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September 30, 2021
2021 Minnesota Game Poster No. 5: Purdue
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Previous game posters:
This week, the Gophers hit the road for the first time in Big Ten play. For our purposes, we'll imagine that the whole team has been crammed into the back of a van closely resembling that from the Sly Cooper series, with a maroon-and-gold paint job, the raccoon logos replaced with Gophers, and the ringed-tail flag changed to brown. As they roll into West Lafayette, the ominous likeness of Purdue Pete looks down upon them from the night sky.
I was going to reference the Sly Cooper series at some point as part of this project, as every game of the original trilogy ranks among my favorite video games. (Sly 2 might be my favorite game ever.) To imitate the Cooper Gang's van, I placed custom shapes over it in PowerPoint until I had a new, Minnesota-themed van. PowerPoint is where I made everything else on the poster as well, including an obscured depiction of the university gateway on the corner of Grant and State streets. This was an arduous process, but I think it turned out well. I hope Purdue Pete's ever-looming, terrifying presence — sort of like Clockwerk in the games — is as funny as I've thought it to be since adding it at the end.
With no game next week, there's no poster. But expect one in the days before Nebraska comes to town.
September 29, 2021
Midweek Review: Bowling Green 14-10 Minnesota
1. This was the most inexcusable performance of the P.J. Fleck era.
The Gophers were 30.5-point favorites entering the game. Depending on which projection system you prefer, they were given a roughly 97-percent chance of winning. After the win at Colorado, Minnesota had jumped to 30th in the Massey Composite, a full 95 spots above the visitors. Fleck, in his fifth season in charge, has raised the program's level in recruiting and has a roster consisting nearly entirely of players he signed. The starting lineup on both sides of the ball is full of upperclassmen, many of whom were starters or contributors to the team that went 11-2 two seasons ago.
Bowling Green had not beaten an FBS opponent in nearly two years. The Falcons' roster was full of underclassmen, many of whom along the lines were 20 or more pounds lighter than the Gophers lining up against them. Their head coach, Scot Loeffler, has spent the last decade riding the fact that he was once was Tim Tebow's position coach, getting this job after three seasons of coordinating dreadful offenses at Boston College. He was likely to be fired after this season and still might be, seeing as how this was just the fifth win of his tenure.
Save for a catastrophic rash of injuries and bizarre turnovers, there was no reason for Minnesota to have lost this game. (And even that scenario might not provide enough of an excuse.) If it was merely close, there would be reason for worry and sharp criticism. And the Gophers lost. They lost because they beat themselves with a conservative offensive philosophy that has gotten them in trouble in the past but never changed, as well as sloppy play.
As embarrassments go, the Gophers have not suffered anything comparable since losing to South Dakota in Tim Brewster's final season. It was fully avoidable.
September 23, 2021
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 166
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2021 Minnesota Game Poster No. 4: Bowling Green
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Previous game posters:
The inspiration for this week's poster is the classic arcade game Space Invaders. In place of the player's ship is Goldy's head, which is firing lasers at a horde of pixelized Bowling Green logos. With nine games to go entering this week, Goldy has nine lives. To imitate what a game looks like in a cabinet — where a layer of plexiglass sits above the screen — I added a faint glow around every sprite.
There isn't much to say about this one, as it was rather straightforward. As with Miami, there aren't a ton of interesting potential video game tie-ins with BGSU's mascot. As a result, I chose a game that can be used generically enough to fit for any opponent. Goldy's head doesn't quite match the proportions of the original ship because there was no way to make his two teeth look good in a sprite that's an odd number of pixels wide. The laser he shot is therefore off-center from his head, though it's far enough away that that should be imperceptible at a glance. I came around on the glow effect after a few weeks of looking at it; the version of the poster without the glow felt flat. Overall, I like the way the poster turned out.
Next week, Chandler will unveil his poster for the Purdue game.
September 22, 2021
Midweek Review: Minnesota 30-0 Colorado
There was a party in Boulder on Saturday, though its thousands of participants weren't the hosts. Legions of Minnesota fans traveled to see their team win handily against a Power Five opponent, packing Folsom Field with maroon and gold and making plenty of noise. It was nearly end-to-end domination, even with some small imperfections in the Gophers' performance. They look on track to make a bowl or maybe finish as high as 2nd in the Big Ten West.
1. Joe Rossi's defense delivered a historically suffocating performance.
After disastrous bursts against Ohio State and a mixed day against Miami (OH), it was fair to question where the Gophers' defense was going. Rossi stabilized this unit when he replaced Robb Smith as defensive coordinator in 2018, and he fielded a strong group the following year, but last season, the bottom fell out. Though there were signs late in 2020 that his inexperienced players were settling in, Rossi needed them to put forth a complete performance facing a limited Colorado offense.
The defense delivered just that, and then some. Saturday's game was the first Minnesota shutout since 2006, the first shutout of a power-conference opponent since 2004, and the first road shutout of a power-conference opponent since 1977.
By my searching, the Gophers allowed their fewest non-sack rushing yards (12) since 1998. Before then, game-by-game stats are less complete. However, I could find no other game from 1979 onward (when the school's web-based box scores are available) in which Minnesota allowed negative unadjusted rushing yards. The closest any opponent came was Michigan State's 3 yards in 2006. It's possible this was the lowest unadjusted rushing total the Gophers have allowed since Michigan netted -46 yards in 1962.
Colorado's 63 net yards of offense is also the lowest total of any Gophers opponent since at least 1979. The next-closest team was 1983 Northwestern, who put up 118 yards yet beat Minnesota 18-22 in a chaotic game. (The Wildcats recovered eight of 13 total fumbles.) Saturday's performance is also just 15 yards off the program record of 48 yards allowed, recorded against Navy in 1962.
And that total yards figure was not entirely the result of the Gophers' offense hogging the ball (which it did). The Buffaloes averaged 1.4 yards per play; at that pace, they would have needed another 26 plays to cross 100 total yards for the game. If the Buffs had run 80 plays, which is what some of the highest-paced teams in the country average per game in a typical year, they would have totaled just 112 yards. Sure, the Gophers would have allowed more yards if they had faced more plays, but it's not like that's the only reason they kept their opponents' numbers so low.
Surely no one is asking whether this game means Minnesota has a top defense now, considering the flaws it showed in earlier games. But the fact the Gophers put forth, without hyperbole, their best statistical performance in decades should be cause to recalibrate our stance on this unit. While it's not so strong that it won't get burned against the right team, Rossi has a defense that can keep weaker opposition at arm's length. That represents a major step up from last year and, if it holds, will likely be worth an extra win or two by season's end.
September 16, 2021
2021 Minnesota Game Poster No. 3: Colorado
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Previous game posters:
I have been looking forward to unveiling this week's poster for some time because of the many hours I put into it, what I learned trying a new method and aesthetic for this one, and how well I feel it turned out. While most video games I reference in this series are old enough for someone to be nostalgic for them, this week, we're parodying the cover of Red Dead Redemption 2. For the unaware, it is one of the most acclaimed games of the last decade, taking place in a serious of fictional states resembling the American West. One such state imitates Colorado. In place of protagonist John Marston in my poster is Goldy; instead of a gang of seven masked riders, there are five Minnesota football players.
Much of what is on this poster I made with a drawing tablet, which I purchased just for this purpose. I love the almost chiaroscuro shading in the game's art, and I was glad to find a tutorial on YouTube that helped me a bit with imitating it. The original picture of Goldy I traced actually features him in the Jerry Kill-era uniforms, but updating the design wasn't too difficult. In the sun, behind Goldy, there is supposed to be a mountain; however, when I placed him into the picture, the mountain was obscured. The sun and the ground I gave a more scuffed, "painted" look using different brushes in GIMP, combined with the smudge tool. For the drawings, I used the ink tool.
The five players are, from left to right: Chris Autman-Bell, Coney Durr, Tanner Morgan, Braelen Oliver, and Mohamed Ibrahim. Obviously, Ibrahim won't play against the Buffaloes or in any other game remaining in the season, but having worked on this for much of June and into early July, I frankly have put am not about to spend more time to replace him in the poster.
Come back next week for Chandler's Bowling Green game poster.
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 165
A correction: Chandler says that one of the "significant" opponents Colorado did not play last year due to cancellations was Colorado. He meant to say USC.
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September 15, 2021
Midweek Review: Miami (OH) 26-31 Minnesota
The important thing ultimately is that Minnesota won on Saturday, and for a long stretch firmly in control of proceedings. But the manner in which they won, by letting Miami back into the game with predictable offense, untimely penalties, and getting beaten in pass defense, after the RedHawks produced nothing in the first half — that's all reason for totally valid concern. The Gophers have a lot to correct before their trip to Boulder.
1. It started off so well for the Gophers' pass defense.
Miami couldn't throw the ball against Cincinnati with A.J. Mayer in Week 1. With Brett Gabbert in at quarterback on Saturday, the RedHawks were probably going to fare better. But in the first half, that didn't look like it was going to be true. Gabbert's longest throws fell incomplete. When he completed passes, Miami's receivers didn't pick up additional yards. His pocket wasn't clean. Gopher defenders broke up a couple passes. Going into halftime, Miami was down 21-3, and a big reason was that Gabbert was 5-for-12 for 57 yards.
2. After a while, Miami's passing game got better results... but it still wasn't a great day.
Gabbert's initial struggels didn't hold up, in part because he didn't actually play that poorly from the beginning. His misses weren't by much, and he hit his receivers in the hands on a couple incompletions. Though he didn't put in a great first-half performance, Gabbert was not the main reason Miami was down.
After halftime, the RedHawks started connecting on some of their deep throws. Roughly two-thirds of their second-half passing yardage came on four plays, and only one came with significant yards after the catch.
The first big completion was this fade from Mayer to Jack Sorenson. Though Terell Smith kept in phase and had tight coverage, the underthrown pass gave Sorenson a chance, and he set up 1st-and-goal with a great catch.
September 09, 2021
2021 Minnesota Game Poster No. 2: Miami (OH)
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Previous game posters:
This week's game poster stars Goldy in the place of Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl, spiking the ball after a touchdown. The stadium in the background is adjusted slightly to look more like the Gophers', and the referee is dressed like a Big Ten referee instead of an NFL one.
This one was relatively straightforward — it was one of the posters that took the least amount of time — but it had its own minor difficulties. It was hard to make Goldy look just right; as much as I tried to downsize his biceps from how absurdly large digital Bo's are, I could only do so much. So Goldy is a bit more buff than he is in real life. The colors are also a little more muted than I initially had them in order to better match the game's color palette.
And there was the simple difficulty of figuring out what this poster should be. There's little history and no animosity between Minnesota and Miami. The game is unlikely to be very close. There was no interesting way for Goldy to interact with Swoop the RedHawk. I could be accused of sidestepping the issue by not finding a Miami tie-in, but I'm fine with that. Everyone knows Tecmo Bowl. Unless the Gophers play with their food for a while or break some records, this game shouldn't be memorable for anyone. An essentially generic poster, then, is suitable.
Come back next week to see the poster for Minnesota's trip to Colorado.
September 08, 2021
We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 164
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September 07, 2021
Midweek Review: Ohio State 45-31 Minnesota
Minnesota figured to be a decent team this season. Ohio State figured to be one of the best in the country. After the Buckeyes left Minneapolis with a 45-31 win Thursday, the Gophers having led for stretches, it makes sense to stick to our assessments of each. Even so, we can take away some things that can inform our opinion on the season ahead for Minnesota.
1. The Gophers' defense burst too many times.
Ohio State started its first drive 8 yards from their own end zone. A few plays later, and the Buckeyes had more space, but they faced a 3rd down. To get an early stop against what might be the best offense in the country would have been a significant early victory for Minnesota. The Gophers' defense is likely to be more reliable in 2021 than they were last year, but it was hard to imagine them keeping the Buckeyes off the board often Thursday. To have a chance, the Gophers needed to take advantage of opportunity they had to prevent OSU from scoring.
Instead, this happened.
The Buckeyes opened in a funky form of quads to the field, with two receivers stacked on top of one another in the slot and tight end Jeremy Ruckert positioned as a wing back. This forced the Gophers' defensive backs over the field side, essentially leaving rush end Boye Mafe and safety Tyler Nubin the only defenders protecting the boundary. At the snap, Ruckert pulled across the formation and kicked out Mafe. Miyan Williams got outside too quickly for Nubin to change course after he came crashing down to make a play. Williams kept running for a 71-yard touchdown.
September 01, 2021
2021 Minnesota Game Poster No. 1: Ohio State
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Since 2013, the Ohio State blog Eleven Warriors has had a running tradition during football season: For every game, graphic designer Walt Keys makes a game poster in his distinct style, featuring Brutus Buckeye in a scenario relevant to that week's opponent.
OSU meets Clemson? Keys recreates a Calvin and Hobbes strip. The Buckeyes travel to Texas for a matchup with TCU? Brutus rides into the sunset with a Horned Frog on a spit. Chase Young, "The Predator," is back for the Penn State game? A dreadlocked Brutus stands partially out of frame, pointing three lasers at the forehead of the Nittany Lion statue. Keys' posters — like the blog, as well as most Ohio State fans on the internet — can take an arrogant tone but are routinely clever and look universally cool.
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