The Minnesota Gophers Football team had the wind in their sails to start the season. After beating three outmanned squads to start the season, they defeated Michigan State in East Lansing in convincing fashion, 24-6. The Gophers were hitting on all cylinders, and head coach P.J. Fleck was “Rowing the Boat” at full speed.
Some of that enthusiasm has been dashed after the Gophers were beaten by a well-coached Purdue team 20-10 last Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. This was a disappointing loss on Homecoming Day, and the Gophers need to refocus and make the necessary improvements for them to contend for the Big Ten West Division. Here are a few quick observations.
Missing Mo
We found out that the offense really runs through Mo Ibrahim and not quarterback Tanner Morgan. While Morgan is having a fine season, the absence of Ibrahim changed the entire playset for the Minnesota Gophers. They struggled to gain any yardage on the ground, and at times, they became a pass-first offense. Clearly not the recipe for continued success this season.
There were performance mistakes, there were mental errors, and there were coaching mistakes. Obviously, turning the ball over four times can break the back of any team, and this needs to be corrected. Michael Brown-Stephens’ drop of a sure touchdown pass extinguished what could have been a decisive first-half touchdown. The fact that it was then intercepted by Purdue only adds insult to the injury.
Mistakes and Coaching Errors
There were also some blown assignments on the offensive line that I will cover in the next paragraph. Other mistakes included numerous dropped passes by Gophers’ receivers and a holding penalty on a long kickoff return by Quentin Redding. And to top it off, Matthew Trickett’s missed field goal in the second quarter killed another scoring chance for the Gophers’ offense.
Coach Fleck also made some questionable decisions that affected the game. The first was his decision to go for it on fourth and one on the Gophers’ 29-yard line. Purdue was able to add a field goal because of this without even making a first down.
The second decision probably did not affect the game, but it was still a head-scratcher. With just under two minutes left in the game, the Boilermakers were able to run the clock out without Minnesota using any of its three timeouts in the second half. I am still trying to figure this one out.
Offensive Line Struggles
The offensive line just did not get the job done on Saturday. They could not get any push on the stacked Boilermakers’ front seven. And only Bryce Williams was able to grind out any kind of significant yardage. Right tackle Quinn Carroll had a rough first half missing two blocks on sweeps to the right. He also got beat by Purdue’s defensive end Kydran Jenkins who caused a fumble that was thankfully scooped up by Trey Potts.
Even All-American candidate John Michael-Schmitz was not immune to error. He missed a middle blitz in the first half that caused Morgan to leave the pocket, which resulted in only a short gain. And left tackle Aireontae Ersery and right guard Chuck Filiaga fanned on their pass blocks that led to a third-quarter Morgan sack. This also halted a potential scoring drive.
Minnesota Gophers Played Well Defensively
Overall, the Minnesota Gopher’s defense played a pretty good football game. There were some missed tackles by the first point of contact player on Purdue’s opening touchdown drive, but the defense played pretty well after that. The only blemish came when middle linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin was unable to shed his blocker and recover fast enough to prevent the 67-yard run by Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee, which led to their important fourth-quarter touchdown.
One positive was that the interceptions by safeties Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden and a forced fumble kept the game in Minnesota’s reach until almost the very end of the game.
Minnesota Gophers Look Ahead
The Minnesota Gophers have the week off as they prepare for their next game. They will pay the Illinois Fighting Illini, who walloped the Wisconsin Badgers 30-10 last Saturday in Madison. They feature a stout defense, a dominating running back in Chase Brown, and a confident leader in quarterback Tommy DeVito,
They will be a formidable opponent for the Gophers. But with a reduction in errors, a few adjustments, and the return of Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota has a great chance to return to the win column and continue their successful season.
