[POST GAME THREAD] - Michigan State defeats Minnesota 30-27

Hollinsanity

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What'd ya think, Gopherhole?


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While the offensive improvement after Croft came in was encouraging, I was not overly impressed by the effort tonight. Big Ten football games are won between the trenches and both our offensive and defensive lines have been repeatedly outplayed and pushed around. A capable but thin secondary has been undermined by injuries and suspensions.

Rhoda is inept and Croft should've been handed the keys two games ago. Even though Croft never was comfortable in the pocket he was able to step into and make some nice throws tonight. Croft to Johnson could be an electric connection for the next few years if Croft continues to improve.

Looking towards the rest of the season I expect us to handle business against an awful Illinois team next week, then steal one more game the rest of the way (likely vs. Nebraska or @ NW). 5-7 would obviously be disappointing, but I will be in the boat as an observer for the rest of this year and will be rowing the boat with my oar in the water moving forward.


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All I want is winning the ones we should, and being competitive in the ones we shouldn't. I can't see why we can't build off of that offense we had in the 4th quarter with Croft. Season is pretty much lost anyways, since it's year "zero." Rhoda won't be back next year anyways, so let Croft learn on the fly in season zero.
 

We aren't getting much pressure on the QB and our tackling leaves a lot to be desired.

Go Gophers!!
 

Michigan State looked like a very solid defense tonight.

What was encouraging is Croft had some ability to make plays. He does a good job of looking downfield while escaping the rush.

Tyler Johnson is a very good WR. Best I've seen in a while.
Good to see Williams play well.

Croft actually fits this offense where Rhoda doesn't.
Croft made better throws and intelligent throwaways (when needed).

I'm not too bummed about this loss.

I think there is still some hope here for a couple more wins this year.
 


Cursed again, a mere 3 minutes and 30 seconds away from being 6-0 and a solid Top 15 ranking, maybe even Top 10 with all the upsets this weekend.
 

Demry Croft, we wen't 0-3 to teach this kid a lesson...... WOW... #rowtheboat
 

Not much good to say about the defense tonight.

Have to go with Croft the rest of the way. Did a great job stepping up in the pocket and looking downfield while scrambling.

The future is bright at WR.

Hope they can build on the 4th quarter.
 

Demry Croft, we wen't 0-3 to teach this kid a lesson...... WOW... #rowtheboat

You must know what the suspension was for? Or do you just prefer that there be no consequences for breaking team rules?
 



We aren't getting much pressure on the QB and our tackling leaves a lot to be desired.

Go Gophers!!

Exactly. Defense terrible once again and the only discussion is the QB. Defensive effort in B1G play has been miserable. Just awful
 



The MSU offensive line really gnashed the Gophers defensive line, especially on the edges. They need to figure out a way to stop that bleeding. Offensively, I really liked the way they looked with Croft at QB, he just adds another dimension that they were not getting from Rhoda.
 



The MSU offensive line really gnashed the Gophers defensive line, especially on the edges. They need to figure out a way to stop that bleeding. Offensively, I really liked the way they looked with Croft at QB, he just adds another dimension that they were not getting from Rhoda.

Going back to the Maryland game we have not done a good job on the outside runs. Linebackers seem to move downhill quickly and fill holes, but struggle to go sideline to sideline.

Not an elite football mind so I am unsure of how to fix it, perhaps someone can enlighten us.


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You must know what the suspension was for? Or do you just prefer that there be no consequences for breaking team rules?

Rumor has it there was a random pop quiz for a couple players to recite what the acronyms HYPPR and FAMILY stand for. Demry flunked and told Fleck to shove an oar up his butt. True story.
 

The biggest issue with this team is Defensive End and it's not close. 75% of the game we are playing Nate Umlor and Carter Coughlin! Holy sh*t! The previous staff left nothing... we are in the Big Ten, right?
 

The first thing that comes to mind is 3 instead of 7. The Gophers had a huge gift with that fumbled punt and should have scooped and scored. Failing that, it's absolutely inexcusable for the offense not to score a touchdown when handed the ball inside the 5 yard line. Of course if they do score there, who knows if Croft ever gets in the game.

Defensively, I was most concerned with the continued inability to stop the toss play. If there has been one thing that has concerned me the most of the past few games it has been the seeming inability to make corrections in game to specific plays or situations that are causing issues. On the positive side, I thought the secondary would get wrecked and that didn't happen (though it may largely be due to MSU having so much success on the ground).

Mark Williams looked to be a revelation which was really needed and a complete surprise from someone who started out 3rd on the depth chart. He was open a couple times for Rhoda including once for a touchdown before Croft was inserted.

Cautiously encouraged by what we saw from Croft in the 4th quarter. My only hesitation there is that Dantonio is a conservative coach and I'd have to go back and watch to see how much of the production was based on MSU just going conservative with a very safe lead. Even if the production was largely due to time/score, Croft still looked much better than Rhoda. How about Tyler Johnson? Kid is a playmaker and I was impressed with Ciarrocca's play design to get him the ball. Imagine if we had a true outside the numbers threat to open up the middle for Johnson, Lingen and co? That would take the passing game to a new level.

Other disappointments: Losing the line of scrimmage (especially on run plays) on both sides of the ball wasn't surprising but it's still disappointing. That's been a theme for this program against more established schools for a long time. It has to change to truly breakthrough. I was hoping the Dline could hold its own especially on the interior but that didn't appear to be the case. As for individual players, the first half had at least 3 monumental mistakes each from both Rhoda and Shannon Brooks.

Bright side: IF the Gophers can take their offensive momentum from the 4th quarter and keep it going against Illinois and win that game, maybe that confidence will lead to a stronger than expected finish over the last 5 games. Also, it's great the Gophers avoid Ohio State this year as they seem intent on putting up 50 on everybody.
 


The defense was tough to watch at times, but I think part of that is related to the offense giving the ball back quickly.

Maybe if the offense can keep the game more balanced early on, that defense does a better job.


Postgame Fleck took blame for the loss. He needs to do a better job coach so players aren't trying to be heroes and instead trust the scheme.

On the kickoff, they "took the cheese" rather than do their job which led to the bigger return.
 

Offensively it was so encouraging to see Croft step up and play well. Although as others have pointed out he is going to have to make some better decisions. Rhoda simply doesn't give us a chance to win. Also great to see Johnson and especially Williams have the games that they did. Hopefully this will allow us to become more balanced and allow our backs to run a little bit. I have some limited hope for the future on O.

Defensively, yikes. I've gotten used to Gopher run D (especially against power run teams) being stout, so this was hard to watch. Simply have to get better up front. Our young lbs get left way out of position too often, but the real issue is at D end. All MSU did was run off tackle and when we are playing 240 lb ends, that's going to end poorly. Coughlin is a beast and does his best at a bad spot, but we need to bulk up there fast (hopefully we get that Kentucky decommit). Clear that the previous staff were superior defensive minds, so we are going to have get better players to get back to where we've been.
 

Rumor has it there was a random pop quiz for a couple players to recite what the acronyms HYPPR and FAMILY stand for. Demry flunked and told Fleck to shove an oar up his butt. True story.

Lol. Thanks for brightening a relatively dark night.

There is hope on offense. The defense..it's going to be tough against better offenses. Can't get off field, can't or won't tackle, poor gap discipline. Vulnerable vs run and pass right now. Have some good pieces. Have to see what Smith can do.
 

The first thing that comes to mind is 3 instead of 7. The Gophers had a huge gift with that fumbled punt and should have scooped and scored. Failing that, it's absolutely inexcusable for the offense not to score a touchdown when handed the ball inside the 5 yard line. Of course if they do score there, who knows if Croft ever gets in the game.

Defensively, I was most concerned with the continued inability to stop the toss play. If there has been one thing that has concerned me the most of the past few games it has been the seeming inability to make corrections in game to specific plays or situations that are causing issues. On the positive side, I thought the secondary would get wrecked and that didn't happen (though it may largely be due to MSU having so much success on the ground).

Mark Williams looked to be a revelation which was really needed and a complete surprise from someone who started out 3rd on the depth chart. He was open a couple times for Rhoda including once for a touchdown before Croft was inserted.

Cautiously encouraged by what we saw from Croft in the 4th quarter. My only hesitation there is that Dantonio is a conservative coach and I'd have to go back and watch to see how much of the production was based on MSU just going conservative with a very safe lead. Even if the production was largely due to time/score, Croft still looked much better than Rhoda. How about Tyler Johnson? Kid is a playmaker and I was impressed with Ciarrocca's play design to get him the ball. Imagine if we had a true outside the numbers threat to open up the middle for Johnson, Lingen and co? That would take the passing game to a new level.

Other disappointments: Losing the line of scrimmage (especially on run plays) on both sides of the ball wasn't surprising but it's still disappointing. That's been a theme for this program against more established schools for a long time. It has to change to truly breakthrough. I was hoping the Dline could hold its own especially on the interior but that didn't appear to be the case. As for individual players, the first half had at least 3 monumental mistakes each from both Rhoda and Shannon Brooks.

Bright side: IF the Gophers can take their offensive momentum from the 4th quarter and keep it going against Illinois and win that game, maybe that confidence will lead to a stronger than expected finish over the last 5 games. Also, it's great the Gophers avoid Ohio State this year as they seem intent on putting up 50 on everybody.



Good point about the blessing in disguise about not scoring a TD from the 5 which lead to Croft getting playing time.

What's encouraging about Croft is he was able to pass, when forced to pass. He made very few mistakes, smartly throwing the ball away a couple times under pressure.
He has pretty good pocket presence. The only thing we didn't see much of him do tonight was keep on the option. I think if he starts a game, we'll see a lot more balance or running the RB, him keeping, and passing.

If you have to keep a defense honest on the option, that will help your running game, and him having the ability to buy time rolling out to find something, it provides us a lot more options and probably some big plays down the road.
 

Apparently the jet sweep was not supposed to be handed to Brooks....
 



Apparently the jet sweep was not supposed to be handed to Brooks....

IIRC there were two defenders either in or near the backfield unblocked. I'll maintain Brooks didn't expect the ball. Even if he did the handoff was so far off the mark there was no chance of a smooth transition. Really disjointed
 


The biggest issue with this team is Defensive End and it's not close. 75% of the game we are playing Nate Umlor and Carter Coughlin! Holy sh*t! The previous staff left nothing... we are in the Big Ten, right?

MSU has a tendency to play an offensive tackle and a defensive lineman as a J and sometimes Y. When you have a player (Stelter) on the sideline that could have matched MSU personnel on the edge is inexcusable. We looked like a very disorganized group out there trying to get lined up . They better figure out how to use personnel that they do have because so far it doesn't look "elite"
 

The defense has been giving up the perimeter all season. they're ok on plays inside the tackles, but when the other team's offense goes outside the tackles, the Gophers 'D' just cannot hold the edge. Short of getting better athletes, the coaches need to come up with an adjustment. Mase pointed out several times where the Defense did not adjust to MSU coming out with an unbalanced set. I know they're missing some people, but this strikes me as a coaching issue as much as a personnel issue.
 

MSU has a tendency to play an offensive tackle and a defensive lineman as a J and sometimes Y. When you have a player (Stelter) on the sideline that could have matched MSU personnel on the edge is inexcusable. We looked like a very disorganized group out there trying to get lined up . They better figure out how to use personnel that they do have because so far it doesn't look "elite"

Your solution is to play a 300 lb DT on the edge when it's 1st and 10?
 




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