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Topic: Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) at #16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) Postgame

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medinabuckeye1

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Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) at #16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) Postgame
« on: October 18, 2022, 10:53:53 AM »
This game fascinates me. Both teams badly need a bounce back win.

Minnesota:
When October arrived the Gophers were 4-0/1-0, ranked #21, and they had just obliterated a ranked team on the road. They appeared to be the favorite to win the B1G-W.

October has not been kind to Fleck and his oarsmen. The only Saturday so far in October that Minnesota did not lose a football game was the one when they didn't play. Worse, the two losses were to the two co-leaders in the B1G-W so the Gophers B1GCG chances are now on life support.

Penn State:
When the Nittany Lions showed up in Ann Arbor they were undefeated and the game was a top-10 matchup with major CFP implications. The Wolverines made the game look like Varsity vs the Freshmen team. Penn State scored two TD's but one was a flukey tipped ball pick-6 and the other was due to a fantastic ball fake that appeared to fool all 100k+ in the Big House including the 11 guys on the field in Blue.

Penn State gave up more rushing yards and rushing TD's in one game than they had all year and gave up more points in one game than they had since Iowa (of all teams) dropped 41 on them two years ago.

That kind of loss can be demoralizing.

Even taking all of the above into consideration, this game still means a lot to both teams:

Minnesota isn't out of the B1G-W race yet. It isn't implausible that Purdue and Illinois could lose twice each and after this game the Gophers might be favored in every game from here out.

Penn State, could get back into BIGCG contention with a win here and an upset of the Buckeyes next week. Even assuming that they lose to tOSU, the Nittany Lions have a not implausible path to the RoseBowl and in a worst-case-scenario a 10-2 Nittany Lions team would still get at least a Citrus Bowl bid.

The winner of this game isn't in terrible shape. The loser may see the wheels coming off.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2022, 09:29:15 AM by 847badgerfan »

medinabuckeye1

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2022, 03:56:28 PM »
The more I think about it, the more I like Minnesota in this game.  For one thing I just think that a letdown after that beatdown in Ann Arbor is fairly likely for the Nittany Lions.  For another, does anybody else think this has "trap game" written all over it?  Penn State's two most important games BY FAR are the games against Michigan and Ohio State and here is this game tucked right between those.  

Minnesota clearly isn't as good as we were thinking they might be a few weeks ago but then neither is Penn State and Minnesota isn't a bad team.  I think that they are good enough to demand Penn State's full attention and with this game coming right after what happened in Ann Arbor and right before hosting the Buckeyes I suspect that the Gophers are not necessarily going to get PSU's full attention and that is spelled U-P-S-E-T.  

I still think Penn State is a better team than Minnesota but I just don't like the set-up for Penn State for this game at all.  

GopherRock

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2022, 04:35:40 PM »
The Gophers may not be out of the West race yet, but they need more help than one can expect to get. The most demoralizing thing about last week's stinker is that they were utterly dominated in every facet of the game. By fucking ILLINOIS.

At least they showed some signs of life against Purdue. For as lousy as things were, it was only 13-10 in the deep stretch with a couple of tangible mistakes that could have salvaged the game and needed cleanup. I thought they would go into the bye week with a bad case of red-ass and come out swinging in Champaign. If not for a long return to start the 3rd quarter, it's 30-7 Berts in a game not nearly as close as the final score indicated. 

Tanner Morgan took an overhand right to the temple near the end of the game that was somehow not flagged for targeting, and should sit this week. I know starting a RS freshman as the pig roast for the White Out is far from ideal, but for Tanners sake he shouldn't see the field this week.

Mo could have a big day, but this OL isn't good enough to keep him clean from 9-man boxes. There is serious blowout potential here for PSU.

MrNubbz

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2022, 04:42:19 PM »
The Gophers may not be out of the West race yet, but they need more help than one can expect to get. The most demoralizing thing about last week's stinker is that they were utterly dominated in every facet of the game. By fucking ILLINOIS.
Hey-Hey-Hey,Bert's libel to get upset if Michigan can rise from the ashes why can't the Illini.Could be a new sheriff in town
"It is the duty of the  Patriot to protect his country from it's government" - Thomas Paine

Cincydawg

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2022, 05:12:27 PM »
I'd love to see the Illini win the West for some reason.

Mdot21

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2022, 09:20:43 PM »
this one is a really fascinating game that both teams need desperately.

Minnesota needs to get back on track asap. Penn State needs to get some confidence back and get the W at home in the White Out and regain some momentum before they have to face the juggernaut of the B1G E - OSU.

Both these teams need the W...badly. 

GopherRock

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Re: Minnesota (4-2/1-2) at #16 Penn State (5-1/2-1) Game Week
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2022, 01:25:47 PM »
Hey-Hey-Hey,Bert's libel to get upset if Michigan can rise from the ashes why can't the Illini.Could be a new sheriff in town
Even in the Hoke era, when he was sending out concussed QBs that the center had to hold up, they were never as hideous as Illinois was for most of the 2010s. Fat Bert had NOTHING there, and his club is in the drivers seat for the West title.

My bigger point is that this Gopher club, for everything that seemed to be in their favor and Wisconsin and Iowa circling the drain, pissed away their best chance at a division title they're ever going to get. 

847badgerfan

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Re: Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) at #16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) Postgame
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2022, 09:30:22 AM »
I really thought Minnie was gonna have a puncher's chance in this game.

When we learned that Morgan was not going to play, that chance fizzled.
U RAH RAH! WIS CON SIN!

MrNubbz

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Re: Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) at #16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) Postgame
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2022, 09:57:18 AM »
My bigger point is that this Gopher club, for everything that seemed to be in their favor and Wisconsin and Iowa circling the drain, pissed away their best chance at a division title they're ever going to get.
Ya things were looking good even after the two tough losses to Boilers/Illini but getting nailed by the Ninnies was problematic
"It is the duty of the  Patriot to protect his country from it's government" - Thomas Paine

Mdot21

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Re: Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) at #16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1) Postgame
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2022, 10:32:41 AM »
I really thought Minnie was gonna have a puncher's chance in this game.

When we learned that Morgan was not going to play, that chance fizzled.
don't think Morgan would've mattered much. Penn State just kicked their ass from the opening whistle. They were out for blood after getting punked and bullied the week before in Ann Arbor. It was a HAVE to have it game- at home at night with the White Out. There was no way they weren't going to come with an A+ effort.

Yeah Mo Ibrhaim had 100 yards rushing- but he averaged like 3.4 yards per carry to get there. He's an NFL back, but he didn't have his best performance and they needed him to carry them to the W if it was going to happen. And so is that Minny TE. That's an NFL TE.

Penn State is just a more talented, deeper, team. And as bad as Franklin sucks as a game day coach, Fleck is just as bad. Franklin happens to be an insanely good recruiter however, and Penn State has some real dudes on that team. Nick Singleton is a future NFL RB- might be the most physically gifted RB in the B1G- to my EYE TEST I think it's either him or Donovan Edwards. Oh and Joey Porter Jr- that dude is an NFL CB. Penn State just has a lot more Sunday dudes on the roster. And that's usually what wins.

 

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