What did we learn

In my week 1 overreaction I think the defense appears to have improved considerably. They were considerably more stout in the run game then they've been in recent years. I also think that Sims is the answer and the liability all at once. The dude can ball out but he definitely needs to be safer with the ball. The OL is still terrible and until that improves, we're going to see QBs make bone headed plays because he can't get comfortable. 

All in all I think I'm more optimistic then a lot of fans this morning. We all knew the offense was going to struggle early in the season, and we HOPED the defense would be able to keep games close. We know that Rhule wants to grind out wins and he damn near did last night, in his first game at NU,  on the road against a program that has won a lot of games in recent years. This is a process and I think we are heading in the right direction.  

 
Gorillahawk said:
In my week 1 overreaction I think the defense appears to have improved considerably. They were considerably more stout in the run game then they've been in recent years. I also think that Sims is the answer and the liability all at once. The dude can ball out but he definitely needs to be safer with the ball. The OL is still terrible and until that improves, we're going to see QBs make bone headed plays because he can't get comfortable. 

All in all I think I'm more optimistic then a lot of fans this morning. We all knew the offense was going to struggle early in the season, and we HOPED the defense would be able to keep games close. We know that Rhule wants to grind out wins and he damn near did last night, in his first game at NU,  on the road against a program that has won a lot of games in recent years. This is a process and I think we are heading in the right direction.  
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Well said, and I agree with a lot of your points.  Sims was very good running the ball, and obviously not great passing. I did think his passing was improved in the 2nd half, until the final interception. Of course, if Grant doesn’t fumble, NU is able to grind out 1-2 more first down, and punts it deep, there is a good chance NU wins 10-3.

NU showed improvement in defense and special teams, while it struggled on offense, which I expected to happen against Minnesota. 

 
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Sims is the same turnover machine he was at Georgia Tech.  There is no fixing this at this stage.  At best, you get a Tommy Armstrong turnover type that makes a few big plays and maybe get to 6 wins.  Most likely, they get another 4 win season.

 
Offense:

  • I have real concerns about this unit.  I wonder what they are even going to be able to do.  Sims was the entire offense and also a huge liability.  There was little push from the line and receivers were not open.



Defense:

  • Overall I thought they played well.  They swarmed to the ball and made good tackles.  They controlled the line of scrimmage on the run.  I think there is some talent on the D.
  • They never really got much of a pass rush going until the end of the game.  That's going to be a problem if it doesn't get corrected.
  • Coverage looked soft at times, but I think they will improve.  

Special Teams:

  • First time in a while I can say "They didn't hurt us".  I was please with their performance.



Several Huge Plays doomed this team:

  • Penalty on the goal line
  • Gabe's TD that wasn't a TD
  • The pick thrown in the endzone
  • Robinson's personal foul
  • Grant Fumble (This was the worst in my opinion)
  • The pick at the end of the game
  • Gopher impossible catch on 4th Down

You just can't make this many mistakes and expect to win.

 
ColoradoHusk said:
Not with a play to throw it in the end zone. Sims needs to know to not to force the pass. 
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It wasn't even really forced it was just a terrible throw off his back foot. You put air under that ball and aim for the pylon, not zip it into double coverage. It was also a poor choice, because the tight end was open just inside the goal line with the nearest defender a couple yards away, easy pitch and catch for the TD.

 
ZRod said:
It wasn't even really forced it was just a terrible throw off his back foot. You put air under that ball and aim for the pylon, not zip it into double coverage. It was also a poor choice, because the tight end was open just inside the goal line with the nearest defender a couple yards away, easy pitch and catch for the TD.
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Agree. If Sims plants his foot and fires it it the TE, it should have been a TD. 
 

It was not a bad coaching decision to try for a TD with 8 or 9 seconds left in the half. 

 
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