The Vikings' playoff chances and an Auburn-Minnesota preview.
Chandler said he thought that no one has returned a kickoff or punt for a touchdown against Auburn this season. This is half-correct: Despite their 130th-ranked punt coverage team, Auburn has not allowed a punt return touchdown; however, they allowed a kickoff return touchdown against Alabama.
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December 31, 2019
Previewing Auburn
It wasn't a dream season for Minnesota, but it sure was a good one. The Gophers' reward: a trip to Tampa to play Auburn on New Year's Day. Though it doesn't compare to the Rose Bowl, it's a good place to go for a team entering what looks to be the program's brightest period since the 1960s, and it's a chance to compete against a high-profile SEC team that appeared in multiple national championship games this decade. The Gophers have a tough task ahead of them, but a win would further show the progress P.J. Fleck's team has made.
December 19, 2019
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 087
A smattering of sports topics, including the MLB offseason, Gopher men's basketball's win over Ohio State, and the upcoming Packers-Vikings game.
It was probably clear that I don't have much of a grasp of what the word "nekton" means. Just read the associated Wikipedia page instead of relying on me to explain it.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
It was probably clear that I don't have much of a grasp of what the word "nekton" means. Just read the associated Wikipedia page instead of relying on me to explain it.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
December 13, 2019
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 086
The coaching changes in college football, the bowl schedule, and a quick look at the Twins' offseason.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
December 07, 2019
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 085
Our respective College Gameday experiences, the Gophers' loss to Wisconsin, and previewing conference championship weekend.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.
December 06, 2019
In Review: Wisconsin 38-17 Minnesota
1. This ride is over, but it's the beginning of another.
With a traversable schedule and an improving roster, it looked like 2019 was going to be P.J. Fleck's breakout season. Though there didn't appear to be many easy wins, there sure looked like a lot of games Minnesota would be favored.
Much of the Big Ten West was in transition: Nebraska, though overhyped, seemed likely to be better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning and might break into the top-25. Illinois, though improving, was a good distance from seriously competing. Northwestern rode a senior-heavy roster and some luck to the division title in 2018, which didn't foretell another great season. Purdue looked poised for a breakout soon, but a young offensive line meant that "soon" probably was 2020 or later.
The biggest questions were about the teams that usually control the West: Iowa and Wisconsin. Could the Hawkeyes consistently move the ball after losing their best receiving threats? Were the Badgers going to be great defensively and on the offensive line, or would some key graduations make them merely good?
The Penn State game was probably a loss, and the Gophers weren't going to go undefeated against the rest of their schedule. But if they could keep Paul Bunyan's Axe or finally win back the Floyd of Rosedale, they could have easily found themselves in the race in November.
What looked like a potentially exciting season instead turned into something much greater. It became the Gophers' best season since Murray Warmath was coach. The program entered the national spotlight, winning its biggest game in years and finally bringing College Gameday to Northrop Mall; Lee Corso put on a Goldy Gopher head. The school gave a lengthy extension to the man who took them to these heights, making sure he remains theirs. Going into the final week of the regular season, all Minnesota needed to do was beat Wisconsin, and the Gophers would win the West. From there, they would go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly six decades.
The game looked like a near-toss-up coming into Saturday. The door was wide open for the Gophers to make their dreams of Pasadena a reality. Instead, in the driving snow, the offense was dominated, and the defense crumbled in a dream-shattering loss to their most hated rivals.
Ten wins wasn't enough for the Gophers to accomplish some of their loftiest goals. But it was enough to rally the support of fans across the state and get a usually cynical, often apathetic fan base to believe that they could accomplish those goals. For a program stuck in mediocrity for more than half a century, that's an accomplishment.
In his postgame press conference, Fleck was adamant that "We can. I know we didn't tonight, but that doesn't mean we won't forever." The miseries of the past, he said, do not have to return:
With a young roster and a number of underclassmen at key positions, along with solid recruiting, there's no reason why Minnesota cannot return to this stage and succeed next time. There's more in store for this program despite one failure.
With a traversable schedule and an improving roster, it looked like 2019 was going to be P.J. Fleck's breakout season. Though there didn't appear to be many easy wins, there sure looked like a lot of games Minnesota would be favored.
Much of the Big Ten West was in transition: Nebraska, though overhyped, seemed likely to be better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning and might break into the top-25. Illinois, though improving, was a good distance from seriously competing. Northwestern rode a senior-heavy roster and some luck to the division title in 2018, which didn't foretell another great season. Purdue looked poised for a breakout soon, but a young offensive line meant that "soon" probably was 2020 or later.
The biggest questions were about the teams that usually control the West: Iowa and Wisconsin. Could the Hawkeyes consistently move the ball after losing their best receiving threats? Were the Badgers going to be great defensively and on the offensive line, or would some key graduations make them merely good?
The Penn State game was probably a loss, and the Gophers weren't going to go undefeated against the rest of their schedule. But if they could keep Paul Bunyan's Axe or finally win back the Floyd of Rosedale, they could have easily found themselves in the race in November.
What looked like a potentially exciting season instead turned into something much greater. It became the Gophers' best season since Murray Warmath was coach. The program entered the national spotlight, winning its biggest game in years and finally bringing College Gameday to Northrop Mall; Lee Corso put on a Goldy Gopher head. The school gave a lengthy extension to the man who took them to these heights, making sure he remains theirs. Going into the final week of the regular season, all Minnesota needed to do was beat Wisconsin, and the Gophers would win the West. From there, they would go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly six decades.
The game looked like a near-toss-up coming into Saturday. The door was wide open for the Gophers to make their dreams of Pasadena a reality. Instead, in the driving snow, the offense was dominated, and the defense crumbled in a dream-shattering loss to their most hated rivals.
Ten wins wasn't enough for the Gophers to accomplish some of their loftiest goals. But it was enough to rally the support of fans across the state and get a usually cynical, often apathetic fan base to believe that they could accomplish those goals. For a program stuck in mediocrity for more than half a century, that's an accomplishment.
In his postgame press conference, Fleck was adamant that "We can. I know we didn't tonight, but that doesn't mean we won't forever." The miseries of the past, he said, do not have to return:
"Let's not go back. Let's not start thinking, 'Well, that's typical' — that has to be out of our system. And there's gonna be cynics, there's gonna be doubters, there's gonna be critics, but the true fans, what we want them to do is get that completely out of their mind. Because we are not going back to that. You don't have to worry about that with me, our staff, our recruiting, our culture, our support, our administration, our president, Mark Coyle — you don't have to worry about that anymore."
With a young roster and a number of underclassmen at key positions, along with solid recruiting, there's no reason why Minnesota cannot return to this stage and succeed next time. There's more in store for this program despite one failure.
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