Big Party's B1G Word of the Day

Posted by Big Party

Incredulity
(noun) in·cre·du·li·ty - a state or feeling of disbelief

Outside of screaming my head off to raise the noise level in support of the defense, I was pretty quiet during the 2nd half on Saturday. I couldn’t believe what was happening in front of us (and I’m pretty sure the people behind me couldn’t believe that I actually was able to fit into my tight maroon pants).  The Gophers were legitimately beating a top 25 team on both sides of the ball, but we kept finding ways to let them stay in the game (e.g., drive-extending facemask penalties, consecutive drops in the 4th, etc.).  As a survivor of the Glen Mason era this looked all too familiar, and I couldn’t help but anxiously wait for the other shoe to drop.

Did we just drop three consecutive passes
in the fourth quarter?

But the shoe didn’t drop.  The defense came up big late in the 4th, and the offense took advantage of a short field to punch the ball into the end zone to clinch the game.  The Golden Gophers emphatically slammed the door shut on a formidable foe just when it looked like the tables were going to turn.  The crowd so incredulous as to what they just saw that it took 15 seconds to for the fans to realize the game was over and rush the field.

I want to apologize for the late/brief post today.  The mighty paycheck providers and the U of M part-time MBA program have been dominating my time this week.  However, excuses are like butts: everybody has one and I can’t stop staring at them.

Things I liked:
Coaching – Higgy already mentioned this one at length in his last post, but I don’t think the staff can be applauded enough for the job they did on Saturday. I loved the inclusion of the jet sweep and Donovan Jones’ first significant action for the Gophers.  Also, the pre-snap movement and myriad of offensive formations led to a couple of nifty big plays (GOODGER!).

Pictured: A Nebraskan unwittingly unleashing
the beast that would lead to their eventual demise.

David Cobb – A running back with a name built for Nebraska methodically pounded the Cornhuskers into the turf.  Two-yard gains turned to four-yard gains as he always seemed to find a way to fall forward.  He also showed some slick moves in the open field.  Those last two sentences seem really generic.  HE JUST REALLY WENT OUT THERE AND PLAYED GOPHER FOOTBALL, YOU GUYS.

The Big Fellas – The defensive and offensive lines both played strong games.  Optimus, Cockran and the boys got pressure on Martinez all day and made sure he couldn’t find a rhythm in his first game back from an injury, and the O-line paved the way to nearly 300 yards on the grounds against a formidable Nebraska front 7.

QB1 – Well, that was not the same Phil Nelson that played at the last game at The Bank. He had a better day throwing the football than the stats let on, and he played with confidence and swagger.  I’ve watched the replay of the game clinching 1 yard TD about 15 times since Saturday and it still makes me smile. The Leidner-led offense in the first quarter did an efficient job moving the ball as well.  I am very interested to see how  the coaching staff uses these guys against Indiana.

Incredulity - the fact the author of this post
once dressed as Glen Mason for Halloween.

Nebraska Fans – The Nebraskans I met generally seemed like really nice people.  The Classy Gentlemen may have to make the trek to Lincoln next year to see if they’re as agreeable on their home turf.  The nice fella sitting next to our group (I’ll call him Bill Ne-Brasky) seemed particularly amused by our antics, including this exchange:

PA Announcer – The Gophers have entered the Case IH Red Zone!

Me – (Yelling to no one in particular) Really? That’s just going to make Nebraska fans yell louder because they all love their International Harvester tractors!
Bill Ne-Brasky – (laughs) What?
Me – (leans in) I’m kidding. My dad actually used to work for International Harvester. 
Bill Ne-Brasky – Really? Crying shame they only make trucks now!
Me – Damn straight!

Note – I have never made physical contact with an International Harvester product in my life.

Things I didn’t like:

John losing his keys - This isn’t really relatable for anyone else, but it’s really the only negative I could come up with. If you found a set of random keys at The Bank on Saturday, please let us know.

Please let us know if you find this guy's keys.
Supposedly there was some sort of Pokémon keychain attached to it.

 

Higgy's Handshake - The Coaching Staff

Posted by Higgy

After consecutive losses to Iowa and Michigan to open B1G play, there were serious questions whether or not Minnesota would get the two more wins necessary to become bowl-eligible. Then, during the bye week, Coach Kill announced he would be taking a leave of absence to focus on his epilepsy treatment. Turmoil and bad vibes were everywhere. As Gopher fans, we're prepared for these situations and, instinctively, we braced for the worst.

Saturday was a day to remember at The Bank.

So how in the world are we here? Just two weeks later, sitting at 6-2? Bowl eligible? Coming off the biggest win of the Coach Kill era?

Certainly, there is a lot of praise to go around and a lot of it should be properly credited to the players. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter of Saturday's home game against mighty Nebraska, which hadn't lost to the Gophs since 1960, the Cornhuskers were thoroughly dominated by our favorite team.

There were positives on each side of the ball. It was certainly the signature win we've been craving, and it provides the most tangible evidence yet of the No. 1 thing Gopher fans have craved since the Brewster mistake was eradicated and Kill and his staff of turnaround experts were brought in: progress. The progress was evident Saturday, and while the players receive much of the credit, I'm still amazed at how well-prepared we were for the Huskers, how we adjusted along the way, and how thoroughly our staff won the battle on the sidelines.

For that, Higgy's Handshake this week is extended to the entire MINNESOTA COACHING STAFF.

Ever since Kill took over, we've heard about the staff's desire for a tough, physical team. There were flashes of that in a win at Illinois a year ago and in a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech in our bowl appearance. That team resurfaced in nonconference play, but we were still lacking evidence our identity would yield results in the B1G. Now, we've got that evidence in the form of Saturday's game tape.

The first handshake goes to Offensive Coordinator Matt Limegrover. The Minnesota running attack dominated the line of scrimmage, controlled the clock and put up points. But there also more creativity than we've seen to this point. More than ever before, we used our athletes on the outside on jet sweeps and varied our running game to exploit some of the Huskers' deficiencies. One minute Donovahn Jones  is sweeping for 20 yards, the next Phil Nelson comes in motion only to settle under center and plunge into the end zone. It was both tough and imaginative all at once.

The Gopher offense had us dancin' all game.

Afterward, Limegrover talked about how the Gophers found some holes in the Nebraska defense through film study - particularly of the Huskers' loss to Wisconsin in last year's B1G Championship game - and they tailored their scheme to attack those holes. It worked to perfection. Gopher receivers carried the ball seven times for 68 yards. After that, the threat of those jet sweeps gave the Husker defense pause when they were used as decoys, allowing David Cobb to burst through the line time and time again as we put the game away.

Add in some big, clutch throws from Nelson - like the fourth-down touchdown pass to Derrick Engel for our first lead of the game or the three second-half tosses to previously little-used TE Drew Goodger (another planned exploit by coaches) and suddenly we had a finely tuned offensive machine. From a game plan standpoint, it appeared the Gophers not only entered the game with a superior plan, but they made little in-game adjustments to keep it rolling throughout the game. It's the best offensive game plan I've seen from a Minnesota team since the likes of Marion Barber III and Laurence Mauroney were putting our running game on the map a decade ago.

The defensive side of the ball was no slouch, either. After losses to Iowa and Michigan I bemoaned our issues getting off the field on third down. It appeared we weren't being aggressive enough, and opposing QBs were able to routinely pick us apart to keep drives alive. Saturday, we got more pressure on third down, were more aggressive with our corners and came up with countless big stops. Dialing up more of a rush on those plays was big, along with the push we got up front from Ra'shede, Roland Johnson, Theiren Cockran, Alex Keith and an assortment of Ekpes.

Another coaching tidbit I noticed on defense was the fundamentals of our defensive backs in coverage. In both recent wins over Northwestern and Nebraska, our corners and safeties have done a great job breaking up passes directly thanks to great technique. I counted a handful of instances in both games where the pass got to the receiver, but our defenders did an excellent job of attacking the receiver's hands as the ball arrived. It's gotta be tempting to go for an interception or a big hit in those instances, but our guys instead made the sound play each time. Those types of defensive plays show a commitment to fundamentals and discipline, which directly relates to coaching. Those plays won't get on SportsCenter, but they go a long way towards winning.

Celebrating a big win on the turf.

And finally, the job Kill, Claeys, Limegrover and the rest of the staff has done during what could be a tumultuous time for any team has been beyond admirable. It's clearer than ever that everyone is on the same page within the program, and the consistency from top to bottom has not only kept the team all moving in the same direction during a tough couple weeks, but has also fostered the improvement we've seen before our very eyes.

The Kill-Claeys dynamic has been a fun one to observe as the head coach eases back into his role. I loved the guts of going for it on fourth-and-long on our go-ahead touchdown, and a lot of the other play calls throughout the game. In Kill's absence and limited role, it's become incredibly apparent how well the whole staff functions together. All those years of experience have manifested themselves in the form of continuity and trust, both of which have been huge assets in two-straight wins.

I re-watched the game on my DVR Sunday morning, and normally I think sideline reporting is useless at best, but it was interesting to hear reports from the Gopher sideline as they were poised to pull off the win. The ESPN reporter marveled at the focus, and said more than once that there was excitement on the sidelines during big plays, but the team was able to refocus and never get too high or too low throughout the entire game. Kill, Claeys and the whole staff certainly has given off that vibe, and it appears it's finally permeated the entire program.

So kudos to the coaching staff for their job preparing for Nebraska, coaching within the game and fostering the progression that's been evident ever since the bye week. It's been a joy to watch and the Gopher coaches deserve hearty handshakes all around. My only regret is I caught too caught up singing the school song with the Olson brothers and hugging Damien Wilson to find the coaches on the field and extend the handshake in person.

EXTRA POINTS
-I was a big-time Cobb doubter despite his performance against nonconference competition. Notice how I say "was." He was tremendous Saturday and has earned his new role as the featured back. I love his patience, vision and ability to get past the first contact almost every time.

-Brock Vereen back at corner has been fun to watch. He was certainly solid at safety for us, but he's been really good at corner the last two weeks. He doesn't have quite the same impact as Kim Royston had on our defense a few years ago, but they're certainly similar players. He's been a huge contributor and leader this season.

-Are we becoming the first team to use a "starting quarterback" and a "relief quarterback?" The Lamplighter was better Saturday than he was a week ago, but Nelson looked even better. If it wasn't for a few drops and one key miss of an open Double X Maxx Williams, his numbers would've been really, really good.

"Limo games" have been a rousing success.

-When the running game works, how beautiful are some of our designed play-action passes? Mike Henry wide open out of the backfield. Goodger wide open was so nice we did it thrice. Maxx had some good looks, including one to set up the game-sealing touchdown. As I mentioned before, I think this was our first true look at the full-fledged offense, and I like it. I like it alot.

-Ameer Abdullah is a really, really good running back. No shame in giving up almost 170 to him. Especially when we get the win.

-Saturday's win led us to contemplate the best Gopher games we've attended. I definitely put Saturday into my top five, along with 2005 at Michigan (Gary Russell up the sideline!), 2005 Purdue (comeback, double OT win, chased down the Boilermaker train in celebration), 2003 Wisconsin (Rhys Lloyd hurdling the bench) and Halloween 2009 vs. Michigan State (first-ever limo game, Duane Bennett's immaculate deflection). Honorable mentions include Jeff Horton's two wins at Illinois and home against Iowa, last year at UNLV. However, if we're adding hoops to the mix, my top five has to adjust to make room for Jeff Hagen's three consecutive 3-point plays vs. Michigan. The House of Hagen chant was strong that day, my friends.

-Come to think of it, we've had some outstanding limo games. 2009 vs. Michigan State. 2012 at UNLV. 2013 vs. Nebraska. 2010 (Ohio State) and 2011 (Nebraska) were forgettable, but we've got a pretty good track record when we travel in style. I wonder if the universe is telling us something?

-Anyone starting to tentatively make bowl plans yet? If it's in Texas, I'm in. If it's elsewhere, I'm strongly considering it.

-Thanks to whoever yelled "I love the blog" to me and Bruiser on the field Saturday. We figure this is 90 percent for our own amusement, so it was nice to encounter some of the other 10 percent who check on our thoughts and escapades from time-to-time.

-Apparently I did a good job making my presence felt on the field Saturday. Check out this Classy Gentleman's appearance on various media outlets...

Gopher Football's Facebook cover photo

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Monday's The Daily Gopher home page

 

Photo blog: Classy Gentlemen About Town

Posted by The Section 117 Classy Gentlemen

MINNESOTA, HATS OFF TO THEE. TO THY COLORS TRUE WE SHALL EVER BE. FIRM AND STRONG, UNITED ARE WE. RAH-RAH-RAH FOR SKI-U-MAH. RAH. RAH. RAH. RAH. RAH FOR THE U OF M.

M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A. MINNESOTA. MINNESOTA. YYYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHH GOPHERS!

Now that that's out of the way, Saturday was some kind of day, wasn't it? The Section 117 Classy Gentlemen will have the usual postgame musings, rants and - this week - excessive celebration, but first let's all take a moment to exhale and appreciate what was accomplished yesterday.

Minnesota 34, Nebraska 23. Bowl eligible. Rah for Ski-U-Mah indeed.

Rap wins!

First of all, let's tip our caps to Rap for his prediction of Minnesota 31, Nebraska 24. He officially wins the first-ever Classy Predictions title, and we're all better for his confidence. Hats off to thee, Rap. And for what it's worth, Higgy got the score right, but lacked the stones to give the good guys the win.

We hope everyone enjoyed the win as thoroughly as we did yesterday. We're proud the team followed our lead to "outclass" the opponent. For a game as big as yesterday's, we felt the entire city of Minneapolis needed an extra dose of class, so we were chauffeured about town, dispensing our wealth, good nature and Gopher spirit. Here's a photo tour of the Classy Gentlemen Limo Game 2013, a day that started in a 10-person stretch limo and ended celebrating on the turf of TCF Bank Stadium.

No one can ever accuse us of not having fun. I now return to your regularly scheduled celebration and recovery.

SECTION 117 CLASSY GENTLEMEN LIMO GAME 2013

Ready to roll.

Thumbs down for our old indoor home.

Looks like the All-Stars arrived early.

Calvin Griffith, Original Classy Gentleman.

The real heir to the Pohlad fortune.

Gold glove. Golden Gophers.

Our 8-year-old is cooler than your honor student.

Our star should be going up shortly.

Spoon. Cherry. Skyline. Class.

I mean, we look good.

Ordinary snacks won't do for the Gentlemen.

Nebraska's favored by 11? Hahahaha!

Celebrating in style.

Victory!

Anytime your day ends on the field,
it was a good day.



Classy Predictions - Nebraska at Minnesota

Posted by the Section 117 Classy Gentlemen

I believe it was 21st century philosopher
Sean "Puffy" Combs who said:
"It's all about the Benjamins, what."

Today we begin a new weekly venture at Recession Proof - Classy Predictions. Our hectic lives don't allow all of us to blog as much as we'd like, so this will allow everyone to offer a brief prediction and a few thoughts about the upcoming game each week. Then we'll take a look back next week at who's prediction was classiest. Expect a lot of optimism, some good quick thoughts on the upcoming game and some occasional humor and weirdness mixed in.

If you want to offer your own Classy Prediction, or tell us who you agree with and who you disagree with, please do so in the comments below! We've got four picking Minnesota, three picking Nebraska and one falling asleep mid-pick. Hopefully, the majority is right and the optimistic bunch can rub their faith in the faces of the naysayers. Isn't that what predictions and sports are all about?

We're gearing up for our annual limo game tomorrow, so we have a lot to do. Tying bow ties. Organizing our various wealth. Shining shoes. Making riot punch. So you'll excuse us if this is brief. But here are the first Classy Predictions from the Section 117 Classy Gentlemen.

CLASSY PREDICTIONS - NEBRASKA AT MINNESOTA

OCT. 26, 2013 - 11 A.M. - TCF BANK STADIUM

BRUISER: Nebraska 27, Minnesota 23
Yes, I picked the Gophers to lose.  So what … wanna fight about it?  I envision the Gopher defense battling hard for 3 to 3 ½ quarters and Phillip Nelson, Maxx (Double X) Williams, and the rushing attack keeping this one within reach for most of the game.  However, I don’t see the Gophs pulling out the ‘W’ against a more talented and physical Cornhusker team.  Here’s to moral victories and a classy pre-game limousine ride around the beautiful Twin Cities while the Nebraska fans discuss crop yields and fail to grasp the fact that a purely farm-based economy isn’t recession proof.  All things considered beyond the football game, Minnesota is still the winner here.

BIG PARTY: Minnesota 22, Nebraska 20

Philip Nelson connects with a Drew Wolitarsky for a TD in the 2nd quarter, and Hawthorne drills his 5th FG of the day late in the 4th for the win.  Despite public statements that suggest otherwise, Coach Claeys does indeed go with a QB rotation, which keeps the Husker defense on their heels and allows Minnesota to control the clock with strong running and play-action passing game.  8th year senior Taylor Martinez can’t scrape off the rust from his 15th career injury to get the Nebraska offense going, and  Kellen ties Coach Kill for most photographed person in attendance.

 

FLONY: Minnesota 23, Nebraska 21
Taylor Martinez might play this week. Taylor Martinez is the collegiate Uncle Rico when it comes to throwing motions. It's Phillip Rivers ugly. That being said, the Gophs are aided by a nice home field advantage and some key turnovers, namely the late INT Martinez throws to setup a game winning FG. Huzzah!

 

 

 

 

MAGSH: Nebraska 24, Minnesota 19
I feel a missed extra point coming on for the Gophers, not sure why. But I also don’t think it’ll make a difference against the Luke Recker of college quarterbacks. The most difficult decision I had to make in this prediction is whether to wear my Gophers formalwear or my Mike Ditka costume. I’m leaning formalwear, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep the mustache for an extra day.

 

 

 

BROOKS MAGSH: Minnesota 5, Nebraska 3
I haven’t learned to count yet, but I’m fairly certain I can hold up this many fingers on each hand. No matter what happens, I’ll be pretty happy so long as I get to point to and yell at Goldy.

 

 

 

 

MELISSSA MAGSH: Minnesota zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Now on week 23 of pregnancy No. 2, fetus Lady Magsh has Melissa feeling like she just stepped off a pregame limo at all times, so score predictions will be few and far between.

 

 

 

 

 

RAP: Minnesota 31, Nebraska 24
Most would offer some statistical analysis to back up such an upset prediction. As a Minnesota sports fan I gave up using numbers to justify my optimism long ago. Ski-U-Mah.

 

 

 

HIGGY: Nebraska 34, Minnesota 23
I really, really want to be optimistic. I want to believe last week's win at Northwestern was a sign of things to come. I hope our defense can stop the run and the offense can put up more than 20 points. However hopeful and optimistic I am in my maroon and gold heart, I'm going to make this pick with my head. I see too many similarities between Nebraska and Iowa, and we all know how that went. Our offense hasn't put up more than 20 points in B1G play yet. I think we start to close the gaps against the conference's upper echelon teams, but I still think we've got some work to do before knocking off a team like the Huskers. And boy do I hope I'm wrong.

Four Downs - Better Dead Than Red, Pt. 1

Posted by Higgy

Don't dress for the wins you have.
Dress for the wins you WANT to have.

One of the major narratives surrounding Minnesota heading into the third season of the Jerry Kill era was the need to get a "signature win." In each of Kill's previous rebuilding stops, year three has yielded a significant step forward in addition to a springboard win that gave the team hope, confidence and tangible results that the corner has been turned.

Saturday, that opportunity presents itself at TCF Bank Stadium as No. 24 Nebraska visits for the teams' second Minneapolis showdown since the Huskers joined the B1G. The Big Red machine certainly isn't where it was back in the 90s under Tom Osborne, which is what their fans base has come to crave and expect, but the Huskers still represent a significant challenge for The U.

Plus, we've become accustomed to hating teams in red.

A win against a top-25 team with the tradition of Nebraska - especially against a team that has dominated you both lately and historically - certainly would serve as Kill's "signature win" by definition if Minnesota can pull off the upset. So can they? Let's snap the ball and take a look at four downs.

FIRST DOWN - FRONT SEVEN SUCCESS
First and foremost, the Gophers' upset hopes depend on how well the Minnesota front seven fares against a tough Nebraska running attack. There's reason for concern here because the Gophers defensive line and linebackers have certainly looked like strengths for much of the season, but they were absolutely dominated in a home loss to Iowa, and that's probably our opponent that most closely resembles Nebraska.

The Huskers have an absolute star at running back in Ameer Abdullah (816 yards, 6 TD, 7.2 ypc) and the team collectively averages 5.5 yards per carry. If they average more than five yards per carry Saturday, we're in big trouble. But if Ra'shede Hageman, Damien Wilson and friends can force Nebraska into some third-and-longs and limit the Huskers' running attack, all of a sudden it's a ballgame.

SECOND DOWN - QB OR JAVELIN THROWER?
Second down goes hand-in-hand with first down. Controlling the Nebraska running game puts the ball squarely in the hands of Husker QB Taylor Martinez, who's expected to play after missing time with an injury. For all his career highlights, Martinez also has a considerable amount of lowlights, and has turned the ball over in big spots throughout his tenure. As Minnesota showed last week, it can both cause turnovers and capitalize on them. And a couple big turnovers could certainly turn the tide in the Gophers' favor as they did in the third quarter against Northwestern.

Martinez has been more efficient this season, completing 66.3 percent of his passes and tossing nine TDs to one INT, but the Gopher pass rush and secondary both looked very good last week, and hopefully a couple interceptions could be headed our way. It helps us that he's coming off an injury and may be relegated more to the pocket than out on the move, which is huge for us because most of the time when he throws  he looks more like a javelin thrower than a quarterback. Hopefully those flawed mechanics lead to some errant throws we can defend or even intercept.

Can two arms be better than one?

THIRD DOWN - QB SHUFFLE
I made the mistake of listening to some Gopher analysis on the local radio today where they trashed Minnesota for even thinking of rotating QBs this week. Guess what? Neither guy has distinguished himself as the clear-cut starter at this point. Both have shown flashes of greatness, both have been inconsistent and have struggled at times. I'm totally on board with an approach where you start one guy, give him a few series and see what happens. If we're scoring? Stick with it? If we struggle to move the ball? Give the other guy a shot.

We stuck with Nelson for the duration of the Iowa game, even when he struggled and a confident Lamplighter sat idle on the sidelines. But I think our coaches learned from that mistake last week when they inserted Nelson, got a scoring drive, and continued to go with what was working.

The best football coaches are the ones who can identify the strengths of their team, and adjust and adapt along the way, both from game-to-game and within each game itself. With how things have gone under center, that's how our QB situation should be handled right now. If one of the two plays lights-out and we upset Nebraska, then you lean towards that guy as the starter the following week. But we should use a short leash throughout the season, and try to find what works. Saturday, I hope both guys play and play well, and give us reason to keep talking about the QB situation going forward.

FOURTH DOWN - 'OUTCLASS' THE HUSKERS
Fourth down is going to be extremely self-serving, but the Section 117 Classy Gentlemen are stepping up their game for Saturday's showdown in hopes that the Gophers and the rest of the fan base also brings their best efforts. Saturday will be our annual "limo game," so look for a stretch limo dropping off the Classy Gentlemen at The Bank, and expect money to swirl through the breezy fall sky with each Minnesota score.

Let's teach Nebraska about class. And Wu-Tang.

The limo game started during The Bank's first season in an unforgettable win over Michigan State. It reached new heights last season in Las Vegas as we cavorted about Sin City in a pink stretch Hummer prior to the thrilling win over UNLV. Tomorrow, we'll be venturing through the Metro area in a 10-person limo. Champagne, laughter, class and fake money will be abundant. When kickoff rolls around, we'll be supremely ready.

Along those lines, the Gophers will need to show great "class" on the field. Avoid dumb - and drive-killing - penalties. Don't turn the ball over. If we get turnovers, turn them into points. Win the special teams battle. Do all the little things that turn upset hopes into reality. If Minnesota can do all those things, Saturday morning's festivities could turn into a day-long celebration.

MORE ANALYSIS FROM LAST WEEK'S WIN
I had some work obligations last Saturday that allowed me to watch the first half of the Northwestern game, but I had to monitor the second half from my phone. I just got a chance to finish up the game on my DVR and I have some impressions to share that I figure I'd tack onto the end of the Nebraska preview.

First of all, Joey Galloway is a terrible color commentator. My two favorite parts where when he ripped the Minnesota coaches over and over for inserting Nelson, then was dead silent during the final few plays of the drive that ended in a game-tying touchdown. Then, later in the game when a Northwestern receiver made a great catch, he used this gem: "Actually I think the ball caught him." Awful.

Also, I had heard about the offensive PI call that took a touchdown off the board, but finally got to see it and it was awful. I thought the defensive PI call that kept Northwestern's late TD drive alive on 4th and 15 was marginal too, but that series inspired me. One of our biggest defensive problems was getting off the field on all sorts of third downs - third and short, third and long, third an in between. On that drive we got stops on third and fourth down and were hurt by the penalty. Later, we stopped a third and short. We gave up the first on fourth and short, but it seems there's progress there.

Brock Vereen played an outstanding second half. He was all over the field. And I loved the way our offense got the last few first downs and ran out the clock to earn the win. Too many times in Gopher history the offense can't convert, the other team gets the ball, and then anything can happen. Actually, anything HAS happened. This time, the offense didn't let it get to that, and it was a huge relief.

Hopefully, tomorrow Minnesota is in a similar position, and can cement away another big win. See you at The Bank. We'll be dressed to the Philip Nelson/James Manuels. Get it?

Higgy's Hanshake - No. 9

Posted by Higgy

Are you inspired? I am!

We had lost two in a row. Our coach was off on a leave of absence. Our offense struggled. We were juggling quarterbacks. The defense was struggling. But guess what? We found a way to win against Northwestern in the "downward spiral bowl." The Wildcats - once ranked 16th in this fair land - are now 0-3 in B1G play, and we're reinvigorated and one win from bowl eligibility. What a difference a week and a bye make.

To pull off such a quality road win, there were many individuals deserving of a handshake, starting with acting Head Coach Tracy Claeys and the head coach himself, Jerry Kill, who delivered a serious dose of inspiration by surfacing at halftime. It was great to see the guys play well for their recovering leader, and his temporary replacement.

Saturday was a great day to wear No. 9 for the maroon and gold.

Optimus Prime was another fine candidate as he looked every bit like the dominant NFL prospect we hoped he'd become, flashing his "freak" athleticism with that first-half interception. David Cobb broke the 100-yard barrier, and our offensive line led to 215 yards on the ground. Derrick Engel hauled in a big TD and Chris Hawthorne made a pair of crucial field goals in the three-point win.

However, two individuals certainly left their stamp on the win, and they'll share this week's spotlight. Higgy's handshake is proudly extended to a pair of players both wearing No. 9 - SENIOR LB JAMES MANUEL and SOPHOMORE QB PHILIP NELSON.

Manuel had become a forgotten man of sorts among the Gopher linebackers this season. Aaron Hill is the leader, Damien Wilson had become the defense's most consistent performer and DeVondre Campbell certainly has the brightest future. But Saturday Manuel delivered a signature performance to help his team score a huge road win.

Manuel had five tackles - four solo, one assist - 1.0 tackles-for-a-loss and 1.0 sacks to go along with an interception. And what an interception it was. With less than two minutes to play in the third quarter in a 7-7 tie game, Manuel dropped in front of an errant pass, picked it off, and took it 24-yards to the house for a game-changing play in a big victory.

The former safety showed off his athleticism on his sack as well, timing a blitz perfectly and running down the quarterback for another big play. Manuel helped Minnesota hold Northwestern's vaunted offense - which fortunately was missing stars Venric Mark and Kain Colter - to 94 yards on the ground and 328 total yards. In the process, the defensive No. 9 showed that he was capable of a starring role alongside Wilson and Hill.

Another Minnesota No. 9 has a game ball for
both Manuel and Nelson after Saturday's win.

And Mr. Nelson. My how you surprised us. Claeys said earlier in the week that both QBs would get a shot, and this blogger has been calling for a QB rotation for a couple weeks now (though I admittedly didn't expect it heading into Saturday's game). But recent evidence had pointed to Leidner pretty securely passing the former heir apparent on the QB depth chart.

Cue Lee Corso.

The offense struggled under Leidner through the early stages of the game, and when Nelson was inserted it was like a switch flipped. I'm not an expert on game-planning or adjustments, so it's hard to say whether Northwester was caught off-guard by that drive, which is why Nelson so efficiently piloted us down the field, but it was - along with Manuel's pick - the most important moment of the game. Suddenly, the offense had rhythm, we had a tie game and the Gophers had life.

Nelson's stat line is the epitome of efficiency. He was 8-for-11 for 112 yards and a TD. He only took one sack, and didn't turn the ball over. He also ran nine times for 39 yards and looked NOTHING like the guy who stunk up The Bank against the hated Hawkeyes. It was great to see him looking like himself again, flowing locks and all.

So where do the Gophers go from here under center? Do we keep using The LampLeidner as our starter and bring in Nelson for long relief? Or if Nelson has proven his worth once again does he retake the job? Those are questions for another day. Today, we're just here to celebrate the win and thank both No. 9s for a job well done.

EXTRA POINTS
-Have the Gophers ever practiced a two-minute drill? We took over at midfield 1:44 left and two timeouts and all we managed was 22 yards and longer-than-it-should-have-been missed field goal from 44 yards. We looked discombobulated, unsure and unprepared for that situation. Maybe that's where the QB changeups hurt us ... we had to stick with Nelson because of how he was playing at that point, but the play calling and clock management was atrocious. What a squandered opportunity. Even if Hawthorne connects there, I would still be furious about how that played out.

-I've been calling for more Kirkwood but boy was Cobb good Saturday. Well done by him and the offensive line.

-Peter Mortell has been one of our most valuable players. In this one, the punter kicked seven times for a great 44.7 average with a long of 57. He had two inside the 20 and three punts of 50 yards or more. Watching how the field position ebbed and flowed as the game went on evidenced Mortell's worth. Minnesota's average starting position in the first quarter was its own 20. It improved to the 35 in the second quarter, and was the 40 and 41 in the final two. You'll win a lot of games when you start at the 40 in the second half and the opponents start on the 20.

It was a far cry from the last Gopher punting performance the last time Minnesota played in Evanston. I'm sure the punter's family are still upset the Section 117 Classy Gentlemen were seated directly behind them. There's nothing classy about punting for single-digit yardage. For fun I looked it up - Orseske had three punts for 74 yards - a 24.7 average. But his long was 40, so that means his other two punts traveled a TOTAL of 34 yards, or 17 yards per punt. I need a drink just thinking about it.

Limo Game 2013 is upon us. Let's get classy.

-Our defense flipped the outcome of the game with one definitive stretch late in the third quarter. Manuel took his pick to the house to give us the lead, then Theiren Cockran forced and recovered a fumble and we tacked on a field goal. Great to see our squad on the right side of a couple crucial turnovers, and hope it's indicative of things to come for an improve defense.


-Saturday is early and probably going to be cold, but it will be fun. The Section 117 Classy Gentlemen have decided this will be our annual Limo game, as any event involving Nebraska needs more class than usual. Keep your eyes peeled for a limo dropping off tuxedoed gentlemen at The Bank around 10:30 a.m. and be on the lookout for fake money flying throughout the stadium.

As a result, we are selling our two Lot 37 parking passes. If you have any interest, leave a comment here or check out our Craigslist ad.

Hopefully the red is at a minimum Saturday and the Gophers return home brimming with confidence. Ski-U-Mah.

Big Party's B1G Word of the Day

Posted by Big Party

Divergent
di·ver·gent (adjective) – moving apart, following paths or courses that become increasingly different or separate

I could spend countless hours pondering events that lead to different groups having very differing fates. 

For example, I saw a TV show once that presented a theory that one of the most important moments in primate evolution was when one group of primates started using tools to remove meat from the bones of their prey.  The brain requires significantly more energy to develop (cite: Real Impressive Sciency Sounding Journal, 1960), so the fact that these primates could eat meat more efficiently enabled them to become more advanced.  This was a divergent point in our evolution: the group that used tools eventually evolved to humans, and the group that didn’t use tools eventually became the state of New Jersey (see you in 2016, Rutgers!).  (In all seriousness, they became many of the other less-advanced primates we know today, theoretically.)

A more approachable/sports-related example of a divergent event may be the Colts taking Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf, or the Blazers taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.  (I prefer the evolution story, though.  It’s a good one to bring up to vegetarians.)

It’s easy to find these kinds of events in recent Gopher history: 

1985 - Lou Holtz leaves Minnesota  for Notre Dame, taking them back to greatness and leaving us in the Metrodome with John Gutekunst.

1990 – Barry Alvarez takes over for a team that hadn’t had a winning season since 1984 and turns them into a perennial Big Ten power. Minnesota enjoys their last winning season until 1999.

Jim Wacker and the Golden Gophers celebrating another
near victory. Let's just pretend that Wacker and those
uniforms never happened.

1992 – Northwestern and Minnesota fire their head coaches. Northwestern hires Gary Barnett, who leads them to two Big Ten championships and a Rose Bowl berth.  Minnesota hires Jim Wacker, who never finished higher than eighth in the conference over 5 forgettable seasons.

1999 – The Gophers defeat #2 ranked Penn State on a last second Dan Nystrom field goal. Penn State descends into a near decade of on-field turmoil (followed by something even worse) and the Gophers become a perennial fringe bowl team.

2007 – Tim Brewster becomes head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Pat Fitzgerald enters his second season as head coach of Northwestern.  The Wildcats become a fringe bowl team with promise, and the Gophers become an absolute mess.  (The Wildcats were also 5-1 against the gophers from 2007-2012).

2013 - This was supposed to be Northwestern’s year, but things are starting to spiral out of control.  An impressive near win against Ohio State was followed by a butt-kicking by the BADgers and a tough loss to a Gopher team that hasn’t exactly been playing good football. Maybe this will catalyze another divergence that will propel the Gophers upward?

Big Party and Bruiser representing Team Mexico.
We finished en cuarto lugar.

Onto the game…

Full disclosure: I didn’t watch most of it because Bruiser and I had a commitment with our significant others.  It was a really fun commitment, but we normally wouldn’t miss a Gopher football game.  However, since said significant others generally tolerate our devoting most Saturdays to the Gophers and Sundays to our respective NFL teams, we let them twist our arms into participating in a Beer Olympics. THAT IS SACRIFICE, PEOPLE!  (We’ll see you at the 2014 Boyfriend/Husband of the Year Award Ceremony in Reno!) I was able to catch a few plays via WatchESPN, but mostly followed the game via the GameCast on Bruiser’s phone (my phone was out of commission). I watched a little more of the game on Sunday and read some recaps, so this isn’t necessarily a good first-hand assessment.  Read it anyway and stop complaining.

Things I liked:

Optimus Prime – He looked a lot like that guy we heard about before the season started.  He was impressive in getting penetration, knocking down balls, and even recording a really nifty interception.  Way to use those Tight End ball skills!

Pulling the trigger – Nice work by the Gopher coaching staff making the QB switch.  It’ll be interesting to see who the announced starter is today since coach Claeys said they won’t be using a planned rotation. Both QBs bring something different to the table, and maybe going with the hot hand will be the best way to manage games until one of them emerges as the unquestioned starter.

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry – I’ve loved all of the things I’ve heard about Jerry surprising the team by showing up at the game and being in the locker room at halftime.  It’s great for him to find a way to stay involved while he’s figuring out his health issues.

Host Nations – Kudos to the Hoffman and James households for hosting a fine Beer Olympics.  I still think Team Canada was cheating somehow.

Things I didn’t like:

Reasons for doubt – Yes, the Gophers beat a pretty solid Northwestern team by putting up their best defensive performance of the year, but the Wildcats were without two of the best offensive talents in the B1G in Kain Colter and Venric Mark. I really hope our beloved Gophers built some confidence and can come out strong against Neboreska this weekend.  See what I did there?  Nebraska is boring!  I’m the best.

The Classy Gentlemen always dress in classy layers.

Certain local columnists - These are the last words I will ever write referring to certain local sports columnists, and I welcome my fellow Classy Gentlemen to do the same. They just aren’t worth your time or mine.  If you want great Gopher beat coverage, Joe Christiansen from the StarTribune is your man, but don’t you dare read any other Gopher-related pieces you may find there (no matter how tantalizing the headlines).  If you’re looking for more meat, thedailygopher.com has some great writers who have deep and interesting angles on the games, and gopherhole.com has a strong fan community for interacting with fellow Gopher fans.


11 AM Starts – It’s a little earlier now than it was in college since I get up early on the weekdays for work, but it still sucks to get up before 7 AM on a Saturday to tailgate for a game.  It also doesn’t help that it will probably still be in the 30s when we get to Lot 37. Dress in layers on Saturday folks, it’s gonna be a cold one!

Well, I better get back to work. Otherwise my next blog post will probably be about how my life went downhill and my company’s stock price soared after I was fired.  Stay on the right side of those divergent events, folks.