Strolling Through Twitterland: Michigan State vs. Minnesota

I have to admit this won’t be a very long post. Because of the weather delay I had to leave the game early to get home to relieve the sitter watching my daughter. I tried to remotely record the game from my phone when I left the stadium but when I got home, I sat down to watch the recording but for some reason it didn’t record. So I didn’t get to see the furious comeback. So I can only comment on what I saw in the first half.

My singular thought throughout the first half was if the Gophers would have had any semblence of an offense they would have been winning. That game was there for the taking. Michigan State wasn’t necessarily winning, it was more the Gophers beatng themselves. Mistakes aplenty were the reason they were losing at halftime. Midway through the second quarter the Conor Rhoda experiement mercifully came to an end as Fleck inserted Demry Croft. There was an automatic spark when Croft came off the bench. Yes, his first drive ended poorly with Croft throwing an interception, but the offense responded to him and was moving the ball down the field like we hadn’t seen in the last couple weeks. As we all know Croft lead the team to a furious finish only to fall short. Not punching it in from first and three from the three after the Michigan State fumble proved to be the difference in the game.

As I said, I didn’t get to see the comeback, but after reading about it I feel more confident about the offense going forward. I still believe this team isn’t that far off and they will steal a game or two down the stretch they shouldn’t. A loss is a loss, but take away the late pick-6 last week and all three losses have been one score games. It’s not like they are being blownout every game. Another play here, another play there and they win those games. Unfortunately they haven’t made them those plays yet but they are close.

Before anyone says Fleck sacrificed victories by suspending Croft, there is obviously a reason Croft had been suspended. Be upset with Croft, not Fleck. Croft is the one who let his teammates down. Hopefully he has learned his lesson and can grow from the experience.

Ok, onto what really matters, this weeks Stroll Through Twitterland.

The main hashtags for this weeks were:

#RTB

#RowTheBoat

#SkiUMah

#GophersGameday

#Gophers

-Can’t agree more @kilpatrickjeff1. Believe in the process.

-@34dombarber I think this is the thing that is giving me the most hope moving forward this season. The team could have easily rolled over and called it a day when it was 30-13 but they kept fighting and buying in. That tells you the players are starting to buy into the culture.

-It was the difference in the game @KevinZintheTC

-I’ll just leave this here because nothing more needs to be said @BenjaminJDawson.

-Believe in the process...

-Former Gopher @ConnorMayesOL bringing the fire. Can’t say I disagree.

-Amen @GobieMN! Remember friends, this is what it’s truly about.

-Get crazy friends, this too is what it’s all about @MNHeadhunter.

-In another edition of I don’t know where things will go under PJ Fleck, but I do know it’ll never be boring moment.

-Last but certainly not least, it may have been rainy @angpotts but look at those smiles. The memories, the friendships, the family, the bond, that is Gopher football!

There you have it, this weeks Stroll. How are you feeling about the game? Thoughts on the comeback? Did the comeback give you hope going forward?

#RTB

#SkiUMah

Follow: @dvits14