Michigan 49 @ Minnesota 24

[Hannibal]

If we are soundly beaten by Minnesota, the entire staff should be given their final paycheck and a bus ticket on the way out of town.

You think that they should get their final paycheck?

[Mike]

Now that you mention it, maybe not.

https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Football/CollegeTeamTalentComposite/

According to the 247 team talent composite, Minnesota ranks 60th in 2020 with zero 5*s and three 4* guys on their roster. Michigan has two 5*s and FORTY-ONE 4*s. Outside of a couple players, Michigan’s entire two-deep is made up of higher rated recruits than Minnesota has.

So if our staff is worth half of what they’re being paid, this should be a double digit win. For comparison’s sake, Rutgers ranks two spots behind Minnesota at 62.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Row The Boat 31 HARBAUGH!!!! 24

[lineygoblue]

On paper, Michigan should roll over the Goofers. But then again, Michigan plays horribly on the road in season openers.

I think its probably going to be a rerun of what everyone else does against us when we have an unproven QB. They'll crowd the line to stop the run, and dare the QB to beat them with his arm. If Milton can meet that challenge, it will be a fun day for the Wolverines. If not, then they start out at 0-1 and Minny gets the Jug back.

[Mike]

We'll find out how good Gattis is if he can't scheme around the two-star posse.

[Jeff Buchanan]

We'll find out how good Gattis is if he can't scheme around the two-star posse.

Agreed ...... M should move the ball against the Gopher D and if there is an exploitable weakness Gattis should be able to find it to make that happen. Emphasis on SHOULD.

Should and will is a different story. During the Harbaugh tenure, I've always felt that Jim's style of football has driven what M does on offense. His approach is to make the game revolve around what he is doing on both offense and defense and keep doing that even if at first it doesn't succeed.

That approach has resulted in some stunningly stupid losses brought about by Mike Debord like running the same play 10,000 times because we can and we are Michigan. No finesse, no indication that there is some kind of design in a series of play calling on offense to create the mismatches on an opponent's D off balance and that produce big plays, none of that. Every opponent M plays knows what they are going to run and how they are going to run it. How many 1st and goal to go plays inside the 5 have resulted in no points or at best a FG? How many deep throws into double coverage repeated over and over with % completion rate on those plays hovering around zero have we had to sit though and moan about post game?

Fuck that. I'm sick of it.

[Whitley]

Yes it is on the road, but there is not going to be fans in the stands (I think). I think we have seen from the NBA without fans...it is talent that wins. Milton has a ton of talent, if the offensive line can play well they should be a field day for the Wolverines.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Pfffft ..... you'll learn when you've been though the same happy-horse shit of the pre-season and the dong punches that follow I've been through since, well, probably 1997 or so. Darn near a quarter century.

[lineygoblue]

Having no fans WILL take away from Fleck's motivational process a bit. He's heavily into that 'rah-rah' stuff, and its always a big part of his game plan. With no crowd to root them on, the Goofers will be forced to actually out play Michigan in order to win. I'm not saying they can't do that. Their QB is very good, and ours is unproven. So that matchup is key.

The real story will be, can Minny's defense take away Michigan's run game? If they can shut down the run, and force Milton into passing on nearly every down, I think that's where the Goofers prevail. Milton may be a fine talent, but he has never started a collegiate game, and his actual game time experience is very limited. Mostly mop-up duty.

If Gattis can scheme a decent running attack, we'll be fine. He's got the RB's to do it. A lot will depend on Warriner's guys.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Liney, this ain't the 70s, 80s or even the 90s. A running game? Come on. If JH forces Gattis to use that as a means to shorten the game and keep Tanner and the gopher offense off the field, DOOM!

CFB, whether you and I like it or not, is now Arena Football but played on a standard sized CFB field. Offenses are scoring 50, 60, 70 points on 800 yards of offense. The offenses are torching defenses that lack talent and speed and one's like Brown's that try to off-set that advantage with "aggressiveness."....... we've seen how that works.

Anyway, I tire of M football, its 20th century style in the face of modern offenses. I also tire of Jim Harbaugh, a really decent guy who loves Michigan and who lives in that same 20th century CFB mold.

[THE_WIZARD_]

HARBAUGH!!! v. FLECK!!

Sounds like a like a damn monster movie (in the words of Apollo Creed)

[lineygoblue]

CFB, whether you and I like it or not, is now Arena Football but played on a standard sized CFB field. Offenses are scoring 50, 60, 70 points on 800 yards of offense. The offenses are torching defenses that lack talent and speed and one's like Brown's that try to off-set that advantage with "aggressiveness."....... we've seen how that works.

You are right, of course. Last week's Texas v Texas Tech game was reminiscent of the Michigan v Illinois game of a few years back that ended up something like 63-60 in OT. Horrible football no matter how you look at it. Even the NC games of the past few years have not been defensive struggles. I think the days of the 17-14 slugfests are over. And that's too bad. I really like watching two defensive powerhouses go at it.

I'm still interested in Michigan v Minnesota. I can't use the word 'excited', because I know better than to get my hopes up. But I'm interested because I want to see if the Milton hype is for real. I'd also like to see if Charbonnet is developing, and if Chris Evans can make a comeback. I'm also interested in seeing the further development of Ronnie Bell.

Wiz: I heard that the guy who makes the 5th best wings in Colorado wants to challenge you to a contest ... so, STFU and start frying those wings ...

[THE_WIZARD_]

shaddup

[Cody_Russell]

Ugh, 7:30pm kickoff on the road vs a top 25 team.
Not to sound pessimistic, but that is a disaster for a Harbaugh coached team.

I'm going to have the expectation that Minnesota wins this game.

[Whitley]

Ugh, 7:30pm kickoff on the road vs a top 25 team.
Not to sound pessimistic, but that is a disaster for a Harbaugh coached team.

I'm going to have the expectation that Minnesota wins this game.

No fans though which takes a lot of the atmosphere out of the game.