What are you looking for Thursday night?

diefirma

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What will you be curious about Thursday evening? Of course, everyone will be watching the quarterback play, that goes without saying.

I re-watched the Western Michigan / Wisconsin game and noticed that frequently the WMU running backs were getting past the line of scrimmage into Wisconsin's secondary. I am not sure if that was due to the offensive scheme, Wisconsin's D-line, or WMU's offensive line.

I also will want to see how well the receivers play - specifically, do they have good hands. Receivers that can catch anything would be a great help to the quarterbacks.

Last I want to see how good our pass rush is. Will we be able to put pressure on some of the better quarterbacks in the league?

What will you be looking for?
 

What will you be curious about Thursday evening? Of course, everyone will be watching the quarterback play, that goes without saying.

I re-watched the Western Michigan / Wisconsin game and noticed that frequently the WMU running backs were getting past the line of scrimmage into Wisconsin's secondary. I am not sure if that was due to the offensive scheme, Wisconsin's D-line, or WMU's offensive line.

I also will want to see how well the receivers play - specifically, do they have good hands. Receivers that can catch anything would be a great help to the quarterbacks.

Last I want to see how good our pass rush is. Will we be able to put pressure on some of the better quarterbacks in the league?

What will you be looking for?

We really should put this team away. I'm not going to pretend to be a Buffalo football expert but all the experts say they are not a good football team. If we struggle but still win I am going to be nervous about the rest of the season. Some rust is okay but I want to see us win by 17+ points at least.
 

I'm looking for some semblance of a competent passing game. We need that to develop into a consistent threat in order to get some W's.

I wanna see Ed Warriner's Oline be nasty and open some running lanes so Brooks and Smith can do their thing.

Lastly let's see some of the young fellas step up in the secondary, we need some depth.
 

QB & WR for me. Looking for something that screams Rows Bowl!


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Offensive line play. If the offensive line can dominate and look improved, 3-0 in the non-conference seems very possible just based on the run game alone.
 


I want us to run up the score, while also getting our second string (and possibly third string) players some experience as well.
 

No T/Os from Gophs. Lopsided TOP. Starters sitting the entire 4th. 20+ point Gophs win. Oh, and a few cold ones before and after the game.
 

Take care of the ball. Fleck has been preaching that the ball is the program whatever that means.

Minimize turnovers, no fumbles, no huge breakdowns in coverage or special team coverage and convert on FG's. Make BU earn what they get.

Do that and we win by 3 TD's. If not, it will be a close game.
 

Basic answer for me: How do our QB's play? Do they look shaky or poised? Nervous or confident? Small sample size, but that will be the main thing I'll be assessing as a fan.


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No T/Os from Gophs. Lopsided TOP. Starters sitting the entire 4th. 20+ point Gophs win. <b>Oh, and a few cold ones before and after the game.</b>

I like this. Set some goals that you can control. However, I noted you are not planning on having any <I>during</I> the game? Not Elite at all.


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All the things mentioned above AND ---

NO TARGETING CALLS!
 

I like this. Set some goals that you can control. However, I noted you are not planning on having any <I>during</I> the game? Not Elite at all.


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Tough paying for 1-for-2s in there, but I'm sure one or two will make it into my hands.
 

I want to see some discipline. No stupid penalties and certainly no targeting calls. I want to see our kids control their assignments and do all the little things good teams do. That will be huge progress for me and should result in satisfying most everyone's "wants" on this thread. Go Gophers
 



I think the win goes without saying, but I would really like to see the Gophers come out of this game with few if any injuries (especially along the o-line).
Getting up early and getting some game experience for our second and third string guys would be nice.
 

Croft to start and play at a elite level that forces PJ to name him starter... I really don't care for Two QB play... Dominating trench on both sides of ball...
 

What I hope to see is Croft start to take over the starting job.
 

I think the win goes without saying, but I would really like to see the Gophers come out of this game with few if any injuries (especially along the o-line).
Getting up early and getting some game experience for our second and third string guys would be nice.

This is really important, rarely have we beat up on some teams that we probably should have. A few games each year that are lopsided in our favor could sure help get the starters rest and alleviate injuries by not having to play a full 60 minutes each game.
 


Smart QB play, OL stability / consistency.

DOMINANCE over a team we should dominate.
 




I'm excited to see Fleck's antics and the QB play. Will be great to see a team that has an offensive strategy that makes sense
 

Taking a bigger picture view of the question:

I just want to see what Fleck's offense really looks like in a game. What kind of mix between the run and the pass? What type of pass plays and patterns do they run? Different formations and sets? Is there motion and/or deception? Any trick plays? Do they feature pulling linemen or straight-ahead blocking schemes?

On a personal level, do any WR's stand out? How will the TE's be used in this offense?

On Defense, more interested in the personnel groupings. Which LB's play in what situations? How do they handle the D-Line - is there a rotation and who plays in what situations? Are the DB's aggressive or do they lay back? Any blitz packages? How many sacks will Cash Money get? (better be at least 2)

And - another big question mark - how do the special teams look? Can Santoso be more consistent in his punting? do they boom it or go for the pooch punts? What about the return game? how good is the kick coverage? how many starters do double duty on special teams?

I know that's a lot of questions - but this is the first game for a new coach and coaching staff. Let's see what happens.
 

I'm most interested in the defensive play. If they dominate, play fast, hold them to under 200 yards, 10 points or so I'll feel a lot better about the early slate while the offense improves.

On offense, can we move the ball consistently against a defense looking to stack up vs the run? That's been our kryptonite.

Realistically, if our defense is recent vintage we could probably run 90% of downs and still win. I'd like to see a dress rehearsal for OSU however. Get the QB some confidence and get those wheels moving upstairs.
 

Curious to see lots of things but what's our personality on offense? Are we here it is, try and stop it? Or, do we use misdirection, screens and deception? Do we surprise people or does everybody in the stadium know what's coming? Do we run a certain play to set up a better play off it? Are we just running plays or are the subsequent plays designed to take advantage of how you defended the earlier probe play? Stuff like that...obviously can we run the ball? Can the O-line open holes and pass protect? Are we disciplined?

Defensively how aggressive are we? I'm only concerned with targeting penalties if the intent was "cheap". How much heat can we put on their quarterback? How many guys are around the play when it's done. Do we gang tackle, looking to strip the ball carrier? etc etc

How do our coaches coach on game day? PJ says the players have freedom to make mistakes...will that be reality?
 


60's guy just made me think of something. Does Fleck and/or Kirk Ciarrocca script the first # of plays in a game? Anybody know? I'm not a big fan of that, myself. I like to see a coach who can react to what the defense is doing - not just stick to a script they drew up Wednesday night.
 

I'm looking forward to avoiding any social media until I get home from my boy's practices, so we'll be playing catch up and hope to be "on time" by the end of the game.

What I hope to see is the offensive line dominating in run blocking and giving both QBs no reason to look to run in the passing game. For me, it's always been difficult to discern that the routes by all the receivers to see if they are crisp, etc. and determine whether or not the QBs have truly made good decisions, read progressions, etc.

Similarly, I want to see the D line dominate, and the overall defense swarm.

I never wish away time, so, yeah, I CAN wait for kickoff, but I sure as **** am looking forward to it.
 

Will Croft separate himself and become the undisputed starter? How will the O-Line perform? What will the game plan be, and can the Gophers execute smoothly? Are the defense going to smother the Buffalo offense? Who will emerge as WR threats?

Lastly, I hope that the game is lopsided so that there is more playing time for those further down the depth chart.

OSU will be a litmus test for the season. But, they have to show that they can put away a team like Buffalo with ease.

If not, I'd be very worried.
 




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