Curious how the team will respond this weekend. What really peaks my curiosity is that the gophers play Nevada and Troy took Nevada to the wire last weekend. So it will be interesting to see how both the Hawks and the gophers do this weekend against their opponents before they meet the following week. Last game to fine tune things before conference play,
On to Troy
- Thread starter thunderstruck1
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Their coach and a couple players are on youtube talking about the upcoming game if anyone wants to listen.
This reminds me of the Arkansas State game from like 10-15 years ago. A win but never comfortable at any point.
Troy is better than Ill State, not as good as ISU. If we struggle against them, it will be a long season.
The fact people are asking how the game will go is not a good sign! They're only on the schedule for one reason.
Whoops my bad
I don't think anyone is asking, but it is time to move on to the next game. I am digging the fact that we have seen a ton of different defensive looks, as well as a ton of blitz packages in these non cons. Lot's for the team to learn from early on in the season.The fact people are asking how the game will go is not a good sign! They're only on the schedule for one reason.
That's what Notre Dame said when they scheduled Northern Illinois........The fact people are asking how the game will go is not a good sign! They're only on the schedule for one reason.
Listening to Kirks press conference the Troy team turned over the entire roster and has an entirely new coaching staff. So if they stay close with Iowa, it will be a major disappointment.
Here is the thing about these games. We have work to do, Coaches for sure want to see if we learned anything from last week. BUT all these coaches know each other and as I said before, there is no sense leaving our 1's in there (except the ones who need the work or confidence) if we are up 24 points by the half. SO you just never know if the game is going to be closer then it should be or not. You could always count on teams like Michigan and Nebraska running up the score, but some other teams, don't always run up the score. If I had to guess, I think no matter what the score is, our starters need as much fine tuning time as they can get this week (last week of non cons). Like they keep saying reps reps reps.
The fact that Seth Wallace had to tear into this Iowa team at the half vs IL State and their lack of killer instinct vs ISU to put them away in the first half makes me question if they have any fire in their belly to be mean and nasty. They seem too nice, play too soft. Gotta develop that killer attitude.
YEP that is what Nebraska thought when they played them in 2018. 24-19 TroyThe fact people are asking how the game will go is not a good sign! They're only on the schedule for one reason.
Again I do not read to much into non conference. I am from a time when you win the conference and played in the Rose Bowl. So winning the conference was always the main goal. Now that the playoffs have expanded to 12 (and that was the right thing to do), once again winning the conference is the goal. It felt weird during the years where non con games carried to much (in my eyes) influence in the playoff picture. So again, I do not read much into them, except that it is like an extended fall camp where you get to play someone else besides your own team. If a kid has that many years invested into his craft and does not have a fire in his belly, then idk what to say. Yeah they need "inspired" sometimes, but it is just a reminder.
I can see that.
Offense will be OK, not great, against an opponent that should be completely outmatched. No Sullivan save for a few meaningless cleanup snaps at the end of Q4.
Iowa needs to run up the score to give this offense some mojo / confidence going into the conference season. 60-0 should do it.
That is what I am thinking too. We maybe should leave our starters in longer then normal, because they need the work getting sharper and cleaner and that only comes by doing it. I have not looked at what we have had for penalties, but it feels like we are just starting to be a little sharper.
