P.J. Fleck’s Week 2 message to Gophers inspired by Ted Lasso: 'Be a goldfish'

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - On the taping of FOX 9’s P.J. Fleck Show Tuesday, the University of Minnesota football coach offered up what his message is to the Gophers for Week 2 against Rhode Island.

"Be a goldfish."

If you’re a Ted Lasso fan, you know exactly what Fleck is talking about. If you haven’t seen the show, you’re probably confused. The Gophers are 0-1 after a 19-17 loss to North Carolina last Thursday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

What it means

Fleck usually gives his team different messages for every game. They’re related to pop culture, a book he’s read or something that might be relatable in society. This week, it’s a Ted Lasso reference.

"Be a goldfish, Ted Lasso talks about a guy comes up to him and he’s really anxious about a play and says sorry coach. Ted Lasso looks at him and just says be a goldfish. The guy looks at him like what are you talking about? Goldfish are the happiest animals on the planet because they have a 10-second memory," Fleck said. 

Moving on

The Gophers have largely themselves to blame in their opening loss. They committed six penalties, lost a takeaway because of a defensive hold, gave up points after a Max Brosmer fumble and their Big Ten Kicker of the Year, Dragan Kesich, missed two field goals, including one at the final horn that would’ve won the game.

"That’s the point of it, you’ve got to be able to flush it, no pun intended there, you’ve got to be able to let it go and move on," Fleck said.

The Gophers can do just that on Saturday against Rhode Island, a team Brosmer played against last year as the quarterback for New Hampshire. In that game, Brosmer went 41-of-60 passing for 430 yards and two touchdowns.

In his Minnesota debut, Brosmer went 13-of-21 for 165 yards, a rushing touchdown and lost a fumble.