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P.J. Fleck on Gophers: ‘We’ve experienced a whole season in 7 games’

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Published  October 23, 2024 1:52pm CDT
Minnesota Golden Gophers
FOX 9

P.J. Fleck Show: Maryland, Homecoming edition

This week on the P.J. Fleck Show, the Gophers are 4-3 and host Maryland for Homecoming at Huntington Bank Stadium. P.J. Fleck joins Pierre Noujaim, Justin Gaard and Ron Johnson to talk about the win at UCLA and the bye week. Defensive lineman Danny Striggow also joins the show.

The Brief

    • The Gophers are back from their first bye week and host Maryland on Saturday
    • Four of their first seven games have come down to one score
    • The remaining games are Maryland, at Illinois, at Rutgers, Penn State and at Wisconsin

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota football team is back from its first bye week and hosts Maryland Saturday afternoon for Homecoming at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The Gophers are seven games in, but it’s already been a whirlwind season. They’re 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, with five regular season games remaining. They need to get at least six wins to earn bowl eligibility.

Not counting non-conference wins over Rhode Island and Nevada, the Gophers have had four of their other five games come down to one score. In the other, they had a 14-7 lead over Iowa before getting out-scored 24-0 in the second half to lose 31-14.

"We’ve had an eventful seven games. There’s been some highs, there’s been some lows, there’s been some devastation, there’s been tons of triumph," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said on the FOX 9 P.J. Fleck Show Tuesday. "People have counted us out, we’ve come back. We’ve had a lead, we’ve lost it. We’ve experienced a whole season in seven games. Win, lose or draw, we’re focusing on the process."

How they got there

Here’s a quick look at how four of those five games came down to one score:

  • Fleck trotted out Dragan Kesich for a potential game-winning field goal against North Carolina in the season-opener. Kesich’s 47-yard try as time expired drifted wide right. It was the second miss of the night for the reigning Big Ten Kicker of the Year.
  • Max Brosmer rallied the Gophers in Ann Arbor to 21 fourth quarter points in a 27-24 loss at Michigan. They successfully recovered an onside kick in Wolverines’ territory and should’ve had a chance to win the game, but Matt Kingsbury was flagged for being offside when a slow-motion replay clearly showed he was not. It forced the Big Ten to change where they put officials for such a situation.
  • Facing a 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line against USC with 56 seconds left, Fleck could take three points and try to hold the Trojans, or go for it, risk not getting it and lose the game. Fleck went for it, and Brosmer scored after a lengthy review. Koi Perich sealed it with an interception.
  • Fleck nearly faced the same situation a week later, against UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Trailing 17-14, the Gophers had a 3rd and goal. Brosmer hit Darius Taylor on the last of five reads for a go-ahead touchdown. Perich sealed it again with an interception.

What’s next

The Gophers host Maryland on Saturday. Their other remaining games are at Illinois, at Rutgers, Penn State for Senior Day and at Wisconsin on Black Friday.