Defeat in the D

So, things didn't go how we hoped up in Detroit.  I will do a season wrap-up.  We're certainly improved but we are not where we hoped to be.  There are absolute reasons for optimism, but optimism and achievement are not the same thing. Coach said the same thing in his presser.  We have one or two more steps to go until we turn the dress rehearsals at Ford Field into premiering for the big show....to use the metaphor Coach used to the team.

Again, reasons for optimism but getting the rest of the way there is not written in stone.

None of this really has anything to do with the game yesterday.  I thought we put out a quality effort that just came up short.  These bowl games are crazy.  Both teams had multiple players out...BG played 3 guys who are in the portal, amazingly enough....it was a nice commercial for Howell, to be sure.

Anyway, when it came down to it, Fleck was smart enough to forget everything else, swallow his pride and just run over us with his superior line and not try to overthink it.  And you can see it worked. They completed only 8 passes for a net of 26 yards.  And one INT.

So, you might say, how can you not stop a one-dimensional team?  The answer is that fans tend to put too much stock in the element of surprise.  When you are evenly matched, of course it is beneficial to confidently load the box or drop 8...but in this case, Minnesota had just too much size up front for us to defend, along with a fresh, quality runner.  Remember, nobody wondered what play Woody Hayes was calling.

Our guys on the line battled hard.  They were also short-handed, with Chace Davis out and Roberts and Saad playing single-digit snaps.  It was just more than we could handle.

The game plan on offense was to pass the ball, which is not our normal program.  Coach said he thought coming in that we were not going to be able to run the ball with our backs and and OL against their D-line.  Except for Bazelak, no Falcon carried more than 3 times.

So, BG went to their air, where they liked some matchups.  First, we learned what a tragedy it was that Hilaire was not healthy over the course of the year. He was just terrific.  Bazelak had a good game, but he was pressured on 18 of 43 dropbacks.  For the season as whole, he was pressured on 32%.  He was sacked 3 times.

BG went 7 drives without a TD after a successful opening drive.  I'm not sure we have the team to sustain drives on passing alone. One was a stall-out in Minnesota territory, one was a disastrous attempt in Orthmode, one was derailed by a sack and a pre-snap penalty...and then we hit the real killer.

With about 2 minutes to play in the half, BG got a pick and was on the Minnesota 15 and the Gophers up 9-7.  This is a huge opportunity heading into the half, but BG did nothing, losing 5 yards on 3 pass plays.  You rise to the occasion there, it's a different game. A FG gave them the lead, but Fleck cited that as a turning point in the game.

There were a couple of others.

We had called a screen to Fannin and he was out in the left flat and had green grass to the end zone.  Minnesota had called a corner blitz called and just tipped the pass.

There was a play coach said he should have checked out of that he didn't that cost us.

And there was a dreadful DPI call on a 2nd and 13 when Minnesota was only up 6...and they scored two plays later.

Coach said we also needed one big special teams play, but the only one came from Minnesota.

I know Minnesota had a losing record.  I get it.  But the way this stacked up, I feel like it was a quality effort, if not upset-worthy.