What about pop up Kickoff?

[Feel the Game]

How come no one is talking about the pop up kick off after tying the game? Was Brewster ever asked about this? I thought this was a big turning point and there was no reason to do it. Especially the way the Gophs were kicking of and pinning them deep. This allowed Cal to pin MN deep. Big mistake. Kick it deep, you had the momentum! Get good field position and take the lead and then feed even more off the home crowd and you have a good chance at a win. It made absolutely no sense to do the pop up. Gophs ended up will ball at their own 2 yard line after that. It was this play more than any other that lost the game. Gophs weren't going to go 98 yards. Brewster panicked - felt he had to do a gimmick. Tried to overcoach. His D was shutting them out in the 2nd half and his O just scored a touchdown. You can't make decisions like that and win very many big games.

 

[BilldGopher]

Agree

Should have been deep as Ellestad could go.

Didn't understand the call then and don't understand it now. I'm willing to be educated.

Go Gophers! Beat NU.

 

[upchurch]

The key play of the game, in MHO was the ref's calling false start on Cal and negating Willhite's sack. Next was Hayo's fumble, then Weber's first pic

 

[CDH27]

Did anyone confirm that it was an intentional short kick? Is it possible the kicker just missed hitting the football. If it was a strategic kick, I think it was a huge mistake and certainly a momentum changer.

 

[Gophers09]

The key play of the game, in MHO was the ref's calling false start on Cal and negating Willhite's sack. Next was Hayo's fumble, then Weber's first pic

True the Gophers had a good push initially on that play, but the cal line stopped on the whistle before the sack.

 

[BilldGopher]

Article in ESPN Magazine

I don't typically read sports mags but while joining my son in an orthodontists appointment I had the pleasure of reading an edition of ESPN's weekly magazine.

To the point at hand I read an article about everything that goes into a kickoff...offensive side...the lanes...defending the kick...etc.

At least from that article, a kickoff like we witnessed is on purpose. Period.

It was a mistake.

Sometimes the Gophers overthink things. It's getting better...and indeed this happened under Mason too (even in year 10 of his tenure).

Go Gophers! Beat NU!

 

[jll62]

Ellestad caught a lot of turf on the kick, which isn't normal. Pretty sure it was just a mis-hit at a bad time. Given how deep his kickoffs had been and how good our coverage has been, I can't come up with a logical reason why it would have been an intentional short kick.

 

[Schnoodler]

If it was on purpose it was a real head scratcher. Given how gimicky the whole approach was all day I'm kinda thinking it was on purpose. A bad decision. I would like to know the truth as well and the thinking behind it.

 

[tikited]

If it was on purpose it was a real head scratcher. Given how gimicky the whole approach was all day I'm kinda thinking it was on purpose. A bad decision. I would like to know the truth as well and the thinking behind it.

Huge mistake. Our kickoffs were things of beauty all game and then that buzz-kill moment. I loved forcing Cal returners deep in the corners. I didn't love kicking it to their 35.

 

[dylan64]

I thought it was a mis-hit pop up onside kick perhaps. It would have been a decent time to try to get the ball back. And I have been seeing more pop up onsides than 'big bounce' onside kicks around the country lately - especially in 'surprise' situations. (not lined up in the onside formation)

either way, tough time to not execute.