STrib: Gophers football team fails to navigate game's final minutes

per Randy:

So, how do the Gophers — who’ve been outscored 32-10 in the fourth quarter in Big Ten play — find a way to finish these close games?

“You just don’t go out there and say, ‘Hey, we got to finish,’ and then you go out there, ‘Wow, that was a great speech, Coach,’ ’’ Fleck said.

No, that’s not the way to do it. But the Gophers’ opponent Saturday night at TCF Bank Stadium, No. 21 Michigan State, might have a blueprint.

During the past two weeks, the Spartans held off Iowa 17-10 in East Lansing and then-No. 7 Michigan 14-10 in Ann Arbor. They limited the Hawkeyes to 19 rushing yards total and a field goal in the second half. The Wolverines committed five turnovers and scored only a TD in the second half.

“Our entire team played with grit,’’ Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said. “We played extremely hard and did not get overwhelmed by the environment.’’

For the Gophers, closing games will require a combination of experience, confidence, talent and depth, and they have those qualities in varying levels.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-football-team-fails-to-navigate-game-s-final-minutes/450517513/

Go Gophers!!

Why did none of the defensive coaches at Western Michigan come with Fleck to Minnesota?

I was wondering that also. It was going to be a pay raise but sometimes moving your family isn't worth it. 3 out of 4 Def. Coaches needed a job because they were let go from other programs. Interesting question why Def. Coaches didn't follow PJF.

Desertbobcat said:

3 out of 4 Def. Coaches needed a job because they were let go from other programs.

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Stop spreading this falsehood. For one thing, there are only 3 defensive coaches (Smith, Paup, and Linguist) and none of them were fired from their previous job.

dpodoll68 said:

Stop spreading this falsehood. For one thing, there are only 3 defensive coaches (Smith, Paup, and Linguist) and none of them were fired from their previous job.

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it's not a falsehood if you were better informed. In the coaching business when you are demoted or not retained it's the same as being fired. The fourth is an offensive coach. Try to stay informed.

Desertbobcat said:

it's not a falsehood if you were better informed. In the coaching business when you are demoted or not retained it's the same as being fired. The fourth is an offensive coach. Try to stay informed.

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You said 3 out of 4 defensive coaches. There aren't 4 defensive coaches. None of them were demoted. Maybe some of them were eventually going to be demoted or not going to be retained, but they were all actively employed when hired here. You're wrong.

I love how you pretend to be some sort of super-informed insider when you appear to not even have a basic grasp of English.