2 -72 hour signing times-one for end of June and one in mid-December which is now the JUCO signing date. WOW.Maybe they were thinking that it is unlikely that both will be shot down, thus there would be a December early signing date. I like it.

Link: Desmond King sees similar offense in Gophers
Link: Wadley calls Minnesota game a must win
Link: Ferentz looks ahead to Minnesota

Or watch them here:
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Link: 3-2-1: Bring on Floyd

This is a good read for Gopher fans that breaks down the game from an Iowa perspective but doesn't go into too crazy of details making it hard for someone who doesn't follow the team to understand.

What would Zimmer do if he coached the gophers? compare how he coaches football. He's built a juggernaut right before our eyes. This year he upgraded his staff too. So don't EVER believe everything you think the coaches do....is right.

We don't have to look far to see what 55 is talking about. He even figured out how to get Patterson on the field more too. Why? You always want your best players on the field as much as you can. I'm trying to figure out what took so long. Blair Walsh days are numbered.

Some of y'all think Minnesota can't be elite. We can, but it all starts with tactics.

What would Zimmer do? Don't listen to 55....I'm a distraction to nitwits. Ask yourself....what would Zimmer do for all things Gopher football. And you'd have all your questioned answered. He'd say the same things I've been sayin but He white so you'd buy it then.

This weekend was set to be three-star Georgia DL Ellison Hubbard's official visit to Minnesota, but because of the early kick time, he has postponed his trip. Hubbard has a game Friday night and the early start won't allow him to get there and get the game atmosphere he's looking to experience.

Obviously this is less than ideal for the Gophers, especially considering Hubbard visited Georgia Tech this past weekend.

He told me he fully intends on rescheduling but nothing is set at this point.

Tomorrow (Monday for those of you in other time zones), Ellsworth CC linebacker Ryan Guthrie will be on campus. He has offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, Indiana State, and Mercer.

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Time to move on!

What do the elite football minds of the "real" GI think we need to do to beat Iowa.*

*save your new coach stuff for one of the bitching threads

My buddy just bought the Cajun Club in Wisconsin across the river from Stillwater. I've never been there but he's talked about buying it for years. Don't know anything about it but he runs good strip clubs. I'm sure Dubwa and nine will be regulars in no time!

I don't understand how TC and the team could piss the game away as badly as they did. Eliminate half the penalties and the gophers win in regulation.

This one really hurts.

There is a thread on DT awaiting a post from you due to a lost bet.

Also, would you like me to present you with the Duke BlueDevils pic for your profile, or can I trust you to pick one on your own.

Sorry, I had to win the bet. I really am. The bet was one I was truthfully hoping I lost.

So, IF the gophers finish with 6/7 or less wins do the gophers look at other options? I NEVER wish anyone to lose their job because everyone is trying to make a life for themself & their family.

Does Mr. Coyle look to put a stamp on his new regime?

Trying to find a parking pass for RV for this Saturday's game. Email is insguydr@aol.com Thank you!!

Is it new for the staff to put 4 small guys and a LB as the first line of blockers on KRs? Surprised that we don't have some bigger guys fill those spots. Didn't notice it until last week, so maybe this has been going on all season. Looked like the hands team out there trying to block, well except Waters.

Do Ray Dixon and Everett Williams get any ST play? Haven't noticed either this year, even with our injured LB core

Wren is an interesting guy on this board... Don't agree with him on many of the things he writes but I also like a lot of what he says.. Great guy to have around to challenge my thoughts as I read his posts.. But one thing he is right is this year may be the YEAR OF THE WOMEN....but for Minnesota sports.

On the pro sports level, not a lot of WNBA fans out there I am sure, but the Lynx have built a mini dynasty in that league.. Maybe another championship this year......Minnesota girls volleyball is number 2 in the nation as is the preseason Gopher women's hockey program...The softball team did well...If Stollings can teach her girls to defend and rebound a bit, the Gopher women' basketball could be fun to watch, as well. Can't forget the dance team.

I hope Wren's politics is wrong as, Heaven forbid if Hillary gets in the White House, but I think he is spot on if it is referring to Minnesota sports this year. Go Gophers!!!

Link: Gophers in the Pros: Week 4

Hafiz has officially visited Minnesota already and recently got back from Indiana. He says that he may know where he will go on his third visit, but he is still evaluating everything. I love his film...he is definitely overlooked when it comes to the rankings.

https://n.rivals.com/news/two-visits-down-for-hafiz#

I see a bright future for this young man! You can just sense he is a player! He needs to see the field more starting this week! That is all.

whats the problem?

We've played one big ten game and handled them pretty well a majority of the game on the road in a hostile environment with many young players playing their first ever road game, and all I see are posts about coaching changes, crappy playcalling, bad leadership, bad linebackers......blah blah blah. I'm just as pissed as anyone else but for christs sake the Pigeons are coming to town! Let's go!!!! Fire up and back the squad and let's get back on track. We can win every game on this schedule and go where we need to go. Is it going to be hard? Yes, but it's hard for Ohio St. to win em all......................so let's spend the week talking about the good stuff and maybe feel better about ourselves! USA! USA! USA!

http://www.twincities.com/2016/09/30/east-ridge-beats-cretin-derham-hall-21-7/

With one of Minnesota’s best running backs on the sideline, AJ Tittle stepped up.

Tittle, drawing energy from a homecoming setting at East Ridge High School, filled in for the injured Dominik London and led the Raptors to a 21-7 victory over previously undefeated Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday night in an East Metro Blue game.

Tittle rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown and quarterback Ty Okada added 96 yards as East Ridge improved to 4-1.
London, a University of Minnesota commit, suffered a leg injury in the first quarter after rushing for 17 yards and didn’t return. But Tittle was ready to go in his place.

“It was amazing; I really can’t explain it,” Tittle said. “There was so much hype and love from the fans and the team in general, I loved it, I loved the atmosphere.”

After a scoreless first quarter — the fifth consecutive game in which East Ridge did not give up a first-quarter score — the Raptors scored on a Jaron Pittman touchdown run early in the second quarter. They made it 14-0 when junior safety T.J. Kelly intercepted a Raiders pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.

After Cretin-Derham Hall pulled within 14-7, the Raiders got the ball again when East Ridge fumbled away the ensuing kickoff. But the Raptors’ defense held strong, and the lead remained at 14-7 into halftime.

“Cretin has so many athletes, you’re just terrified when you watch them out there … but our defense prides themselves on their football IQ and their intelligence, reading their keys and doing their job,” said East Ridge coach Dan Fritze. “It’s hard to play against a defense like that.”

Tittle made it 21-7 early in the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown run by Tittle.

“I was just trying to do my best for the team,” Tittle said. “When (London) went down I thought, ‘I have to carry the team now,’ because he’s definitely a leader, so I temporarily had to take his place.”

Cretin Derham-Hall dropped to 4-1.

“That’s a good football team. You can’t make mistakes and expect to beat a good football team,” said Raiders coach Brooks Bollinger. “Whenever we got some momentum going on offense, we shot ourselves in the foot, or they made a play and we didn’t. It was a complete lack of consistency.”

Got a chance to watch the game over again last night and here are some things I noticed the second time around.

Positive:
-The offensive line played a really nice game I thought. Did a nice job opening up holes for Smith and Brooks on a consistent basis, and they did the rest. Always a good sign when you have two guys rush for 100 yards on your team in the same game.
-Emmit Carpenter was clutch. 4-4 on field goals on the afternoon and didn't look nervous or one bit shaky. Moving Santoso to punter has paid off nicely for the Gophers.
-Mitch Leidner played a nice game I thought. He was 24-40 on the day and threw some really nice intermediate passes to Smith and Wolitarsky. They did a solid job at moving the chains and 469 total yards is nothing to scoff at.
-Speaking of Brian Smith, he was excellent in his third consecutive start. He consistently got open on button hooks, slants, and out routes and made a few nice adjustments in the air to catch passes from Leidner. 101 yards on seven catches made for a really nice afternoon.
-Antoine Winfield was excellent in his first career start. Us Vikings fans can see how similar he plays to his dad. He's fearless, fast, and doesn't hesitate to help in run support. He was also tested on several deep balls against the talented Penn State receivers and didn't give up any of the deep balls. What a game he played.
-Brooks and Smith tore up the Penn State defense on the ground. They consistently made the first and second men miss and were able to pick up big chunks of yardage on the ground. Both are really special backs and need to touch the ball as much as possible.
-Contrary to some people's beliefs, I thought Jay Johnson called a really nice game. He was able to get both of his running backs over 100 yards and he set up Mitch to have opportunities for success through the air by making throws he is comfortable in making and putting the receivers in position to make plays. The play-calling is night and day better from last year.
-Colton Beebe continues to be a factor. The coaching staff loves him and he really helps create holes in the running game. He has also shown nice hands in the passing game and caught a pass slightly behind him on a key third down in the fourth quarter. Valuable player.
-Jonah Pirsig continues to play the best ball of his career, and opposing defensive ends have had a nightmare of a time trying to get around him on the edge. I would be surprised if his name isn't called in the NFL Draft this May.
-The offensive line has continued to stay healthy, and Right Guard Jared Weyler continues to be one of the most highly rated run blocking linemen in the Big Ten this year. Calhoun is ready to play, but Weyler just has not given the staff any reason to take him out of the game.
-Damarius Travis continues to make plays. He is a solid defender against the pass and is big and athletic enough to sneak into the box and make plays in the run game. A couple times he made clutch tackles that if he would have missed Saquan Barkely could have had huge gains.

Negatives:
-There just isn't the talent on the defensive line that is necessary to make this Minnesota defense elite in the Big Ten. McSorely faced pressure occaisionally, and when he did it was either from Steven Richardson (who was consistently in the backfield) or from Julian Huff on a linebacker blitz.
-Too many big plays through the air. Shenault was beaten badly on an out-and-up route but he is not solely to blame on this because of the amount of time McSorely had and he was able to step up in the pocket. Shenault has improved each week, however.
-Safety Kunle Ayinde played potentially the worst game of his career. On the play of the game that turned all the momentum it was third and 11 with PSU on their own 20 with Minnesota up 13-3 in the third quarter. Ayinde was beaten down the seem badly by a redshirt freshman receiver for what should have been a 40 yard gain. He then tried to arm tackle the receiver and was in great position to bring him down, then seemed to let him go for an easy 80 yard touchdown. This paved the way for Penn State's 17 point third quarter.
-On the game winning read option play in overtime Ayinde had a chance to bring PSU running back Saquan Barkely down at the 11 yard line but whiffed completely and he was able to run untouched the rest of the way into the endzone to win the game.
-As good of a game as I thought Mitch Leidner played, as a redshirt senior on third down in the fourth quarter, he just can't throw that interception in the endzone. Brian Smith had a size advantage over the cornerback in the endzone, but was under thrown badly and the Nittany Lion corner had an easy interception. If Leidner throws up higher it's either Smith's ball or no ones and worst case Minnesota settles for a field goal.
-Too many penalties. (8-83 yards) While I think a few of them were not penalties, such as a pass interference call on Shenault in the third quarter where he was in great position, and the Waters play should not have gotten him ejected, there were a few bad penalties. A couple times Gophers defenders jumped off sides on key third downs, Scott Ekpe and Jon Celestin both did this and it cost Minnesota a couple first downs.
-For the third time in four games the Minnesota defense did not intercept any passes. There is just a lack of big time play makers in this secondary right now. Duke McGhee is a solid tackler but hasn't shown an ability to go up and pick off passes, and neither has Ayinde or Shenault. Myrick is on an island most of the game, and while he has been solid in one-on-one coverage, he has yet to have many interception opportunities this season.

Going Forward:
-We've said it once and well keep saying it, this Minnesota offense absolutely needs to find a deep threat down the field. The short and intermediate passing game has looked nice so far, but one of the big reasons Penn State was able to win was because of huge chunk passing plays through the air with their speedy receivers. Maybe this is a problem that can't be fixed this year and needs to be in recruiting, but it would really help the offense out.
-The offense needs to keep playing well and scoring as much as possible. It's hard to find many complaints with the offensive line or the running backs, as they have all played well and have given Minnesota great opportunities to win.
-Great news that the four suspended players have been cleared of any charges by the Minneapolis Police Department. They obviously haven't been able to practice, but Hardin and Buford have been missed horribly in the pass defense and could help with making some plays through the air.
-The nickel defense needs to find the right combination for the pass defense. The best group has been Winfield, McGhee and Travis at safety with Shenault and Myrick at corner. This will need to change because McGhee is out for the Iowa game with an injury. There just isn't the depth needed at corner back right now because of injuries to Durr and Craighton and the suspensions of Buford and Hardin. Freshman Kiondre Thomas is one injury away at corner from becoming a starter. After him I honestly don't know who would be on the depth chart behind him.
-Defensive Coordinator Jay Sawvel has done a nice job doing what he can to mix up the lineups and get any pieces he can on the field for the defense at the right times. If he had the secondary Minnesota had last year I firmly believe the Gophers would have beaten Penn State by at least one touchdown.

Biggest Areas For Improvement Next Week:
-Not giving up big pass plays through the air.
-Sure tackling and not letting skill players getting extra yards.
-Force rushed throws by Beathard and intercept at least one pass.
-Finding a way to generate a pass rush.
-Find a way to hit a deep ball and get a big play through the air.

Link: Claeys talks suspensions, Iowa, injuries, and more

Mitch Leidner

• Hopes the freshman understand the hatred for Iowa and if they don't, they will by the end of today.
• Devastated about news of Jay Johnson's father passing. "It's been a pretty tough weekend." He'd talk to him every weekend and they've been close since he was in sixth grade. Says there's nothing more "Magic" (his nickname) would want than to beat Iowa this weekend.
• Been working on two-minute drills all the time in practice.
• Brian Smith really grew up and matured this summer. Would call him to get extra practice in. "He's always been kind of a knucklehead. I think for him to finally mature...he's done a great job now."
• Not expecting any new wrinkles from Iowa's defense but they play sound football.
• Thinks Shannon Brooks' has great vision but thinks he could be a little bit more patient hitting the hole.
• Remembers getting a picture with MarQueis Gray when he was in high school after the Gophers won Floyd.

Jonah Pirsig

• A few Hawkeye fans in his hometown but when he committed, most changed their colors.
• Everyone had a lot of pancakes against Penn State.
• Hopefully the fans will storm if we beat Iowa.
• Iowa's defensive line is big, strong, and don't make many mistakes. They use their hands well.
• Line is playing better in pass protection than last year.
• In the run game, the line missed blocks at the line of scrimmage, on the second level, and in the secondary.

Hank Ekpe

• Defensive line is better equipped this year to take on Iowa because of last year's injuries and the addition of Merrick Jackson.
• Need to get better at fundamentals to limit big plays.
• We just missed tackles on Barkley at the end of the game. Nobody was out of position.
• Thinks he's taken his game to another level this year.
• Beathard is definitely able to scramble. Need to stay with their fundamentals. Last year they'd get out of position with their gaps.

Tracy Claeys

• The defensive line has been consistent and is better than a year ago but are still missing out on some plays.
• Big plays sometimes come from mistakes and sometimes just get "out-athleted." It's someone different every play. If it was the same one, it would be easy to fix.
• Increased Winfield's role each week. He's a good football player with good instincts.
• The position coaches decide who's in the game when.
• The Johnsons are a football family. We'll allow Jay to be here as much as he wants to be here. He's a great person. Terrific addition to our staff. Focus on football when here but important to have other time to reflect on other things in life.
• The suspended players will return to practice. Not ready to say they'll be back for Iowa. "We'll go day-by-day with them."
  
• Waters hit wasn't targeting but it was still illegal because it was late. Says the situation has been taken are of.
• Duke McGhee has a concussion. Carter Coughlin and Rashad Still will practice this week.
• Credits Jacob Herbers for doing a good job holding.

I went with 9 wins to start the season and at this point I'm sticking with it. Anyone making adjustments after 3 games?

Sounds like his remains have been found. May God have mercy.