BleedGopher
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per Randy:
What might be flying under the radar so far is how efficient this team has been on third down. The Gophers lead the nation in both third-down conversions (31-for-40, 77.5%) and opponent third-down conversions (4-for-34, 11.8%). In other words, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca is keeping his troops on the field for long stretches, while defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is getting his charges off the field in a hurry.
Such complementary football is just what coach P.J. Fleck would order, and the Gophers will see if they can keep that trend going against the Spartans.
"We said from Day One that our culture travels, and our players really believe in that,'' said Fleck, whose team will make its 2022 road debut at what is expected to be a noisy, hostile crowd of 75,000 at Spartan Stadium.
History shows that converting 77.5% of your third downs and stopping 88.2% of an opponent's third downs are not sustainable rates, and it must be reiterated that the Gophers built those stats against New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado. National third-down leaders at season's end usually land between 53-58% on offense and 73-78% on defense. If the Gophers land in that range against a Spartans team that finished 11-2 last year, they could be well on their way to victory.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
What might be flying under the radar so far is how efficient this team has been on third down. The Gophers lead the nation in both third-down conversions (31-for-40, 77.5%) and opponent third-down conversions (4-for-34, 11.8%). In other words, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca is keeping his troops on the field for long stretches, while defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is getting his charges off the field in a hurry.
Such complementary football is just what coach P.J. Fleck would order, and the Gophers will see if they can keep that trend going against the Spartans.
"We said from Day One that our culture travels, and our players really believe in that,'' said Fleck, whose team will make its 2022 road debut at what is expected to be a noisy, hostile crowd of 75,000 at Spartan Stadium.
History shows that converting 77.5% of your third downs and stopping 88.2% of an opponent's third downs are not sustainable rates, and it must be reiterated that the Gophers built those stats against New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado. National third-down leaders at season's end usually land between 53-58% on offense and 73-78% on defense. If the Gophers land in that range against a Spartans team that finished 11-2 last year, they could be well on their way to victory.
The Gophers are a statistical wonder, but can that hold up at Michigan State?
Minnesota's overwhelming success against three inferior opponents has been especially acute on third down, but now comes the start of Big Ten play.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
