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| The view from Section 117 was depressing Saturday. |
There wasn't much handshaking in Section 117 Saturday.
The hated Hawkeyes manhandled our beloved Gophers. We were utterly dominated on
both sides of the ball. At times it was almost unwatchable, as our team that
spent four games building an identity up front and on the ground was completely
emaciated by a more physical opponent.
The 23-7 score could've - and probably should've - been
much worse. It was so bad I contemplated not extending a handshake to anyone on
the Golden Gophers this week for coming up so small in such a big game.
However, there were two defenders that I felt stood out for their performances
Saturday, so I'll honor both here.
This week's "Higgy's Handshake" is extended to SENIOR
SAFETY BROCK VEREEN, with an honorable mention fist-bump to JUNIOR LINEBACKER
DAMIEN WILSON.
Vereen was banged up for much of the game against the
bigger, stronger Iowa farm boys. However, he played like a senior - and like a
leader. The defensive back racked up the second-most tackles on the team with
eight total (six solo, two assists), added a forced fumble, and turned in the
biggest defensive play of the game to keep our hopes alive. With Iowa poised to
put us away, Vereen showed great instincts and athleticism to intercept a
Hawkeye pass in the end zone. That pick gave us the ball back down just two
scores (20-7) and - for the moment anyway - we had hope.
Wilson was just as impressive in defeat. I had a feeling
throughout the first four games that we'd start to really see him emerge as a
defensive stalwart when B1G play rolled around, and that feeling sure looked
right on Saturday. He was the only one of our defenders - Hageman included -
that really gave a sense of being on-par with Iowa from a strength and
athleticism standpoint. I was surprised he "only" finished with 10
tackles (six solo, four assist) as it seemed like he was always in on the play.
One of Wilson's solo stops was behind the line of scrimmage, and on the rare
occasions we were stopping Iowa for little or no gain, Wilson was either the
sole reason, or at least in the picture. Endlessly excited to watch this guy
lock down the MLB spot for this season and next.
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| Flony's Meat Pig masterpiece. |
One final handshake this week is extended to Classy
Gentleman member FLONY, who crafted perhaps the greatest tailgating feast we've
enjoyed to this date. In honor of the Battle for Floyd, Flony served up a
delectable pig-infused treat that somehow tasted even better than anticipated.
Flony made a pork meatloaf - ground pork, bratwurst, shredded gruyere cheese
and diced onions - then completely surrounded it with thatched double-smoked
bacon and cooked it in a pig-shaped cake pan. He also made a few M-shaped mini
loafs to add even more school spirit to the Homecoming feast. Add in pulled pork
sandwiches, and that is an effort certainly deserving of a firm handshake. Well
done, sir.
EXTRA POINTS
-What happened to Maxx "Double X" Williams? Is
he secretly hurt? Did the coaching staff forget he's on the team? Was he
joyriding with Aldon Smith recently? Our group kept clamoring for him to get a
look in the passing game Saturday, to which I kept responding that he wasn't
even on the field more than a handful of times, let alone a featured target.
What's going on here?
-I whole-heartedly believed Philip Nelson was the best QB
on our roster. Now ... I'm not so sure. He did a few nice things here and there
Saturday, but was largely awful. He took several unnecessary sacks where he
looked like a deer in the headlights despite decent time to throw. And when our receivers did get open - which
was pretty often in the second half - he missed them poorly. I almost had a Max
Shortell flashback. I'm not surprised Nelson started and played a lot, but I
was surprised when it became apparent our offense was doing nothing that we
didn't give Mitch "The Lamplighter" Leidner at least a change-of-pace
series or two.
-David Cobb looked good over the season's first four
weeks. Rodrick Williams had his moments, too. But Donnell Kirkwood is still our
best running back, and I'm apoplectic that he didn't get more carries Saturday.
He appeared healthy when he did run, and a better physical match against the
Iowa defense. Three carries for Kirkwood was not enough. He needs to resume his
role as our feature back, with the other two serving as very capable
complementary pieces.
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| Jaso's return was well-received. |
-Despite the outcome and the horrendous Gopher
performance, it was still quite a weekend for the Classy Gentlemen. The visit
from friends Jaso and Banta was a success, as was the surprise 30th birthday
party for Big Party and Curly. Goldy bounding into our section with a birthday
card for the duo will live on in Section 117 lore. As will the war or words
mentioned in Big Party's post between Gopher Claus and Iowa Beau Bridges. My
recurring thought about the Iowa gentleman was that he MUST be related to Brett
Bielema. The police asked me and Jaso, since we were on the aisle, if we had
any additional info. I told him we only observed some dirty looks and couldn't
hear what was said, but let the cops know Jaso would be their eyes and ears
down there. At which point the cops looked at Jaso and his trademark
dollar-sign sunglasses and cracked up. Jaso got a boatload of compliments on
his maroon blazer and money shades. We didn't go full-blown tuxes for this one,
instead we went what we like to call "Classy Casual" so maybe the
loss is our fault. Top hats could have been the key.
-Kudos to our crew for outstanding tailgating during
probably the worst weather we've had at The Bank since it opened. Hurricane Floyd
was strong Saturday, friends, but we all lived to tell the tale (though some of
us just barely survived). Thankfully, after seeing one tailgate tent blow away
in the wind, we knew enough to each grab hold of the frame as we huddled under
the canopy this time around.
-Final thought from Saturday: Minnesota will eventually
need to capitalize on one of these opportunities to really signify that we've
turned a corner. In the last 15 years, the Gophers have had several chances to
score a monumental win with a great crowd in attendance. Some of the biggest
that come to mind are Michigan in '03 (the collapse), Northwestern in '08
(could've improved to 8-1) and now Saturday against Iowa. There was a great
crowd, a 4-0 team, a rivalry trophy on the line, an outstanding student turnout
and our football team flat-out blew a tremendous opportunity to turn some of
those fair-weather fans into something more, while building the whole program
up in the process. I don't think we'll see another opportunity exactly like this
one again this season. Don't get me wrong, beating Nebraska or Wisconsin at
home would go a long way and could even be that signature win Kill keeps
talking about, but if we're 0-3 or worse in the conference at that point, will
the stakes be as high from a perception standpoint? I'm not so sure, but man is
it frustrating to keep seeing opportunities like Saturday pass us by.
Having said that, we still hate Iowa.
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