What did we learn about the Gophers’ offense in non-conference play?

DanielHouse

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Although the Gophers made plenty of mistakes, they found a way to pull through competitive non-conference games.

A bye week arrives at the perfect time as Minnesota prepares to open Big Ten play at Purdue on Sept. 28. Despite facing a variety of obstacles, the Gophers made winning plays when they needed them most. Now, the entire team must self-scout and identify areas of improvement.

When analyzing Minnesota’s first three games, there are a few important offensive trends to highlight and build upon.

The Wide Receiver Talent

Each game, a new wide receiver stepped up to make a big play for the Gophers. In Week 1, Rashod Bateman burst onto the scene and displayed his dynamic playmaking ability. This offseason, Bateman added nearly 30 pounds to bolster his physical skills. He also improved his route running prowess and it’s helped elevate his game to another level. In 2019, teams have been forced to occasionally double-team him. When this happens, single coverage opportunities are often created for one of the receivers.

The perfect example of this occurred in the Fresno State game. On 4th-and-13, the Bulldogs doubled Rashod Bateman and bracket covered Tyler Johnson. It resulted in a 1-on-1 matchup on the outside for wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell. Quarterback Tanner Morgan made a perfect throw and Autman-Bell got his left foot down with a few inches to spare.

Finally, in the Georgia Southern game, wide receiver Tyler Johnson took over. He hauled in ten catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson high-pointed several difficult grabs and broke free for an explosive 73-yard score. When the team needed to make a play, Morgan again turned to his group of wide receivers. This time, Johnson made an acrobatic two-yard touchdown grab with a cornerback draped all over him. Johnson, a future NFL prospect, dominated portions of Saturday’s 35-32 win. He is using his physicality and footwork to get open in crowded spaces.

In recent memory, Minnesota’s offense hasn’t featured this much wide receiver talent. Quarterback Tanner Morgan knows he can give his pass catchers a chance to make plays. Not only that, but we haven’t even witnessed the team’s full arsenal of route concepts yet.

Signs of an evolving passing game

Minnesota is currently averaging 9.7 yards per passing attempt. If they continue at this pace, it would be the highest total they have produced in a single-season since 2003. The Gophers have posted a yards per attempt figure above eight just three times in the past 17 years. We don’t know if they can sustain this level of success, but for now now, the statistic illustrates Minnesota’s ability to complete explosive passing plays. As offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca’s playbook expands, the route concepts will continue to evolve, too.

In addition, Minnesota’s red zone offense has been impressive. The Gophers have converted 12 of their 13 red zone attempts (92%). This type of execution has allowed the offense to achieve improved drive efficiency.

Pressure-packed moments

In non-conference play, we learned this team can handle pressure-packed situations. Tanner Morgan has orchestrated two important late-game drives. On Saturday, when Minnesota faced third-and-29 from their own 6-yard-line, Morgan moved the chains in two downs. On the game-winning drive, he completed 7 of his 10 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. During the team’s Week 2 win over Fresno State, Morgan also made a very difficult touchdown pass to Chris Autman-Bell on fourth-and-13.

When Morgan is placed within high leverage situations, he always elevates his game. His third and fourth-down success fueled the Gophers’ first three wins. Morgan has completed 12 of his 15 third and fourth-down passing attempts for 187 yards and four touchdowns. For many of these attempts, he has escaped pressure and found his targets downfield. This type of production is even more impressive when factoring in the length of these downs. The average to-go distance on those 15 attempts is 13 yards. Despite leaky moments up front, the Gophers’ offense is still showing signs of productivity. There were seven instances where Morgan was unable to attempt a throw. He was sacked during five of those third-down opportunities. In order to boost offensive flow, the Gophers must perform better in early downs. This starts by finding offensive balance and executing up front.

The Gophers have called running plays on 77.9 percent of their first-down snaps. During those plays, they registered five rushes of more than ten yards and averaged just three yards per carry. When including every type of play, the Gophers’ offense is averaging 3.75 yards per play on first-down. There is no doubt the offensive balance will shift as the season progresses and more wrinkles are unveiled. This will help the entire offensive identity. However, in order for this to happen, the offensive line has to make progress.

MORE: https://www.skornorth.com/gophers-2/2019/09/what-did-we-learn-about-the-gophers-offense-in-non-conference-play/
 

Enjoyed reading this. Thank you Daniel.
I thought this was a really interesting nugget. Morgan has been clutch on 3 and 4th downs
Morgan has completed 12 of his 15 third and fourth-down passing attempts for 187 yards and four touchdowns. For many of these attempts, he has escaped pressure and found his targets downfield. This type of production is even more impressive when factoring in the length of these downs. The average to-go distance on those 15 attempts is 13 yards
 



I watch these games, get upset, read the posts and I believe we have hope. Not sure why we should be so rock bottom however at the beginning of the season each year though as to production from the offensive line etc.
 




It needs to get better.......
 

I expected the Gophers to come out and dominate their non-conference schedule this year. That is what division contenders usually do. A bad game that results in a brush with adversity can happen. But all three games so far? You can argue the opponents were better than expected but in the end power five division contenders usually sweep teams like this aside regardless of how well they play. So what I have learned about the Gophers so far, and particularly about the offense - is they are not division contenders and shouldn't be considered as such.

Hopefully this changes. Northwestern had a bad non-con experience last year and then marched through the B1G with a purpose. Despite all the disappointment, the Gophers have a better record than Northwestern did at this point last year, so although I now think a division crown is unlikely, it is not yet impossible. Hopefully the march up the endless array of power rankings begins after a big victory over Purdue next week.
 



I think we saw that they are not able to consistently execute cleanly. The good point is, they seem to be able to play better when they have had to.

With the B1G getting ready to start it may be that the extra pressure and urgency of a B1G game may bring out a whole game performance!

If this is the case though, I'll be looking for trap games against Illinois and Rutgers when the pressure will be off again. Could this be the case?
 

Thanks Daniel. This year, for the first time in many years, I think that when needed someone is going to make a play. Previously, I hoped that someone would make a play in those situations. Go Gophers!
 

I think either we are not seriously considering the nonconference foes talent level or the Gophers are really not clicking.

Just think. As the season progresses, if the team stays relatively healthy, and if the Gophers can get the running game going they can wear down late season tired opponents. We all know about the passing heroics and the explosive capability. Key to all this if the OL improving run blocking. If only Brevyn Spann-Ford can develop into a pass blocker it will be a long afternoon for some opponents.
 




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