12-21-14
Hello, sorry for my hiatus from giving you all wonderful insight on college football, but I had finals for the last two weeks. So I am going to do quick wrap ups of the weeks that I missed.
Okay so the week before championship weekend was interesting, and severely disappointing. Lets start with Minnesota... Surprisingly the Gophers started off fast against the Badgers, which is completely opposite of the whole season, so this was a promising start. After jumping out to a 17-3 lead, everything went down hill, and the offense just stopped. Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the whole game since I was at a tailgate for the Bama game, but I was watching it on my phone as much as I could. The defense held their ground enough for the offense to answer, but being the frustrating offense that Minnesota is; they did not pull through. It was a winnable game, and the Gophers would have probably faired better against OSU in the BIG Championship. Has Wisconsin scored against OSU yet? Answer: No... lol
Now for Michigan....
Wow, the first half of the game was extremely entertaining, and it looked like Michigan could possibly win the game. But giving up a touchdown on a 4th and short was unacceptable breakdown in defense, and that was when the game started to go down hill. This is old news, but hopefully Michigan can reel in Harbaugh (I am still secretly hoping for Les Miles though). Michigan as a whole is going downhill... The men's Basketball team, which was one bright light that Michigan faithful were looking forward too, is losing to lesser known teams, and it is embarrassing. Oh well what can you do.
Championship Weekend was somewhat uneventful. The teams that were supposed to win, did win, for the most part. I did enjoy seeing Wisconsin getting shut out, but it makes me think how Minnesota would have done. Next, the playoff selections were interesting, outrageous, or sensible, depending on how you look at it. Everyone has their own opinion. But hey, Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl, outstanding. I cannot wait to be down in Florida for the game. I'll talk more about the bowl game later, but I am back baby.
Go Gophers
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
#18 Minnesota Vs. #14 Wisconsin
11-28-14
Well this is probably the biggest week in recent Minnesota Golden Gopher history. A hated, border battle rivalry, the battle for the axe, and a chance to play for the Big Ten title.
Wisconsin is a good team this year to say the least, but they are beatable. Melvin Gordon is unbelievable, and he is easily going to be the biggest threat to Minnesota. He is going to score touchdowns, yes plural. Minnesota will need to have a high percentage of third down stops to keep the ball out of his hands. One thing that is not to big of an issue is the passing game for Wisconsin. Stave, is not a very good passer, and McEvoy is mainly just in there for wildcat. Additionally, Wisconsin has home field advantage, and Camp Randall is a difficult place to play with all that jump around loser stuff. Finally, the Badgers defense is pretty stout; Minnesota will have to have a passing game similar, maybe better, than they had against Nebraska to win. But, once again, it is a winnable game for the Golden Gophers.
Sorry for the short post, I am down at the University Alabama to watch the Iron Bowl, and just having a good time down here.
Go Gophers, and Roll Tide
Well this is probably the biggest week in recent Minnesota Golden Gopher history. A hated, border battle rivalry, the battle for the axe, and a chance to play for the Big Ten title.
Wisconsin is a good team this year to say the least, but they are beatable. Melvin Gordon is unbelievable, and he is easily going to be the biggest threat to Minnesota. He is going to score touchdowns, yes plural. Minnesota will need to have a high percentage of third down stops to keep the ball out of his hands. One thing that is not to big of an issue is the passing game for Wisconsin. Stave, is not a very good passer, and McEvoy is mainly just in there for wildcat. Additionally, Wisconsin has home field advantage, and Camp Randall is a difficult place to play with all that jump around loser stuff. Finally, the Badgers defense is pretty stout; Minnesota will have to have a passing game similar, maybe better, than they had against Nebraska to win. But, once again, it is a winnable game for the Golden Gophers.
Sorry for the short post, I am down at the University Alabama to watch the Iron Bowl, and just having a good time down here.
Go Gophers, and Roll Tide
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Recap of Week 14
11-25-14
Probably thee biggest win for the Gophers yet this season (ideally the biggest comes against Wisconsin). I am actually surprised the Gophers pulled out a 28-24 win against the 23rd ranked Huskers after going down 7-21 at halftime. Historically, under Coach Kill, the Gophers lose the majority of the games when they are down by half. The first quarter wasn't bad, both teams exchanged touchdowns and that was about it. But, the second quarter is when the game took a turn for the worse; it started with Tommy Armstrong getting flushed out of the pocket and throwing an 18 yard ball to Pierson-El. I thought a Gopher defender could have swatted away the ball because there were three defenders around... but hey that's none of my business. Then the most heartbreaking play happened in that the Gophers drive down the field and have to kick a field goal, and it gets blocked, then returned for a touchdown, 85 yards... Now I didn't fully analyze play, whether it was Santoso not getting the ball high enough or a blown coverage up the middle, I don't know. But, overall, that outcome was completely unacceptable. Fortunately for the Gophers their defense really stepped up in the second half by only letting up a field goal. This allowed the Mitch Leidner and the offense to get more touches on the ball and drive down and score three touchdowns. Cobb had a red sea parted for him for a 17 yard touchdown run, our big back Rodrick Williams Jr. bounced a run to the vulnerable outside and walked in a 19 yard touchdown, and finally Leidner had a two yard touchdown run to take the lead. An improvement from last game was definitely the passing game, and a deep pass to K.J. Maye set up the winning touchdown. But, I still think 135 passing yards is not enough to beat the top tier teams; still needs improvement. The play of the game was made by Briean Boddy-Calhoun when he stripped the ball from a touchdown bound Pierson-El on the Minnesota two yard line. One of the most crazy endings I have ever seen. The game was finally sealed when Kirkwood broke a run of 10 yards for another Golden Gopher FIRST DOWN. Huge win for the Gophers, and they absolutely need to take this momentum into Madison to get this win.
Now for the Michigan Wolverines... I am not going to waste my time, and the readers time with this because, frankly, the Wolverines do not deserve this. It was a god awful game, extremely boring, and no team seemed like they wanted to win. With this loss, it is likely Michigan will not go bowling and it is disappointing Hoke, and the players didn't come to this game fired up, and motivated to get bowl eligible. Oh well, hopefully we get a new coach and some recruits to recommit...
Probably thee biggest win for the Gophers yet this season (ideally the biggest comes against Wisconsin). I am actually surprised the Gophers pulled out a 28-24 win against the 23rd ranked Huskers after going down 7-21 at halftime. Historically, under Coach Kill, the Gophers lose the majority of the games when they are down by half. The first quarter wasn't bad, both teams exchanged touchdowns and that was about it. But, the second quarter is when the game took a turn for the worse; it started with Tommy Armstrong getting flushed out of the pocket and throwing an 18 yard ball to Pierson-El. I thought a Gopher defender could have swatted away the ball because there were three defenders around... but hey that's none of my business. Then the most heartbreaking play happened in that the Gophers drive down the field and have to kick a field goal, and it gets blocked, then returned for a touchdown, 85 yards... Now I didn't fully analyze play, whether it was Santoso not getting the ball high enough or a blown coverage up the middle, I don't know. But, overall, that outcome was completely unacceptable. Fortunately for the Gophers their defense really stepped up in the second half by only letting up a field goal. This allowed the Mitch Leidner and the offense to get more touches on the ball and drive down and score three touchdowns. Cobb had a red sea parted for him for a 17 yard touchdown run, our big back Rodrick Williams Jr. bounced a run to the vulnerable outside and walked in a 19 yard touchdown, and finally Leidner had a two yard touchdown run to take the lead. An improvement from last game was definitely the passing game, and a deep pass to K.J. Maye set up the winning touchdown. But, I still think 135 passing yards is not enough to beat the top tier teams; still needs improvement. The play of the game was made by Briean Boddy-Calhoun when he stripped the ball from a touchdown bound Pierson-El on the Minnesota two yard line. One of the most crazy endings I have ever seen. The game was finally sealed when Kirkwood broke a run of 10 yards for another Golden Gopher FIRST DOWN. Huge win for the Gophers, and they absolutely need to take this momentum into Madison to get this win.
Now for the Michigan Wolverines... I am not going to waste my time, and the readers time with this because, frankly, the Wolverines do not deserve this. It was a god awful game, extremely boring, and no team seemed like they wanted to win. With this loss, it is likely Michigan will not go bowling and it is disappointing Hoke, and the players didn't come to this game fired up, and motivated to get bowl eligible. Oh well, hopefully we get a new coach and some recruits to recommit...
Thursday, November 20, 2014
#25 Minnesota at #23 Nebraska Preview
11-20-14
Well, this next week for the Golden Gophers will determine how the rest of their season will turn out. The Gopher will have to win out on their final two games to make it to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. It will not be an easy task since they have to go to both Nebraska and Wisconsin, but they are both winnable. Before I get ahed of myself and start talking about Wisconsin; Minnesota needs to get past an angry, but still banged up Nebraska team.
Nebraska was blown out by Melvin Gordon, and the rest of the Badger team 59-24. Ameer Abdulla was virtually non-existent in that game, but that could be because of his injury. Also, Tommy Armstrong did not have the best outing ever, and looked like Mitch Leidner back their (lol). Additionally, Nebraska's defense could not do anything to stop Gordon, especially outside the tackles. I'll be honest I turned off this game after halftime. Despite the blow out last week Nebraska has a couple advantages coming into Saturday. First, Nebraska is at home, and Memorial Stadium is an extremely difficult place to play. Second, they are coming off a terrible loss, which means that they are coming out angry, and fired up. Finally, they can score a lot of points, average 38.8 points a game, which might be hard for Minnesota to keep up with.
Minnesota had a pretty close, and competitive game against the now ranked #6 Ohio State Buckeyes, and that gives me a little faith that Minnesota could storm into Lincoln and take this game. But, their are still some things that need to happen for the Gophers. This might be beating a dead horse here, but the Gopher offense has to have more than 85 total passing yards. Mitch Leidner will have a heavy impact on this. He cannot overthrow his receivers, and he cannot try to force the ball to Maxx Williams, and be completely dependent on him (which is what it seemed like for the majority of game against Ohio State). For the first three quarters he did not look comfortable in the pocket until the last five minuets when the Gophers were driving down the field to get a field goal. Cobb should have a fantastic game, he should be able to get more than a couple big gainers up the middle, and outside the tackles. If Cobb is having a hard time breaking the big ones on the outside; Minnesota can always throw in Berkley Edwards, a absolute speed demon, to break a big one on the outside. Additionally, one of Minnesota's newly discovered play is the read sweep to KJ Maye, which should be able to exploit Nebraska's ineffectiveness on the outside, and in the open field. Minnesota should not have to worry about their defense. They have one of most underrated defenses across the Power 5 conferences, there is no lack in size, and talent. When the come motivated, and with a chip on their shoulder they are a tough defense to match up with. We'll see how things turnout, but hopefully Minnesota shows up to play, and looks like they want to go to the Big Ten Championship game.
Each team has their advantages, and playing at home for Nebraska is one of the biggest. Minnesota has a hard time winning on the road, except for winning in the Big House. But I believe, since I am at the practices, that this team is motivated and they want this win. My predication is inherently biased but...
Minnesota 27
Nebraska 20
Ski-U-Mah
Well, this next week for the Golden Gophers will determine how the rest of their season will turn out. The Gopher will have to win out on their final two games to make it to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. It will not be an easy task since they have to go to both Nebraska and Wisconsin, but they are both winnable. Before I get ahed of myself and start talking about Wisconsin; Minnesota needs to get past an angry, but still banged up Nebraska team.
Nebraska was blown out by Melvin Gordon, and the rest of the Badger team 59-24. Ameer Abdulla was virtually non-existent in that game, but that could be because of his injury. Also, Tommy Armstrong did not have the best outing ever, and looked like Mitch Leidner back their (lol). Additionally, Nebraska's defense could not do anything to stop Gordon, especially outside the tackles. I'll be honest I turned off this game after halftime. Despite the blow out last week Nebraska has a couple advantages coming into Saturday. First, Nebraska is at home, and Memorial Stadium is an extremely difficult place to play. Second, they are coming off a terrible loss, which means that they are coming out angry, and fired up. Finally, they can score a lot of points, average 38.8 points a game, which might be hard for Minnesota to keep up with.
Minnesota had a pretty close, and competitive game against the now ranked #6 Ohio State Buckeyes, and that gives me a little faith that Minnesota could storm into Lincoln and take this game. But, their are still some things that need to happen for the Gophers. This might be beating a dead horse here, but the Gopher offense has to have more than 85 total passing yards. Mitch Leidner will have a heavy impact on this. He cannot overthrow his receivers, and he cannot try to force the ball to Maxx Williams, and be completely dependent on him (which is what it seemed like for the majority of game against Ohio State). For the first three quarters he did not look comfortable in the pocket until the last five minuets when the Gophers were driving down the field to get a field goal. Cobb should have a fantastic game, he should be able to get more than a couple big gainers up the middle, and outside the tackles. If Cobb is having a hard time breaking the big ones on the outside; Minnesota can always throw in Berkley Edwards, a absolute speed demon, to break a big one on the outside. Additionally, one of Minnesota's newly discovered play is the read sweep to KJ Maye, which should be able to exploit Nebraska's ineffectiveness on the outside, and in the open field. Minnesota should not have to worry about their defense. They have one of most underrated defenses across the Power 5 conferences, there is no lack in size, and talent. When the come motivated, and with a chip on their shoulder they are a tough defense to match up with. We'll see how things turnout, but hopefully Minnesota shows up to play, and looks like they want to go to the Big Ten Championship game.
Each team has their advantages, and playing at home for Nebraska is one of the biggest. Minnesota has a hard time winning on the road, except for winning in the Big House. But I believe, since I am at the practices, that this team is motivated and they want this win. My predication is inherently biased but...
Minnesota 27
Nebraska 20
Ski-U-Mah
Monday, November 17, 2014
Spartan Rewind
After a weekend of Spartan sports I will generally take some time to look back on what we learned from the weekend's events as well as a quick preview of what is to come.
MSU vs Navy
If I had a dollar for every time a Tom Izzo coached team started a season off slow or worse than expected I'd have about 20 bucks. (This is his 20th year.) This Navy game was nothing but par for the course. We were sluggish, terrible on defense and one-sided on offense. Without Travis Trice taking over that loss gets embarrassing. None the less I have complete confidence in the squad this year because if there is one thing we know about Spartan hoops it is that we tend to get better towards March. In Tom we Trust.
MSU vs Maryland
Straight up I almost fell asleep in the first half. This team drives me crazy at times and I actually have no idea how good we actually are. Maryland played absolutely awful and because of that it looked like a lop sided Spartan victory. Oh well I'll take the win and the squad will keep marching towards a power 6 bowl which will be a lot of fun. On a side note, I honestly believe Connor Cook is getting worse game to game. I pray that this is not the case that he peaked in the tail end of 2013 but I'm still waiting for cookies to prove me wrong.
MSU vs Duke (Preview)
Finally some big time college basketball to start the year. Not really expecting a whole lot of positive in this one from the Spartans except that Tom will probably use this as a big learning point in the season. I would absolutely go nuts if the team pulled this one out, but if they play anything like they did at Navy then its gonna be a long night. Look for Duke to take it inside against the weak interior depth of MSU.
MSU vs Navy
If I had a dollar for every time a Tom Izzo coached team started a season off slow or worse than expected I'd have about 20 bucks. (This is his 20th year.) This Navy game was nothing but par for the course. We were sluggish, terrible on defense and one-sided on offense. Without Travis Trice taking over that loss gets embarrassing. None the less I have complete confidence in the squad this year because if there is one thing we know about Spartan hoops it is that we tend to get better towards March. In Tom we Trust.
MSU vs Maryland
Straight up I almost fell asleep in the first half. This team drives me crazy at times and I actually have no idea how good we actually are. Maryland played absolutely awful and because of that it looked like a lop sided Spartan victory. Oh well I'll take the win and the squad will keep marching towards a power 6 bowl which will be a lot of fun. On a side note, I honestly believe Connor Cook is getting worse game to game. I pray that this is not the case that he peaked in the tail end of 2013 but I'm still waiting for cookies to prove me wrong.
MSU vs Duke (Preview)
Finally some big time college basketball to start the year. Not really expecting a whole lot of positive in this one from the Spartans except that Tom will probably use this as a big learning point in the season. I would absolutely go nuts if the team pulled this one out, but if they play anything like they did at Navy then its gonna be a long night. Look for Duke to take it inside against the weak interior depth of MSU.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Here comes Sparty (Self Introduction)
What would any sports analysis be without a little rivalry and opposition? Hence where I enter the stage... The name is Trevor and Spartan sports are the game.
Little background about myself: Like the rest of these clowns I too was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The main difference is that I fell in love with the school on the banks instead of the one close by. I am currently living out my dream attending Michigan State University working hard towards a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate degree. On pace to graduate in the Spring of 2017, I will be taking all who are willing up close and personal with Spartan Football and Basketball. The ride will be comedic at times and sarcastic at times, but almost always rational. Let's get this thing started.
Go Green.
Little background about myself: Like the rest of these clowns I too was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The main difference is that I fell in love with the school on the banks instead of the one close by. I am currently living out my dream attending Michigan State University working hard towards a Mechanical Engineering undergraduate degree. On pace to graduate in the Spring of 2017, I will be taking all who are willing up close and personal with Spartan Football and Basketball. The ride will be comedic at times and sarcastic at times, but almost always rational. Let's get this thing started.
Go Green.
Upset of Notre Dame
11-15-14
Week 12
Food for Thought,
Wow, Notre Dame losing to Northwestern just shows how vulnerable Florida St. is to losing. Additionally it shows how weak the ACC as a conference is as well. If FSU actually plays a good team they will get dusted. Just more evidence on why FSU is overrated. I do not want to see FSU in the playoffs...
Week 12
Food for Thought,
Wow, Notre Dame losing to Northwestern just shows how vulnerable Florida St. is to losing. Additionally it shows how weak the ACC as a conference is as well. If FSU actually plays a good team they will get dusted. Just more evidence on why FSU is overrated. I do not want to see FSU in the playoffs...
OSU Vs. MINN
11-15-14
Week 12
Well I'll be the first to say that the final score of the Ohio State at Minnesota, 31-24 OSU, did not tell the story of the game. Ohio State controlled the majority of the game, and JT Barret seemed to run all over the place with his 195 rush yards averaging 11.1 yards a carry. Not to mention his 200 total passing yards. Though Minnesota did stay competitive throughout the game because of Ohio States three turnovers. Minnesota's defense was off and on; they either looked well and forced a punt, or they let Barret, and Elliot run all over them. Not surprising is the fact that Minnesota's offense barely do anything outside the redzone, bar Cobb's 30 yard touchdown run on 3rd and 13. Leidner threw one pretty bad interception, there was underneath and over the top coverage. What is really frustrating is at half Minnesota had 133 total offensive yards, and Ohio State had 354 total yards, and 310 yards belonged to Barret. More surprising is that at half Minnesota had only 15 passing yards...
Obviously that is embarrassing and cannot not happen. The worst part of this is that Minnesota only ended up with 85 total passing yards. How can Minnesota expect to beat a top tier team with no passing game. I feel that the offensive play calling was strange, and poor, for example, calling a QB draw on 3rd and 10... That's Mitch Leidner back there, not JT Barret. Despite all of that Minnesota kept it and close, and interesting game. Hopefully the bowl selectors look favorably on this one touchdown loss. I know that there was a Tax Slayer.com bowl representative at the game, along with a Citrus Bowl representative. Hopefully the Citrus Bowl wasn't just there for Ohio State, but we'll have to see how the final two games turn out.
There are a couple positives to take out of this game though. First, it shows that Minnesota can hang with elite teams, and potentially win the game. It just seems that they are that one step step away from clinching a big win. This relates to the passing game, if they can get more than 85 passing yards in a game, I think they could beat an Ohio State or Michigan State. Second, this game shows that Minnesota did improve during the season. When they played, now #4, TCU the Gophers only managed to score only 7 points. Today when the Gophers played an arguably similar Ohio State team they scored 24 points. I cannot say with 100% confidence that Minnesota improved, but I believe that they have improved over the season. Gopher fans keep your head up, the future looks "golden" for these Gophers.
Ski-U-Mah
Week 12
Well I'll be the first to say that the final score of the Ohio State at Minnesota, 31-24 OSU, did not tell the story of the game. Ohio State controlled the majority of the game, and JT Barret seemed to run all over the place with his 195 rush yards averaging 11.1 yards a carry. Not to mention his 200 total passing yards. Though Minnesota did stay competitive throughout the game because of Ohio States three turnovers. Minnesota's defense was off and on; they either looked well and forced a punt, or they let Barret, and Elliot run all over them. Not surprising is the fact that Minnesota's offense barely do anything outside the redzone, bar Cobb's 30 yard touchdown run on 3rd and 13. Leidner threw one pretty bad interception, there was underneath and over the top coverage. What is really frustrating is at half Minnesota had 133 total offensive yards, and Ohio State had 354 total yards, and 310 yards belonged to Barret. More surprising is that at half Minnesota had only 15 passing yards...
Obviously that is embarrassing and cannot not happen. The worst part of this is that Minnesota only ended up with 85 total passing yards. How can Minnesota expect to beat a top tier team with no passing game. I feel that the offensive play calling was strange, and poor, for example, calling a QB draw on 3rd and 10... That's Mitch Leidner back there, not JT Barret. Despite all of that Minnesota kept it and close, and interesting game. Hopefully the bowl selectors look favorably on this one touchdown loss. I know that there was a Tax Slayer.com bowl representative at the game, along with a Citrus Bowl representative. Hopefully the Citrus Bowl wasn't just there for Ohio State, but we'll have to see how the final two games turn out.
There are a couple positives to take out of this game though. First, it shows that Minnesota can hang with elite teams, and potentially win the game. It just seems that they are that one step step away from clinching a big win. This relates to the passing game, if they can get more than 85 passing yards in a game, I think they could beat an Ohio State or Michigan State. Second, this game shows that Minnesota did improve during the season. When they played, now #4, TCU the Gophers only managed to score only 7 points. Today when the Gophers played an arguably similar Ohio State team they scored 24 points. I cannot say with 100% confidence that Minnesota improved, but I believe that they have improved over the season. Gopher fans keep your head up, the future looks "golden" for these Gophers.
Ski-U-Mah
Friday, November 14, 2014
Rant
11-14-14
Week 12
I was watching some College Football Daily on ESPN today getting ready for another Saturday of College Football, and outside of the main focus on the SEC, I had a few reservations of what their analysts were saying about the Ohio State-Minnesota match up. I agree with them that the weather will play a factor in this game for only the first half. It will take some time for Barret to get used to throwing in the frigid wind and possible snow. A point that was used by one of the analysts is that Minnesota's offense will not be able to keep up with Ohio State's offense because of how they preformed against TCU. I have a problem because TCU was at the beginning of the season, and Minnesota's offense was considerably worse (especially the passing game). Now, Minnesota's offense is much improved and doesn't entirely rely on the running game. Yet the passing game is still pretty terrible being ranked 122nd in FBS for passing yards (sigh...). Additionally, Minnesota's defense held TCU to their lowest points scored in a game this year (30). Last grievance is that nobody is talking about this game as a huge trap game for Ohio State. It is obviously a trap game, Ohio State came off a huge win in a game that they were looking forward too since last years Big Ten Championship Game loss. Factor in this as trap game as much as you want, but I believe that this, and the weather factor will be huge advantage for the Gophers Final thoughts; Minnesota's defense will keep them in the game, but the offense needs to play like they did against Iowa, probably better, to get this win.
Food for thought here; potentially the SEC could not have a team in the College Football Playoff. Think about this:
Alabama beats Miss. State
Ole Miss beats Miss. State
Georgia beats Auburn (or Auburn has a bad game against them)
Auburn beats Alabama
That means that whoever comes out of the SEC West will play a weak, and not impressive SEC East team in the SEC championship game.
Will the Playoff Committee have the balls to put a two loss SEC West team over a one loss TCU, Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon, or Arizona State. Just think about.
Week 12
I was watching some College Football Daily on ESPN today getting ready for another Saturday of College Football, and outside of the main focus on the SEC, I had a few reservations of what their analysts were saying about the Ohio State-Minnesota match up. I agree with them that the weather will play a factor in this game for only the first half. It will take some time for Barret to get used to throwing in the frigid wind and possible snow. A point that was used by one of the analysts is that Minnesota's offense will not be able to keep up with Ohio State's offense because of how they preformed against TCU. I have a problem because TCU was at the beginning of the season, and Minnesota's offense was considerably worse (especially the passing game). Now, Minnesota's offense is much improved and doesn't entirely rely on the running game. Yet the passing game is still pretty terrible being ranked 122nd in FBS for passing yards (sigh...). Additionally, Minnesota's defense held TCU to their lowest points scored in a game this year (30). Last grievance is that nobody is talking about this game as a huge trap game for Ohio State. It is obviously a trap game, Ohio State came off a huge win in a game that they were looking forward too since last years Big Ten Championship Game loss. Factor in this as trap game as much as you want, but I believe that this, and the weather factor will be huge advantage for the Gophers Final thoughts; Minnesota's defense will keep them in the game, but the offense needs to play like they did against Iowa, probably better, to get this win.
Food for thought here; potentially the SEC could not have a team in the College Football Playoff. Think about this:
Alabama beats Miss. State
Ole Miss beats Miss. State
Georgia beats Auburn (or Auburn has a bad game against them)
Auburn beats Alabama
That means that whoever comes out of the SEC West will play a weak, and not impressive SEC East team in the SEC championship game.
Will the Playoff Committee have the balls to put a two loss SEC West team over a one loss TCU, Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon, or Arizona State. Just think about.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Week 12 Matchups
11-13-14
Week 12
Michigan:
Michigan and Northwestern was a brutal game to watch; it was super sloppy and ugly. I wouldn't credit the two defenses because they are both below average teams this year (besides NW fluke win against Wisco). The offenses are horrible and Gardner is frustrating. Gardner can either be pretty decent or a horrible turnover machine, thus the 10-9 final score. Hopefully the Wolverines and Gardner can bring their A game (or I'll take even their B game) off the bye week against Maryland. To win, Michigan needs to limit the turnovers, obviously, and have a decent defense( they don't need a great showing, Maryland will not be to much of a threat, only averaging 228.5 passing yards and 125.7 rushing yards). Hopefully Michigan's running game stays strong, I really like the direction it is taking. Maryland has been a weird, mediocre team, they either look decent or get blown out. I'm guessing this game will be pretty interesting to watch; two average teams playing and Michigan is looking for that elusive sixth win to become bowl eligible. Lets be honest, this is Michigan's last chance to become bowl eligible, unless they play like they did against Ohio State last year, and actually get the two point conversion. But hey, this should be a good game to watch, and we'll probably see the Wolverines in the Quick Lane bowl in Detroit, or maybe in Texas. Who Knows?
Minnesota:
Minnesota had a superb win over Iowa. Hopefully this is a turning point for Minnesota because week to week the fan, and probably the coaches do not know what team will show up. Will it be the team that lost to Illinois, and just squeaked by a terrible Purdue team, or will it be the team that storms into the Big House to reclaim the Brown Jug and the team who decimates their border rival for a pig (Floyd). Hopefully the team that ran over Iowa shows up against Ohio State, but sadly that might not be enough. The Gophers will have to have a near perfect game, Mitch Leidner will have to stop overthrowing his receivers, and the receivers will have to start catching easy balls (these two things have plagued the passing game for the Gophers for the whole year). But one constant is Maxx Williams, and frankly, he is a beast, and he will have to have one heck of a game if the Gophers want to win. Additionally, the D-line will need to contain J.T. Barret, and force him to pass into our secondary which has been excellent this year (bar the screen pass which they cannot seem to stop...). One huge advantage that the Gophers have is the weather, it is supposed to be in the 20's, and a chance of snow. During this week it has been 50-60 degrees in that gosh-awful town of Columbus, so Mr. Barret might have a hard time adjusting to the frozen tundra that is TCF Bank Stadium (lol). What the Gophers cannot afford is getting blown out in this game. If they want to get to a decent bowl, they have to keep it close. Hopefully they get the big W against the Suckeyes, but realistically I feel Ohio State will get the win 35-26
As Always,
Go Blue and Ski-U-Mah
Week 12
Michigan:
Michigan and Northwestern was a brutal game to watch; it was super sloppy and ugly. I wouldn't credit the two defenses because they are both below average teams this year (besides NW fluke win against Wisco). The offenses are horrible and Gardner is frustrating. Gardner can either be pretty decent or a horrible turnover machine, thus the 10-9 final score. Hopefully the Wolverines and Gardner can bring their A game (or I'll take even their B game) off the bye week against Maryland. To win, Michigan needs to limit the turnovers, obviously, and have a decent defense( they don't need a great showing, Maryland will not be to much of a threat, only averaging 228.5 passing yards and 125.7 rushing yards). Hopefully Michigan's running game stays strong, I really like the direction it is taking. Maryland has been a weird, mediocre team, they either look decent or get blown out. I'm guessing this game will be pretty interesting to watch; two average teams playing and Michigan is looking for that elusive sixth win to become bowl eligible. Lets be honest, this is Michigan's last chance to become bowl eligible, unless they play like they did against Ohio State last year, and actually get the two point conversion. But hey, this should be a good game to watch, and we'll probably see the Wolverines in the Quick Lane bowl in Detroit, or maybe in Texas. Who Knows?
Minnesota:
Minnesota had a superb win over Iowa. Hopefully this is a turning point for Minnesota because week to week the fan, and probably the coaches do not know what team will show up. Will it be the team that lost to Illinois, and just squeaked by a terrible Purdue team, or will it be the team that storms into the Big House to reclaim the Brown Jug and the team who decimates their border rival for a pig (Floyd). Hopefully the team that ran over Iowa shows up against Ohio State, but sadly that might not be enough. The Gophers will have to have a near perfect game, Mitch Leidner will have to stop overthrowing his receivers, and the receivers will have to start catching easy balls (these two things have plagued the passing game for the Gophers for the whole year). But one constant is Maxx Williams, and frankly, he is a beast, and he will have to have one heck of a game if the Gophers want to win. Additionally, the D-line will need to contain J.T. Barret, and force him to pass into our secondary which has been excellent this year (bar the screen pass which they cannot seem to stop...). One huge advantage that the Gophers have is the weather, it is supposed to be in the 20's, and a chance of snow. During this week it has been 50-60 degrees in that gosh-awful town of Columbus, so Mr. Barret might have a hard time adjusting to the frozen tundra that is TCF Bank Stadium (lol). What the Gophers cannot afford is getting blown out in this game. If they want to get to a decent bowl, they have to keep it close. Hopefully they get the big W against the Suckeyes, but realistically I feel Ohio State will get the win 35-26
As Always,
Go Blue and Ski-U-Mah
Background and Intro
11-13-14
Week 12 of 2014 Season
Hey, I'm just a college kid from Ann Arbor, Michigan, so naturally I grew up a die hard Wolverines fan. Plot twist though, I decide to attend the University of Minnesota, and now currently work for the Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Team. College football consumes my saturdays and my free time.
All the networks, like ESPN, tend to stay away from discussing the Gophers because we are just not nationally relevant. I feel we are an up and coming program with a huge upside and should be discussed more.
The Michigan Wolverines are only covered on ESPN if they are good, or going through some accusations, and hard times (Rich Rod, Dave Brandon, Hoke and Morris... smh). But they need to be covered as well
Obviously this is going to be slightly biased, but its going to be my realistic breakdown, analysis, and predictions for upcoming games and seasons.
Enjoy reading, Go Blue and Ski-U-Mah
Week 12 of 2014 Season
Hey, I'm just a college kid from Ann Arbor, Michigan, so naturally I grew up a die hard Wolverines fan. Plot twist though, I decide to attend the University of Minnesota, and now currently work for the Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Team. College football consumes my saturdays and my free time.
All the networks, like ESPN, tend to stay away from discussing the Gophers because we are just not nationally relevant. I feel we are an up and coming program with a huge upside and should be discussed more.
The Michigan Wolverines are only covered on ESPN if they are good, or going through some accusations, and hard times (Rich Rod, Dave Brandon, Hoke and Morris... smh). But they need to be covered as well
Obviously this is going to be slightly biased, but its going to be my realistic breakdown, analysis, and predictions for upcoming games and seasons.
Enjoy reading, Go Blue and Ski-U-Mah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)