We thought we'd bring in the Gopher bloggers that have been running some smack on the Buckeyes for a better part of the last week to get their perspective on what it would take for Minnesota to pull out a victory in Columbus this weekend. PJS from The Daily Gopher was kind enough to provide these five keys.
Hey Ohio State fans, I know you're a littly grumpy. After all, the lowly Gophers of Minnesota think they might be able to come into the 'Shoe and win the Big Ten opener. So, instead of outright predicting a Minnesota win, I'll instead play nice and give you a handful of keys to victory Saturday for the maroon and gold.
One strategy will be to keep the Buckeyes guessing as towhich uniform combo the Gophers will show up in.
1) Poise Under Pressure: This includes everything from staying calm during tough situations to not letting the crowd noise impact the offensive line. Sophomore quarterback Adam Weber, who has been nearly perfect in four games, needs to make quick, decisive reads. He needs to look off safeties and not keep his eyes glued on one receiver (Eric Decker). Through four non-conference games last year, the Gophers had turned the ball over 13 times. Through the 4-0 start in 2008, the Gophers have turned the ball over just twice!
2) Establish DeLeon Eskridge: E-Ridge, as we call him at TDG, is a freshman running back out of St. Paul who was rushed into a starting role after Duane Bennett went down for the season. Eskridge has stepped in to some success, despite a beleagured offensive line. While many think the spread coast offense Minnesota runs is pass-heavy, it's actually ball-control oriented. Through four games, the Gophers have attempted runs 155 times, mostly all out of the shotgun. Weber has passed just 110 times. So, getting E-Ridge off to a nice start is paramount to victory. Against FAU last week, E-Ridge carried the ball 19 times for 79 yards and added 6 catches for 61. And the week before that, in his first real significant action as a college player, E-Ridge ran 24 times for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
3) Defensive Opportunism: The biggest difference between this year and last for the Gophers has been on the defensive side of the ball. Instead of operating like an extra permeable sieve, the Gophers have been relatively stout. Tim Brewster's influx of JUCO athleticism on defense has paid immediate dividends in the way of increased pressure on quarterbacks, a better secondary and in the creation of turnovers. The defense has forced 13 turnovers in four games, and the Gophers have capitalized by scoring nine touchdowns off of these turnovers. If the Gophers are to win, they need to make Pryor look like a freshman. Some names to look for: Big Play Traye Simmons has two interceptions. And linebacker Simoni Lawrence, the type of athletic linebacker Minnesota hasn't had in a quite some time, single-handedly took over a posession against FAU last week with a blitz and sack from the edge and then a 50 yard interception return.
4) Beyond Eric Decker: Tim Brewster has a tendency to say tremendous a lot, and he likes to shower his players with superlatives. But when he says Eric Decker is one of the best receivers in the country, he's not exaggerating. The junior multi-sport athlete has caught 32 balls for 454 yards through four games and scored four touchdowns. The problem is, no one behind Decker has emerged as a true number two threat for Adam Weber. Weber's only interception this year came when he locked on Decker in the red zone and tried to force him the ball. Offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar has been creative in finding ways to get Decker the ball despite the attention paid to him by opposing defenses. But if Decker is to have the type of day the Gophers need to pull the upset, Weber will need one of his other receivers--Ralph Spry, Ben Kuznia, Brandon Green or tight end Jack Simmons--to step up. Through four games, Minnesota's second leading pass-catcher is Duane Bennett. And he only played in the first two games. That has to change.
5) Coaching: This is, by far, the biggest game in Tim Brewster's coaching career. A win will catapult the Gophers into the national spotlight and make them a chic pick to compete for the Big Ten title. A close loss will help Brewster make the argument this team is improving. A blowout loss will make the fair-weather Gophers fanbase take two steps back. How will Brewster respond if the game is tight? He has been routinely aggressive, going for fourth down conversions and not settling for field goals. Will this continue in a big game? How will he handle time management? And, perhaps most importantly, will he and his staff be able to put the right gameplan in place to frustrate Pryor and move the ball against the OSU defense? Minnesota fans still have many questions about Tim Brewster. He has a chance to answer some of them Saturday.
Comments
I love it. Gophers talking trash! Come on down to C-town and get your free wake up call that Big 10 football has begun. tOSU train keeps on rolling this week big over Minnesota!
Wasn't it Minnesota whose uniforms last year looked like a trucker's bomb?
I like their confidence, they should be, after all their OOC opponents have a combined 4-9 record thus far. They beat Montana St. by 12 points, one week after Kansas St. waxed them by 59.
I love the talk about OOC opponents. The only OOC opponent that OSU played was USC. Does getting manhandled by a good team mean anything?
Troy? Consensus #2 pick in the Sun Belt, behind #1 Florida Atlantic - advantage MN
Ohio? Consensus #6 pick in MAC East, behind #1 Bowling Green and #2 Miami (Ohio) - advantage MN
Youngstown St? 1AA just like Montana St. - both receiving votes in FCS top 25, push
I'll grant you USC is better than anyone on MN's schedule, but all that game proved was that OSU doesn't belong on the national stage. Obviously the Buckeyes are more talented and should win. But strength of schedule is a ridiculous argument. It is funny how sensitive everyone because Minnesota fans thinks they have a shot.
Bite me gophers... didn't they co-star in Caddyshack???
What the hell is a Gophre Nation?
I'm not sensitive that Gopher fans think they have a shot, it's just kind of cute. If Michigan State is Michigan's little brother, Minnesota is our great grand-nephew, twice removed. And here's why:
Ohio State leads the all-time series 40-7, including 20-3 in Columbus. OSU has won the last five games in the series, dating to a 2000 loss in Columbus (29-17). OSU has won 33 of the last 35 in the series. That includes wins in 21 of the last 22 games, dating to a 35-31 loss in 1981 at UM’s former home, Memorial Stadium. OSU prevailed 44-0 in 2006 in Columbus and won 30-7 last year at the Metrodome.
I admire the pluck of the Gophers, but it's going to get messy, methinks.
Prediction time... OSU's lax defense will keep it respectable in the first half, but a few gamebreakers on any of the offense/defense/special teams and the Buckeyes send the Gophers burrowing back into the ground. If Beanie does return I fully expect him to have a big breakaway TD run.
I don't know much about Minnesota but how well do they defend against the rush? Assuming Herron gets the majority of carries he will look for his 1st 100 yd game since he JUST missed it last week so I expect him to be a force too.
31-13 my score prediction.
"Does getting manhandled by a good team mean anything?"
You might be able to answer that on Saturday.
Play nice, boys. These gentleman took time out of their busy days to help educate us on what the Gophers have to do to win the game.
I know I wouldn't touch OSU -17.5 as it stands now. Not saying the Buckeyes are going to lose, but this is clearly a better Gopher team than we're used to seeing of late.
Though "great grand-nephew, twice removed" was a nice touch.
I wouldn't touch the 17.5 either, Jason. This is going to be a nice test for LiC. If he performs well which IMO is zero turnovers, then this should be a nice springboard for the conference schedule and end any talk of potential freshman quarterbacking woes. LiC is no Jimmy Clausen.
The more I see this kid the more impressed I become. I highly doubt he will be a deer in headlights after watching his poise displayed against USC. They tried to get in his face and rattle him, but he didn't lose his cool or back down from those freaks.
If I were a gopher fan I would be pretty pumped for this game. A good showing is definitely a step in the right direction. When you quadruple your win total from the previous season before October you should be fired up.
Huge route for the Bucks this weekend. Mark it down, there will be one TD scored by each offense/defense/special teams. Punt or a kick return, a fumble or INT return, one Ray Small deep ball from LiC, one Beanie run over 40yrds, and atleast one Beanie goalline pound in.
42-10 tOSU.
They'll lock us up and throw away the key.
FlipBuckeye - “Does getting manhandled by a good team mean anything?â€
You might be able to answer that on Saturday.
that was hilarious! (truly was, not me being facetious)
I still don't know why close games against Troy and Ohio + a blowout by USC gives Buckeye fans any reason to be so certain this one is a lock. I understand that Minnesota is the underdog and has always had trouble with OSU, but take a realistic look at this season and what has transpired. Maybe OSU takes care of the Gophers (OK, probably), but they should be nervous about the B10 this year.
Jason - thanks for getting my back :). I'm having fun with this and they don't have to be nice. I picked the fight!
I'm kinda hoping Minny goes all yellow(gold, whatever) this weekend. Most hideous uni's I've seen in a long time(outside of scUM).
I don't think this game will be close. Of course, I've also been wrong in the past. But I still think the Buckeyes win big. Let's say 42 - 17.
Hey just good old fashioned smacktalk between fans of two teams playing this weekend. Nothing harmful. Forgot to say thanks to TDG for coming into Buckeye territory and giving insight on the Gopher team since I don't know much about them, other than they already have 4x as many wins as they did last year.
Of course there's reason to be nervous about this game and pretty much every game from here on out for us Buckeyes. You have an up-and-coming, scrappy team in the Gophers (that by the way run a form of spr**d) against a humbled OSU team whose defense turns out really isn't as good as it was made out to be. We showed our vulnerabilities early in the season and I expect every B10 team from now to November will try to exploit them. Hell everyone's now licking their chops at OSU thinking this is the year to get them, but we're no Michigan. We're still a good team, not great, but good.
Oh and during that stretch that OSU struggled, consider the Beanie factor. He'll hopefully return this weekend so we should see a more explosive offense from the Buckeyes.
You picked the fight........on a website blog. Sounds like a real tough guy.
I wanna see how the D turns it around this weekend after (arguably) struggling against Troy in the first half.
Teams can beat us, but not teams like Minnesota. From what I have seen, the teams that I have in mind that can beat us are Penn State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Plus... this isn't a night game. OSU doesn't lose very many day games at home, night games are a different story (road or home). Think Texas, USC, Florida, Penn State over the last 3 years... was Illinois a noon game last year?
That alone is enough evidence that a Gopher will get stepped on.
This is a close one, and Jason's right - there's no way I'd touch a 17.5-point spread. In fact, I'm not touching any OSU spreads from here on out.
OSU, 23-20.
Brewster's Minions have a lot to prove, and a 4-0 record is exactly one win better than ours right now. Granted, Minnesota didn't play anybody, but we didn't either.
I do think that this game will tell us quite a bit about this team. I'm sure curious to find out.
can anyone say Gopher bait??
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To me, Minnesota's season to date can be summed up by looking at the TO margin. +11 over 4 games is ridiculous and leads the conference by a wide margin. The BGSU game is completely misleading because it was a 21-17 game in the 4th quarter until turnover city made an appearance. The Gophers were +5 in that game alone.
They struggled to get buy NIU at home and needed a last second TD to do so. Basically, we can be asked what we have to show for our confidence but the same question can be asked of them. The turnovers won't continue to pile up in bunches.
Personally speaking, I like the fact Beanie will make an appearance and provided we don't hand the ball over on our doorstep, we should win comfortably.
I still don’t know why close games against Troy and Ohio + a blowout by USC gives Buckeye fans any reason to be so certain this one is a lock.
Ohio was definitely close and uncomfortable. However, at no point, were we in danger against Troy - and that was sans Beanie and with a frosh QB feeling his way through his first start.
It is a lock because you are FUCKING MINNESOTA. Get your head out of your ass, dipshit. As bad as the Buckeyes have looked there is no way FUCKING MINNESOTA beats them.
Whoa... "going to get messy" "42-10" "there is no way f'n minn beats them",
and I thought that the first four games had humbled Buckeye Nation a little.
Before we all get too crazy, "ON PAPER" this game does look awfully close:
MINN 4-0 (3-0 vs FBS/DIV 1 Teams)
OHIO 3-1 (2-1 vs FBS/DIV 1 Teams)
MINN 36.25 Avg PF 17.50 Avg PA
OHIO 25.00 AVG PF 14.75 Avg PA
Previous Opponents Results Over Last Four Weeks:
MINN 4-9 30.76 Win% (2 FBS Wins)
OHIO 6-7 46.15 Win% (3 FBS Wins)
Trust me, I AM DYING for the Buckeyes to play a game where they just
dominate, but I just can't say that Minnesota is going to be the push-over
that they have been these past few years.
Poeple realize that the games against Troy, Ohio and USC were played without the best player in the conference?
I mean, Minnesota fans, imagine if you lost Eric Decker? Now imagine somebody as important to their team, but is also a lot more talented.
Beanie's been waiting to feast. He prefers Wolverine meat, but will get some Gopher meat Saturday.
the gooooophers? next yull be telling mee thaat the wiiildcats of chicahgoo can beet the buckeyes.
are gopher fans really chirping about beating the buckeyes? i hate all the tween online lingo such as wtf and omg, but LOFL (i guess - laugh out fucking loud).
tubby smith + beating montana state = drunken courage?
i know winter is a coming up there and you need to keep warm, but easy on the sauce friends.
I'm sick of this shit talk... By both the Gophers abd us...
Bottom line, we are not the team we thought we were coming into the season and the Gophers, although off to a much better start than they have been in a long time, hasen't been tested like they will be on Saturday.
I can't believe one of the "Keys to Victory" for Minnesota wasn't the O-Line play. If we can't get pressure on Weber on Saturday then our D-Line is even worse than we thought (And I don't know any Buckeye fan thats been impressed by the D-Line play thus far). The Gophers are a YOUNG football team, maybe the youngest in the country and it's most visable at the O-Line. They are starting 3 Freshman, a Sophmore and a Jr. How that young front holds up on Saturday, to me, will be the biggest key to the game.
Shutting down Decker is job number 1 for the Buckeyes though. Nobody has been able to it do thus far, but he hasn't seen a secondary like ours all season (No, our secondary hasn't been as good as expected, but I still will take it over anything Weber/Decker has seen so far...). The kid averages 8 catches and a buck 10 a game and has no number 2??? and has 7 rushes for 70+ yards? Decker IS the Minnesota O and Brewster will do everything he can to get the ball in his hands...as he should.
Not saying we can't win this game BIG, but has this team given us a reason to think that we will "blow out" anyone?
And Gopher fans, your 4-0 which is GREAT, but c'mon!?! Your 4-0 against teams that a BIG 10 team SHOULD be 4-0 against!
Hey you jokers! Look it up! Minnesota Gophers are just about the queerest douches ever. I hope you assholes feel OK. Bucks will whoop your ass. I'm an idiot, however you will most def get your ass handed to you! I hate myself but you are worse. You fuckers are done. Four and 0 is something to be proud of. Die, fucker.
I think the Big Ten race is far more open this season than last, and the kids that Tim Brewster convinced to go to that school up there didn't go there expecting to roll over and die every game. That kind of thinking is what happens at Indiana - where they get blown out by Ball State. While Minnesota might have been getting beat by the Ball States of the world last year, they're not falling down this year.
This is a trap game. It's right before a Big Ten beheamoth showdown at Wisconsin the following week, the honeymoon that was Pryor's debut has ended rather quickly due to conference play, and it's Beanie's first game back after a strangely shrouded, dark curtain injury.
Minnesota is 4-0. I don't care how they got there or who they played. They were 1-11 last year, and they haven't lost yet. Our Bucks better not be sleeping again. We need to start playing better football, and this is where the games start to get definitively serious. It'll happen. I have faith. TP is the man, and if Beanie is back, watch out...because he still has his eyes on 2000 yards, I don't care how many games are left.
Oh.....OSU Fans, I'm glad you are enjoying the preamble to the game. No better time really to feel secure in your overconfidence!!!
I thought Glenn Mason left. Didn't UMINN start 4-0 and 5-0 every year under him after playing a pussy noncon schedule only to get handled in the The big televen. UMINN might make a bowl this year being spotted 4 wins, but they are still a middle of the pack team in conference. They are 4-0 and I'm sure Tressel is yelling that everyday in practice, but we will see how their Turnover margin does with a Sophomore QB playing in front of 100k for the first time. Bet on OSU they will cover.
Well, you can definetly tell the Big Ten season has officially started. So much trash talking in here I want to go rinse my mouth out with Listerine. I WILL take that 17 point edge. For a couple reasons. One, Tressel has been hammering on our O-line for the last two weeks. He's been personnaly getting in each of their faces to finish plays and to play faster and be more physical. I have a feeling that if they dont perform we will see more subbing of the younger guys who want to show they have something to prove. OH, and if Person gets put on his ass one more time by a 250 lb lineman he should be forced to hand over his jersey. He is horrible. It was mentioned earlier that for Minnesota to have a chance their line needs to play well. Well for us to play good our line needs to show up. Their line will show up, i dont know if ours will, even with Beanie in the back field. Two, our D I think will finally show up. As they should. I'm not taking anything away from Decker, Weber, or Eskridge. They've played great. But Decker is their only playmaker and I think Jenkins or Chekwa can keep him in check. As for Weber he is only a sophomore and if he leads to much there turnover margin will shrink in a hurry. Oh, and Eskridge is only a freshman and hasnt been hit yet. He will Saturday, lets see how he reacts. I'm thinkin a Buckeye ass kicken at home 35-10. thats being gracious.
"He [Beanie Wells] prefers Wolverine meat, but will get some Gopher meat Saturday."
One rodent is as good as the next, I suppose. :)
I saw m*ch*g*n Boy in the office kitchen this morning. He's all stoked up to go to *nn *rb*r this weekend for the game against Bucky. He bought a new shirt at Eastland last night. (What a surprise: Eastland mall sells m*ch*g*n gear. Shocking.)
Anyway, I asked him what his shirt said. He said, "It's got m*ch*g*n University on it, and...." I stopped him and asked him if he meant "University (allegedly) of m*ch*g*n." Turns out he bought a misprinted shirt for $35.
Priceless. Seriously, this guy just keeps feeding me softballs.
Go Bucks! 23-20.
My story about m*ch*g*n Boy got posted under "anonymous." I hate it when I restart our server and forget to check my bookmarks and settings.
If the Gophers keep the Buckeyes' offense under wraps, we may have SERIOUS issues.
"I still don’t know why close games against Troy and Ohio + a blowout by USC gives Buckeye fans any reason to be so certain this one is a lock."
Because linear thinking in college football HAS NEVER EVER WORKED!
Bottom line is we get beanie with t pryor for the first time. I can't f'n wait. Lets do this.
Tampa..I agree, but I don't think we will see a lot of Beanie on Saturday. In the Dispatch today, the coaching staff was asked if Beanie would see 40 carries and they replied that he wasn't in that kind of shape. 40 carries is a lot and would be a record high for any back in OSU history ( I think George and Griffin both saw 39 in a game ), but what I got out of the reply was "Beanie will see limited action..."
I think Beanie will see 15 or so carries and maybe 25-30 snaps.
This game is really exciting either way! Beanie being back even in a limited roll, JT taking more control of the O-Line in practice and, what I think is the biggest cause for excitment ( yes, even bigger than Beanie ), the changes made to the D-Line.
If the D-Line changes are a success, then our entire D gets better! I have been lil' animals biggest critic this year, but really the blam should be focused on the D-Line more than LB core and secondary. A LB is only as good as his front and I don't care how good your secondary is, they're crap if there isn't pressure on the QB. At some point in time the coverage will break down and guys will get open - I don't care who's covering the WR, if there isn't pressure someone will get free over time.
JT showed with Pryor that it doesn't matter how long you've been in the program or if you have a "C" on your chest, if your not playing well you will watch! With that said and I've said this before, but I think this could be the first time the entire team actually shows up for a football games this year...and if thats that case the rest of the Big 10 is in trouble!
Just as a side note... I heard that we may see the Brian's on the sideline a little more than we have this year to make room for Posey and Thomas! Not because of there play so much (though, if they were playing lights out I don't know why you would sit them), but just to keep fresher legs in the game and to get the younger guys more reps. Finally showing off the Depth!!
[...] 2008 Buckeyes are as good as that 2002 squad that would go on to shock the Canes, but despite the confidence of Gopher fans, the historical numbers and the fact that the Buckeyes, thanks to USC and some questionable play in [...]
[...] what are we looking at this Saturday. Does Minnesota have a chance? Most signs point to know. Ohio State stacks up rather favorably against our Gopher brethren. The [...]
Buckeyes are nuts.
Gophers eat nuts.
Advantage Gophers.
I have to give credit for to the Gophers for turning their program around in such dramatic fashion in the course of 2 seasons (from 1-11 in 07 to a 4-0 start in 08), no matter how weak people claim their out of conference schedule to be. Last year, they lost those games. This year, they have won all of them.
However, I must say this (Disclaimer: OSU fan talking). Are Minnesota fans really being serious if they think they are going to come into our house and beat us, especially with Terrelle Pryor and Beanie Wells coming back? Have these fans actually checked the statistics in this series, in which OSU has dominated for the past 30 years? Even though we haven't played the greatest football the past few weeks, the Buckeyes showed some improvement when they played Troy, adding to the point that this was TP's first game as a true starter. I expect TP to improve even more in his decision making and passing abilities, with Beanie and Dan Herron providing a solid run game to keep Minnesota's defense on its heels. I can see our defense possibly starting out slow (like in the first half), but getting together and making big plays in the second half.
These first four games have given Gopher fans something to talk and be cocky about. However, they will soon realize that OSU is not Florida Atlantic, Bowling Green, and Montana State. There is too much talent on this Buckeye team, and after what happened in the Cliseum and seeing USC lose to Oregon State, I don't think Jim Tressel's players will be taking any opponent lightly for the rest of year.
Buckeye fans should be optimistic. We're gonna continue to get better, especially with TP at the helm of QB. It's gonna be another great season, just watch.
GO Bucks!
I agree Evan we will get better with Pryor at the helm, but with Tress calling the plays you can expect conversative play calling. As overrated as i think Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and a handful of other coach's r, watch there games and they never look like a Tressel coached team they are agressive. Sorry Buckeye nation i am not a hater just have watch our team under Tressel, at first the nation was unprepared but we have not changed and they have. Coaching is adapting and if you are honest when can you remeber us making changes and looking like a well coached team. Seriously somebody tell me when OSU has come out in a second half of game when getting beat and looked like a team that made adjustments i honestly can't think of one game seriously!!!!! I guess i am frustrated, but i can't remeber the last time other then a Michigan game i thought what a good coaching job and thats a problem