Positives about the offense today

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GophersInIowa

GophersInIowa

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I've posted some of this in the game thread as well.

- 468 yards of offense
- No turnovers by the offense
- Two freshman RBs who had at least 82 yards rushing.
- 9 different receivers caught at least one pass
- 4 drives of at least 78 yards
- I thought I saw on TV that we had 8 plays of at least 20 yards.

Still things to work on but it was a good improvement. I think we have a lot of talented young play makers on offense.
 

agreed. Brooks was fun to watch, and it caused Smith to pick up his game. Gentry played,
and Still finally started fighting for the ball. Carter did well as well.
 

Very encouraging stuff. Leidner was 71% for almost 300 yards and no INT's. I know it's not good enough for some, but I appreciated his performance today. He had more time to throw the ball, and he did a nice job.

I also posted this in the game thread, but we're relying on a lot of youth and inexperience on offense. TE's, RB's, WR's, Bobek, Mayes. I think/hope/pray? they'll continue building every week.
 

Brooks and Smith looked really good. Very fun to watch them kick it into the next gear. Also was nice to see us establish the running game allowing us to pass better.
 

It was a fun game to watch.
And a W!!!

Hope they get healthy quickly.
 


Will also add that freshman accounted for 297 of the 468 yards.
 

Gentry showed a burst. Sat down in the zone, caught a 4 yard throw and made it a 29 yard gain. Great speed! ��
 


Mitch had a pretty darn good game. Other than the near pick and some low percentage pass misses he did a good job. Good enough to keep a defense honest and that's what we need.

Gentry looks like a physical, fast receiver with great size. Really excited to see him as time goes on.

Can't say enough about Brooks sort-of debut (one touch vs CSU). Two TDs and a whole bunch of broken tackles. Exciting stuff. He's a grown man, tough to tackle, and good speed. Could he supplant Smith as time goes on?

Smith looked quick and was fighting for extra yards, spinning off the LB a few times. Very nearly took it to the house.

Carter, Wolitarsky, Hart, all had nice catches.

The line did a good enough job. Was Leidner sacked? I don't know if the running lanes were from better blocking or a consequence of an effective spread passing game.
 




I think the key to the last drive was that the passing game was on, so they couldn't just key on the run, which lead to nice runs and the eventual game winning TD run. When the offense isn't one dimensional, it makes it a lot harder for the defense to defend. Play calling was good. Leidner was good, but great in the second half. But what I am afraid of is that they only opened the offense because we were behind... I fear they'll play safe again if we have a lead.
 

10 points down the stretch. Game winning drive in the 2 minute offense. Wonderful finish.
 

RolGnav said:
I think the key to the last drive was that the passing game was on, so they couldn't just key on the run, which lead to nice runs and the eventual game winning TD run. When the offense isn't one dimensional, it makes it a lot harder for the defense to defend. Play calling was good. Leidner was good, but great in the second half. But what I am afraid of is that they only opened the offense because we were behind... I fear they'll play safe again if we have a lead.
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I also felt like Leidner had time for the most part. I know Hutchinson was saying Leidner was getting hit a lot but this was the best the OL pass protected this year in my opinion.
 



Hey - we all know why the Gophers won - because they ran the Jet Sweep!

Seriously, if the O-line can get healthy, this can be a functional offense. they may not be great, but they do seem to have more (potential) playmakers.

Oh - and by the way - the "shirt" is still on D. Croft. Maybe next week..........?
 

GophersInIowa said:
I also felt like Leidner had time for the most part. I know Hutchinson was saying Leidner was getting hit a lot but this was the best the OL pass protected this year in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 

Quite a bit to be positive about. The offensive line was much better, the backs ran strong, Hart had some nice catches, Mitch played well, and yeah Gentry looks very good. That catch by Gant on the sideline was big!
 

WorkingMyTailOff said:
Quite a bit to be positive about. The offensive line was much better, the backs ran strong, Hart had some nice catches, Mitch played well, and yeah Gentry looks very good. That catch by Gant on the sideline was big!
Click to expand...

You mean Still? I don't think Gant played today.
 

RolGnav said:
I think the key to the last drive was that the passing game was on, so they couldn't just key on the run, which lead to nice runs and the eventual game winning TD run. When the offense isn't one dimensional, it makes it a lot harder for the defense to defend. Play calling was good. Leidner was good, but great in the second half. But what I am afraid of is that they only opened the offense because we were behind... I fear they'll play safe again if we have a lead.
Click to expand...

They did just enough to win (from an offensive playcalling standpoint), which is pretty much exactly what they almost always do in the non-conference schedule.

Are there THAT many fans that really haven't been watching the last 4-5 years with this staff?
 

This offense could be really, really good in a few years. Maybe as soon as next year.

Brooks and Smith look like a great 1-2 punch.

We finally saw why the staff raves about Gentry. He's long and fast. Something we haven't seen at the WR position the last few years. It's one game, but he looks like he has pro potential. Even the overthrow by Leidner in the endzone to Gentry looked impressive.

Rashad Still made a play on the sidelines that we just haven't had the past few years. Went up and caught the ball along the sidelines and got a foot down. This kid is a true freshman from El Paso that UTEP didn't even recruit. Crazy.

Maye, Carter, and Woli (except for one drop) were solid again. What a spin move by Carter to get the first down! Again, something we've been lacking at the WR position recently, the ability to make plays after the catch.
 

Mitch could've thrown at an 80% completion rate if he made a few more easy passes and had a few less drops...
 



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