Well, now, the Orange believes. And so the second half is going to be slanged very steeply uphill for the Gophers.
Impressions after one of the slowest first halves I've seen in quite a while:
The players clearly haven't gotten completely comfortable with offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch's scheme. The Gophers were handed the first touchdown thanks to a horrible snap. The second score was set up by a very strong kickoff return by Troy Stoudermire. But, after getting that 14-3 lead the Gophers managed just one first down the rest of the half. Minnesota's possessions after scoring 14 points went: punt, punt, interception, giving the ball up on downs, punt, end of half.
Quarterback Adam Weber has missed high and low. He just doesnt' look sharpe. The running game started OK, then foundered.
But, frankly, the biggest cause for concern is on defense. Greg Paulus hasn't played in nearly half a decade. And yet, not blitzing early, the Gophers allowed him to get into a rhythm.
With the exception of the 29-yard touchdown to Mike Williams, which came after safety Mike Rallis bit on a pump fake, leaving williams wide open, the entire Syracuse attack has featured Antwon Bailey running out of the Wildcat and Paulus hitting his receivers on short passes or bubble screens. And yet the Gophers continue to give up chunks of yardage on those plays. The Orange's final drive at the end of the half came against a Gophers defense that appeared confused.
The Gophers managed just four first downs. Weber was 7-for-15 with a TD to Stoudermire and an interception. Eric Decker made just one catch, which came on a nifty play-fake at the start of their second scoring drive.
The Gophers new offense was designed to allow the team to run in must-run situations, yet they gave the ball up on downs once after failing to gain a yard after getting into a third-and-1 situation.
