P.J. Fleck says Gophers' bye week came 'at perfect time,' with Purdue waiting

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per Megan:

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck couldn’t even make it through his quote without heaving a weary sigh.

“I think we’re a little bit emotionally,” Fleck said, pausing to let out a long exhale, “I wouldn’t even say tired. We can’t get tired. But we’re just a little bit spent, a little bit where we need the bye. Bye week came at perfect time. Everybody needs to take a big deep breath. Three very big, emotional games. And they could have been a loss.”

The Gophers survived the nonconference season but barely. Near misses against an FCS team and two Group of Five programs went down to essentially the last play. Fleck said he always knew these opponents weren’t pushovers despite not being Power Five. But going into a week off with the Big Ten opener at Purdue looming Sept. 28 and not having a dominant performance in their 3-0 start isn’t exactly comforting for the Gophers.

Fleck said his team has seen more in three games than some teams do in an entire season — blocked field-goal attempts returned for touchdowns and muffed punts, for example. But all of that has been educational. And that the Gophers still are undefeated proves they can win games even when they don’t play their best.

http://www.startribune.com/p-j-flec...t-perfect-time-with-purdue-waiting/560727862/

Go Gophers!!
 

If we are taking deep breaths and feeling spent after Georgia Southern and South Dakota State, I'd say the oxygen tanks and defibrillator should be on order right now because that was supposedly the easy part of the schedule. Yikes.

If the Gophers come out and completely dominate Purdue... it will be easy to forget the struggles of the non conference schedule. But, if it is more of the same and a loss, it will be time to officially declare this season as a regression-in-progress.
 

Schnauzer said:
If we are taking deep breaths and feeling spent after Georgia Southern and South Dakota State, I'd say the oxygen tanks and defibrillator should be on order right now because that was supposedly the easy part of the schedule. Yikes.

If the Gophers come out and completely dominate Purdue... it will be easy to forget the struggles of the non conference schedule. But, if it is more of the same and a loss, it will be time to officially declare this season as a regression-in-progress.
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I know that a fair contingent of fans on here won't want to believe this .... but my guess is that our non-conference foes were just quite a bit tougher than we realized or wanted to admit.

Would a convincing win over Purdue prove that hypothesis? No, it wouldn't. I don't know if we can really prove it. But it is the gut feeling I have.
 

MnplsGopher said:
I know that a fair contingent of fans on here won't want to believe this .... but my guess is that our non-conference foes were just quite a bit tougher than we realized or wanted to admit.

Would a convincing win over Purdue prove that hypothesis? No, it wouldn't. I don't know if we can really prove it. But it is the gut feeling I have.
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I think Georgia Southern losing to LSU 3-55 when GSU had their #1 QB playing (not their backup that played against MN) is a warning sign that the Gophers' non-conference schedule is what we thought it is (not a collection of world beaters).
 

Hopefully the bye will allow them time to understand what their strengths are and weaknesses are.

For one, the OL needs more help. For two, get the ball to their stud WR's more, even if that means max protection
 


Schnauzer said:
I think Georgia Southern losing to LSU 3-55 when GSU had their #1 QB playing (not their backup that played against MN) is a warning sign that the Gophers' non-conference schedule is what we thought it is (not a collection of world beaters).
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Have you watched LSU? They may win the SEC with Joe Burrow. Hate to say it, but I don't think we are quite at their level. They are pretty good.
 

e.bigelow said:
Have you watched LSU? They may win the SEC with Joe Burrow. Hate to say it, but I don't think we are quite at their level. They are pretty good.
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I of course never indicated I felt the Gophers were at LSU's level. You made that up. But I don't think it is asking too much to beat a team they beat by 52 by simply covering the spread against their backup QB at home. I'll maintain my point: I don't think GSU is a world beater. Go ahead and argue it if you'd like.
 

Schnauzer said:
I of course never indicated I felt the Gophers were at LSU's level. You made that up. But I don't think it is asking too much to beat a team they beat by 52 by simply covering the spread against their backup QB at home. I'll maintain my point: I don't think GSU is a world beater. Go ahead and argue it if you'd like.
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OK. I accept that. Yes, against their backup QB and at home, it is not too much to ask to cover the spread.

You can argue that without the strip-sack-fumble return and the blocked FG return, we would have done just that. But that is changing history to suit an agenda, and it didn't happen that way.


What I will say about Georgia Southern, though, is this: they won 10 games last year in the Sun Belt, and only got 3rd place in their division, beating the top divisional team that won the conference, they're located in a big time football state with lots of football talent (the SEC and ACC can't take them all), and they've had a history of good football coaches -- Paul Johnson for one, and more recently Willie Fritz who is now at Tulane and has them trending up, and before that Jeff Monken who is at Army and has built them up into the top academy football team that almost upset Michigan this year.

So, you decide if you think all that amounts to a hill of beans, but for me it means a program that isn't some bottom feeder. For you, maybe you think I'm just making excuses and apologizing for the game.
 
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I don't think our non conference foes are world beaters but I think each of them could get a few wins with 9 big ten games on their schedule. Probably a combo of both the gophers playing bad and the teams being better than we thought regardless of what league they play in.
 



Schnauzer said:
I of course never indicated I felt the Gophers were at LSU's level. You made that up. But I don't think it is asking too much to beat a team they beat by 52 by simply covering the spread against their backup QB at home. I'll maintain my point: I don't think GSU is a world beater. Go ahead and argue it if you'd like.
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Our defense was lights out against GSU in the 2nd half. So seeing as how GSU scored on two plays that seldom happen, I think I am OK with just winning the game. Those are games that are usually lost.
 

The Gophers played a tough non conference no matter how one looks at it. It is a wake up call.

They somehow managed to find a way to win games in dramatic fashion which is very taxing to fans, players and coaches alike. They won. That in the end is what counts.

Can this be attributed to the new culture?

On the other hand, look at the Big Ten teams that lost in non conference play:

Maryland lost to Temple 17-20
MSU lost to Arizona State 7-10
Illinois lost to EMU 31-34
Nebraska lost to Colorado 31-34
NW lost to Stanford 7-17
Purdue lost to Nevada 31-34
Purdue lost to TCU 13-34

Everyone of them are squeaker loses except NW/Stanford and Purdue/TCU.
 
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hungan1 said:
The Gophers played a tough non conference no matter how one looks at it. It is a wake up call.

They somehow managed to find a way to win games in dramatic fashion which is very taxing to fans, players and coaches alike. They won. That in the end is what counts.

Can this be attributed to the new culture?

On the other hand, look at the Big Ten teams that lost in non conference play:

Maryland lost to Temple 17-20
MSU lost to Arizona State 7-10
Illinois lost to EMU 31-34
Nebraska lost to Colorado 31-34
NW lost to Stanford 7-17
Purdue lost to Nevada 31-34
Purdue lost to TCU 13-34

Everyone of them are squeaker loses except NW/Stanford and Purdue/TCU.
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C’mon. Are you serious comparing these games vs. the Gophers schedule? You’re comparing our schedule vs. teams playing against other Power conference opponents, with a few exceptions.

Yes, the Terps lost in a stunner. But if you’re comparing Georgia Southern to the likes of TCU, Stanford, ASU or Colorado....that’s not exactly apples to apples.
 




Blitzkrieg said:
C’mon. Are you serious comparing these games vs. the Gophers schedule? You’re comparing our schedule vs. teams playing against other Power conference opponents, with a few exceptions.

Yes, the Terps lost in a stunner. But if you’re comparing Georgia Southern to the likes of TCU, Stanford, ASU or Colorado....that’s not exactly apples to apples.
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Temple, Eastern Michigan, and Nevada are not in Power 5 conferences. Nevada is in the same conference as Fresno, in fact.

Temple is in the American, which is usually considered the toughest G5 conference. Its champion the last couple years, Central Florida, is ranked in the top 25 and has beaten a few P5 teams. Their former coach is the coach of Nebraska now.

Maryland also lost to Temple last year, at home, I believe 35-21 or something along those lines, the week before we went to Maryland and laid an egg.

And E Michigan is in the MAC, which is roughly the same level as the Sun Belt (Geo Southern).



Certainly, the top and probably the upper middle of P5 teams are well above most G5 programs. But the bottom of P5 and the better G5 programs, it's blurry, at least on the field.
 

Eastern Michigan has the same amount of B1G wins in the last 3 seasons as Illinois does. Not bad for a G5 team.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 

jonnyganas said:
Eastern Michigan has the same amount of B1G wins in the last 3 seasons as Illinois does. Not bad for a G5 team.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
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I think their coach has done an incredible there, working with very little. EMU was a laughing stock not too long ago, rumored to be dropping football altogether.

Very difficult to get much fan base when you're located only 6mi away from Ann Arbor.


Would not be surprised to see him upgrade jobs to a nicer G5 program or perhaps even take over a lower P5 program (*cough*Illinois).
 

at this point, I am just not sure what type of team the Gophers have.

They make a lot of mistakes, but so far, they have been able to overcome those mistakes and find a way to win games.

So, if they can eliminate at least some of the mistakes, the Gophers have the potential to be a competitive team in the B1G.

But that's the key. they have to clean up a lot of things and cut down on the penalties, turnovers and missed assignments.

Can they do that? the only way to tell is to watch the games. At the risk of being overly dramatic, Purdue may very well be the most important game of the season. A win for the Gophers - especially a quality win where they play well from start to finish - and the perception of this team changes overnight. But, a loss - especially a bad loss - and the pitchforks and torches come out as the peasants prepare to storm the castle.

And as we sit here today, I don't have a clue which team is going to show up against Purdue.
 

jonnyganas said:
Eastern Michigan has the same amount of B1G wins in the last 3 seasons as Illinois does. Not bad for a G5 team.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
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And GSU beat E. Michigan in a bowl game last year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

MnplsGopher said:
I think their coach has done an incredible there, working with very little. EMU was a laughing stock not too long ago, rumored to be dropping football altogether.

Very difficult to get much fan base when you're located only 6mi away from Ann Arbor.


Would not be surprised to see him upgrade jobs to a nicer G5 program or perhaps even take over a lower P5 program (*cough*Illinois).
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Same coaching staff that had Kamal committed as a quarterback. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done on that side of the ball
 

PitinoFan said:
And GSU beat E. Michigan in a bowl game last year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I believe by a score of 23-21. Competitive game by two surprisingly good G5 programs.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
at this point, I am just not sure what type of team the Gophers have.

They make a lot of mistakes, but so far, they have been able to overcome those mistakes and find a way to win games.

So, if they can eliminate at least some of the mistakes, the Gophers have the potential to be a competitive team in the B1G.

But that's the key. they have to clean up a lot of things and cut down on the penalties, turnovers and missed assignments.

Can they do that? the only way to tell is to watch the games. At the risk of being overly dramatic, Purdue may very well be the most important game of the season. A win for the Gophers - especially a quality win where they play well from start to finish - and the perception of this team changes overnight. But, a loss - especially a bad loss - and the pitchforks and torches come out as the peasants prepare to storm the castle.

And as we sit here today, I don't have a clue which team is going to show up against Purdue.
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The only thing that would be a disaster would be a showing similar to last year's Maryland game. That is the only outcome we must avoid at all costs.

I had this game penciled as a loss before the season. It's a Big Ten team, no matter what they've done this season and no matter what they've done in previous seasons, and it's on the road.

And that said, as long as it is at least a competitive loss, I can live with that. A win, no matter what fashion, is great. A convincing win, where we don't need to comeback and/or overcome stupid mistakes, is awesome!
 

MnplsGopher said:
I had this game penciled as a loss before the season. It's a Big Ten team, no matter what they've done this season and no matter what they've done in previous seasons, and it's on the road.

And that said, as long as it is at least a competitive loss, I can live with that. A win, no matter what fashion, is great. A convincing win, where we don't need to comeback and/or overcome stupid mistakes, is awesome!
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Yes, I did too; mostly for the reasons that you mentioned. Oddly enough, despite our shaky start, I have a little more confidence going into this game than I did before the season.

I don't care much about outsiders' "perceptions" of this team. If one really cares a lot about that sort of thing, being a Gopher fan would be very unfulfilling. Unless this program puts together 3 or more straight seasons of 8 + wins, it's going to continue being regarded by most as an irrelevant team in discussions about the divisional race.

Most of us are hoping for a season of 8 or more wins. Harder to see us getting there without winning this one.
 

cjbfbp said:
Yes, I did too; mostly for the reasons that you mentioned. Oddly enough, despite our shaky start, I have a little more confidence going into this game than I did before the season.

I don't care much about outsiders' "perceptions" of this team. If one really cares a lot about that sort of thing, being a Gopher fan would be very unfulfilling. Unless this program puts together 3 or more straight seasons of 8 + wins, it's going to continue being regarded by most as an irrelevant team in discussions about the divisional race.

Most of us are hoping for a season of 8 or more wins. Harder to see us getting there without winning this one.
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I predicted we'd get to at least 6 wins in the first 8 games. The last four, I had less hope. NW might not be as tough as last season though, the jury is still out. But again, it's on the road.

I thought we'd go 3-0 in the non-con, but I was thinking more like last year than what we've done so far!
 

I thought going into the season the game at Purdue could define the year, and it appears that way at least right now. Win your Big Ten opener on the road, confidence goes sky high.

3-0 is really all that matters. Sure, the wins weren't pretty, but when has non-conference football ever consisted of 3-4 blowouts for the Gophers? Never, not once. Until it starts to happen consistently, it shouldn't be expected.

You look at each game, and it's absolutely conceivable the Gophers could be 0-3 right now. But they're not, they managed to make enough plays in critical moments in each game to get the win. The biggest issue is improving on both sides of the line of scrimmage. We're not consistently shutting down the run or getting pressure on the QB, and it's unacceptable against a team like Georgia Southern that our O-line can't get a push up front. Averaging 1.9 yards per carry against that defense is not OK. I also think Fleck tried to show as little as possible on offense during the non-conference. That all changes now.

Go to Purdue, get the win and put the foot on the throat while they're down.
 

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