Sacks Allowed statistic doesn't illustrate the O-Line Story

Scoops5 said:

I write this while watching the end of the fourth quarter of the Little Brown Jug game and trying to calmly and collectively analyze a point of the season many have overlooked or haven't articulated enough.

The offensive line had allowed 8 sacks in 8 games prior to the Michigan game and I believe they added a few tonight. Regardless, it is a deceptive stat because the O-Line's youth and inadequacy has been a prime reason why this team is short, I would say, a couple wins (and I'm not saying Michigan should have been one, we can see the talent doesn't match up).

I'm not ripping the O-Line, but just pointing something out. Usually, a strong running game has been the reason for any type of success the Gophers have had in the last couple decades. And I think we can all agree from past seasons, Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Kobe McCrary are competent, above average halfbacks. But I'm positive all of their yardages, yards per carries, etc. are down in comparison to last season (I know someone will statcheck me on this, but I'm basing this on the eye test of watching every game this season). And it doesn't look like any of Smith, Brooks and McCrary's skill sets have weakened.

So what does it mean? It means a part of your game that should be its backbone during a coaching transition forces more out of a QB depth chart that didn't get any reps behind Leidner because we couldn't blow out cupcake teams during the Kill/Claeys years. And while said QBs may get some time trying to pass when the line is holding, we all know Minnesota has never been a Wide Receiver destination. The result is many broken plays, a lot of thrown away passes to avoid sacks (which looks good in the statsbook) and a huge weight on an injured/youth-forced-into-playing defense.

I know that was long-winded, but I get tired of all the other prognostications about why this team losing.

To me, this team wouldn't be different with Claeys as coach. It wouldn't be different if they had Joe Montana at QB. In the past seasons, recruiting couldn't keep replenishing the roster in spite of some winning seasons and winning some rivalry trophies and it shows. Especially in the offensive line of a run-first program.

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hungan1 said:

We've had attrition in the thin O-Line from people transferring, quitting, or getting hurt.

I thought tonight that Michigan simply had too much team speed and a strong D-Line that was too much.

The late start and weather only exacerbates things.

IMHO, one of the obstacles in PJ Fleck's tenure will be the strength and stabilization of the O-Line. Without a good deep offensive line, you can't mount a running attack or fix the anemic WR corps.

I look to Wisconsin's model. Majority of their O-Line are home grown and not necessarily high three or four stars. They built it with homegrown talent. Twelve of their seventeen 2017 offensive linemen are homegrown. Thirteen of their seventeen linemen weigh 304 pounds or more. The average weight of the starting line is 313 pounds. They sign instate players through scholies and PWO and they build them up.

Why can't they do something similar in MN? We can't overlook guys like Adam Cook or Bryce Kennedy and others. Maybe, we can start convincing not only the Quinn Carrolls of MN, but also those under the radar behemoths that are under recruited.

Just a few pennies' worth of thought.

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hungan1 said:

We've had attrition in the thin O-Line from people transferring, quitting, or getting hurt.

I thought tonight that Michigan simply had too much team speed and a strong D-Line that was too much.

The late start and weather only exacerbates things.

IMHO, one of the obstacles in PJ Fleck's tenure will be the strength and stabilization of the O-Line. Without a good deep offensive line, you can't mount a running attack or fix the anemic WR corps.

I look to Wisconsin's model. Majority of their O-Line are home grown and not necessarily high three or four stars. They built it with homegrown talent. Twelve of their seventeen 2017 offensive linemen are homegrown. Thirteen of their seventeen linemen weigh 304 pounds or more. The average weight of the starting line is 313 pounds. They sign instate players through scholies and PWO and they build them up.

Why can't they do something similar in MN? We can't overlook guys like Adam Cook or Bryce Kennedy and others. Maybe, we can start convincing not only the Quinn Carrolls of MN, but also those under the radar behemoths that are under recruited.

Just a few pennies' worth of thought.

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Face The Facts said:

The first sign was the Buffalo game when we couldn't blow Buffalo off the ball.
Our backs are all good backs, but it's totally a grind it out style, with very few open lanes where they ever pick up the first 3-5 yards easily.

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Breakin' The Plane said:

If your line is such a weakness, help them with an extra TE or a FB. You have a TE who is not far off from 7 feet and 300 lbs and he spends his time in the slot or as an H-back. Watch the formations from tonight. Michigan has 7 beefy dudes in a perfect, parallel line and they rip off 400 yards behind it. The Gophers have a staggered 5 man V-plow with a QB in the shotgun and a running back at his hip. Unless this changes, it's going to be a long 3 years.

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Some guy said:

Well if you can’t block sometimes bringing more people into the box actually hurts more than it helps

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Breakin' The Plane said:

I'll take my chances. Because what they are doing isn't working. They had one nice drive. Michigan figured out what they were doing and shut it down. And they stuck right with it. Just stubborn and idiotic.

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