What if the well rested Gopher defense had…

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imthewalrus

imthewalrus

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Tackled better on third and long situations rather than giving up numerous first downs?
Iowa would have had more three and outs and less big play opportunities and would have given the Gopher offense better field position and not as many long fields to drive.

What if the well rested Gopher defense had defended the pass better by getting some more pressure on the passer…a few qb sacks…hurried passes or held on to a few of the dropped interceptions?

What if the Gopher defense had wrapped up a tackle on a short pass completion that turned into a td and became the dagger in the back that could not be overcome in the fourth quarter? That was, perhaps the biggest blunder of the game and had a chilling, crippling influence on the final outcome of the game.

The game plan for the offense was to:

1. Not turn the ball over with fumbles and even more importantly by having passes intercepted. Result: no turnovers and especially NO interceptions.

2. Keep Iowa’s defense on the field and Iowa’s offense OFF the field.

3. To not give up BIG plays to Iowa. “The ball is the program…”. The Gopher offense succeeded in that with the exception of the blocked, long field goal attempt

4. The “cut back” runs and blocking schemes were executed beautifully. That game plan was totally effective against the vaunted Iowa defense, especially in the first half.

5. The Gopher offense had and held the ball 40 minutes and kept the Gopher defense OFF the field and out of harms way for 2/3rds of the game.

Iowa’s vaunted defense succeeded in frustrating the Gopher offense in the red zone.

I think the Gopher offensive game plan was incredibly well conceived. Total execution of the game was not perfect. Having to settle for three field goals and one blocked field goal attempt that could have been better served by punting the ball to put Iowa on a long field was a bad decision by the offensive brain trust.

Staying free of turn overs, especially intercepted passes was accomplished by the offense and that was a plus in this game. THAT turn over statistic is what Iowa rode to a number two ranking on earlier in the season, whether it was deserved or not.

In the end, the offensive game plan did NOT succeed in large part because the defensive execution allowed too many third and long situations AND too many BIG pass completions. The defense SOLD out to stop the run…and got burned a few too many times.

The way I see it, other than a number of defensive break downs, the Gopher offense was pretty damn effective in his game.

When all else fails we just might have to give some credit to the opponent and the great home field crowd Iowa plays in front of in Iowa City.

Still, I love the spirit the Gopher Team showed even in defeat . They never quit. That is about culture. That is about coaching.

Beat the stinking Hoosier, Gopher!
 
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imthewalrus said:
Tackled better on third and long situations rather than giving up numerous first downs?
Iowa would have had more three and outs and less big play opportunities and would have given the Gopher offense better field position and not as many long fields to drive.

What if the well rested Gopher defense had defended the pass better by getting some more pressure on the passer…a few qb sacks…hurried passes or held on to a few of the dropped interceptions?

What if the Gopher defense had wrapped up a tackle on a short pass completion that turned into a td and became the dagger in the back that could not be overcome in the fourth quarter? That was, perhaps the biggest blunder of the game and had a chilling, crippling influence on the final outcome of the game.

The game plan for the offense was to:
1. Not turn the ball over with fumbles and even more importantly by having passes intercepted. Result: no turnovers and especially NO interceptions.

2. Keep Iowa’s defense on the field and Iowa’s offense OFF the field.

3. To not give up BIG plays to Iowa. “The ball is the program…”. The Gopher offense succeeded in that with the exception of the blocked, long field goal attempt

4. The “cut back” runs and blocking schemes were executed beautifully. That game plan was totally effective against the vaunted Iowa defense, especially in the first half.

5. The Gopher offense had and held the ball 40 minutes and kept the Gopher defense OFF the field and out of harms way for 2/3rds of the game.

Iowa’s vaunted defense succeeded in frustrating the Gopher offense in the red zone.

I think the Gopher offensive game plan was incredibly well conceived. Total execution of the game was not perfect. Having to settle for three field goals and one blocked field goal attempt that could have been better served by punting the ball to put Iowa on a long field was a bad decision by he offensive brain trust.

Staying free of turn overs, especially intercepted passes was accomplished by the offense was a plus in this game. THAT turn over statistic is what Iowa rode to a number two ranking on earlier in the season, whether it was deserved or not.

In the end, the offensive game plan did NOT succeed in large part because the defensive execution allowed too many third and long situations AND too many BIG pass completions. The defense SOLD out to stop the run…and got burned a few too many times.

The way I see it, other than a number of defensive break downs, the Gopher offense was pretty damn effective.

When all else fails we jus might have to give some credit to the opponent and the great home field crowd Iowa plays in front of in Iowa City.

Still, I love the spirit the Gopher Team showed even in defeat . They never quit. That is about culture. That is about coaching.

Beat the stinking Hoosier, Gopher
Click to expand...
Thank you.
👏👏👏👏👏👏
 


What if our head coach was a better game coach?
What if we actually tried to get yards on returns?
 

So you watched the game, and that’s the conclusion you came to? The defense overall played at maybe a “B” level. OL and running game was an”A+” (especially considering how good IA is against the run). Special Teams were a “C” and passing game was at best a “D”. The only thing saving the passing game from being an “F” was Kramer’s pass and the one bomb to CrAB. But yeah, it was the D that was the problem. Sure.
 



Haha this is the classic GopherHole next day blame the portion of the team that actually did well in the game thread. This was the exact game plan I said would lead us to losing that game, we should have won by 14. Utter preposterousness.
 

matt said:
Iowa was 4 for 12 on 3rd down.
Click to expand...
But, all of them resulted in some points for the Iowa offense. With All the points given up by the Gopher defense considering the fact that Iowa was limited to only TWENTY minutes of offense because the Gopher offense kept the Iowa offense on the sidelines for 40 minutes of the game imagine how many BIG plays Iowa might have scored on!

I’m NOT knocking the Gopher defense, rather I see the Gopher offense as the BRIGHT spot in this trip to Iowa City. The Gopher offense was the best defense on the field for this Gopher team yesterday. IMHO.
 

imthewalrus said:
Tackled better on third and long situations rather than giving up numerous first downs?
Iowa would have had more three and outs and less big play opportunities and would have given the Gopher offense better field position and not as many long fields to drive.

What if the well rested Gopher defense had defended the pass better by getting some more pressure on the passer…a few qb sacks…hurried passes or held on to a few of the dropped interceptions?

What if the Gopher defense had wrapped up a tackle on a short pass completion that turned into a td and became the dagger in the back that could not be overcome in the fourth quarter? That was, perhaps the biggest blunder of the game and had a chilling, crippling influence on the final outcome of the game.

The game plan for the offense was to:
1. Not turn the ball over with fumbles and even more importantly by having passes intercepted. Result: no turnovers and especially NO interceptions.

2. Keep Iowa’s defense on the field and Iowa’s offense OFF the field.

3. To not give up BIG plays to Iowa. “The ball is the program…”. The Gopher offense succeeded in that with the exception of the blocked, long field goal attempt

4. The “cut back” runs and blocking schemes were executed beautifully. That game plan was totally effective against the vaunted Iowa defense, especially in the first half.

5. The Gopher offense had and held the ball 40 minutes and kept the Gopher defense OFF the field and out of harms way for 2/3rds of the game.

Iowa’s vaunted defense succeeded in frustrating the Gopher offense in the red zone.

I think the Gopher offensive game plan was incredibly well conceived. Total execution of the game was not perfect. Having to settle for three field goals and one blocked field goal attempt that could have been better served by punting the ball to put Iowa on a long field was a bad decision by he offensive brain trust.

Staying free of turn overs, especially intercepted passes was accomplished by the offense was a plus in this game. THAT turn over statistic is what Iowa rode to a number two ranking on earlier in the season, whether it was deserved or not.

In the end, the offensive game plan did NOT succeed in large part because the defensive execution allowed too many third and long situations AND too many BIG pass completions. The defense SOLD out to stop the run…and got burned a few too many times.

The way I see it, other than a number of defensive break downs, the Gopher offense was pretty damn effective.

When all else fails we jus might have to give some credit to the opponent and the great home field crowd Iowa plays in front of in Iowa City.

Still, I love the spirit the Gopher Team showed even in defeat . They never quit. That is about culture. That is about coaching.

Beat the stinking Hoosier, Gopher!
Click to expand...

Good essay. Yes, in retrospect, it wasn't so much the offensive game plan that failed as it was the offensive execution in key spots, primarily in the passing game. Tanner just seems to be rattled psychologically right now. Feeling too much pressure and nerves. The receivers are feeling it too. We should beat Indiana regardless of who we have at QB. Give Tanner a rest and let Kramer have a go at it.

I have some agreement about the defense but I won't go as far as you. Although they played well overall, they lost focus in key moments and gave up big plays. To my memory, I don't think they ever laid a hand on Padilla either whereas Iowa had two sacks I think.
 



beavergopher said:
What if our head coach was a better game coach?
What if we actually tried to get yards on returns?
Click to expand...
How many times do we see a nice kick off return negated by an illegal block…returned only to the 15 Yard line. Kick returns are some of the most common flag throwing events for the refs…and some of the most dangerous for the players.

Risk/Reward mean anything? Taking the ball on the 25 isn’t all bad…
 
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Plenty of blame to go around yesterday, but you're probably right the D is getting off light this morning considering how bad the passing game was. Problems ranked in order, IMO:
  • Passing game as a whole -- Tanner's play specifically
  • Offense general ineffectiveness in the redzone
  • D giving up 2 explosive TDs and a couple 3rd down conversions that should never happen
  • D dropping 2 certain INT's that I guarantee Iowa players corral if the situation was reversed
  • Couple coaching decisions that could've went the other way -- kicking the FG, not going on 4th, etc.
  • Couple officiating things like the targeting, non-call on DL holding...but those weren't the difference.
 


The game was played with intensity from both sides. We lost. Morgan not running it in the 1Q
with the pathway open, and then he threw late to Kieft, settling for a FG, an omen of the plays to come. Our RBs playing their hearts out with the OL opening up big holes. The Iowa kid hitting a FG from 50. Our outstanding Freshman CB was beat on a slick double move by an Iowa player and missed an interception; learning experiences. Settling for two additional FGs from the red zone. Two guys not wrapping up on a swing pass allowing Iowa a late score. Morgan throwing high the whole game and receivers dropping passes they should have caught. All kinds of questions about coaching decisions. One hell of a college football game. We had possession time, more offense, and turnovers, but we lost. Beat Indiana. Win the Axe. Let's see what happens. The BIG this year has lots of surprises. Perhaps more in the last two weeks.
 



Wren - aka the Walrus - has a point in this sense:

The Gophers' run defense was solid all game - but, in two key situations, Iowa converted a 3rd-and-long with a run. In other words, the Gopher defense stopped the run all game, but failed to stop the run in two key moments.

Likewise, the missed tackle that led to the TD on the bubble screen.

when the defense is only on the field for 20 minutes, the breakdowns are magnified, because there were fewer snaps to evaluate.

----
On another topic - hearing people complain about dropping 2 possible INT's. Walley - that's certainly a catchable ball. but the throw over the middle to Sori-Marin - that would have been a really difficult catch. And by definition, a DB is supposed to have better hands than a LB. I don't blame players for not making a circus catch.
 


imthewalrus said:
But, all of them resulted in some points for the Iowa offense. With All the points given up by the Gopher defense considering the fact that Iowa was limited to only TWENTY minutes of offense because the Gopher offense kept the Iowa offense on the sidelines for 40 minutes of the game imagine how many BIG plays Iowa might have scored on!

I’m NOT knocking the Gopher defense, rather I see the Gopher offense as the BRIGHT spot in this trip to Iowa City. The Gopher offense was the best defense on the field for this Gopher team yesterday. IMHO.
Click to expand...
I get what you're saying. I was actually surprised at how well the Gophers moved the ball on the ground. It was a bright spot. But you need to have a complimentary passing game to win the game. We didn't have that and we did not win.
 

I agree the the plan the MN OC devised worked very well. And for the most part the MN defense played well.
If there was OC malpractice it was what the IA OC did in the last few minutes of the game by throwing passes that stopped the clock and the IA performance on the MN two yard line in the last two minutes was a joke.
MN lost the game by not scoring TDs when they were within the five yard line and giving IA field position by attempting a field goal at near mid field.
 

What if...we had a competent OC. What if...we didn't blow 2 long plays for touchdowns on D. If ifs and buts were candy and nuts we'd all have a happy Christmas.
 

Rewatching that crushing screen pass where Durr and Rush converged made me less ticked at those two players. Durr, who has been a sure tackler did come in a little high but without Rush’s contact he would have brought down the wide receiver. Rush contact kept the receiver up. I think that was a third down play too.
 


WorkingMyTailOff said:
Rewatching that crushing screen pass where Durr and Rush converged made me less ticked at those two players. Durr, who has been a sure tackler did come in a little high but without Rush’s contact he would have brought down the wide receiver. Rush contact kept the receiver up. I think that was a third down play too.
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Yes, it was one of those weird plays where both of them hit the receiver from different angles, which actually kept him standing up.

We just can't catch a break or get the huge luck when we play Iowa. On the other hand, we seem to have all the luck when we play Purdue.
 


forever a gopher said:
So you watched the game, and that’s the conclusion you came to? The defense overall played at maybe a “B” level. OL and running game was an”A+” (especially considering how good IA is against the run). Special Teams were a “C” and passing game was at best a “D”. The only thing saving the passing game from being an “F” was Kramer’s pass and the one bomb to CrAB. But yeah, it was the D that was the problem. Sure.
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B level defense? Your kidding right! This Iowa offense put up a whopping 17 points against NW! Before yesterday, Iowa could only score if the D gave them a short field!

Giving up the big plays to a Freshman QB is unforgivable!
 

Coney Durr is probably my favorite Gopher over the past decade, but he struggled yesterday, with three plays that really hurt. Walley will be a great Gopher when he's done, but the TD hurt and the missed interception was a big opportunity. And we got no pressure on QB making his first start.
 

imthewalrus said:
How many times do we see a nice kick off return negated by an illegal block…returned only to the 15 Yard line. Kick returns are some of the most common flag throwing events for the refs…and some of the most dangerous for the players.

Risk/Reward mean anything? Taking the ball on the 25 isn’t all bad…
Click to expand...
Risk / reward looks different to coaches who see opportunity where others see negativity.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
B level defense? Your kidding right! This Iowa offense put up a whopping 17 points against NW! Before yesterday, Iowa could only score if the D gave them a short field!

Giving up the big plays to a Freshman QB is unforgivable!
Click to expand...
Padilla is a sophomore and is mobile compared to the big statue Petras.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
B level defense? Your kidding right! This Iowa offense put up a whopping 17 points against NW! Before yesterday, Iowa could only score if the D gave them a short field!

Giving up the big plays to a Freshman QB is unforgivable!
Click to expand...
IA ended up with 277 yards of total offense. Their top RB ended up with a 3.3 ypc average. They got a takeaway. 3 of the points allowed are attributed to the defense, but IA got the ball within the Gophers 5 yard line, so you cannot pin 3 of those points on the D. That leaves them with 24 points and 277 yards allowed. Walley got too greedy and gave up the big play. The two missed tackles on the touchdown pass were bad.

Overall, not a bad effort. Would it make you feel better if I gave them a “C”? Realistically you can’t go below that. If that makes you feel better, have at it. The D wasn’t one of the top 3 reasons why this team lost.
 

jonnyganas said:
I get what you're saying. I was actually surprised at how well the Gophers moved the ball on the ground. It was a bright spot. But you need to have a complimentary passing game to win the game. We didn't have that and we did not win.
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So, the two td passes the Gophers scored weren’t complimentary? I’m not saying the passing isn’t important. I am pretty impatient with the constant and never ending claims that most of this board is making that this loss was caused by the qb. The two td passes Minnesota got from their offense negated two of the three td passes the Gopher defense gave up to Iowa. Unfortunately, that last td pass the Minnesota defense misplayed pretty much sealed the deal for Iowa.

To me, the defense had at least as much to do with this loss as the offense…if not a heck of a lot more.

So, it’s time to get ready for Indiana.

Buck up offense. Buck up defense. Buck up coaches. And damn it, buck up people on this board. Many here are living in fantasy land where their individual expectations have made them totally one dimensional and compulsive about things that they have NO power over. The Fleck is going to do what ever the fleck he is going to do…in spite of what John q. fan thinks, says or does.
 

forever a gopher said:
IA ended up with 277 yards of total offense. Their top RB ended up with a 3.3 ypc average. They got a takeaway. 3 of the points allowed are attributed to the defense, but IA got the ball within the Gophers 5 yard line, so you cannot pin 3 of those points on the D. That leaves them with 24 points and 277 yards allowed. Walley got too greedy and gave up the big play. The two missed tackles on the touchdown pass were bad.

Overall, not a bad effort. Would it make you feel better if I gave them a “C”? Realistically you can’t go below that. If that makes you feel better, have at it. The D wasn’t one of the top 3 reasons why this team lost.
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Given how terrible Iowa's offense has looked up until Saturday, I'd say C is closer to realistic! 22 points should have been plenty to beat Iowa in a turnover free game!
 

Tanner hits Bell instead of throwing it over his head and get the 1st down - gophs win. Just didn’t execute- end of story
 

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