Ok, I'm finally ready to venture into the Illinois mess and look at how reality crushed my predictions, hopes, dreams, sanity, and general happiness. To help balance out the ugliness, I will be relying on corgis. Because corgis are cute.
Predictions
Prediction: Gophers rush for over 325 yards.
Reality: 172 total yards, 4.2 ypc. Sigh...
Prediction: David Cobb rushes for 175+ yards before the coaches shut him down.
Reality: So painful.
Prediction: The Gophers force 2 turnovers.
Reality: 1 fumble, not the two interceptions I predicted.
Hopes
Hope: Peter Mortell downs every one of his punts inside the 20.
Reality: Peter had a good day (44 avg per punt, long of 57), but only 1 was downed inside the 20. The fact that the Gopher offense kept floundering on it's side of the 50 had a lot to do with that.
Hope: The Gophers pass rush forces 4 sacks.
Reality: ALMOST! The Gophers had 3 sacks on the day. So...YAY!
Hope: NO ONE GETS HURT.
Reality: High ankles are just jerks.
Hope: Mitch Leidner completes 60% of his passes.
Reality: I am a moron.
Hope: Tim Beckman pulls off a mask and reveals that he's been Tim Brewster all along.
Reality: Nothing about this loss makes me think Tim is less of a buffoon. This does not help me feel better. Corgis help me feel better.