Tearz49ers Presents: The North Remembers

[Caesar]

The win was expected but yuge to get a recruit of that caliber in the boat early.

[djp73]

That’s a nice way to kick off recruiting!
Are the layouts a combo of AI and you?

[Tearz49ers]

Solid win and an early commit from a stud. Opening week couldn’t have gone better. Layout is so clean, love it!

Here's to hoping he doesn't come out with normal development, although there will still be a place in the defense even if that's the case!

Sheesh, the GFX in this is elaborate but amazing. Well done brudda.

I can't take all the credit for the graphics, some are my own work and some are AI with my writing in them, as I stated at the start I'm going to make the most of AI where I can for that stuff!

we hurr in recruiting

Always B Crootin!

The win was expected but yuge to get a recruit of that caliber in the boat early.

It could have been a cleaner win, but I pulled the starters at halftime, wasn't much point in risking injury when the win was in the bag.

That’s a nice way to kick off recruiting!
Are the layouts a combo of AI and you?

One thing Warner has always been able to do and that's recruit! They most certainly are, all the writing is my own, and a fair few of the graphics I have done myself, but there's also a select few layouts I have used AI for.. Gone are the days I have to slave over Photoshop for hours to get a base layout, although I wouldn't trust AI for fill out statistics and shit for me!

[Tearz49ers]

[Captain Canada]

Okay, time for a real challenge. Let's see how you do.

[Tearz49ers]

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Mississippi State exposes Minnesota’s growing pains as three Drake Lindsey interceptions and a disastrous second half send the Gophers crashing back to earth, 37–10

One week after Russell Warner celebrated the perfect beginning to his Minnesota career, the new Gophers head coach was handed his first reminder of just how much work remains to be done in Minneapolis.

Mississippi State walked into Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday and left with a convincing 37–10 victory, turning what had been a competitive, ugly defensive battle through the opening half into a rout after the break. Minnesota actually finished with 405 yards of offense, just 13 fewer than the Bulldogs, and averaged more yards per play, but those numbers did little to tell the story of a game in which the Gophers failed to score an offensive touchdown, went an almost unbelievable 0-for-15 on third down and turned the football over three times.

All three came from Drake Lindsey.

And Mississippi State made Minnesota pay.

For Warner, whose opening week ended with a comfortable 41–17 victory over Eastern Illinois, Week Two offered a considerably different test. Mississippi State brought SEC size, speed and physicality to Minneapolis, and while Minnesota showed at times that it could move the football against the Bulldogs, the Gophers never found the consistency required to finish drives.

Ironically, it was Minnesota's defense that gave the home crowd the perfect start.

With 7:15 remaining in the opening quarter, linebacker Maverick Baranowski stepped in front of a KaMario Taylor pass and took it 57 yards the other way for a touchdown, giving Minnesota a 7–0 lead without the offense ever having to find the end zone.

It should have been the type of play that settled the Gophers into the game.

Instead, Mississippi State responded immediately.

Running back Fluff Bothwell began imposing himself on the Minnesota defense and capped the Bulldogs' response with a three-yard touchdown run. Kyle Ferrie then added field goals from 22 and 42 yards as Mississippi State scored 13 unanswered points to take a 13–7 advantage.

Minnesota had opportunities to answer, but the offense simply couldn't sustain anything.

Lindsey found success moving the football between the twenties. Tight end Kaden Helms became his most consistent target, while Perry Thompson and Jalen Smith both produced explosive plays downfield. Darius Taylor also found room on the ground.

But every time Minnesota appeared to be building momentum, something stopped it.

An incompletion.

A failed third down.

A turnover.

Another drive ending without points.

The Gophers finally managed to get something from the offense just before halftime when Kyle Mount connected from 40 yards with three seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to 13–10.

For all of Minnesota's struggles, Warner's team went into the locker room down only three.

Then the game disappeared from them.

Mississippi State came out after halftime and immediately found the explosive play that had been missing during the opening two quarters. KaMario Taylor connected with Marquis Johnson for a 50-yard touchdown with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter, stretching the Bulldogs' advantage to 20–10.

From there, Bothwell took over.

The 230-pound junior punished Minnesota between the tackles, consistently turning small openings into productive gains and forcing the Gophers' defense to remain on the field. He eventually finished with 170 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, averaging seven yards every time he touched the football.

His second touchdown, a 10-yard run midway through the third quarter, pushed the lead to 27–10.

Ferrie then drilled a 54-yard field goal to make it 30–10.

Minnesota had entered halftime very much alive.

By the end of the third quarter, it was effectively over.

The final blow came midway through the fourth.

With Lindsey desperately trying to manufacture something for an offense that hadn't scored since the closing seconds of the first half, Marcus Williams jumped a pass and returned Lindsey's third interception 49 yards for a touchdown.

37–10.

Game over.

The final numbers make Minnesota's offensive performance particularly frustrating.

The Gophers accumulated 405 total yards compared with Mississippi State's 418. They averaged 5.3 yards per play compared with the Bulldogs' 5.2. Minnesota rushed for 130 yards on only 26 carries, averaging five yards per attempt, and threw for another 275.

Yet they scored three offensive points.

The biggest reason was third down.

Minnesota finished 0-for-15.

Not one conversion.

Warner's offense also went only 1-for-4 on fourth down and never reached the end zone from the red zone. Mississippi State, meanwhile, controlled the football for 20:48 compared with Minnesota's 15:12 and finished with 24 first downs to the Gophers' 17.

Lindsey will probably receive most of the attention after finishing 24-of-51 for 275 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, but this wasn't solely a quarterback problem.

The sophomore was asked to throw the football 51 times as Minnesota chased the game and there were opportunities that simply weren't finished around him. The Gophers struggled to remain ahead of the chains, and once Mississippi State knew Minnesota had to throw, the Bulldogs could sit on routes and wait for Lindsey to make a mistake.

He made too many of them.

After an encouraging beginning to the Warner era against Eastern Illinois, this was the other side of developing a young quarterback.

There will be days like this.

Minnesota did at least discover a few positives offensively.

Helms caught six passes for 83 yards, including a 37-yard reception, and Thompson finished with five catches for 82 yards. Smith added another 65 yards on five receptions, giving Lindsey three different targets with at least 65 yards.

Darius Taylor was productive when Minnesota gave him the football, rushing 15 times for 86 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. The problem was game script. Once Mississippi State opened up its third-quarter advantage, Minnesota was forced away from Taylor and into a passing game that became increasingly predictable.

Defensively, the final score probably doesn't do the Gophers justice.

Minnesota generated five sacks, with Anthony Smith and Riley Sunram recording two apiece and T.J. Bush Jr. adding another. Smith finished with two tackles for loss, while Bush recorded two of his own and forced a fumble. Aidan Gousby led the team with 13 tackles, Kerry Brown added 12 and Joey Gerlach finished with 11.

Baranowski's pick-six was obviously the highlight.

But eventually the defense broke.

Mississippi State ran the football 43 times for 187 yards, controlled possession and repeatedly received favorable situations as Minnesota's offense failed to stay on the field. Bothwell became more effective as the afternoon progressed and the Bulldogs were able to dictate the game rather than react to it.

KaMario Taylor didn't need to be spectacular. The Mississippi State quarterback completed 20-of-36 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and one interception, doing enough through the air while Bothwell carried the load on the ground.

The Bulldogs were simply the more efficient football team.

And that might be the biggest lesson Warner takes from his first defeat.

Minnesota didn't lose 37–10 because it couldn't move the football.

It didn't lose because Mississippi State accumulated 600 yards.

It didn't lose because the Gophers were physically incapable of competing with an SEC opponent.

Minnesota lost because when the moments that decide football games arrived, Mississippi State won almost every one of them.

Three turnovers to one.

Five third-down conversions to none.

Three second-half touchdowns to none.

A 13–10 halftime deficit became 30–10 before Minnesota could find an answer, and by the time Lindsey threw the interception that Williams returned for the final touchdown, whatever hope remained had disappeared.

Week One showed what Russell Warner wants Minnesota football to become.

Week Two showed just how far there still is to go.

The Gophers are 1–1.

And the honeymoon is over.

[Tearz49ers]

Okay, time for a real challenge. Let's see how you do.

Awful, just awful! I could not wait for that game to end!

[YaBoyRobRoy]

Rough one brotha, turnovers are always killer. On to the next one!

[Tearz49ers]

[Captain Canada]

Game's hard enough when you're not feeding the other team touchdowns

That one must've hurt.