Illinois: Another HUGE Game

RememberMurray

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Okay, we're 4-0. We can debate whether we've looked great or mediocre getting here, but we are objectively, undeniably 4-0... and that's the best record we could possibly have at this point.

Since Morgan took over, this Gopher team has gone 8-2, including beating the Badgers in Madison and a bowl win. Let that sink in for a moment.

With the Nebraska game having been picked as a late game, the dominoes are falling into place perfectly.

We have to beat Illinois. We don't have to dominate, but we have to win this game. If we do, we'll be 5-0 (2-0 in the B1G) and we'll be set up for great things as we head into the Nebraska tilt.

They can prove they're different from past Gopher squads when they were in similar situations if they refuse to 'spit the bit'!

Win this game, fellas!
 

Fleck should be reminding them everyday about last years game. It felt like they overlooked them last year. That can’t happen again.
 

Legends are born not bred...

Why not us? Why not now?

Illinois is the next domino...
 

Legends are born not bred...

Why not us? Why not now?

Illinois is the next domino...

Agree Billd, but I don’t like seeing all of the Nebraska conversations on this board. Illinois took us to the woodshed last year and this week feels the same way it did last year. Many on here felt we should win in Champagne and we got blown out. Illinois will have had two weeks to prepare for us so I hope PJ has the guys more focused and ready than some on here.

One game at a time folks.....and Illinois deserves our complete attention.


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Have we had a B1G game.....or any game that wasn't huge?


I guess maybe the years we weren't going to to get to 6 wins...
 


If defense gives up 200 yards in 1st quarter on ground again, ye gods


I don't think we'll win easy, but I do think we'll win.
 

Agree Billd, but I don’t like seeing all of the Nebraska conversations on this board. Illinois took us to the woodshed last year and this week feels the same way it did last year. Many on here felt we should win in Champagne and we got blown out. Illinois will have had two weeks to prepare for us so I hope PJ has the guys more focused and ready than some on here.

One game at a time folks.....and Illinois deserves our complete attention.

We can look forward as much or as little as we want. Nothing that any of us do on this message board has any bearing on the outcomes of games.
 

Fleck should be reminding them everyday about last years game. It felt like they overlooked them last year. That can’t happen again.

It was clear the defensive scheme had a lot to do with that game. I don't think they overlooked Illinois. I think the DC lost the confidence of the players.
 




We can look forward as much or as little as we want. Nothing that any of us do on this message board has any bearing on the outcomes of games.

Thanks for posting this.

If I want to discuss a game next year, I can. I don’t play for the Gophers
 

Very true. Can't go overlooking Illinois because we play Nebraska soon, the same way we can't overlook Rutgers or Maryland with a big game with Penn State later. Every game counts. Focus on taking down Illinois and adding another beautiful tally to the win column.
 

I feel Illinois is so much more important than only the win. This was the game the Gophers gave up a million yards and points to what was a bottom tier team. Got the D coach fired and paved the way to a good end of the season and lot of hope and expectations going into this year. This is the measuring stick due to that (until the next one comes up of course). If the Gophs can show marked improvement on defense I think there will be a lot more believers about the ability of this team. We need to trust the coaching staff will have the D prepared and able to tackle. The offense should easily put up over 30, unless the Gopher defense can't stop Illinois, then over 40, but this game and the Purdue games are where we see what we have. Relegated to lower tier, or up to middle tier. Later worry about upper tier, but for this week do the job put in front of them. Gets back to Coach Fleck talking about earning respect and they can only do that one week at a time. They beat Purdue already, now go beat Illinois and change perception.
 
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Agree Billd, but I don’t like seeing all of the Nebraska conversations on this board. Illinois took us to the woodshed last year and this week feels the same way it did last year. Many on here felt we should win in Champagne and we got blown out. Illinois will have had two weeks to prepare for us so I hope PJ has the guys more focused and ready than some on here.

One game at a time folks.....and Illinois deserves our complete attention.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ve never heard a defense of the take that fans have to only go one game at a time. Is there one? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
 



Fleck should be reminding them everyday about last years game. It felt like they overlooked them last year. That can’t happen again.

Regardless of why they sh*t the bed against Illinois last year, that result is one reason I think it's a lot less likely to happen again this year. I think we see them play a pretty sharp game on Saturday
 

This game has had me a bit worried for a while - a trap game before Nebraska. We're pretty healthy, and after last year we should be motivated and focused, and I definitely think we have the better team. Sure hope it works out that way...
 

This game has had me a bit worried for a while - a trap game before Nebraska. We're pretty healthy, and after last year we should be motivated and focused, and I definitely think we have the better team. Sure hope it works out that way...

These are the reasons you are worried. Its because everything is going our way this year (at least in the win/loss column) and we all know that if they play their best they should walk away with a win.

But we are Gophers fans...and we all know what that comes with. No game is ever a cakewalk and we're bound to screw something up in the course of a season. Disappointment is inevitable. Ask DIRECTV, they've had to replace at least 3 of my remotes due to one outrage or another I had during a Gophers colllapse. I'm not proud of my actions...but I am a proud supporter.
 

I don't think anyone on the team will be overlooking Illinois this Saturday. Even at 4-0....you don't have the luxury of assuming anything when you've needed to pull a rabbit out of a gopher hole to win games against teams that you were expected to dominate. It might be the one silver lining to our close wins.

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Couple things...

1. They ain't looking past Illinois after last season. Show them the game tape every day if you have to.
2. They better tackle better than last week!
3. Offense could dictate the game with a solid performance.
 

This needs to be the game where the Gophers execute flawlessly.
 

If Fleckball is going to be an improvement on what Jerry did, beating teams like Purdont, Illini, Rutgers, IU and maybe Merryland have to be a must.

This is what PJ was hired and paid very, very well to do.

If the Gophers aren't focused and motivated after last year, then someone didn't do their job. No excuses.
 

It was clear the defensive scheme had a lot to do with that game. I don't think they overlooked Illinois. I think the DC lost the confidence of the players.

This is still the reigning worldview on GH: Robb Smith was a colossal dummy who didn't know football from checkers, and thank goodness for Rossi, the next coming of Lombardi.

I have no other explanation for why our defense played so much better coinciding with Rossi taking over. I was an early proponent of the hypothesis that he simplified the scheme and that allowed the defense to play faster, even though that was just a wild guess that has never exactly been confirmed (though I think Fleck has hinted at something like that, though who knows if he's just saying that or not).

But I'm starting to wonder if Rossi did much less to the defense last year than we might have imagined. Maybe it was just as simple as the players believing in the new coach. Maybe neither Fleck or Rossi really have much of an explanation for why it suddenly worked so well?


My question is simply, why hasn't the domination on defense that we saw last year from Purdue through GT, carried over as much this year? We did lose Cashman, true. But does one player make that much of a difference?

Our defense this year, for whatever reason, simply has not been nearly as good as they played at the end of the last year. Have teams figured something out with Rossi's scheme?


I have no idea.

Just something to think about.
 




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