Are We Witnessing the Birth of a Championship Offense?

MNVCGUY

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The offensive stats from this season are not eye popping but I feel like we are on the cusp of something really special with this offense. I know as Minnesota fans we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop but the beauty of starting 8 freshman on offense is it means that the next year you bring back 8 sophomores, and the year after that 8 juniors.....

Looking at each unit:
QB - 2 returning Sophomores with game experience that both played well as freshmen. Plenty of room for growth but that should be part of their natural progression anyway. Add Seth Green to that mix as well and things lay out really well for next season and beyond. On top of that you have a highly touted kid in Clark coming in who could easily be the future.

RB - I would feel good about this position with Ibrahim being the go to guy next year based on how he played this year but just for fun we also potentially bring back 2 really high level backs in Smith and Brooks to add to the mix. Need to keep adding depth but things look good at RB for the near future for sure.

OL - Have to replace 2 good pieces but the bowl game showed that the loss of Greene might not be a massive deal. The young guys that saw a lot of playing time this year should only get better and there are some really promising options waiting in the wings to get their shot along the line. O-Line looks like it could be a strong unit for this team.

TE - Some unknown here and not a huge part of the passing game to this point but the staff is really high on Spann-Ford so will be interesting to see how he factors into things next year.

WR - Saved the best for last - With Johnson coming back this unit is stacked for next year. With and All-Big Ten option on one side of the field in TJ and an emerging star on the other side in Bateman things are looking up. And that doesn't even factor in Autman-Bell who looks like a very nice slot receiver and Douglas who has shown flashes of being a solid option also. With transfers like Grimes filling in down the line in addition to some good looking recruits at the position we have the pieces in place to force defenses to respect our passing game and keep them from crowding the line to stop the run game.

With all of this in place I could see this offense becoming one of the best in the conference as early as 2019. And given the youth we will still have across the board, the sky truly is the limit.

Long way to go until next August but it is fun to head into the off season excited about the offense as opposed to dreading it or looking at a massive list of questions that need to be answered about the unit.

So am I dreaming or do others think we may be seeing the birth of something really special around here?
 

I still think we need something really special at QB to compete for a Big Ten championship. We can probably compete for a division championship without one, but generally speaking the teams that are making the big runs have someone very highly thought of at signal caller, at least at the college level.

Morgan, Annexstad or one of the newcomers might take that mantle but they're not there yet, and I still think we need a game changer at that position before we're really there on the offensive side of the ball.

The rest of the pieces really do seem to be coming together.
 

The games this year were just so different than in the past with an offense (and defense) you thought could / did make plays.

The crowd responded too as they were way more into it than in the past. Folks were watching with more of a "oh man what are they going to do next" kinda mood than "oh gawd someone please do a thing".

I don't know if this is "something special" or just ... competence. But it does feel like if given the opportunity it is a team who could conceivably beat anyone if things fall into place. That's not to say I think it is likely vs. big time schools, but I think this team realistically could, and it no longer seems like an impossibility like I felt about other teams. I haven't felt like that about a Gopher team in a long time.
 

I think we are still limited at QB. We have light years better then the last few years, but no where near championship level QB play. And our offensive line needs to improve by leaps and bounds with consistency. I'm not sure any of our running backs are destined for Big Ten First team, so we could use more talent there. Time will tell, but I don't think we're as close as we wish we were.
 

Yep, I have a "the glass is 2/3 full" optimism for the first time in many years coming out of one season and looking forward to the next.
 


The offensive stats from this season are not eye popping but I feel like we are on the cusp of something really special with this offense. I know as Minnesota fans we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop but the beauty of starting 8 freshman on offense is it means that the next year you bring back 8 sophomores, and the year after that 8 juniors.....

Looking at each unit:
QB - 2 returning Sophomores with game experience that both played well as freshmen. Plenty of room for growth but that should be part of their natural progression anyway. Add Seth Green to that mix as well and things lay out really well for next season and beyond. On top of that you have a highly touted kid in Clark coming in who could easily be the future.

RB - I would feel good about this position with Ibrahim being the go to guy next year based on how he played this year but just for fun we also potentially bring back 2 really high level backs in Smith and Brooks to add to the mix. Need to keep adding depth but things look good at RB for the near future for sure.

OL - Have to replace 2 good pieces but the bowl game showed that the loss of Greene might not be a massive deal. The young guys that saw a lot of playing time this year should only get better and there are some really promising options waiting in the wings to get their shot along the line. O-Line looks like it could be a strong unit for this team.

TE - Some unknown here and not a huge part of the passing game to this point but the staff is really high on Spann-Ford so will be interesting to see how he factors into things next year.

WR - Saved the best for last - With Johnson coming back this unit is stacked for next year. With and All-Big Ten option on one side of the field in TJ and an emerging star on the other side in Bateman things are looking up. And that doesn't even factor in Autman-Bell who looks like a very nice slot receiver and Douglas who has shown flashes of being a solid option also. With transfers like Grimes filling in down the line in addition to some good looking recruits at the position we have the pieces in place to force defenses to respect our passing game and keep them from crowding the line to stop the run game.

With all of this in place I could see this offense becoming one of the best in the conference as early as 2019. And given the youth we will still have across the board, the sky truly is the limit.

Long way to go until next August but it is fun to head into the off season excited about the offense as opposed to dreading it or looking at a massive list of questions that need to be answered about the unit.

So am I dreaming or do others think we may be seeing the birth of something really special around here?

NOT dreaming - this is a good post and you can see why people on here are very optimistic about the offense heading into next year. I am hoping Faalele in particular turns into a force that other teams - even the best ones - simply do not have an answer for. Dunlop and Andries look like they might be some of the best offensive linemen we have had around in here in a very long time. The OL is getting bigger - and deeper - than we have had and this will help immensely. We are all hoping this will be a unit that will score a lot of points next year and beyond and take a lot of pressure off the defense. On paper -- we look very good heading into next year!
 

2019 QB Rating with at least 50 attempts for B1G QBs

Rating - Player, Team (Attempts)
174.1 - Dwayne Haskins, OSU (533)
149.8 - Shea Patterson, MICH (325)
147.6 - Tanner Morgan, MINN (152)
146.9 - David Blough, PUR (462)
139.5 - Adrian Martinez, NEB (347)
136.5 - Nate Stanley, IOWA (396)
132.5 - Alex Hornibrook, WIS (205)
132.4 - Tyrrell Pigrome, MD (67)
128.2 - Peyton Ramsey, IND (447)
124.6 - Trace McSorley, PSU (361)
121.2 - Clayton Thorson, NW (489)
118.0 - Jack Coan, WIS (93)
117.6 - Zack Annexstad, MINN (187)
115.7 - Kasim Hill, MD (170)
108.5 - AJ Bush Jr., ILL (217)
106.1 - Brian Lewerke, MSU (339)
104.8 - M.J. Rivers II, ILL (101)
86.9 - Rocky Lombardi, MSU (154)
85.6 - Giovanni Rescigno, RUTG (74)
76.4 - Artur Sitkowski, RUTG (273)
 
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The games this year were just so different than in the past with an offense (and defense) you thought could / did make plays.

The crowd responded too as they were way more into it than in the past. Folks were watching with more of a "oh man what are they going to do next" kinda mood than "oh gawd someone please do a thing".

I don't know if this is "something special" or just ... competence. But it does feel like if given the opportunity it is a team who could conceivably beat anyone if things fall into place. That's not to say I think it is likely vs. big time schools, but I think this team realistically could, and it no longer seems like an impossibility like I felt about other teams. I haven't felt like that about a Gopher team in a long time.
I think you’re on to something with this. We’ve had such poor QB play for the last many years that ‘competent’ feels like a great improvement, and it is. But, ‘competent’ doesn’t win B1G titles. One of the two returners is really going to have to up their game or one of the 2019 kids will need to be the answer to get this team over the hump.
 

It’s hard not to be enthusiastic after seeing how the guys closed out the season. With a good offensive line the sky is the limit. Obviously in a perfect world we’d like a breakaway threat at RB (maybe Wiley can be that guy if he isn’t transferred to DB), a rifle armed QB that stands in the pocket and/or is mobile enough to extend plays but I’m perfectly happy with the workmanlike effectiveness and passion of guys like Morgan and Ibrahim. They make plays. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the running game looks next season. The WR corps is already impressive and looks to be even moreso going forward. Great WRs making great catches helped to make the Clemson QB look even better. Bateman has that type of talent.
 



It’s hard not to be enthusiastic after seeing how the guys closed out the season. With a good offensive line the sky is the limit. Obviously in a perfect world we’d like a breakaway threat at RB (maybe Wiley can be that guy if he isn’t transferred to DB), a rifle armed QB that stands in the pocket and/or is mobile enough to extend plays but I’m perfectly happy with the workmanlike effectiveness and passion of guys like Morgan and Ibrahim. They make plays. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the running game looks next season. The WR corps is already impressive and looks to be even moreso going forward. Great WRs making great catches helped to make the Clemson QB look even better. Bateman has that type of talent.

Very true! Remember how Decker made Weber look so good? Weber could just jack it up there sometimes in double or triple coverage and Decker would still come down with it! We are definitely getting better and deeper in the WR corps too!
 

I’ve never been more excited about our offense or our team than I am right now... I’m only in my mid-30s so we’re talking the last 15-20 years that I’ve been following the program, but I see no reason this team can’t go toe to toe with anyone in the B1G.
 

I clicked on this thread thinking it would be about Illinois basketball.
 

The offensive stats from this season are not eye popping but I feel like we are on the cusp of something really special with this offense. I know as Minnesota fans we are always waiting for the other shoe to drop but the beauty of starting 8 freshman on offense is it means that the next year you bring back 8 sophomores, and the year after that 8 juniors.....

Looking at each unit:
QB - 2 returning Sophomores with game experience that both played well as freshmen. Plenty of room for growth but that should be part of their natural progression anyway. Add Seth Green to that mix as well and things lay out really well for next season and beyond. On top of that you have a highly touted kid in Clark coming in who could easily be the future.

RB - I would feel good about this position with Ibrahim being the go to guy next year based on how he played this year but just for fun we also potentially bring back 2 really high level backs in Smith and Brooks to add to the mix. Need to keep adding depth but things look good at RB for the near future for sure.

OL - Have to replace 2 good pieces but the bowl game showed that the loss of Greene might not be a massive deal. The young guys that saw a lot of playing time this year should only get better and there are some really promising options waiting in the wings to get their shot along the line. O-Line looks like it could be a strong unit for this team.

TE - Some unknown here and not a huge part of the passing game to this point but the staff is really high on Spann-Ford so will be interesting to see how he factors into things next year.

WR - Saved the best for last - With Johnson coming back this unit is stacked for next year. With and All-Big Ten option on one side of the field in TJ and an emerging star on the other side in Bateman things are looking up. And that doesn't even factor in Autman-Bell who looks like a very nice slot receiver and Douglas who has shown flashes of being a solid option also. With transfers like Grimes filling in down the line in addition to some good looking recruits at the position we have the pieces in place to force defenses to respect our passing game and keep them from crowding the line to stop the run game.

With all of this in place I could see this offense becoming one of the best in the conference as early as 2019. And given the youth we will still have across the board, the sky truly is the limit.

Long way to go until next August but it is fun to head into the off season excited about the offense as opposed to dreading it or looking at a massive list of questions that need to be answered about the unit.

So am I dreaming or do others think we may be seeing the birth of something really special around here?

Nice post! I think that we might be looking at that (potential Championship level offense). I wouldn't sleep on Bryce Williams (rarely if ever caught from behind. I think the mix of backs and styles will be a night mare for opposing defenses.
 



Nice post! I think that we might be looking at that (potential Championship level offense). I wouldn't sleep on Bryce Williams (rarely if ever caught from behind. I think the mix of backs and styles will be a night mare for opposing defenses.

Once he is strong enough to break a few more arm tackles, he might be the best of the bunch!
 

Nice post! I think that we might be looking at that (potential Championship level offense). I wouldn't sleep on Bryce Williams (rarely if ever caught from behind. I think the mix of backs and styles will be a night mare for opposing defenses.

The best offenses force defenses to "pick your poison". If you load up to stop the run they kill you through the air, if you devote more players to coverage they run it down your throat. I can see that potential in this offense. May very well still be a year away from truly getting to where they are capable of getting but it is easy to see a clear path to becoming an elite offensive unit.

We had some impressive offenses during the Mason era but they were only effective if the running game was working. As soon as teams figured out how to slow down the running attack the offense would struggle. This current group has that rarer potential of being able to beat you multiple ways.

Time will tell if they realize that potential but man is it fun to be able to see it as a possible outcome for this team.
 

Love the mixture of anticipation and realism in the thread! With the thumping the men took last night and the realization that the Lindsay Magic isn't as strong as we hoped, it's nice to have a football team most people are looking forward to seeing again ASAP.
 

Gophers averaged 6.19 yards per play in 2018 with Tanner Morgan starting. That would have been good for 31st in FBS and 5th in B1G (Ohio St, Wisconsin, Purdue, Nebraska).

If they somehow improved on the second half and averaged say 6.50 yards per play, that would put them in Top 15 in FBS and behind only Ohio St in B1G from 2018. That seems doable given a year of added experience for such a young team, plus the returns of Smith and Brooks and another year in Kirk C's offense. That seems like more than enough to offset loss of Greene and Weyler.
 

For many years, when I watch other teams play and someone does something remarkable, I ask myself "do the Gophers have someone who could make that play?" My usual "nah" is often a "yes!" with these Gophers.
 

I had the same misgivings going into last year, but I have to say that I think we are "set" at the QB position for years to come. I really liked the way Tanner Morgan took over the reigns. He will be a team leader next year and our receiving corps will be second to none in the BIG10. The o-line and running backs should all be extremely solid next year. All things considered, we might be ready to catch lightening in a bottle. Staying healthy will be a big concern as we hit the non-conference schedule, but I can see great things ahead for the program.
 

There is no question this offense took some huge strides as they got that offensive line more cohesive in the last four games. However, Northwestern seemed to have our number and we looked pretty lethargic trying to move the ball against them. Overall, yes this offense has more potential than we have seen in years. I think the defense is right on its tail as well. Nothing but optimism and fingers crossed for our Gophers.

PS I would love to see AWjr play healthy for a couple of years.......
 

Very true! Remember how Decker made Weber look so good? Weber could just jack it up there sometimes in double or triple coverage and Decker would still come down with it! We are definitely getting better and deeper in the WR corps too!

Yeah, Weber only managed 708 completions, 8176 yards, and 51 TDs to other players. No one will ever convince me Adam Weber was a bad QB.

Anyway, the 2019 offense is going to be tough to stop. Very exciting.
 
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Weber was a good QB. He had a couple weapons as well.

Morgan/Annexstad/Clark (hopefully) are not as good as Weber right now, but could be, and have more weapons to work with than he did. I'll take Johnson, Bateman, Douglas and CAB...plus the newcomers, plus BSF, plus our backs, over the skill position players Weber had. Decker was amazing but he was one guy.
 

Weber was a good QB. He had a couple weapons as well.

Morgan/Annexstad/Clark (hopefully) are not as good as Weber right now, but could be, and have more weapons to work with than he did. I'll take Johnson, Bateman, Douglas and CAB...plus the newcomers, plus BSF, plus our backs, over the skill position players Weber had. Decker was amazing but he was one guy.

At the risk of hijacking this thread...

Ernie Wheelwright was a good receiver. Cup of coffee in NFL. Was SR when Weber was FR.

DaJon McKnight was there for 3 of Weber's 4 seasons. 750 yards and 10 TDs in 2010 is nothing to scoff at.

I'd take both of those guys over Douglas and CAB.

Weber's best season QB Rating wise was 2010 at 129.9, well below what Morgan did last year.
 

At the risk of hijacking this thread...

Ernie Wheelwright was a good receiver. Cup of coffee in NFL. Was SR when Weber was FR.

DaJon McKnight was there for 3 of Weber's 4 seasons. 750 yards and 10 TDs in 2010 is nothing to scoff at.

I'd take both of those guys over Douglas and CAB.

Weber's best season QB Rating wise was 2010 at 129.9, well below what Morgan did last year.

To further the risk of highjacking the thread...I think Weber had a different OC every year.

1 year with Wheelwright is fine, but Weber was a freshman so not as helpful.

DaJon McKnight was good, one monster year. His freshman year he had 38 yards and 1TD, sophomore year he had 311 yards. I'll take this core as a freshman over Decker or McKnight at those ages. I think this receiving core is ELITE. Johnson is the best but these 3 could all be very special AND would likely have better stats if TJ wasn't there because he takes a lot of targets.

CAB:450 yds and 0TD
Bateman: 704 yds and 6TD
DD: 600 yds 0TD
 
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There is no question this offense took some huge strides as they got that offensive line more cohesive in the last four games. However, Northwestern seemed to have our number and we looked pretty lethargic trying to move the ball against them. Overall, yes this offense has more potential than we have seen in years. I think the defense is right on its tail as well. Nothing but optimism and fingers crossed for our Gophers.

PS I would love to see AWjr play healthy for a couple of years.......

Just don't let him play against Maryland and he should be fine.
 

Yeah, Weber only managed 708 completions, 8176 yards, and 51 TDs to other players. No one will ever convince me Adam Weber was a bad QB.

Anyway, the 2019 offense is going to be tough to stop. Very exciting.

Just think he did that with four, or was it five OC's while he was playing.
 

I think we saw a competent offense in 2018 for the 1st time in quite a while. Development and recruiting will need to continue to trend up for it to be championship caliber.
 

I think we saw a competent offense in 2018 for the 1st time in quite a while. Development and recruiting will need to continue to trend up for it to be championship caliber.

We certainly had competent offenses in 2016 and even 2014.

This one is way more exciting and has a considerably higher ceiling, but to talk about the 2016 offense as being "incompetent" is a bit hyperbolic.
 

After watching the national championship game I think our Offense has a long way to go to be considered national championship quality but B1G west champions? Sure maybe.
 

MVGUY - You on to something here. The Gophers are on the verge of something.

IMHO, the key is the Offensive Line and Team Defense. We've got a stable of WRs and RBs that can stretch the opposing defenses.
 
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