We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 217

 

Recapping the Pinstripe Bowl, offering a note on every departing senior on the Gophers, and catching up on other program news from December.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 216

 

A roundup of Gophers news items: their bid to the Pinstripe Bowl, P.J. Fleck's contract extension, and transfers. Plus, a look at the bowl schedule.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 215

 

Minnesota beat Wisconsin. Again!

Plus, previewing the offseason and this weekend in college football.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Minnesota 23-16 Wisconsin

1. For the first time since 1994, Minnesota has won two straight over Wisconsin.

2. A fourth-quarter Minnesota surge, plus cascading Wisconsin errors, decided the game.

The third quarter belonged to Wisconsin. Minnesota followed a half-opening field goal with three punts, having gained 12 yards on 10 plays. The hosts' first three drives of the second half, though, produced 10 points, with Chimere Dike giving his team the lead with a 9-yard touchdown off a reverse. The Gophers' run game was stymied, their defense gave up ground thanks to a lack of pressure and a few incremental breaks against the run. The Badgers had seemingly gained the edge, while the Gophers faded.

And then the fourth quarter happened.

It started with a couple of underneath passes that the Gophers' receivers turned into decent gains. Athan Kaliakmanis, whose first half was excellent but who had faced too much pressure in the second, re-found his footing, delivering one pass on target to Brevyn Spann-Ford while getting walloped. He also got help from Daniel Jackson.

It was Minnesota's catch of the year, but a younger wideout made the most important play of the game.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 214

Minnesota lost to Iowa. Again.

Plus, previewing Wisconsin.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Iowa 13-10 Minnesota

1. The Gophers' despair against the Hawkeyes continues.

In the 21st century, Minnesota is 4-18 against Iowa. Though Iowa has held the upper hand in this rivalry since hiring Hayden Fry in 1979, it's become as bad as ever for the Gophers since Kirk Ferentz replaced him. The Hawkeyes' current eight-game winning streak is the program's longest in the series. Previously, Iowa had never won more than five in a row.

What's more tormenting: The Gophers are coming up short in close games unlike in any period in this series. In the first 33 games between Iowa and Minnesota that were decided by 8 points or fewer, Minnesota went 17-14-2. In their current eight-game losing streak, they've lost six games by a single score.

The games are closer than at any other point in the history of the rivalry. The average margin of victory over the last eight years is 9.5 points. That is the lowest eight-game average margin in series history, regardless of victor. The closest any other eight-year stretch comes: Between 1961 and 1968, the average margin was 9.6 points. (Minnesota won six of those eight games.)

Entering the current millennium, Minnesota had won about 62 percent of the games between these two schools. The U of M's winning percentage against Iowa is currently 53 percent. It will take even more prolonged misfortune for Iowa to claim the series lead for the first time ever, but with each successive Minnesota loss, that comes closer and closer to reality.

This has been, in several ways, a historically agonizing run for Gopher fans. The closest thing to solace they can take is that we've seen the Gophers end a run like this in the recent past. But for now, they can only circle October 21, 2023 in their calendars and hope that that is the day Floyd of Rosedale returns to Minneapolis.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 213

The Gophers' dominant win over Northwestern and the upcoming glacier fight against Iowa.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Northwestern 3-31 Minnesota

1. The Minnesota ground attack pummeled Northwestern.

It wasn't immediate. The Gophers went three-and-out on their first two drives, with both of Mohamed Ibrahim's two carries getting stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. But then, it all broke open:

From their third drive until the end of the game, the Gophers had no problem running the ball. On that possession, they ran seven times for 69 yards, closing with the first of Ibrahim's three touchdowns. Across the board, Minnesota's offensive line and tight ends were dominant.

In their previous game, the Gophers had to de-emphasize outside zone. Nebraska's lighter linemen and linebackers were quick enough to avoid getting reach-blocked, and to close on the ballcarrier as plays stretched to the flat.

Northwestern's front didn't have such success. Minnesota's blockers got off the line well and held their blocks. As a result, the Gophers ran outside without any problems...

...and they ran inside without any problems.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 212

Minnesota's win over Rutgers and their upcoming matchup with Nebraska.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Rutgers 0-31 Minnesota

1. The Gophers played a painfully reductive game of football that ultimately worked.

If you decide my opinions are worth your time, then I believe you deserve my honesty. So I'll be honest: The Gophers can be dreadfully boring on offense. They are not creative, they move more slowly than the continents, and as 2022 continues, they become increasingly reliant on one player's ability to pick up 4 or 5 yards at a time. It's brutalist football. I came to love college football watching the late-2000s Big 12. I need some passing, at least occasional bursts of higher tempo, and most of all big plays.

We didn't get any of that on Saturday. Instead, Minnesota repeatedly hit Rutgers in the head with a hammer, and they kept going even after the body stopped moving. Despite facing one of the Big Ten's strongest run defenses, and despite the return of Tanner Morgan to the lineup, the Gophers ran the ball 53 times and generated just four explosive plays.

But while the Gophers were a minimal threat to the Rutgers safeties, they mostly advanced the ball. Their first drive spanned 99 yards over 10-and-a-half minutes, with just two plays gaining double-digit yardage. Over the whole game, Minnesota averaged 33 seconds of possession per play. That this game somehow took more than 3 hours is an argument against advertising as an institution.

The key to Minnesota's success, of course, was Mohamed Ibrahim. The offensive line gave a much-needed bounceback performance, but Ibrahim was outstanding. His vision, his agility, and his capacity to punish those who try and tackle him were all on display.

Ibrahim's 36 carries were the second-most in his college career, behind only the 2020 Maryland game, and his 159-yard rushing total was his sixth-greatest. The Gophers asked a lot of him, and he delivered.

Minnesota won the battle at the line of scrimmage, avoiding negative runs and dominating short-yardage situations. This wasn't supposed to happen against Rutgers of all teams, but Ibrahim and his line made it happen.

You can find explanations for each stat here.
Line yards and success rate are via
collegefootballdata.com.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 211

The continuation of Minnesota's losing streak and the chance to end it against Rutgers.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Minnesota Game Poster: Rutgers

This week's game poster leaves contemporary music and returns to the classic — specifically, one of the most important albums ever made, Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath.

Goldy takes the place of the woman on the cover, cloaked in black against an ominous backdrop. In this case, instead of Mapledurham Watermill on the Thames, the building across the water is the U of M's boathouse on the Mississippi. I've tried to avoid leaning into boat-, rowing-, or P.J. Fleck-related imagery with my posters unless I really need to fill a space, but I was having difficulty finding another building to put into the background here. The boathouse is near enough to water and trees to work in this spot, and it's on campus.

I took some liberties with the trees in the background, making their wood darker and more foreboding, as well as adding a combination of darkness and light fog to mask some of the imperfections along the ground. Because of how high the trees go, I added a faint glow around "Golden Gophers" at the top so it could still be read.

Originally, I wanted to use a retro version of Goldy, as a more feral-looking gopher might look more frightening. But it just wasn't working, mainly because I couldn't find a way of using something that looked like the old logo without just being the old logo. So I inserted the modern Goldy and made him a bit paler. Note his ears poking through the hood.

I feel rather proud of this one. It took some effort and turned out well, it was a bit less straightforward than just putting Goldy in the place of a famous musician, and it put a lot of Black Sabbath songs into my head while I drew. These are all positive things.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 210

Where things stand after Minnesota's loss to Illinois and going into their game at Penn State.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Minnesota Game Poster: Penn State

For once, my Gophers game poster will take inspiration from a modern album — one that was released just this year, in fact: Big Thief's Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You.

First, I must say that I absolutely love Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. I love Big Thief, but I especially love this record. Indie-interested people have probably come across it at this point, since Big Thief is far from an underground group, but if anyone hasn't listened to it yet and is interested in an eclectic mix of folk, country, and polished, effects-heavy rock with dashes of electronica, I cannot recommend the album any more highly. I do not hesitate to call it a 10 out of 10.

Anyway: This week's poster was made just in a sketchbook with a pencil and eraser. I touched up the picture I took with my phone's very basic editing effects, but that was the extent of my post-production.

The original album cover featured a small bear sitting on a log, playing guitar around a fire with an owl, another bird (a sparrow?) and a Tyrannosaurus Rex (or some other therapod). I couldn't think of an appropriate party of four to put around this fire, but I did decide the special talent Goldy could show off was spinning his head. His counterpart, the Nittany Lion, stands in amazement, fury, or some other unclear emotion. You can't find much depth of feeling in that face.

This isn't a great work of art or anything, and I never felt great about how to center the two mascots around the fire, but in general I am happy with what I made here. It was a fairly quick, easy, and fun drawing. If you stretch a bit, you can say there's a tie-in between the album and the game: There's a White Out at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, and it's an all white poster. There's the title and the area around State College, too. Maybe call this Goldy Nittany Mountain I Believe in You. Or maybe don't.

Previous posters can be found by clicking the Art label at the bottom of this post.

Midweek Review: Minnesota 14-26 Illinois

1. Minnesota's chances for a special season are practically dead.

That's it, then.

The Gophers still can win the Big Ten West, but the two teams who now sit as the favorites are the two who hold tiebreakers over them. It will likely require a perfect back half of the season, and a lot of luck, for them to make it to Indianapolis. And if they somehow make it that far, they will face long odds to beat Ohio State or Michigan.

Might a 10-3 Minnesota, having miraculously won the West, with just one noteworthy win (Penn State), receive a Rose Bowl bid? Or, failing that, an invitation to the Cotton or Orange Bowl? Theoretically, sure. But I wouldn't count on it. And from here, it borders on inconceivable that such a scenario can come to be in the first place. With the problems they've shown, the hole the Gophers have created for themselves is too great to overcome.

This is a good team. Being merely good is an acceptable station for Minnesota in the aggregate, and we should never forget that. It remains frustrating that when there was so much potential for 2022 to be a dream, that dream has been all but extinguished at just the halfway mark. This team didn't have to be more than just good to achieve those goals. Now, their sights must be lower. A respectable final record, and wins over their rivals in November, are the only realistic goals left for which to play.

2022 Minnesota Game Poster: Illinois

After parodying a Bob Dylan album for the Purdue game, we're doing something more recent for this third poster of Minnesota's Big Ten schedule. However, since I am spiritually an old man, "more recent" means going all the way to 1970. Our basis: Curtis Mayfield's debut album, Curtis.

Goldy is dressed in Mayfield's gold pants and jacket, with a couple of beaded necklaces, a similarly beige shirt (but with Goldy's face on it rather than a paisley pattern), and of course a pair of sunglasses. He sits on a hill, staring off into the sunset. Behind him is Northrop Auditorium and a license plate that, instead of reading "CUTTY," says "GOLDY." The license plate is in the style of Minnesota plates from around 1970, a change from the yellow and black plate on the original cover. The date of this week's game, meanwhile, is in the top left corner where the Buddah Records emblem originally was.

The inspiration for this week's poster was... thinking Curtis is full of jams? Wanting an album with a prominent figure at its centerpiece, making for a convenient place to put Goldy? There was no specific reason to go this direction. It was just a convenient direction to take, with a great album to which to pay tribute. If you can find any connection here, it's that Mayfield is a prominent Chicago artist, and the Gophers are playing in the state of Illinois this weekend. (Never mind that Champaign is more than 2 hours away from Chicago.) It's just another fun project, one I'm glad I finished in time for the game.

Previous posters can be found by clicking the Art label at the bottom of this post.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 209

Minnesota's loss to Purdue and an early preview of Illinois.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Purdue 20-10 Minnesota

If there was a theme to Minnesota's homecoming game against Purdue, it was wasted opportunities. On the field, the amount of points the Gophers left on the field made the difference in the final score. They ran into the first defense that could slow them down, made costly mistakes, and couldn't capitalize fully on the mistakes that the Boilermakers made.

Meanwhile, their top rivals spent Saturday looking even more listless. The Gophers should have become the commanding favorites in their division. Instead, they go into an idle week with plenty of questions about their limitations on offense, as well as more reason to doubt that they can reach the great potential their season appeared to have (and still might have). This was a game Minnesota should have won, and they couldn't play consistently enough to do it.

1. Minnesota never recovered from early red zone failures.

In the first half, Minnesota got within 30 yards of the goal line three times. They came away with three points. In any game, 18 squandered points bite, but against one of the Gophers' chief competitors in the West, when scoring opportunities were hard to come by, those three failures — and the one made field goal counts as a failure — might have cost them the game, and subsequently could have greater consequences down the line.

The Gophers' first opportunity came after one of their only explosive plays all day. From the 10-yard line, they ran for 3 yards, then lost all of those yards on a foiled 2nd down rushing attempt. Facing 3rd-and-goal, one of the hallmarks of the P.J. Fleck era made its return: the low-percentage fade in a high-leverage situation.

Tanner Morgan didn't pretend to consider any other target on this throw. Cory Trice lined up with inside leverage over Daniel Jackson at the snap, an alignment that theoretically may have increased the chances of a successful play. But Trice was backed off far enough to keep pace with Jackson, and Morgan's throw was never going to be completed.

The Gophers could have at least come away with something to make up for the bad 3rd down call. However, Matthew Trickett missed the 27-yard field goal.

It was Trickett's first missed kick of any kind this season. That's the kind of day it was.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 208

The Gophers' surprise blowout win at Michigan State and their upcoming game against Purdue.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Minnesota Game Poster: Purdue

Last time around, I made something kind of stupid that didn't require a tremendous amount of effort. This time, though, I've made something kind of stupid that took a lot more effort. Behold, Goldy Gopher as Bob Dylan on the cover of 1966's Blonde on Blonde:

If there is any justification for this week's selection, it's that it's the homecoming game. After all, Bob Dylan is probably the most famous University of Minnesota participant. More than anything, it was an idea I just liked because it has an obvious place to put Goldy.

A few notes: I drew this all with a stylus in GIMP 2, using the ink tool. (That's how most of these will be made from here on out.) I kept Bob's scarf the same but changed his coat to maroon. There wasn't a perfect way to pull off the hair, but I think I basically got it right enough. The original cover features a photo that's out of focus. The way I tried to replicate that is by duplicating Goldy a couple times, and then blurring and offsetting the two new layers on top. They are mostly transparent in the final product, but the effect is most visible on the scarf and Goldy's eyes. The block M, as well as game information, is located in the top left corner, where Columbia's logo normally would be.

Previous posters can be found by clicking the Art label at the bottom of this post.

Midweek Review: Minnesota 34-7 Michigan State

It is possible that Michigan State is yet another bad opponent on Minnesota's schedule. But if the Spartans aren't bad — and we should think they aren't, aside from a debilitating secondary — then Minnesota has recorded their first truly impressive win of 2022. Against a conference opponent that won 11 games a year ago, the Gophers had no problem changing their style of play, won almost as handily as they did against the non-conference cupcakes, and now sit at 4-0. More tests remain, but they made a definitive statement in passing the first one.

1. The Gophers took what the defense gave them.

P.J. Fleck and Kirk Ciarrocca have often spoken about what offensive "balance" means to them: essentially, being able to move the ball however is needed to win on a given day. Especially in the Mike Sanford Jr. years, Fleck's Gophers have not stuck to that. They've run the ball repeatedly, on any down or distance, and regularly into heavy boxes. This has been a run-first team.

Michigan State's defense was not likely to give as much on the ground as Minnesota's first three opponents did. Though the Spartans were woeful defensively against Washington, the blame was solely with the pass defense. That was the team's biggest problem in 2021, and their game against Washington confirmed that the problem was not fixed. For any opponent facing Michigan State, the blueprint became clear: Throw until the defense stopped you.

Having established a bullheaded approach over the years, it was no certainty that Minnesota would actually do that, though. Down their top wideout, always confident in their running game, would the Gophers really do what was needed to win?

The answer, resoundingly, was yes. Tanner Morgan threw the ball on 26 of Minnesota's first 58 snaps, completing 23 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. It was as efficient as Morgan has been in some time.

2022 Minnesota Game Poster: Michigan State

Last season, I made 13 game "posters" over the course of the Gophers' season: basically, a piece of art for every game, parodying a video game and at times involving the opposing team. Goldy was the star of each. I felt better about some than I did others, but in general, I felt happy with this project.

By the time the season was over, I already had ideas for another set of posters for 2022. This time, each one would parody a famous album cover, or at least the cover of an album I hold in high regard. However, I was not mentally ready for such a project. I was tired. I wanted to go places and see friends. More than usual, I needed the offseason. And even when I wanted to think about football, I wanted to work on ideas for posts before another big art project. I completed nearly the whole set of regular season posters last year during the summer. This time, I got a few ideas written down, but by the time it was time to start writing previews, I didn't do any posters.

I still wanted to do a few this year, though. I decided not long after the New Mexico State game that I could make time to make some for the conference schedule. Probably not a poster for all nine, but at least one for each of the biggest handful of games. (Specifically, Illinois, Rutgers, and Northwestern are most iffy.) Whatever I'm able to work out — in addition to all the writing and data work I do for the actual football, I do have a "real" job, a social life, and the occasional wish to not devote every second of my free time to football-related thoughts.

The first appropriately big game on the schedule to deserve a poster is this week's matchup with Michigan State. The initial album cover idea involved matching the chronological order of each game on the schedule with a corresponding album within a given artist's career. So, for example, the New Mexico State game would be an artist's first LP, the Western Illinois game would be a different artist's second, and so on. I won't be sticking to that pattern for however many posters I make, but I will do so for this one. There were plenty of classic records to go with Game No. 4, but I settled on Talking Heads' Remain in Light.

And you may say to yourself: My God! What have I done?

Now, Remain in Light's cover is more iconic and striking than it is pretty. My parody of it therefore contains no more beauty, and probably has less, considering the appearance of previous Goldy iterations. I decided to use different versions of Goldy in place of the band because it seemed more suitable than using different players, coaches, or Sparty. The bottom left Goldy, from the 1950s, is probably the one that most resembles the ground squirrel Goldy is based on, but he is hardly lovable. Other pictures, in counter-clockwise order, come from the 80s, 90s, and the current day. I desaturated the modern Goldy's photo and gave them all a maroon tint.

The style of the cover, being so primitive by today's design standards, is not that hard to replicate in any program with a square brush. (I used GIMP.) There wasn't an ideal letter in "Golden Gophers" to flip like the A's in "Talking Heads," so I just flipped the three A's in "at Michigan State" at the bottom. Because the text looks so small, it looks a bit like "vt Michigvn Stvte, which I accept.

Midweek Review: Colorado 7-49 Minnesota

1. Just as the Gophers get back one starting wideout, they lose another.

Daniel Jackson, injured during preseason camp, had warmed up for the first two games of the season but only made his 2022 debut against Colorado. It was a fairly quiet game for him, but Jackson came away with a couple of catches for 26 yards. The Gophers will be glad to have Jackson, entering his third season as a starter, back in the lineup.

Jackson's return is especially welcome after Minnesota lost sixth-year receiver Chris Autman-Bell to a non-contact injury in the second quarter. Autman-Bell's departure put a damper on what was otherwise a shining capper to the non-conference schedule.

P.J. Fleck confirmed on Monday that Autman-Bell will miss the season. Whether he'll receive (or use) a medical redshirt is currently unknown, meaning this might have been Autman-Bell's last appearance in a Gophers uniform. It would be cruel way for his Minnesota career to end. He could have finished the game with 2,000 career receiving yards, a mark just eight other Gophers have achieved. A successful, complete final season might have gotten him into the NFL Draft. Now, his pro prospects look even more uncertain.

The cold reality of sport, though, is that the Gophers must get on with it. If there's some solace to take, the depth chart at receiver looks fine enough for that task to not be insurmountable. Jackson and Michael Brown-Stephens have shown the ability to play both in the slot and on the outside. Brown-Stephens can also play the deep threat, a role that Dylan Wright has played in more intermittent spells. Brevyn Spann-Ford has demonstrated his reliability as a receiving tight end. The passing game should not fall apart in Autman-Bell's absence.

None of the players stepping up, however, have proven themselves to the level that Autman-Bell has. Those behind them have even smaller track records. Until these players actually play in bigger roles, we cannot know whether the passing game has the extra gear it likely needs to win the Big Ten West.

We will see whether, in the absence of a clear No. 1 receiver, a new one steps up, or if Fleck and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca again place a greater emphasis on running the ball.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 207

Minnesota's win over Colorado, the Chris Autman-Bell injury, and previewing Michigan State.

At the time of recording on Sunday, we didn't know Autman-Bell's status and were hoping for, at the very least, not the worst. We now know.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 206

The week that was in college football, including Minnesota's blowout win over Western Illinois, and the week that will be, including Minnesota's upcoming game against Colorado.

One note of correction: In the span of about 10 seconds, Chandler identifies Jake Dickert as a "Madison native" (he's from a completely different part of Wisconsin) and says his team, Washington State, beat Washington this weekend (they beat Wisconsin, obviously). We didn't catch those errors until editing the podcast, and there was no way around them, so they're still in there. Chandler knew what the actual facts were coming in, but by Wednesday evening, his brain was clearly a bit fried. Apologies.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: Western Illinois 10-62 Minnesota

The Gophers' Week 2 was a lot like their Week 1, except a bit more explosive. They did what was expected of them against a vastly inferior opponent, never trailing and giving more than a quarter of playing time to their backups. We saw a few new things, a lot of touchdowns, and very little drama. You can't find much fault in how Minnesota has started the 2022 season.

1. The Gopher passing attack led the way.

Early on, Western Illinois was determined to not get plowed over on the ground. Especially against 12 personnel (which is not what's depicted below), they stayed out of nickel and kept all their linebackers either in or just outside the box. Facing a severe size advantage up front, that was their only hope of slowing down Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts.

The strategy didn't quite work — we'll get to that momentarily — but it did manage to cause a few negative runs. That was more than New Mexico State ever managed the week before.

In part because of this inconvenience, but mostly because of what space the Leathernecks were giving them, the Gophers opened up the passing game a bit. Tanner Morgan threw for 287 yards, his most since the bowl win over Auburn on New Year's Day 2020.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 205

The Gophers' season-opening win over New Mexico State and a preview of Western Illinois.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

Midweek Review: New Mexico State 0-38 Minnesota

The start of Minnesota's season was not supposed to be eventful or particularly interesting, and it wasn't. Not even the titanic drama of our time, that of Jerry Kill potentially not shaking P.J. Fleck's hand, maintained its tension beyond warmups. Once the Gophers got going, they didn't stop but became more deliberate, gradually but decisively defeating a vastly inferior opponent without allowing a score. Nearly all went to plan.

1. The Gophers' offensive strategy was straightforward: crush.

Minnesota had bigger, stronger, and faster players, and they weren't going to get exotic. This has gotten them in trouble before, but the talent gap on Thursday was wider than in any other game Fleck has coached the Gophers. If the Gophers didn't turn the ball over and finished drives, their Death-Star-trash-compactor pace would not cause problems.

Minnesota only had eight possessions the whole game but scored on all but one of them. Just over two-thirds of the plays the Gophers ran were designed runs. They held the ball for an average of 33.4 seconds per offensive snap. They didn't create explosive plays but instead repeatedly battered the Aggie defense on the ground.

It was a thorough beating. Only two of the Gophers' runs were stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage. They gained at least 4 yards on nearly 70 percent of their attempts. Brick, meet ant.

You can find explanations for each stat here.
line yards and success rate are via
collegefootballdata.com.

There wasn't a bad performer among the Gophers' five starters up front. John Michael Schmitz was quality, as always. Experienced guards Axel Ruschmeyer and Chuck Filiaga were both sound, with Filiaga using his bulk to good effect against a much smaller defensive line. At left tackle, Aireontae Ersery looked especially impressive in the first half, and Quinn Carroll wound up with the group's best run blocking grade on Pro Football Focus. Additionally, the Gophers got contributions from their tight ends. The gulf in talent is a caveat hanging over analysis of every part of this game, but the players still had to show up and perform. The Gophers' blocking unit did just that.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 204

Our last Gophers preview question: What will the Gophers' record be? Also, a preview of New Mexico State and what other games you should watch this weekend.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Gophers Season Preview

I remember well how it felt to attend the three most pivotal games of P.J. Fleck's tenure as Minnesota's head coach. Two were happy memories: reclaiming Paul Bunyan's Axe in Madison in 2018, holding on to beat Penn State in front of a sellout crowd in 2019. These moments will be cherished as long as there is Gopher football.

The other game was less positive, but I feel it is the most important. For a while before that triumphant, cathartic win over Wisconsin in 2018, the Gophers were struggling. The pieces of the offense that would lead the way to an 11-2 season were in place. Young but super-sized linemen, exciting receivers, and a balding redshirt freshman quarterback were showing signs of life as a unit, even while missing veteran running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks.

The other side of the ball was a wreck. Over a 1-4 stretch to open Big Ten play, Minnesota allowed 40.8 points per game. Opposing ballcarriers routinely tore right into the third level and beyond. What disruptiveness existed was negated by the Gophers' inability to prevent big plays.

The breaking point came on a trip to Champaign. Illinois ran for an obscene 435 yards on 33 carries. Three times, the Illini scored on runs of 72 yards or more. They also threw touchdowns of 67 and 30 yards. While the Gophers made a few dents, it wasn't enough to escape a 55-31 defeat.

After the game, Fleck fired defensive coordinator Robb Smith. In stepped Joe Rossi, a yinzer among a gaggle of Northeasterners joining Minnesota's staff in 2017, first as an analyst, then as defensive line coach, and then as the interim coordinator in Smith's stead.

Rossi immediately settled the defense. The Gophers routed Purdue, dropped a game to Northwestern, and beat Wisconsin while allowing an average of 16.3 points. Rossi became the permanent coordinator in the locker room at Camp Randall Stadium. From there, Minnesota won the Motor City Bowl, fielded a good enough defense to have that brilliant 2019 season, and (after a pandemic-forced setback) fielded one of the nation's best run defenses in 2021. None of that was possible if Fleck hadn't made a necessary change at defensive coordinator before the problem derailed the program entirely.

Fleck enters his sixth season in charge of the Gophers. He's one of seven head coaches hired ahead of the 2017 season to be in the same position without interruption; the other 16 have left for other jobs, been fired, or retired. Most coaches don't last this long, and the buyout structure put in place with his most recent extension means he's unlikely to go anywhere until at least the end of the 2024 season. His Gophers tenure, barring any surprises, counts as a success. The greatest danger to his job security is staleness.

Re-hiring Kirk Ciarrocca as the team's offensive coordinator, replacing Mike Sanford Jr., could provide a needed change. The Minnesota offense added some creative wrinkles under Sanford but became one-dimensional and predictable. Firing him the day after Fleck's second win over Wisconsin signals that the head coach knows the approach needs to change. Bringing back an old friend suggests he's more interested in a refresh than an overhaul. Whether that is enough could be the difference between winning the Big Ten West and finishing in the division's middle.

For Fleck to break through to Indianapolis, his philosophy must evolve. That will keep the Gophers from stagnating as they enter an uncertain, potentially tumultuous time to be at a program of Minnesota's stature. And it will improve the odds that he makes it another five years as coach.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Special Teams

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. We've reached the last post in this series, which means it's time to sort out the specialists.

Likely Starters

Minnesota punts too much. Most teams do. But having a good punter is a legitimate asset, one that Minnesota was decidedly missing in 2020.

Then-true freshman Mark Crawford, one of a few specialists who missed the start of the season for reasons strongly suggested by P.J. Fleck to be COVID-related, was flat-out poor. If Crawford had punted often enough to qualify, he would have ranked 116th in the country in yards per punt. According to Pro Football Focus' stats, Crawford didn't make up for that with a good hang time, either: There were 98 FBS punters with at least as many attempts as him who posted better average hang times. He had to improve considerably in his second season.

Fortunately for the Gophers, he did. By simple distance, Crawford was roughly 4 yards better per attempt. That only brought him up to a very average 41.7 yards per attempt, but he didn't sacrifice any hang time for that improvement. He also exhibited excellent placement. Crawford produced just one touchback all season and was one of the nation's best at putting the ball within the 20-yard line:

Data via Pro Football Focus

While Crawford is not a field-flipping, elite punting weapon, he has shown he can do the job at a high level. He's made punter a position of security for the Gophers.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Secondary

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. Our last stop on defense is the secondary.

Likely Starters

When you're a true freshman playing cornerback, you're going to get picked on a lot. Justin Walley got that experience in full. On four separate occasions, opponents threw his way at least five times, according to Pro Football Focus. The average depth of his targets was the second-longest (17.8 yards) among Big Ten corners with at least 200 coverage snaps. They went after him often, and they put him in spots to make especially costly mistakes.

The lows and high often came together, like how he allowed a touchdown to Milton Wright but later denied Wright a big reception:

Or how Walley was twice flagged against Wisconsin but made his first career interception in the third quarter:

Walley often made those tough situations work out. He was one of the brightest freshmen in the conference. He broke up seven passes, allowed a low completion percentage, and tackled well in space. The positives came with freshman mistakes, but the Gophers are counting on that getting ironed out in time. For now, they should be excited about the budding star they have.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Linebackers

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. This edition of the preview series concerns the linebackers.

Likely Starters

After the first few games of the 2020 season, it might have been difficult to conceive of Mariano Sori-Marin becoming one of the Gophers' most valuable defenders, and that being a good thing. He looked totally lost until the team went on a COVID-forced hiatus in November. When he came back, Sori-Marin was a sharper, more decisive, altogether more polished linebacker.

With Jack Gibbens next to him in 2021, Sori-Marin continued that progress and was part of one of the conference's most reliable linebacker duos. The two led the team in tackles (73.0 for Gibbens, 64.0 for Sori-Marin) and in non-sack tackles for loss (4.5 and 5.0, respectively). Sori-Marin, for his part, tied Boye Mafe for the most havoc plays on the team (11.0).

To add on to the steps he took as a run defender near the end of the previous season, Sori-Marin became an adequate coverage linebacker. He broke up three passes and intercepted one, and per Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 7.0 yards per catch.

Overall, Gibbens was the better linebacker of the two, but Sori-Marin was a solid starter whose position is in zero doubt entering his final season at the U of M. At this point, he's not an NFL prospect but could make his case if he finds another gear.

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 203

A two-pack of Gophers preview questions this week: First, What game or stretch of games will be the most pivotal? Plus: Who are some potential breakout players? We also run through the Week 0 slate of games.

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Defensive Line

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. We now move to the defense, starting with a deep but somewhat unproven front four.

Likely Starters

In a case of nominative determinism, Minnesota's starting rush end will be none other than Thomas Rush. Rush had a solid season last year, becoming one of the defense's most productive players: 25.0 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss (5.0 sacks), and a couple pass breakups. Always a competent run defender and capable of dropping into coverage every once in a while, Rush finally made an impact in the backfield.

As with any surprise success, it's fair to ask whether Rush is due for some regression in 2021. Using Pro Football Focus' numbers, we can see that the average FBS edge rusher last year recorded a pressure on roughly 9 percent of all pass rush snaps, and on 14 percent of snaps against what PFF calls a true pass set. Here is where Rush placed among the 458 edge rushers who had at least 80 pass rush snaps last year, with Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo included for comparison:

Click to enlarge.

As you can see, a look at his pressure rate confirms that Rush was decent at rushing the passer last year. He was just outside the top quarter of FBS in that statistic, whether we're talking about all pass rush snaps or just against true pass sets. Mafe was near the top of the nation, and Otomewo — who had a more run-conscious role as the 5-technique defensive end — was closer to the middle.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Offensive Line

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. We close our discussion of the offense with the line.

Likely Starters

We'll start with the easy stuff.

John Michael Schmitz, the lone returning starter from 2021, is one of the best linemen in college football, and he's the right kind of lineman for Minnesota's zone-heavy scheme. As discussed last year, a typical Minnesota offensive lineman under P.J. Fleck and position coach Brian Callahan has been significantly heavier than the average college lineman. But the Gophers have run zone effectively because those giants get a good first step off the snap of scrimmage and move well laterally. Being able to reach a defender's outside shoulder and force him away from the play is crucial.

Recent Gophers linemen have been able to do that with regularity, and that has included Schmitz. He has a strong base and active feet, two traits that allow him to gain leverage on opposing players and open holes.

To see more of Schmitz's power and footwork, watch the following play. He got popped by Leo Chenal at the snap, but Schmitz kept his balance and drove Chenal downfield into a pancake. Chenal got good penetration but didn't blow up the play because Schmitz held his ground and recovered so well; what forced Mar'Keise Irving to reverse field was unrelated.

Though Schmitz makes his mark as a run blocker more often, he's also an effective pass protector. Pro Football Focus credits him with allowing a pressure on just 2.0 percent of opportunities to do so, as well as zero sacks, over his whole college career.

If Schmitz can win the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center, he'd be the second Gopher to do so, following Greg Eslinger in 2005. Five of the last seven winners were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, including Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum most recently. It's uncertain whether he'll go that high, but it seems like a lock that Schmitz will follow Daniel Faalele into the NFL.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Quarterbacks

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. Today, we move on to quarterback.

Likely Starter

For better or worse, Tanner Morgan is still here. Since flipping from Western Michigan the day that Minnesota officially hired P.J. Fleck, Morgan's hair has migrated from the top of his head to around his jawline, and all but three other members of that 2017 recruiting class have moved on from the U of M. No other Big Ten starting quarterback from 2018 is still where they were then. Morgan has beaten Wisconsin twice, lost to Iowa four times, and never missed a start since a weird Friday night victory over Indiana in 2018. By the end of the year, he can take over for Adam Weber as the program's record holder in career yards and touchdowns.

The fact that Morgan is using his sixth season of eligibility is as clear an indication as any that he probably won't play a down in the NFL. To even have a chance, he'll need to make up for or fix his flaws, and bounce back from a pair of disappointing seasons.

It will forever be uncertain how much of Morgan's steps backwards can be attributed to since-fired co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford Jr. The Gophers' offense under Sanford was, compared to under Kirk Ciarrocca, essentially the same car with a few new parts and a faulty engine. An optimistic view of Ciarrocca's return says that Morgan will regain some of his old form, but the truth of a soon-to-be-fifth-year starting quarterback is that he probably is what he is.

What Minnesota needs Morgan to be is a calm hand who executes the Ciarrocca offense's simple reads, takes care of the ball, and every so often makes a big-time throw. In 2019, with two elite receivers, he showed he could do that. The last two years, Morgan has not been universally bad, but he has tried to force more and more balls into windows he can't, never quite learned to look off a defender, looked away from open receivers, and never remedied the inconsistent accuracy that Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson often bailed out. Morgan threw a career-high nine interceptions last year, and played some of his worst games as a Gopher.

As I've done each of the last two preseasons, it's time to look at the data behind Morgan's frustrating 2021 season.

Click on any image in this post to enlarge it.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Running Backs

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. Today's post covers Minnesota's running backs.

Likely Starter

I, for one, did not think Mohamed Ibrahim would ever play for the Gophers again.

His season-ending injury in the 2021 opener was truly cruel. To be poised for a big season and a professional career, to be in the position to set program records on his way out, and to make a mark on network television against one of the nation's top teams, only to hobble off the field and into a medical tent is not what anyone deserves.

Ibrahim could have declared for the draft. His age, his height, his speed, and now his injury would all be held against him, but his body of work might have been enough to be picked in the late stages. As a running back, it's crucial to start receiving NFL checks as soon as possible.

However, the day before Thanksgiving, Ibrahim announced that he would return for a sixth season.

pic.twitter.com/Ch8vVxNUaa

— Mohamed Ibrahim (@_MoIbrahim) November 24, 2021

We Are Maroon and Gold Episode 202

Continuing our Gopher football preview with our second preseason question: Philosophically, what improvements need to occur?

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

2022 Gophers Position Previews: Receivers and Tight Ends

The sixth season of the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota begins Sept. 1 against Jerry Kill's New Mexico State. Ski-U-Blog will have previews of the Gophers' notable players in each position group. As in 2021, this series begins with the receivers and tight ends.

Likely Starters

At the college level, a supposed "50-50" ball is not actually that. It's a good bit more titled in the defensive back's direction. Over the last three years, according to Pro Football Focus, the national contested catch rate has sat at about 44 percent. If you take out running backs, tight ends, and anyone who isn't specifically a wide receiver, that rate does not improve. A receiver who can even make a jump ball a real 50-50 proposition is a real weapon.

Chris Autman-Bell, entering his sixth season in the program, is one of those weapons. Since 2020, Autman-Bell has succeeded on two-thirds of his contested catch opportunities. Only one returning FBS receiver with at least 20 contested targets — Thayer Thomas of NC State, at 70 percent — has been better over the last two years.

Despite missing time due to a preseason injury, Autman-Bell was the Gophers' leader in targets, catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. After stints as a short-game receiver and as a deep threat, Autman-Bell stayed closer to the latter but was considered a top option at all levels of the field.

Autman-Bell has yet to earn more than an honorable mention for an all-conference team but should have the ability to do better if able to play a whole season. While lacking elite speed, he has shown often enough he can be more than just a long-armed jump ball target on the outside. His PFF grade last year was 6th among Big Ten receivers who are coming back for 2022. He'll be hoping a big year brings both accolades and a late-round selection in the NFL Draft next April.