[POST GAME THREAD] - Minnesota defeats Buffalo 17-7

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John Galt said:
The atmosphere at the stadium sucks. Something died last year after the season ticket price increases. Attendance is consistently down, and a lot of people that show up are dead. We lost a lot of the diehard fans. Will they ever return?
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With the high priced seat attendance on the home side of the field as poor as it was (there was a section or two which were damn near empty in my book) i don't want to hear them arguing if the team switches sidelines for a weather advantage. They can't even show up for a game, or find someone to give the ticket to who CAN.
 

If Rhoda throws a TD instead of the INT and Carpenter makes the first FG, Gophers lead 24-7 at half and there are few worries. Biggest concern from the night is the offensive line, that has to get better no doubt.

It looked a lot like a first game for a lot of kids who might not have seen live game action at this level. I thought the Gophers looked OK for the most part,but there is plenty of room for improvement across the board. I also don't think Fleck showed all his cards for the offense in the run game, knowing his defense could keep Buffalo from scoring.

My 2 biggest frustrations from the night were the first series of the second half and Rashad Still. You have a chance to take control of the game, score a touchdown and then we commit 3 straight penalties. Yuck. Still had a catch that I think would've been a first down, but the defender ripped the ball away from him. Be a man and don't let him take the ball from you. Value the football. Wozniak also had what would have been a catch for a first down hit him right in the hands. Our WRs and TEs have to come up with those catches, especially when you have QBs who lack game experience. Every completion grows the confidence among the offense a little more.

I also wasn't a huge fan of the constant running up the middle, but again, the O-line has to get push and I don't think Fleck showed all his cards.

Buffalo made a concerted effort to get throws out as quickly as possible, so it's very difficult to generate a consistent pass rush. They did get pressure and force a few bad throws when they blitzed. I'm very curious to see how they play at Oregon State since teams tend to see the greatest improvement in a season from Week 1 to 2, and now we have on film where the major work needs to be.

I expect them to play a lot better next week. I also think they played better overall than the score last night showed.
 

Holy bad grammar and spelling in that post complaining post.

Tully55 said:
"Gentlemen, rest your sphincters."..Hedly Lamar..Blazing Saddles
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I need to stay off my phone when drinking at the game. Sadly I will say I was being influenced by two gentleman that kept bitching about row the boat and yelling at the coaches to throw the ball more all game.
I enjoyed Goldy rowing the boat but wish he could spin his head doing that.(Impossible I know)

This game was about what I expected from a play calling and execution stand point, never really thought the game was in danger of being lost. Buffalo had a bigger and better D-line than I was expecting. I was impressed with there QB and #83 the WR ability to create space and shield the ball from the defender. Shenault #34 after struggling in the first half, I thought really stepped up his game in the second half. I enjoyed how much better he covered in the second half. I think he will continue to improve.

The offensive line is just now getting used to football without the extra blocker on the line from the tight end or having a extra fullback to take up a man. They are going to have to continue getting used to the scheme and the expectation that they can hold there blocks or drive someone off the line. I thought for the most part the O-line pass protected the QB's fairly well.
Buffalo succeeded in creating gap pressure with 7 up front that was concerning. I liked how the defense played for the most part they will have to continue to rely on the linebackers, and guys like Celestin and Winfield jr to make plays because they are not deep in playmakers at the moment. I really liked how much better they defended the pass with #8 Mcghee in the game, and I really thought #7 Huff brought a lot of energy to the defense. Winfield in particular showed impressive recovery speed on that reverse pass flee flicker that Buffalo threw. They won which is a good thing. Much better to win a boring game with correctable mistakes than to lose a close game in heart breaking fashion.
 

-Impressed with Buffalo's QB & quick release.
-Thought both QB's had moments. Neither separated themselves in my mind. Rhoda's INT just CANNOT happen. The avg run/play difference when Croft was in vs. Rhoda I think is pretty important & telling. I prefer Croft, but feel comfortable if we need Rhoda to come & make a throw if he's the backup.
-Liked that there weren't many lazy penalties (illegal formation, false start, etc.). Tells me quite a bit about a coaching staff. One of my most critical points regarding Claeys; seemed to lack discipline on the field & attention to little details. Maybe my memory is selective though....
-Loved the D in the 2nd half (was adding Duke back in the biggest factor?) Shenault may struggle with coverage, but he was pretty good tackling in the 2nd half.
-I thought it was a clean game (not chippy, but just in terms of flow) by both teams for a first game.
-Buffalo may not end up being good, but I didn't think they were a total clownshow either....
-OL needs to get nasty if this team wants to do anything.
-First games always scare me, so overall, I'm glad they got the win...
 

Nax5 said:
Ha, we actually went to that today as well. In McNamara. They had quite the spread of food!
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I've always been impressed (and jealous) with that pregame event.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
The good:

Shannon Brook's intensity. He won this round.
Tyler Johnson's hands and TD catch. 141 yards.
Antoine Winfield Jr individual performance
The defense in the second half
The passing game is showing signs of a pulse. It's faint, but it's there.
Santoso was money tonight

The bad:

Lack of outside running. The coaches said, "why bother, it's Buffalo".
First half bend but don't break defense. Patented early TD by opposing team. Are we sure Claeys and Sawvel left?
Yes, because Cashman was largely MIA. No bueno. Give me the cash.
Not going for it on 4th and shannon Brooks at the Buff 42.

The ugly:

The second missed field goal. The 50 yarder was forgivable. I'm worried about his head going forward.
The Woz hands. Throw it to the other guy, Lingen. Have they watched tape?
The INT. No.

I may be in the minority but for the first game I thought they did ok. The offense will get much better but we will go as far as the QB can take us. The line may not be elite but they will really struggle if we can't get teams to respect the pass.

We still had over 400 yards. The defense has that same bend but don't break philosophy and we have some playmakers.
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This. I'd add that Barber looked very good, other than his stumble when he was unblocked and had an unfettered path to the QB. Sure hard sack if he didn't.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
But the idea that hiring a high energy guy coach to replace a boring overweight coach would somehow help the atmosphere is absurd.
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You must not have heard that the Dinkytown Subway owner let PJ put an oar on the wall? The atmosphere and excitement have already changed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Bleed, we haven't heard from Nick Barikmo, the most entertaining MN sportswriter in some time.
 

Just watched the game and it looked like a first game. Interception and two missed field goals were the difference in a blah game and nearly covering the spread. Big game next week eek.
 




LakerFan said:
I don't know if I would go that far. That was as packed as I have ever seen the student section and they were rowdy. It is flat out embarassing that it looks like 50% of the seats lower level between the 30's behind the gopher bench looked empty. Don't know if that is unsold or unattended. Apparently it is easier to bitch about the team changing sidelines than it is to show up for a home opener.
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As someone who was in the student section, it wasn't as high energy as I would have hoped. My guess was like a 6/10 in terms of energy. And that's just comparing to other games in the past I got to experience from the student section.
 

My thoughts

The good:
Santoso punted very well
Brooks/Smith are very good
Tyler Johnson is very good. Needs to get the ball more
Winfield is an all conference player this year
Celestin brought it.
Overall the D looks solid
The pass blocking was good. With QBs that are green, need that extra time and they held up.
Both Croft and Rhoda made some plays. Croft with his feet, Rhoda with a few good reads/passes down the seams
The student section. Hope it'll stay that full til the 4th all year.

The bad
the 3? holdings back to back to back to start off the second half. Brutal way to start the half
Carp had a rough night. First one I won't put on him, but he's got to have the second one. Good to see him get the last one to get some confidence
The muffed punt. That has just got to stop.
The D line pass rush was poor imo. Just no push. The Buffalo QB looks decent, but we made him look like he was the best player on either team.
The RUTM is still present, just out of the gun now.
Both Croft and Rhoda made some errors. Croft with indecisiveness/delay and Rhoda with some pressured/sailing/underthrown passes, was expected

The ugly
The o line. We simply cannot block that poorly and have a chance in the B10 season
The Int thrown in the RZ. That play must be eliminated. Our margin for error is very low this year in terms of QB play.
 

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