That doesn’t mean I’m here to scold anyone who hasn’t jumped in the 2019 boat yet. As most of you know, I’m not about that. You’re a fan, just like me. You can feel however the fuck you want to. All of our brains work differently. That’s a good thing. However, I do want to tell you why I feel better about this Gopher team right now, than I have yet for 2019.

I was confident heading into the South Dakota State game; I was nervous/frustrated AF during it, and I was relieved/nervous AF for the future, afterward. Leading up to Fresno, I just wanted a win. I didn’t know what to expect. My feeling during the game was exactly the same as it was vs SDSU (nervous/frustrated AF) and the relief was certainly palpable afterward. But, once it was over, my outlook for the rest of the season was completely different than the previous week.

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Excited: That is the word I would use for how I’m feeling right now. 

That’s because the Gophers didn’t frustrate me in the same ways that they did vs SDSU. If you listen to a PJ Fleck interview or press conference, there is about a 78% chance that you will hear about “the 78%”. That’s the percentage of college football games that are won by teams who win the turnover battle. It’s a good focus because the Gophers finished last year with a -1 TO margin, even after a pretty successful season. 

“The ball is the program” is another saying that is difficult to avoid. PJ doesn’t just say these things to hear his own voice, though I know that’s how a lot of people feel about him. He knows that “not losing” is often enough to win, in this league. If you can play mistake-free (or as close as possible to that) you’ll win games, no matter how much talent you have. With a young team, avoiding turnovers can be tough but Fleck has been in control of the penalties since he arrived. In 2017, the Gophers were the LEAST penalized team in the entire country. Last year, they finished with the 5th FEWEST. This year hasn’t been like that… more on that in a second.

Against the Jackrabbits, they won the turnover battle but they still nearly lost the game. The most infuriating part of that contest was our inability to, both move the ball offensively and stop SDSU defensively. The Gophers didn’t seem to overmatch an FCS team like they should have. That was very worrisome. 

That was NOT the case vs Fresno State. No. The only team that almost beat the Gophers on Saturday night…. was the Gophers. They turned the ball over 3 times and muffed a fumble but when they weren’t turning the ball over, Fresno couldn’t stop them. Tanner Morgan was 16 of 23 passing and we ran the ball 52 times…. turnovers AND PENALTIES were the only thing stopping that offense.

Speaking of penalties, the box score says the Gophers committed 7 of them for a total of 65 yards but, if you add on the yardage that was gained and the TD’s that were scored by the Bulldogs following those flags, you could probably add about 150 yards and at least two of their TD’s. It was ugly in that regard but again, when the Gophers weren’t beating themselves, they were causing serious problems for the Fresno offense, compiling 4 sacks, 5 total TFL, 5 passes defended, 2 INT, and 4 forced fumbles.

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I saw what I wanted to see from the offense and defense, as far as what they are capable of (vs a damn good team in Fresno). We can move the ball up and down the field in multiple ways and our defense is going to be tough, as long as they can keep pressure in the backfield. Because the Gophers have proven their discipline over the last two years, I believe the penalty counts will come down tremendously, starting this weekend. They’ve had 7 penalties in each of the first two games. They averaged 3.9 last year and 3.2 the season before.

And now, the most difficult part of our non-conference schedule is over. I haven’t dug very deeply into Georgia Southern and their Triple-Option offense but, if the game vs Georgia Tech’s same style in last year’s Quick Lane Bowl was any indication of what we’ll see on Saturday, the Gophers will be JUST FINE.

The Maroon and Gold are favored by 15.5 over Georgia Southern right now and should be entering Big Ten play vs Purdue in two weeks, with a 3-0 record. After traveling for our first Big Ten contest, Illinois comes to TCF Bank Stadium in week 2. Never take a Big Ten opponent for granted but, on paper, we should be 5-0 heading to Nebraska for week 3, as long as we fix the turnover and penalty issues that were displayed in Fresno. 

Nebraska might be 3-3 heading into that contest, after losing to Colorado last weekend…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It was a beautiful night at the University of Minnesota campus; one of those nights that makes you thank god/aliens that we have outdoor college football again. And the crowd showed up early, and in good numbers, just like Fleck asked them to. Life was good, leading up to kickoff.

But when kickoff took place, things slowed down in a hurry.

The Gophers looked sloppy out of the gate and struggled mightily to move the ball up and down the field. SDSU started the game with a double reverse that got their run game going early. Good thing J’Bore Gibbs can’t throw the ball because if the Jackrabbits couldn’t run for a first down in the first half… they weren’t getting one.

The action opened up in the 2nd quarter when Rashod Bateman took over. He caught 5 total passes in the 1st half, totaling 132 yards and one of the most beautiful touchdown catches you’ll see all season, at any level…

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Pornhub won’t be necessary tonight. #Gophers #RTB pic.twitter.com/Pn4xNux1x1

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 30, 2019

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After a 15 yard penalty on the extra point, for illegal hands to the face, the Gophers missed the backed-up kick and took a 13-7 lead into halftime. SDSU got their 7 points in the 2nd quarter too, when they drove 66 yards on 6 plays and scored off of a J.Bore Gibbs 1-yard TD run. But the Gophers definitely entered halftime with the momentum, after Bateman’s one-handed TD snag.

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2nd Half

The second half started out just as good as the first half ended, when the Chris Williamson, who didn’t have a starting CB spot entering camp, picked J’Bore Gibbs off and returned it to the house for six. That put the Gophers up 20-7 and life was looking pretty damn good… until it wasn’t. 

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I love so many things about this play… the rush… the desperation for the ball… and then the pick-6…. can I just get this in syringe form??? #Gophers pic.twitter.com/xzUcJIuXgr

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 30, 2019

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After this pick-6, the Jackrabbits and Gophers were different football teams. The Gophers couldn’t move the ball, all of a sudden, and they couldn’t stop the SDSU rushing attack. Throw in a couple of beautiful play calls from the SDSU offensive coordinator, that lead to big pass plays, and before you knew it… the Gophers were losing 20-21, and their 2019 season outlook was suddenly in question as we entered the 4th quarter.

We were all on pins and needles as we watched the 4th quarter unfold and some fans even headed for the exits early… but then, just when the Gophers needed to force a turnover the most… it happened…

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FUUUUUUUUUUUUMMBLLLEEEEEEE #GOPHERS FOOTBALL AT THE SDSU 35!!!!!!! https://t.co/YnaeUA9YYj

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 30, 2019

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After the fumble, the Gophers remembered they were playing an FCS team. They gave the ball to Rodney Smith repeatedly and he rumbled, bumbled, and stumbled his way to the SDSU goaline before Mo Ibrahim finished the job. Then it was time for a little Minny Special, to erase the earlier missed extra point.

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@GopherFootball
Gophers go up against a scrapy Jackrabbit team from SDSU pic.twitter.com/mIAgldte3X

— Marty Werden (@gopher1408) August 30, 2019

The Minny Special! ?

QB Tanner Morgan hauls in the 2-point conversion, and @GopherFootball is back in front of S. Dakota State late: pic.twitter.com/hOn4UQ6Lg1

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 30, 2019

Morgan fakes a late call at the line and it's a direct snap to Rodney Smith who reverses to Tyler Johnson, who passes to Tanner Morgan for a good 2-point conversion!

(all of this actually happened) #Gophers

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 30, 2019

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It wasn’t pretty… but the Gophers got the job done. Only time will tell how formidable of an opponent SDSU was…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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The Gophers open their 2019 season tonight vs. the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and Minnesota Sports Fan will be here, there (TCF Bank Stadium), and everywhere from now until the final moments of the postgame presser (and everything in-between). We have tons of coverage planned and it will come in all forms. We’ll have video, photo, and written content all day/night, and into tomorrow morning. Make sure you’re following all of our social medias (top-right corner of page) so you don’t miss a damn thing!

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Let’s start the day with our opponent. Is South Dakota State a threat?

They shouldn’t be… I know that’s not a good answer but it’s the best one I have, for the 3rd-ranked FCS team in the country. After really digging into their roster and researching some of their 2019 expectations, I do feel like the Gophers should run away with this game at some point, but there are some trip-wires to be cognizant of, when you play an FCS team of this caliber.

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| The New QB on the Block |

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J’Bore Gibbs is a Redshirt Freshman QB who has big shoes to fill. He replaces a 3.5-year starter in Taryn Christion, who owns just about every passing record at SDSU. He is currently in camp with the Dallas Cowboys but won’t make the roster.

Gibbs can run but, from his HS stats, prefers to pass. PJ Fleck and Joe Rossi are definitely worried about the unknowns that come with a new QB but if the Gophers can stop the dangerous SDSU running game, I don’t think Gibbs will be able to stretch the field enough, through the air, to be successful.

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| Lots of Weapons at RB and WR but Plenty of Holes in OL |

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Gibbs has a lot of weapons to help with his inexperience. SDSU will play 3 running backs and they can all ball. Pierre Strong was Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year in a 2018 where he racked up over 1100 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, talented and reliable would be undervaluing their top-two wide receivers Cade Johnson and Adam Anderson. Cade Johnson is the most formidable threat, and the one with the most home run potential. He went for over 1300 yards last year and 17 touchdowns in 2018 and is on the preseason “Payton Award” (Offensive POY) watch list.

While the Jackrabbits’ skill positions are stacked for FCS standards, it’ll be interesting to see how much time and space their less-formidable offensive line can give them. The LT, Evan Greeneway is their only returning full-time starter but both guards started half of last season and their new(ish) center, Matt Clark, started in 2016; before being kicked off of the team for 2 seasons.

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| SDSU Defense: Know Where #2 is at all Times |

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It is impossible to avoid LB, Christian Rozeboom when doing research on the SDSU defense. He’s a monster. They say he is big, fast, strong, and usually the hardest working guy on the field.

Rozeboom has had over 100 tackles in all 3 of his previous seasons, already marking him 4th all-time at SDSU, in that category. He is a 2-time FCS All-American and on the 2019 “Buchanan Award” watch list for Defensive POY. Kirk Ciarrocca will always have #2 accounted for. But for a guy who has NFL aspirations, this is a major game where he has a chance to put good film up against a Big Ten school.

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| Is it Gametime yet? |

After doing the pregame work, this should be a fun little test for the Gophers. If our defensive line is going to be effective in Big Ten play, the OL of SDSU shouldn’t stand much of a chance. That should pose a huge problem for a RSFR QB that needs to rely on a steady run game to feel comfortable in this type of environment.

Offensively, the Gophers OL should look massive compared to the SDSU front-7 but the Jackrabbits have a ton of experience at those positions, where they return 6 starters (including Rozeboom) and have experienced players that go double-digits-deep.

All of the experience up-front for SDSU won’t make up for how green they are at DB, though. They’re dealing with 3 new starters + 2 injuries so we could see MASSIVE games from Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman…

This is a really good game for Tanner Morgan to get Gopher fans excited about what he can provide this season as a (RS)SO, compared to last.

It’s going to be a fun day, fam. Hang out with us for all of it!

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports fan

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ＯＰＥＮ　ＳＥＡＳＯＮ pic.twitter.com/06KAGCEH8R

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) August 29, 2019

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