What are you looking for Thursday 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.

We have "house rules" during those situations. No one is allowed to wear any Gopher gear or mention the name Gophers to anyone (especially, "don't tell me what is happening with the Gophers as I'm going to watch later"). I figure most people don't think of following/updating others on the Gopher game unless you give them a reason to think about it. I also like to stand isolated, but everyone seems ok with that.

Good Luck.


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Everything - I'm very excited.

Specifically on offense I want to see what our passing game looks like.

On defense, I want to see how much pressure we can generate and how successful we are at stopping the run. Against a team like Buffalo, if we struggle to stop the run and don't absolutely harass their QB, I won't be too confident in our 3DL + Rush End experiment going forward. Oh - and tackling. I still remember watching Kill's first game against USC and almost immediately seeing an improvement in tackling - especially in the secondary.
 


Clear execution of the game plan and adjusting...or not...in the second half.
 

Pace of play. I always though Mitch had to much time to think as he walked up to the center. I love the way Oregon plays. I don't think you'll see a QB separation in this game. More likely the Oregon State game.
 


We have "house rules" during those situations. No one is allowed to wear any Gopher gear or mention the name Gophers to anyone (especially, "don't tell me what is happening with the Gophers as I'm going to watch later"). I figure most people don't think of following/updating others on the Gopher game unless you give them a reason to think about it. I also like to stand isolated, but everyone seems ok with that.

Good Luck.


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You guys need to move to Winnipeg. No problems with Gopher spoilers here. The Jets on the other hand- my local grocery store plays the radio broadcast over the intercom.
 

Honestly, first off looking to see how much they improve the game day experience and what the buy in from the incoming students is. Hoping both help propel this entire experience to the next level.
 

As a spectator attending Thursday night's game, I want to see the new enhancements/additions to the "gameday experience"

As for the game itself:
1.) Energy and intensity level of the team -- We know PJ will bring his energy, but will the team bring the intensity for all 4 quarters?
2.) WR's -- PJ mentioned on his KFAN show that the receivers have come a long way since he arrived on campus in January and it's night and day from January until now. Would be nice to get our WR's involved more to compliment our running game and spread out the defense.
3.) Offensive Line -- establishing a running game and the pass protection
4.) Defensive line -- can we put consistent pressure on the QB
 

I want to see if the DB's turn their head when defending a pass play, how many RUTM plays we have, will they run a jet sweep.
 




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've never understood the rational of that. Not only react to what the defense is doing, but field location, weather, etc.
 

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 do not know the answer to your question, but often times coaches start with a scripted series to see if they can gauge how the other team reacts. I am not totally sure why I posted this because I am 95% sure you know this, but I felt compelled to reply anyway.
 

Solid play in all three phases of the game. Offensive line play, receiver play, DB play, and I really want to see the punt return team.

Heck, maybe I should have followed GopherHomer's lead and said everything. Hope not to see much of our punter this week.
 



I do not know the answer to your question, but often times coaches start with a scripted series to see if they can gauge how the other team reacts. I am not totally sure why I posted this because I am 95% sure you know this, but I felt compelled to reply anyway.

Supposedly the great Bill Walsh was the first coach to really script plays. Part of the reasoning is one is most calm and rational in regards to game planning and overall strategy without the chaos of the game going on. Deviation from the plan may be necessary depending on circumstances, down and distance.

IIRC he also preached scripting allows the team and the QB to know what to expect and thoroughly practice, walk through, etc. The goal being to reduce apprehension and confusion come day.
 

Less penalties and killer instinct. The rest is gravy.
 

"To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women."
 

We NEED to see the culture change come through in the game...discipline and poise! Reduced penalties and poise under pressure. I think the critical element for this game is going to the the QB play-who will step up? who will make the right calls and quick decisions without turning the ball over or missing big opportunities...WHO is going to take the leadership role on the offensive team? Fleck's done a great job up to now-I NEED to see this come through in game preparation and game execution...I will reserve judgment until the final whistle blows
 

I am looking to see the run to pass ratio. I am not a fan of the spread in the B1G.
 

I am looking to see the run to pass ratio. I am not a fan of the spread in the B1G.

Works for Ohio State, Penn State. It's just another way to open run lanes. Our line may still not be able to make their blocks consistently and we will continue to struggle, or the QB will continue to struggle to place the ball, but there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the spread in the Big Ten IMO.
 

I am looking to see the run to pass ratio. I am not a fan of the spread in the B1G.

Not sure discipline will prevent targeting penalties. Sometimes being over aggressive ends up being called targeting. And since we have that reputation, officials looking to get "tv" time. We all know that a couple of the calls from last year were questionable at best. We certainly saw other teams not get called - can you say Ohio State. I am absolutely convinced that game officials are notified about the Gophers. Sad..
What I will be watching will be the conditioning. Are we better off without Klein as our S and C coach.?
I will be watching to see if we have any decoys in the off, line -similar to Pershig.and Moore from last year.
I will be watching to see if our off. backs keep both hands on the ball. Will our receivers tuck the ball after a reception? Discipline can be a big item on running the routes to the correct depth and getting out of bounds to save time. That's the discipline I will be looking for - not being aggressive on defense.
 

I am looking to see the run to pass ratio. I am not a fan of the spread in the B1G.

Fleck's offense is still a run first, ball control offense. Western Michigan ranked 7th in the country in time of possession last year, and 3rd the year before.
 

Fleck's offense is still a run first, ball control offense. Western Michigan ranked 7th in the country in time of possession last year, and 3rd the year before.

This is what I don't get about the BTN guys saying we are switching to the spread so we aren't going to be good.
 

This is what I don't get about the BTN guys saying we are switching to the spread so we aren't going to be good.

Never expect the BTN to do any real research beyond tOSU and MI. They will do a little on WI and PSU, but on everybody else "superficial" is about al you can hope for.
 

This is what I don't get about the BTN guys saying we are switching to the spread so we aren't going to be good.

Ditto. Fleck uses the spread and motion to expose the defense, but the offense is a pretty straightforward run-first scheme, as GWG pointed out. That's why I think the players should've been able to pick it up relatively quickly.
 

I am looking to see the run to pass ratio. I am not a fan of the spread in the B1G.

His senior QB averaged just under 27 pass attempts per game last year. Was 29-37 for 445 yards and 4 TDs against Buffalo.
 


Supposedly the great Bill Walsh was the first coach to really script plays. Part of the reasoning is one is most calm and rational in regards to game planning and overall strategy without the chaos of the game going on. Deviation from the plan may be necessary depending on circumstances, down and distance.

IIRC he also preached scripting allows the team and the QB to know what to expect and thoroughly practice, walk through, etc. The goal being to reduce apprehension and confusion come day.

Makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing!
 


This is what I don't get about the BTN guys saying we are switching to the spread so we aren't going to be good.

Ditto. Fleck uses the spread and motion to expose the defense, but the offense is a pretty straightforward run-first scheme, as GWG pointed out. That's why I think the players should've been able to pick it up relatively quickly.

The other thing a lot of people don't get: no-huddle does not mean uptempo. This will not be the Chip Kelly Oregon Ducks.

Despite being 7th in the country in time of possession (33:55 average), they were 68th in plays per game (72.5). It's less than 5 plays per game more than Minnesota had last year (68.9).
 

Fleck's offense is still a run first, ball control offense. Western Michigan ranked 7th in the country in time of possession last year, and 3rd the year before.

Thatt's what hoping but the blocking schemes need to fit with our O line. The scheme needs to also work in the BIG. It could be sloppy to start?
 




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