Facts & Figures: Minnesota vs. Penn State
Minnesota vs. Penn State preview
Behind Enemy Lines: Penn State

Recent interviews

• Sawvel talks CSU, Barkley, Kiondre Thomas, and more
• Wozniak talks improving his routes, Penn State prep, blocking schemes
• Mitch Leidner talks Penn State, Leidner Island, and more
• Claeys talks Penn State, redshirts, and defensive scheme

Link: Facts & Figures: Minnesota vs. Penn State

Link: Gophers in the Pros: Week 3

Anyone throwing a tailgate that OPD, Tundra and I can crash? Definitely would bring our own refreshments

EJ's unable to post to the board at the moment, but here's his preview for today's game.

Eastview's Mike Delich ran for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns in last nights 41-42 loss to Apple Valley. His run of the night was a 60 yard run that went for a touchdown. Valley knew he was getting the ball every play and still had no answer.

My first 'propaganda' article that I've posted on this. Bradt has posted 50, all saying that men are always guilty. And that anyone who questions that, like me, is in favor of rape. Not to single-out bradt; several others here have said I'm in favor of rape. The article even says that anyone who suggests that the male student might not be guilty.... they are smeared as being in favor of rape.

You know there's something to it when the ultra-liberal and feminist Star Tribune posts an article like this. They re-linked a 2nd article also. Both articles tell about the automatic suspensions of male students from colleges....even though it was clear that the women were lying.

http://www.startribune.com/fargo-mo...against-son-into-national-campaign/394695181/

http://www.startribune.com/colleges...lts-provokes-questions-of-fairness/394672721/

He's become so valuable for us on passing downs.

Washington shutting out Stanford, 16-0, late in the third. McCaffrey has not been as explosive this year, OL does matter

Link: Sawvel talks CSU, Barkley, Kiondre Thomas, and more

70% chance of showers tomorrow. Light winds.

Take care of the ball boys. Get the running game going and shorten the game. Get out of there with a win and start prepping for Iowa.

Blue White Illustrated caught up with Matt Jessen-Howard of The Gopher Report to learn about Minnesota as the Nittany Lions prepare to face off against the Golden Gophers Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.


1) Let’s just start the most abstract way possible. What’s the mood in Minneapolis after the 3-0 start and coming into this game?


MJH: Despite the 3-0 record, fans are still somewhat lukewarm about the team. The Gophers have had their flaws this year, partly because of injuries and suspensions, and that's been reflected by the narrow wins over Oregon State and Colorado State. But now that running back Shannon Brooks is back, that adds excitement to the offense and to the fanbase. With an easier schedule this year than the last several, there's definitely optimism that this could be a big year and fans know that Saturday is a big test.

2) Now, for the specifics… What’s Minnesota’s offensive identity? The run/pass numbers are skewed toward the ground game, but Mitch Leidner brings all that experience to the table.


MJH: I don't think I'd say Minnesota has one identity. Jay Johnson's offense runs a mix of spread, pro-style, and pistol sets, and there's a fairly even balance of run and pass. There's also a mix of zone read and traditional single back run plays.



Can Penn State stop Mitch Leidner and the Gopher offense?


3) How has the Gophers’ offensive line changed following the departure of Matt Limegrover? And maybe by extension, will there be any advantage for Penn State in having his insights this week?

MJH: There's a been a change with some of the zone blocking schemes and a greater emphasis on the line to get more vertical and doubling up front. Matt Limegrover obviously knows everyone on the Gophers' offense well and will be able to help with evaluations and the scouting report from that standpoint, but between a new offensive coordinator in Jay Johnson and a new offensive line coach in Bart Miller, there have been some changes schematically.

4) What has allowed Minnesota’s defense to be so effective in racking up tackles for a loss and sacks this season?

MJH: The defensive line has been getting very good penetration this year. The Gophers also like to bring in pass rushing specialists to be stand-up rushers offers the edge. That's definitely paid dividends in getting pressure on the quarterback but has hurt them at times stopping the run. Minnesota has also experimented with the 3-4 and even used the 3-4 as their base against Colorado State. They have fast outside linebackers that can make plays in the backfield in the 3-4, but they've struggled with angles and gap assignments defending the run in the 3-4.

5) Are the concerns regarding the secondary major or minor, and is there any possibility of a return for the guys who have been suspended the past couple of weeks?

MJH: I don't expect the suspended players to return. The secondary is maybe the biggest concern on the team right now. Minnesota was already young in the secondary and then lost their second and third best corners in KiAnte Hardin and Ray Buford. The safety spot opposite of Damarius Travis has also been inconsistent.

Bonus - What’s your pick?

Penn State 31

Minnesota 28

Where: Carmine's
9900 Valley Creek Rd
Woodbury, MN 55125

When: 2pm or whenever you want to show up

What: Come hang out with fellow Gopher fans to watch Penn St get their @ss kicked while enjoying $1 off drinks and $3 off apps. We'll have a section of the bar reserved, and if not sure you're in the right spot, ask for Derek (Dubwa).

*** Just so we have a rough idea of space needed please reply if you're planning on stopping out.

Anybody watch the shows on her death? (Think on CBS). Looks pretty evident to me her brother killed her and the parents covered it up.

I was on this board several years ago with a different moniker. We had great fights but political comments were not as dividing and it now seems to be dominated by posters now seem to be far left or far right. Some of you think your candidate has never done wrong and that the other side has never done right. In this thread we test the sanity and critical thinking of the board by writing what we don't like about our candidate and one thing we do like about the other side.

I am voting for Hillary but don't like her stance on a protectionist attitude towards trade and the economy. I don't like how she has flipped on issues with popular opinion...probably what she's doing now with free trade/Trans Pacific Partnership because she's always been for free trade in this past. I don't think she's very charismatic. The email situation was overblown but you would be insane to not say she handled that poorly so I will admit to that as well.

Trump. The only thing I will say I like about Trump is wanting to take on the establishment...even though I don't agree what he disagrees with the said 'establishment' on and the way he communicates his disagreement.

That wasn't too bad. Let's see if opie, 77, or rock have the ability to admit their candidate's flaws and admit something they agree with the other side on.

http://www.mndaily.com/article/2016/09/q-and-a-steve-palazzolo

MD: What is your overall assessment of Mitch Leidner this season?

SP: I just think he’s taking care of the football much better. I know the system has helped. I think its simplified things for him.

My big concern with him last year, was I think he’s got a good arm, he can make some big time throws down the field but he also would misread coverage quite a bit. He threw a lot of, what we call, ‘turnover-worthy plays’ — passes that should be intercepted whether they are or not. I think Leidner’s a guy that needed to take care of the football a little bit more and I think he’s doing a much better job of that this year. At the same time, I think it’s taken away some of those big time throws down the field.

I think he’s just had a similar passing game. He hasn’t had to throw the ball a lot but from just a pure passing standpoint, he’s improved. He’s improved enough to keep Minnesota in games. He’s just done a nice job of running that offense which takes advantage of his running ability quite a bit.

MD: How much of Leidner’s improved play can you attribute to Minnesota’s easy schedule?

SP: It’s definitely a factor. Just from our grading, [the Indiana State game] was his best. But I was impressed with everything around it. I thought he played really well against Colorado State. He was a little up and down against Oregon State but last weekend was an impressive game as a runner [and] as a passer.

Look, I didn’t have high hopes for him coming into the season when compared to some of the other assessments I’ve heard of him being a first-round prospect. I don’t believe he’s in that first-round mix or anything like that but he’s impressed me enough to watch closer. I am interested to see what happens once the Big Ten schedule gets a little bit more difficult but overall I think it’s been a good start for him and I think it’s been a great start for Minnesota and that defense.

MD: What do you think Leidner still has to work on?

SP: It’s probably the same stuff that I mentioned as far as taking care of the football, even though he’s done it well to this point. I want to see that against better defenses, against tighter defenses. That ability to throw the ball in the intermediate and deep level with that accuracy, but also just get through the season with a season full of good decision making and better accuracy. I think the accuracy is a big deal and again, his decision making and avoiding those backbreaking interceptions and turnover worthy plays are going to be crucial.

MD: You said back in June to Saturday Tradition that Leidner was “late-round type of guy” for the 2017 NFL draft. Has that changed?

SP: I don’t think it’s changed yet. I’m not going to make grand conclusions after three weeks. I’d say he’s taking steps in the right direction. I still want to see more but that’s still where I say he is for me. [He’s a] late-round looking type of player. I’m just interested to see what happens in Big Ten play and if he can keep it up.

I went back and looked at the week 2 prediction thread, and honestly, there could be 10 winners as many people predicted outcomes and scores that were in the neighborhood of the final outcome.

So, on to Week 3...

I know the freshman QB played well for CSU in their win last week. That said, the competition was sub-par for sure. As much as I hate the bye week so early in the season, I do love it as it gives the staff 2 weeks of game tape to help get the schemes and players 2 weeks of "let's fix these issues" practices under their belt.

I think we see a few more deep passes. I think we see a fee more WR screens and jet sweeps as we have a big speed advantage.

Halftime:

Golden Gophers 17
csu 10

We adjust a few things in the 2nd half and we take control of the game.

Final:

Golden Gophers 31
csu 17


Alright y'all, what say you ?

great D by the Vikes so far, but man all of the penalties in the game in general are crazy

Like seeing Cam frustrated

Link: Glover talks Gopher Article

Spoke to Glover again tonight after the offer. Glover has had a great season so far and Jay Johnson was at his game last week. He seemed happy to have the offer after the Minnesota has been recruiting him for the past few months.

Link: Behind Enemy Lines: Penn State

There is a tweet out there saying that Woodward Academy's (Ga.) Ryan Glover picked up a Gopher offer today. I have yet to confirm the offer, and Glover didn't put out a tweet about the Minnesota offer or retweet anything, so we'll see.

He's probably been the QB target closest to an offer for a while now. We've been tracking his play in the Friday Night Light series, and he's had an excellent year. He's the ranked No. 25 dual-threat quarterback in the country.

Link: HIGHLIGHTS: 2019 Five-Star Matthew Hurt

If Wisconsin wins this one, I'm going to have to agree with Sid, however much it pains me.

What do you guys think? I was expecting more fighting...both did not attack as much as I thought they would. Hillary should have been more assertive. She should have have talked more about her platform and less stating the obvious. She's not charismatic so trying to play to voters emotions is not as effective for her. Trump did good grilling her on emails. Hillary did well on women's issues and showed better temperament.