After further review of the first half:
• If Coney Durr makes two tackles, it's likely a one-score game at the half. Listen, I know these players are still little more than kids, so I'm not trying to rip anyone. But it appeared Durr completely botched his assignments on two rushes that went for a combined 100 yards and two TDs in the first half. On the first run he had contain responsibility, but misread the play and got sucked inside, then reacted poorly and failed to get a piece of the runner even though he was unblocked. Forty yards later it was 7-0. Later in the first quarter, there was another run to Durr's side. The Gophers had numbers, with a LB, CB, and S at the point of attack, while Nebraska only had two receivers available to block. Durr was untouched but failed to get in position and whiffed on the tackle. Sixty yards, touchdown. Everybody makes mistakes, but these were the kind of plays that can cause a guy to fall so far down the depth chart he doesn't make a noise when he lands.
• If Tyler Johnson stops dropping easy catches and keeps making the really tough ones, he's going to have a remarkable career. He currently has 47 receptions for 705 yards (second in the B1G), and has dropped somewhere around 10 passes that hit him in the hands.
• Johnson is a matchup nightmare coming out of the backfield. The Gophs lined him up as a running back twice in the first half, forcing Nebraska to try covering him with a LB. Johnson used approximately 1% of his athletic ability to make the LB look silly. QB Zack Annexstad connected with him for 12 yards the first time. The second time, the pocket collapsed slightly early, and ZA had to get the ball out. It was incomplete. The one drawback to using Johnson in the backfield is that it takes longer for him to get into a route, so the protection has to be there.
• Anyone who thinks ZA should have been replaced based on his first-half performance is a knucklehead. He was 9-for-20 for 135 yards. Give him the two drops by Johnson and he's over 150 yards passing at the half. BTN had a graphic at the start of the game, pointing out that since 2000, only seven B1G freshman QBs have passed for more than 1,100 yards. ZA is one of them. Anyone calling for him to be benched is likely named Morgan.
• Rashod Bateman seems to have serious difficulty in getting separation from DBs. The true freshman has all the athletic ability you could want, but his route-running needs improvement.
• The first half was not the dumpster fire I expected. The Gophers should have been in this game.
Hoping to get through the second half tonight. Looking forward to seeing how Morgan looked, and what the hell else happened with the defense.
JTG
• If Coney Durr makes two tackles, it's likely a one-score game at the half. Listen, I know these players are still little more than kids, so I'm not trying to rip anyone. But it appeared Durr completely botched his assignments on two rushes that went for a combined 100 yards and two TDs in the first half. On the first run he had contain responsibility, but misread the play and got sucked inside, then reacted poorly and failed to get a piece of the runner even though he was unblocked. Forty yards later it was 7-0. Later in the first quarter, there was another run to Durr's side. The Gophers had numbers, with a LB, CB, and S at the point of attack, while Nebraska only had two receivers available to block. Durr was untouched but failed to get in position and whiffed on the tackle. Sixty yards, touchdown. Everybody makes mistakes, but these were the kind of plays that can cause a guy to fall so far down the depth chart he doesn't make a noise when he lands.
• If Tyler Johnson stops dropping easy catches and keeps making the really tough ones, he's going to have a remarkable career. He currently has 47 receptions for 705 yards (second in the B1G), and has dropped somewhere around 10 passes that hit him in the hands.
• Johnson is a matchup nightmare coming out of the backfield. The Gophs lined him up as a running back twice in the first half, forcing Nebraska to try covering him with a LB. Johnson used approximately 1% of his athletic ability to make the LB look silly. QB Zack Annexstad connected with him for 12 yards the first time. The second time, the pocket collapsed slightly early, and ZA had to get the ball out. It was incomplete. The one drawback to using Johnson in the backfield is that it takes longer for him to get into a route, so the protection has to be there.
• Anyone who thinks ZA should have been replaced based on his first-half performance is a knucklehead. He was 9-for-20 for 135 yards. Give him the two drops by Johnson and he's over 150 yards passing at the half. BTN had a graphic at the start of the game, pointing out that since 2000, only seven B1G freshman QBs have passed for more than 1,100 yards. ZA is one of them. Anyone calling for him to be benched is likely named Morgan.
• Rashod Bateman seems to have serious difficulty in getting separation from DBs. The true freshman has all the athletic ability you could want, but his route-running needs improvement.
• The first half was not the dumpster fire I expected. The Gophers should have been in this game.
Hoping to get through the second half tonight. Looking forward to seeing how Morgan looked, and what the hell else happened with the defense.
JTG
