Overheard at the ‘Gate - Week 2

That was a fun one, eh? It started out on the lowest of notes with a Rodney Smith injury, but at the time we got over it and watched Captain Zack shepherd us to the 2-0 promised land. Oh, and props to a not-insignificant Fresno State fan base for making the trip. That’s a ways to travel.

Anyways, it was another fine Saturday for a tailgate. The second straight home game with an evening kick, in a season where we’re being showered with evening games. Hard to beat on a nice summer/fall evening. Let’s see what folks were talking about shall we?

“Oh God. The Vegas odds are dropping precipitously”
“I’m not surprised. It’s Gopher Game Day.”

We were looking at our phones trying to see the point spread, and it became apparent that what was once a -2.5 advantage had shrunk to a mere -1 as kickoff approached. Now, this isn’t something that’s new to Gopher sports. We’re consistently battling falling expectations. But it’s a little unnerving to see Vegas turn against you when you’re trying to muster up as much optimism as possible.

“Did you know you can legally drink on the street in Savannah, Georgia? It’s like Vegas, but with more parks.”

We were entertaining a trip to Charleston, South Carolina and determining if Savannah would be a good addition. Did you know that in addition to Hood River, OR, Butte, MT, Erie, PA, Las Vegas and New Orleans, Savannah is one of the few places you can legally crack a 40 in the street? Sign me up.

“Jesus Christ. Who’s the backup to the backup?”
“I think it’s Bruce ... something.”

So, you know, Smith goes down and we’re all looking around like, “wait, who’s behind Ibrahim if he’s also out?” It’s a sheer moment of panic when you realize that you’re not even quite sure who the third string RB is. Even with Ibrahim out, shouldn’t we have been thinking about the eventuality that would be the team’s top runner going down? Bruce .. Bryce. Hopefully we’ll be singing his name in the weeks to come.

“Look, the Golden Cat only works if you score a touchdown.”

Guys, are we really prepared for a program that heavily features Seth Green? I know a couple years ago this would’ve been the plan and it’d just be business as usual. But this is weird. From tight end to quarterback to ... running back? I’m not sure I can handle the awesomeness of having the Golden Cat/Sethcat being run as part of the regular rotation. Can you imagine when he finally tosses one to Annexstad for a true QB to QB connection? Oh, the potential. It’s just too bad Green broke his streak of touchdown carries.

“That’s why I call [Emmit Carpenter] The Dentist. Because he’s always drilling!”

Emmit comes on. He drills. He leaves the field. And we have three points. That’s how it’s been for quite a while and that’s how it’s going to be this year! Okay, I know Emmit had a tough-ish year last year where wasn’t “always” drilling, but his 2016 season was lights out, and he looks like he’s back in the groove this season. Plus, calling him “The Dentist” just feels right. And, if you’re a D2: The Mighty Ducks Are Back fan, you know that Wolf “The Dentist” Stansson was also awesome.