The run defense is the most critical deficiency of this team. Maybe its a tie with QB play so far. I have more future optimism for QB than I do for the run D. The run defense was so bad against Maryland and Michigan State. It was amazing that both of those games ended up as close as they did. The weak non-conference opponents masked how poor the run defense is for this team. Iowa will run outside zone 50 times and beg the Gophers to try to stop it. Michigan State rarely had to cut back on the toss sweep play they ran so often. Michigan and Wisconsin will run similar plays to those power plays and sweeps that Michigan State ran to exploit this deficiency.
After re-watching the Michigan State game and focusing on the defense it just really sticks out how much more physical and athletic the Spartan O-line is compared to the Gophers defense. Their TE’s and H-backs were really good blockers too. There were about 10 plays that pretty much every defender was just dominated and overwhelmed by the Spartan blockers. LJ Scott is horse and a patient runner but any average back would have had a big game for the Spartans. LJ Scott has not had a great year so far and has had minor injuries as well. They dominated the Gophers ast the line of scrimmage and the ball carrier really didn't matter much. It also illustrated that the Gophers offensive line is not on par to the upper tier of Big 10 teams.
There’s been a lot of discourse on this board about the defensive ends and setting the edge. That is certainly true. Setting the edge is a problem with the ends and linebackers as well. I also wonder if there is a problem schematically with the defense. I thought the Gophers D got better in the 2nd half and they started to key on the toss sweep. There were plays that it appeared the D knew it was coming but still couldn’t get out to stop it. They should have sold out on the run on 1st and 2nd down and sold out to stop the sweep.
The defensive line has not got it done in these two games. Richardson gets in the backfield occasionally but I was hoping for more big plays from him. He gets double teamed and chipped on quite a bit but he needs to make more plays. I thought Moore had a tough game. I didn’t see him cause much disruption. He seemed to play very high and just got pushed and blocked long enough where he couldn’t do anything. Stelter has played more lately and I like that but didn’t notice much from him either. Jackson is a big body but he just gets blocked and stuck on it. Coughlin gets dominated a lot but he makes some hustle plays crashing inside or else coming across the backfield. I would run at him all game long though as he just isn’t big enough to play end against power run teams in the Big 10. Umlor held up ok sometimes but not enough to make many tackles. DeLatt didn’t play as much as prior games. Not sure if he’s banged up or not.
The linebackers are just ok I think. Celestin is having a great year but he seemed a step slow against Michigan State. Barber and Martin make a few big plays and get tackles but they seem to get caught in the wash and struggle to get off blocks. I think they will get better with more experience and reps in this scheme.
I have not seen much discussion concerning how the Gopher’s secondary is poor against the run. Winfield’s injury is a huge part of that. McGhee’s suspension is critical as well but I did not think McGhee had a great game against Michigan State. The corners are a huge liability against the run. They get dominated on the edge by a WR block, a pulling lineman, or TE/Hback. They also often seem to be in pass coverage and are slow to react on run plays. They just run along with the WR and don't even need to be blocked. They should stack the box more too. Ayinde and Huff don’t do much against the run either. They have a lot of injuries in the secondary and that is a big part of the problem but the starters were not great against the run against Maryland either. The corners are young and may just not be as good of tacklers as some of the really good corners from the past few years.
I don’t know how to tell if the defensive scheme is a problem or not. The transition from the prior coaching staff/scheme to the new staff/scheme could be a factor but again it’s hard to know. I think they should be more aggressive against the run because teams know there weakness now. But then you expose the depleted secondary. What I do know is that the D-coordinator is not highly regarded in SEC country or by Arkansas fans. He did have a good run D at Arkansas in 2015 though. I don’t think it’ fair to blame Smith with how depleted the defensive is from injuries, suspensions, expulsions, and past recruiting struggles.
Next year the front 7 will probably still have issues. They lose the DT’s, Celestin, and McGhee. Linebacker depth looks like a problem. Secondary brings back most guys that should help. The Dline could get worse before it gets better. It will be interesting to see if Robb Smith can stick around through the struggles that I envision will still be present next year and possible even the year after.
The Gophers lost a lot of defensive talent since the 2014, 2015, & 2016 teams. Some of them were NFL talent and others were very good Big 10 players. There is not near as much upper classmen talent on this year’s team.
We will have to patiently wait for the underclassmen to develop. We may have to wait until 2019 as this year’s junior class has gaps from the past issues. Hopefully the two SEC transfers are legit. I think the offensive line is in a similar situation. Let’s enjoy the failure = growth for another 18 games.
I get the year zero complaints and its always tough on the senior during a coaching change, but Fleck and Smith stepped into a depleted roster that doesn’t have enough upperclassman or depth to withstand the inevitable injuries that happen every year.
After re-watching the Michigan State game and focusing on the defense it just really sticks out how much more physical and athletic the Spartan O-line is compared to the Gophers defense. Their TE’s and H-backs were really good blockers too. There were about 10 plays that pretty much every defender was just dominated and overwhelmed by the Spartan blockers. LJ Scott is horse and a patient runner but any average back would have had a big game for the Spartans. LJ Scott has not had a great year so far and has had minor injuries as well. They dominated the Gophers ast the line of scrimmage and the ball carrier really didn't matter much. It also illustrated that the Gophers offensive line is not on par to the upper tier of Big 10 teams.
There’s been a lot of discourse on this board about the defensive ends and setting the edge. That is certainly true. Setting the edge is a problem with the ends and linebackers as well. I also wonder if there is a problem schematically with the defense. I thought the Gophers D got better in the 2nd half and they started to key on the toss sweep. There were plays that it appeared the D knew it was coming but still couldn’t get out to stop it. They should have sold out on the run on 1st and 2nd down and sold out to stop the sweep.
The defensive line has not got it done in these two games. Richardson gets in the backfield occasionally but I was hoping for more big plays from him. He gets double teamed and chipped on quite a bit but he needs to make more plays. I thought Moore had a tough game. I didn’t see him cause much disruption. He seemed to play very high and just got pushed and blocked long enough where he couldn’t do anything. Stelter has played more lately and I like that but didn’t notice much from him either. Jackson is a big body but he just gets blocked and stuck on it. Coughlin gets dominated a lot but he makes some hustle plays crashing inside or else coming across the backfield. I would run at him all game long though as he just isn’t big enough to play end against power run teams in the Big 10. Umlor held up ok sometimes but not enough to make many tackles. DeLatt didn’t play as much as prior games. Not sure if he’s banged up or not.
The linebackers are just ok I think. Celestin is having a great year but he seemed a step slow against Michigan State. Barber and Martin make a few big plays and get tackles but they seem to get caught in the wash and struggle to get off blocks. I think they will get better with more experience and reps in this scheme.
I have not seen much discussion concerning how the Gopher’s secondary is poor against the run. Winfield’s injury is a huge part of that. McGhee’s suspension is critical as well but I did not think McGhee had a great game against Michigan State. The corners are a huge liability against the run. They get dominated on the edge by a WR block, a pulling lineman, or TE/Hback. They also often seem to be in pass coverage and are slow to react on run plays. They just run along with the WR and don't even need to be blocked. They should stack the box more too. Ayinde and Huff don’t do much against the run either. They have a lot of injuries in the secondary and that is a big part of the problem but the starters were not great against the run against Maryland either. The corners are young and may just not be as good of tacklers as some of the really good corners from the past few years.
I don’t know how to tell if the defensive scheme is a problem or not. The transition from the prior coaching staff/scheme to the new staff/scheme could be a factor but again it’s hard to know. I think they should be more aggressive against the run because teams know there weakness now. But then you expose the depleted secondary. What I do know is that the D-coordinator is not highly regarded in SEC country or by Arkansas fans. He did have a good run D at Arkansas in 2015 though. I don’t think it’ fair to blame Smith with how depleted the defensive is from injuries, suspensions, expulsions, and past recruiting struggles.
Next year the front 7 will probably still have issues. They lose the DT’s, Celestin, and McGhee. Linebacker depth looks like a problem. Secondary brings back most guys that should help. The Dline could get worse before it gets better. It will be interesting to see if Robb Smith can stick around through the struggles that I envision will still be present next year and possible even the year after.
The Gophers lost a lot of defensive talent since the 2014, 2015, & 2016 teams. Some of them were NFL talent and others were very good Big 10 players. There is not near as much upper classmen talent on this year’s team.
We will have to patiently wait for the underclassmen to develop. We may have to wait until 2019 as this year’s junior class has gaps from the past issues. Hopefully the two SEC transfers are legit. I think the offensive line is in a similar situation. Let’s enjoy the failure = growth for another 18 games.
I get the year zero complaints and its always tough on the senior during a coaching change, but Fleck and Smith stepped into a depleted roster that doesn’t have enough upperclassman or depth to withstand the inevitable injuries that happen every year.
