Offense:
-No running lanes open. All inside zone. Why? I don't think there is confidence in the line getting any push. If you can't run straight forward, don't start running sideways. Maryland dominated Minnesota up front.
-Rhoda needs to keep on the read option. I don't think he is a fit for the offense if he's going to have that many read looks. One keep for six yards is not good enough.
-Rhoda did not play that badly in the passing game. 13-26, 229 yards one TD and one INT. The second interception was his fault, but Tyler Johnson needs to catch that ball on the slant. Both costly interceptions.
-Receivers not getting open often enough. That is a result of a combination of things. The offense was predictable. Throw when they need to, run the rest of the time. This hurts a quarterback like Rhoda badly, who is a game manager. He's not able to make plays that he shouldn't (extending the play by scrambling and finding a receiver or keeping it on the read), so the defense can sell out on either the run or pass and get away with it.
-Phillip Howard had the best game of his career. Four catches for 46 yards. He will be starting this week again with Douglas likely out for the year.
-Tyler Johnson drop, again, was costly. He had a solid game, with three catches for 69 yards, but needs to make that catch. He has made a few game-changing plays this year, and this was the first negative one.
-Nice catch by Eric Carter. Solid throw by Conor as well.
-Nice to see Lingen get a red zone target and TD. Wozniak with another catch and nice run. Tight End play isn't always featured but they make plays when they get the ball.
-Smith and Brooks had no chance of getting going, and we should have seen this coming. So many of there yards were gained by making one guy miss, breaking a tackle, or just plowing forwards for a few extra yards. This week, Maryland's defense swarmed them at the line and they couldn't get any extra yards.
Defense:
-ZERO SACKS. The pass rush is unavailable for Minnesota for a few reasons. The biggest is the secondary. With Winfield and McGhee being out, and Shenault having a tough game against a top Big Ten WR, I don't think Coach Smith trusts his corners on an island. It's much easier to get beat on passing downs when you're rushing your linebackers often, leaving your inexperienced (and thin) secondary out to dry.
-The fact that Minnesota isn't able to use their linebackers in the pass rush is also the reason that guys like Blake Cashman, Julian Huff, and Tai'yon Devers, who specialize in getting to the quarterback aren't getting as much play.
-Shenault really struggled. DJ Moore is a very good Big Ten wideout and dominated pretty much the whole game with eight catches for 90 yards and a TD. Also drew a big pass interference call on AS34 that gave Maryland a first down.
-Depth in the secondary is a HUGE problem. Winfield down, McGhee out, Craighton out, and we're seeing why there was a major concern in the preseason about this exact issue.
-WINNING PLAYS. Jacob Huff had a chance to make a play that would have most likely changed the outcome of the game. His dropped interception in the third quarter ended up leading to a MD TD instead of getting Minnesota the ball and momentum. Need to make plays like that to win.
-Third down defense was the worst we have seen by far. MD went 9/16 on third down after coming in as the worst team in the B1G through non-conference play. Unacceptable.
-Fourth down conversion for Maryland in the first quarter was huge. Not only did it lead to points, but it also was the play that Winfield got hurt for the game.
-Handy-Holly did a fine job stepping in for the injured and suspended safety. He's going to get plenty of time the rest of the year, which is why I wanted him to get more run in the non-con.
Summary:
This game reminded me a lot of the Buffalo game. Minnesota had plenty of chances to make big plays that swung the game in their favor but just didn't do it. Or made mistakes that cost them. Actually, they made the same mistakes as they did against Buffalo, Maryland was just more talented. The red zone interception was close to the same, and the dropped Huff INT was similar to the dropped pick that Thomas had. Don't forget the missed field goal by Carpenter. Bottom line is, Maryland outgained Minnesota in yards, time of possession, turnover margin, and the Gophers STILL had a chance to win the game. Need to make the simple plays that make a big difference. Like Coach Fleck says, the ball is the program, and the team just didn't own that philosophy against Maryland.
-No running lanes open. All inside zone. Why? I don't think there is confidence in the line getting any push. If you can't run straight forward, don't start running sideways. Maryland dominated Minnesota up front.
-Rhoda needs to keep on the read option. I don't think he is a fit for the offense if he's going to have that many read looks. One keep for six yards is not good enough.
-Rhoda did not play that badly in the passing game. 13-26, 229 yards one TD and one INT. The second interception was his fault, but Tyler Johnson needs to catch that ball on the slant. Both costly interceptions.
-Receivers not getting open often enough. That is a result of a combination of things. The offense was predictable. Throw when they need to, run the rest of the time. This hurts a quarterback like Rhoda badly, who is a game manager. He's not able to make plays that he shouldn't (extending the play by scrambling and finding a receiver or keeping it on the read), so the defense can sell out on either the run or pass and get away with it.
-Phillip Howard had the best game of his career. Four catches for 46 yards. He will be starting this week again with Douglas likely out for the year.
-Tyler Johnson drop, again, was costly. He had a solid game, with three catches for 69 yards, but needs to make that catch. He has made a few game-changing plays this year, and this was the first negative one.
-Nice catch by Eric Carter. Solid throw by Conor as well.
-Nice to see Lingen get a red zone target and TD. Wozniak with another catch and nice run. Tight End play isn't always featured but they make plays when they get the ball.
-Smith and Brooks had no chance of getting going, and we should have seen this coming. So many of there yards were gained by making one guy miss, breaking a tackle, or just plowing forwards for a few extra yards. This week, Maryland's defense swarmed them at the line and they couldn't get any extra yards.
Defense:
-ZERO SACKS. The pass rush is unavailable for Minnesota for a few reasons. The biggest is the secondary. With Winfield and McGhee being out, and Shenault having a tough game against a top Big Ten WR, I don't think Coach Smith trusts his corners on an island. It's much easier to get beat on passing downs when you're rushing your linebackers often, leaving your inexperienced (and thin) secondary out to dry.
-The fact that Minnesota isn't able to use their linebackers in the pass rush is also the reason that guys like Blake Cashman, Julian Huff, and Tai'yon Devers, who specialize in getting to the quarterback aren't getting as much play.
-Shenault really struggled. DJ Moore is a very good Big Ten wideout and dominated pretty much the whole game with eight catches for 90 yards and a TD. Also drew a big pass interference call on AS34 that gave Maryland a first down.
-Depth in the secondary is a HUGE problem. Winfield down, McGhee out, Craighton out, and we're seeing why there was a major concern in the preseason about this exact issue.
-WINNING PLAYS. Jacob Huff had a chance to make a play that would have most likely changed the outcome of the game. His dropped interception in the third quarter ended up leading to a MD TD instead of getting Minnesota the ball and momentum. Need to make plays like that to win.
-Third down defense was the worst we have seen by far. MD went 9/16 on third down after coming in as the worst team in the B1G through non-conference play. Unacceptable.
-Fourth down conversion for Maryland in the first quarter was huge. Not only did it lead to points, but it also was the play that Winfield got hurt for the game.
-Handy-Holly did a fine job stepping in for the injured and suspended safety. He's going to get plenty of time the rest of the year, which is why I wanted him to get more run in the non-con.
Summary:
This game reminded me a lot of the Buffalo game. Minnesota had plenty of chances to make big plays that swung the game in their favor but just didn't do it. Or made mistakes that cost them. Actually, they made the same mistakes as they did against Buffalo, Maryland was just more talented. The red zone interception was close to the same, and the dropped Huff INT was similar to the dropped pick that Thomas had. Don't forget the missed field goal by Carpenter. Bottom line is, Maryland outgained Minnesota in yards, time of possession, turnover margin, and the Gophers STILL had a chance to win the game. Need to make the simple plays that make a big difference. Like Coach Fleck says, the ball is the program, and the team just didn't own that philosophy against Maryland.
