wild!
 

Watching Jones go up the seam against Syracuse turned me into a believer.

I'll wait and see what Edwards looks like against B10 competition. He's freaking tiny.
 

Mitch missed that one to Jones too. He showed great speed getting behind the safeties and a good throw and he was gone.
 

Seeing Berkley get to the corner and then hit the nitro was great. That kid is truly blazing fast once he gets into the open. No one will touch him in the open field.
 



tonestang said:
Mitch missed that one to Jones too. He showed great speed getting behind the safeties and a good throw and he was gone.
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Spot on. A decent throw and it was a TD. Mitch under threw that one by a good 3+ yards.
 

GopherHomer said:
I think the reason Maye had such a quiet night, was because of the absence of Wolitarski. From looking at the depth chart, it appeared that Maye was the starter in the slot, but also the 'next man up' at Woli's position on the outside. It could be that he was playing a little out of position last night. I'm no OC, but this is my hypothesis.
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There always seems to be a lot of hype about Maye and yet to date he really hasn't done anything and most games he is invisible. The reality is he just might not be good enough to be a factor in the grand scheme of things. Obviously too soon to give up on him but I am leaning towards the idea that he may never really amount to much more than just an average receiver in the Big Ten.
 

I really do see the weapons we have available & you can definitely see the vision Kill has for the team right now. If we can just improve the passing game or adjust it more around our QB's weaknesses our Offense could be a headache for the Big 10.
 

As far as Maye is concerned, when you throw the ball as little as we do it's hard to get everyone involved in every game. Jones, Maxx, and the RB's had their turn in week 1. If KJ stays healthy he will make an impact this year.
 

MNVCGUY said:
There always seems to be a lot of hype about Maye and yet to date he really hasn't done anything and most games he is invisible. The reality is he just might not be good enough to be a factor in the grand scheme of things. Obviously too soon to give up on him but I am leaning towards the idea that he may never really amount to much more than just an average receiver in the Big Ten.
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Maye has talent but it's 'ball in his hands talent'. With our passing struggles you really have to devise was to get guys like Jones, Maye and Maxx the ball. They've figured out ways to get it to Jones, Maxx and Berk, now Maye is next.
 

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