Chip Scoggins: Youth can't be blamed for Gophers' defensive meltdown at Nebraska

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BleedGopher

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per Chip:

P.J. Fleck shouldn’t blame youth for the debacle that transpired Saturday afternoon. Oh, he tried to play that card, of course, but let’s save that discussion for another day.

The manner in which one of the lowest-scoring offenses in major college football shredded Fleck’s defense with breathtakingly ease wasn’t merely a product of age. The Gophers started nine upperclassmen on defense, only one freshman.

One week after displaying plenty of grit and competitive fight at Ohio State, the defense offered no resistance whatsoever against winless Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.

The result was a humbling 53-28 loss that kept the Gophers winless in the Big Ten and further exposed major issues with their defense.

“We didn’t come close to stopping them,” Fleck said.

It’s become too convenient to pin everything on youth. Yes, the Gophers are young in spots (which is Fleck’s desired plan, mind you) and losing their best defensive player, Antoine Winfield Jr., to a season-ending injury was a significant blow.

But excuses ring hollow after a performance so feeble. If their effort against Ohio State represented a step forward, this felt like 10 steps backward.

Sorry, no moral victories this week.

http://www.startribune.com/youth-ca...ers-defensive-meltdown-at-nebraska/498128271/

Go Gophers!!
 




Panthadad2 said:
I posted this elswhere, but isn't this quote misleading in that at least three starters in the secondary were out for at least the first half (Winfield, Shenault, Durr)? I missed most of the game but figured this could be an issue for an already porous secondary.
Click to expand...

Durr was in the entire game I believe.
 



The manner in which one of the lowest-scoring offenses in major college football shredded Fleck’s defense with breathtakingly ease wasn’t merely a product of age.
Click to expand...

I have to call Chip out on this. In the four losses where Martinez was in at QB, NE put up 24, 28 twice, and 31 points as well as great production yardage wise. He either isn't researching Martinez's impact as a player or is intentionally misinforming the reader to make the Gophers look as bad as possible.
 

Last 6 Big Ten games, points allowed:

39
31
42
48
30
53

= 243 points (40.5 ppg)
 

IIRC they have put out some offers to JUCO secondary players and they obviously brought in Royal Silver so PJs wish for high school recruits is not totally universal. Perhaps an admission that at times you have to fill holes and depth with quality JUCOs as Kill’s staff did so masterfully. The defections of KHH and Adam Beck, Zo Craighton in the offseason really hurt. Not sure if those were culture misfits or other.
 



Is "with breathtakingly ease" bad grammar or just an awkward combination of words? I'm not a professional writer, but I would think that the proper phrasing should be "with breathtaking ease."
 

Because of a similar rhetoric as Brewster, PJ is going to get roasted by the local media on a regular basis. This story is no different but he has some facts to back up his position. I will say the "worst offense" is misleading because since Martinez has been playing the offense has been getting better and better. That guy is a gamer. Isn't he a true freshman? I will say that the QB that can run as well as through is a deadly combo. Just so hard to start. I know that is what the previous regime was trying to get but never did find.
 

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