Sid opened questioning about when the game turned for the Gophers. Coach said that we didn’t tackle very well which was a big problem for us. Michigan is a big-time championship level football team, and sometimes you have to get your butt kicked by those teams to learn how to become that type of a team.
Offensively we weren’t consistent enough. We had drives that showed what we could be, but we weren’t consistent in showing that, which has been a problem all year. Within the first minute or two PJ referenced us not tackling well three separate times. One missed tackle against teams with speed leads to a long touchdown.
Coach said that he thought Croft played really well. The one sack fumble he didn’t feel the guy from the backside, but they’re giving him as much as he can handle. Coaches are trying to be creative in what they do on offense. PJ also called Michigan’s front seven the best he’s ever faced as a coach, so the coaches had to be creative. The result isn’t there yet, but he said Demry continues to play better.
Not continuing to run our feet through tackles was a big problem for us. “Sometimes you have to get whooped by those teams to understand what a championship level team looks like. We haven’t won a championship in 50 years. We have to get to that level. We’re getting there, our players our getting better, it’s not happening as fast as people want but it’ll happen and we’ll get there.”
As far as what to say to a team after a game like that and a bowl game for this year, Fleck said that everyone wants to go to a bowl game, but that bowl games are a reward for a great season. On Saturday, we looked far from a bowl team. Said the message is about showing his team what championship teams look like, and the expectation of teams to get to that point. “My job is to bring this team to a championship level consistency, not just go to a bowl game, however long it takes. It’s a process every day, I’m proud of their effort, I’m proud of how hard they play, but sometimes it’s not good enough. We have to execute at a higher level.”
Celestin has an elbow injury that he’s had for a few weeks, but when it starts to affect the tackles, that is when coaches had to decide to take him out for the team. Fleck commented the Blake Cashman played outstanding in his place and called him one of the best players on our team. “If you watch Blake Cashman play, that is how all 120 players on our team have to play. That is the how we are looking for.”
Receivers are not gaining separation from corners, which is hurting our passing offense. If the coaches see man coverage, they will call man-beating players on offense, but if they aren’t gaining separation then you can’t make them pay for playing man. Michigan’s speed was a problem for us, and it is a mission for us to get more speed at the skill positions on offense.
PJ said they are not going to play certain players to pull away from the future years. I assume he means certain redshirt freshman. Coach wants the whole recruiting class to be signed on December 20th, when the early recruiting period starts. There might be a couple that will wait until February, but he wants most of the class signed then.
This early signing period Fleck said, “changes the game forever” since AD’s now have to sign coaches sooner, hire coaches sooner, and everything is sped up. If a coach does not come in sooner or before their season is over, then they risk losing a class.
Offensively we weren’t consistent enough. We had drives that showed what we could be, but we weren’t consistent in showing that, which has been a problem all year. Within the first minute or two PJ referenced us not tackling well three separate times. One missed tackle against teams with speed leads to a long touchdown.
Coach said that he thought Croft played really well. The one sack fumble he didn’t feel the guy from the backside, but they’re giving him as much as he can handle. Coaches are trying to be creative in what they do on offense. PJ also called Michigan’s front seven the best he’s ever faced as a coach, so the coaches had to be creative. The result isn’t there yet, but he said Demry continues to play better.
Not continuing to run our feet through tackles was a big problem for us. “Sometimes you have to get whooped by those teams to understand what a championship level team looks like. We haven’t won a championship in 50 years. We have to get to that level. We’re getting there, our players our getting better, it’s not happening as fast as people want but it’ll happen and we’ll get there.”
As far as what to say to a team after a game like that and a bowl game for this year, Fleck said that everyone wants to go to a bowl game, but that bowl games are a reward for a great season. On Saturday, we looked far from a bowl team. Said the message is about showing his team what championship teams look like, and the expectation of teams to get to that point. “My job is to bring this team to a championship level consistency, not just go to a bowl game, however long it takes. It’s a process every day, I’m proud of their effort, I’m proud of how hard they play, but sometimes it’s not good enough. We have to execute at a higher level.”
Celestin has an elbow injury that he’s had for a few weeks, but when it starts to affect the tackles, that is when coaches had to decide to take him out for the team. Fleck commented the Blake Cashman played outstanding in his place and called him one of the best players on our team. “If you watch Blake Cashman play, that is how all 120 players on our team have to play. That is the how we are looking for.”
Receivers are not gaining separation from corners, which is hurting our passing offense. If the coaches see man coverage, they will call man-beating players on offense, but if they aren’t gaining separation then you can’t make them pay for playing man. Michigan’s speed was a problem for us, and it is a mission for us to get more speed at the skill positions on offense.
PJ said they are not going to play certain players to pull away from the future years. I assume he means certain redshirt freshman. Coach wants the whole recruiting class to be signed on December 20th, when the early recruiting period starts. There might be a couple that will wait until February, but he wants most of the class signed then.
This early signing period Fleck said, “changes the game forever” since AD’s now have to sign coaches sooner, hire coaches sooner, and everything is sped up. If a coach does not come in sooner or before their season is over, then they risk losing a class.
