PJ Fleck touched on it in his press conference yesterday and, when the topic first sparked my interest. He said that the play wasn’t something they had drawn up ahead of time or something they necessarily have in the playbook. Instead, that he and Kirk had gotten together right before that 4th-down and decided collectively, they were going to target Chris Autman-Bell because of the focus Fresno State had on both Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman.

I ask the question at the 08:15 mark and Kirk keeps me on my toes, asking exactly what Fleck said about the play call, but then he answered with more insight than I ever could have asked for.

Coach Ciarrocca Live https://t.co/nZg88K4woR

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 11, 2019

I love so many things about this answer.

First, Fleck and Ciarrocca are really good friends. If they weren’t Kirk wouldn’t be here anymore. Their closeness shows in both the comfortability they have to move things around on the fly, like they did Saturday night to keep the game alive, and in the honesty and credit handed out afterward.

Kirk wasn’t surprised when I told him that Fleck mentioned the playcall being a team effort. The OC was quick to credit the original idea (to target “CRAB” and his single coverage) to Fleck. He was then quick to credit the entire staff for the impromptu design, that was then executed to perfection by the offense. How much anyone had to do with that play design, outside of the offensive guru Kirk Ciarrocca himself, is unknown; but we all know who runs and designed this entire offense.

Also, let’s not lose track of how great this coaching is, on all levels. If you follow the Gopher football team then you’ve already seen how great of a recruiter PJ Fleck is, but those who defend him are constantly fighting unfounded attacks against his character and coaching credibility. If the backstory of this play, in an incredibly pressure packed game-on-the-line situation, doesn’t show the coaching ability of PJ and his entire staff… then you’re not willing to open your mind to a strong personality that makes you (for whatever reason) uncomfortable, no matter what they do to prove your biases wrong.

And that’s on you.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan.

That doesn’t mean I’m here to scold anyone who hasn’t jumped in the 2019 boat yet. As most of you know, I’m not about that. You’re a fan, just like me. You can feel however the fuck you want to. All of our brains work differently. That’s a good thing. However, I do want to tell you why I feel better about this Gopher team right now, than I have yet for 2019.

I was confident heading into the South Dakota State game; I was nervous/frustrated AF during it, and I was relieved/nervous AF for the future, afterward. Leading up to Fresno, I just wanted a win. I didn’t know what to expect. My feeling during the game was exactly the same as it was vs SDSU (nervous/frustrated AF) and the relief was certainly palpable afterward. But, once it was over, my outlook for the rest of the season was completely different than the previous week.

via GIPHY

Excited: That is the word I would use for how I’m feeling right now. 

That’s because the Gophers didn’t frustrate me in the same ways that they did vs SDSU. If you listen to a PJ Fleck interview or press conference, there is about a 78% chance that you will hear about “the 78%”. That’s the percentage of college football games that are won by teams who win the turnover battle. It’s a good focus because the Gophers finished last year with a -1 TO margin, even after a pretty successful season. 

“The ball is the program” is another saying that is difficult to avoid. PJ doesn’t just say these things to hear his own voice, though I know that’s how a lot of people feel about him. He knows that “not losing” is often enough to win, in this league. If you can play mistake-free (or as close as possible to that) you’ll win games, no matter how much talent you have. With a young team, avoiding turnovers can be tough but Fleck has been in control of the penalties since he arrived. In 2017, the Gophers were the LEAST penalized team in the entire country. Last year, they finished with the 5th FEWEST. This year hasn’t been like that… more on that in a second.

Against the Jackrabbits, they won the turnover battle but they still nearly lost the game. The most infuriating part of that contest was our inability to, both move the ball offensively and stop SDSU defensively. The Gophers didn’t seem to overmatch an FCS team like they should have. That was very worrisome. 

That was NOT the case vs Fresno State. No. The only team that almost beat the Gophers on Saturday night…. was the Gophers. They turned the ball over 3 times and muffed a fumble but when they weren’t turning the ball over, Fresno couldn’t stop them. Tanner Morgan was 16 of 23 passing and we ran the ball 52 times…. turnovers AND PENALTIES were the only thing stopping that offense.

Speaking of penalties, the box score says the Gophers committed 7 of them for a total of 65 yards but, if you add on the yardage that was gained and the TD’s that were scored by the Bulldogs following those flags, you could probably add about 150 yards and at least two of their TD’s. It was ugly in that regard but again, when the Gophers weren’t beating themselves, they were causing serious problems for the Fresno offense, compiling 4 sacks, 5 total TFL, 5 passes defended, 2 INT, and 4 forced fumbles.

via GIPHY

I saw what I wanted to see from the offense and defense, as far as what they are capable of (vs a damn good team in Fresno). We can move the ball up and down the field in multiple ways and our defense is going to be tough, as long as they can keep pressure in the backfield. Because the Gophers have proven their discipline over the last two years, I believe the penalty counts will come down tremendously, starting this weekend. They’ve had 7 penalties in each of the first two games. They averaged 3.9 last year and 3.2 the season before.

And now, the most difficult part of our non-conference schedule is over. I haven’t dug very deeply into Georgia Southern and their Triple-Option offense but, if the game vs Georgia Tech’s same style in last year’s Quick Lane Bowl was any indication of what we’ll see on Saturday, the Gophers will be JUST FINE.

The Maroon and Gold are favored by 15.5 over Georgia Southern right now and should be entering Big Ten play vs Purdue in two weeks, with a 3-0 record. After traveling for our first Big Ten contest, Illinois comes to TCF Bank Stadium in week 2. Never take a Big Ten opponent for granted but, on paper, we should be 5-0 heading to Nebraska for week 3, as long as we fix the turnover and penalty issues that were displayed in Fresno. 

Nebraska might be 3-3 heading into that contest, after losing to Colorado last weekend…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

We went into the Fresno State game on Saturday night with a lot of pent-up anxiety after a lackluster performance in week 1 vs a less-formidable South Dakota State team. But, it only took one drive for the Gophers to ease some of that stress…

We got the ball first and didn’t want to give it back. Tanner Morgan led the Gopher offense down the field like a finely-tuned parade performance, stopping to wow the crowd, before picking up and moving to the next stop and next performance. It took 10 plays, 75 yards, over five minutes, and some of Fresno State’s defensive pride, for the good guys to put 7 points on the board.

It was a completely different offense than what we saw just 9 days earlier.

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.@GopherFootball start off with a 75-yard drive ending in a TOUCHDOWN!

Golden Gophers 7 Bulldogs 0 pic.twitter.com/ngLk9Fs4u3

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) September 8, 2019

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The rest of the half was a lot more Gophers than it was Bulldogs but key penalties and a turnover (both uncharacteristic) killed momentum on both sides of the ball, at bad times. Mo Ibrahim fumbled on the Gophers’ 2nd drive, one that was lining up to finish a lot like the first one. Then later in the half, Tai’yon Devers got frisky after a play and turned 2nd and 14 from the 5o-yard line, following a sack, into a 1st and 10 from the Gophers 25. The next play was a touchdown.

Rodney Smith did pop into the end-zone for his first TD of 2019, though, and the Gophers took a 14-10 lead into the half.

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Rodney Smith lunges in for a @gopherfootball TOUCHDOWN!

Gophers lead 14-3 pic.twitter.com/QrmsskC4s2

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) September 8, 2019

Halftime on the West Coast. #MINNvsFS pic.twitter.com/Hj9bkS7ZTp

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 8, 2019

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The 3rd quarter though, was a complete disaster. Instead of correcting mental mistakes that this team usually doesn’t make, the Gophers got worse to start the 2nd half. There were more turnovers and even more penalties. We weren’t watching the same team.

It seemed like every mistake the Gophers made turned into chunk plays and points for Fresno too. It was one after another… Throw in a trick 2-point conversion, and you had yourself a 7-point Gopher deficit. I don’t want to type about it anymore. Here, watch it for yourself:

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3Q 6:37 | Or we'll take the possession, too ‼️?

Justin Rice with the force…AGAIN ? Isaiah Johnson recovers and we are back in charge?#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley pic.twitter.com/lLds0cy58R

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) September 8, 2019

JARED RICE.

GETTING.

IT.

DONE. ?#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley pic.twitter.com/JKzaCzpjYO

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) September 8, 2019

.@_Josh_Hokit117 runs it in for the 2-POINT CONVERSION‼️?

Good guys lead it, 21-14 ?️#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley pic.twitter.com/u1hdngh2WS

— Fresno State Football (@FresnoStateFB) September 8, 2019

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The penalties and mistakes continued in the 4th at the most crucial moments. This is by far one of the most frustrating games I’ve watched in the PJ Fleck era. We had 5 million penalties and 47 turnovers, even a muffed punt that ruined relationships on Twitter.

Yet somehow, the Gophers found themselves in the redzone and only trailing by 7 points, with a minute left. After fucking up 2 out of their first 3 snaps, it was 4th and 13… I’ll be honest, my hope was about empty when Tanner Morgan took this snap.

Also, after this play, Fresno State almost gave us the ball in 3 of the 4 plays they ran on the next drive before we went to overtime. This game was all over the place. OT started at 12:52 AM.

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If you know an erection is going to last longer than 4 hours, should you consult a doctor right away? pic.twitter.com/4871i42NPd

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 8, 2019

To OT we go.#MINNvsFS pic.twitter.com/Bakqp9W9Do

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 8, 2019

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OT was just an addition to the rollercoaster that was this game and it ended in just as much excitement as how it got there. I want to keep typing and tell you how the whole overtime went but I just can’t get over what happened on that last play! Let’s do this…

1. Fresno: TD
2. Gophers: TD
3. Gophers: FG
4. Fresno: INT

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WHAT A GAME! WHAT A GAME!@GopherFootball defense comes up CLUTCH!

Golden Gophers 38 Bulldogs 35 pic.twitter.com/oyiwHK9GsC

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) September 8, 2019

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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After an underwhelming victory over South Dakota State University 9 days ago, the Gophers packed their belongings and flew West to Fresno Friday afternoon, for a 9:30 PM kickoff vs the Fresno State Bulldogs, who finished 2018 ranked #18 in the country with a 12-2 record.

One of those two losses came at TCF Bank Stadium in week 2 of 2018.

But now, Fresno has a new (Senior) QB named Jorge Reyna, and he sure looked like shit last week vs USC. He couldn’t hit open receivers and committed 3 turnovers by himself. It’s almost safe to say that, had Reyna played at the level of a decent game manager, Fresno would have come out with a victory in Rose Bowl Stadium in a major upset…

With last week’s QB struggles, you can expect Fresno to rely on the run to get the ball downfield on offense. They have the RB to do it, too. Ronnie Rivers was injured last year when the Bulldogs visited the U of M campus, but once he hit the field later in the year, he was a definite troublemaker for opposing defenses. Ronnie is Fresno’s biggest homerun threat and the key to winning for the Gophers. Do NOT let Ol’ Ronnie Rivers beat you.

That’s a lot easier said than done, especially when you remember how poorly the Gophers defensive line played last week, when they gave up 175 yards and 2 TD’s on the ground vs the Jackrabbits, and had problems getting pressure into the SDSU backfield all night (ZERO QB hurries, 1 Sack, 2 TFL). This offensive line will be better than what the Gophers faced then, so they’d better leave that weak-ass trench game they brought vs SDSU, at home; and instead, bring the nasty one that wants to travel to Fresno and fuck shit up.

While the defensive line was getting beat up last week against an FCS opponent, their offensive line wasn’t holding up much better. With the RB talent in Maroon and Gold, 132 yards is the total you want for your RB2, not for your entire team. But, that was life last week.

We were beat at the point of attack, on both sides of the ball, for most of week 1. That NEEDS to change if we are going to win in Fresno. It’s as simple as that. Both the Gophers and Fresno want to move the ball on the ground as much as possible. If you can be the defense that makes either Tanner Morgan or Jorge Reyna beat you, then your team will be the one that comes out on top of this game. 

So, that’s it — Win the battle at the line of scrimmage — win the game. Simple……. right?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

#Gophers will not change clocks from CT when they head to Fresno. If you ask them, they kick off at 9:30 PM on Saturday.

I’ll be diving much deeper into Saturday night’s Gophers @ Fresno State game, as we stride closer to the weekend. One quick detail caught my ear today though, while first listening to KFAN’s weekly “PJ Fleck Show” on my way to campus and then while at the Gopher’s regular Tuesday press conference right after (6-minute mark of the facebook live stream that is embedded above).

The Gophers won’t be adapting to Pacific Time when they travel to California this weekend. They won’t be turning their clocks back. Lunch time on Saturday will likely take place around 10 AM PT (12 PM CT) because the goal is clearly to make this trip as business-like as possible. 

You fly in the night before (Gophers will leave early Friday afternoon), do some final prep the day of, and then kill your presentation (the game vs Fresno State) that evening before flying back home right afterward. There’s no need to adjust your clock for a quick business trip like that.

I think the rationale makes sense and it’s an intriguing tid-bit on all of the little things these coaches have to think about. Now, will it be a successful business trip? That’s what will really matter. A big part of that success will be dictated by the battle in the trenches on Saturday and whether the Gophers can rebound on both sides of the ball, in that area, because they struggled at the line of scrimmage big time on Thursday night, vs a lesser opponent than what they will go up against on Saturday.

I’ll have more on that area of the game tomorrow morning.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

If you’re reading about the Gophers on any of the major local outlets (here, here, and here) as we head into the weekend, you may have found yourself suddenly intrigued (or worried) about a football game this weekend that appears to be more competitive than you may have expected. And the point-spread for a home game might make you take a 3rd look…

Fresno State isn’t a mid-conference team that’s really stuck out in the way that some others have, like Boise State or TCU, who now garner the respect of everyone they play, no matter the conference (although TCU now plays in a power-5).

But, boy oh boy… after a 10-4 season last year, those who follow the Gophers hard enough to know better are shaking in their boots about the Bulldogs coming to town. Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrted.com put up the warning lights earlier this week on his regular appearance with Paul Allen on KFAN. Burns also interviewed the 247Sports local beatwriter for the Bulldogs, Jackson Moore, who picked Fresno to win 28-24 tomorrow night.

On Thursday, I talked with Toups about this subject on my weekly appearance on his radio show “The Scoop”. The Bulldogs played Idaho last week and cooked them faster than any potato that’s ever been deep-fried in that state. It was ugly. Let the panic begin…

Scared yet?

You shouldn’t be. Really. WE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF FRESNO STATE UNIVERSITY.

I’m sure Fresno has a nice little team. I’m sure they will finish near the top of their shitty little conference. I’m sure their coach will go on to have more success against subpar opponents, both on the field and on the sideline, for a couple more years before a power-5 school offers him a real job.

But, Gopher fans… WE ARE THAT REAL JOB.

PJ Fleck left Western Michigan, where he had WAY MORE success than this coach for Fresno, to come to Minnesota. I don’t care if they beat the Idaho Potatoes by 340 points. They shouldn’t score more than 14 against our talented defense. Zach Annexstad could’ve went to a school like Fresno State and threw for record-breaking numbers. But, he didn’t. He walked on here.

Remember what PJ says about changing the way you think? About changing the culture around Minnesota Gopher Football? This is what he’s talking about. We need to believe that we can beat smaller conference teams without even throwing the ball, if we don’t want to. That our HUGE Big Ten-caliber offensive lineman can mow down the Bulldog defensive front EVERY SINGLE DOWN.

I don’t care what the spread says. If PJ wants to do all of the things he’s talked about since he arrived, he will win these games. In year 1, 2, 5, 25, or 0…. you beat mid-conference opponents, who come to your home-field, for a night game on national TV. You seize these opportunities with both hands and you choke the life out Fresno State before they even get a chance to realize the game has started.

It’s time for PJ and the Gophers to make a statement tomorrow night, to the rest of the Big Ten. I’ll take a victory any way we can get it. But, I really want to see a dominating performance. They should get out to an early lead and never waiver.

Offensive Keys

No slow starts like last week. Give Zack the reins and let him take over, open up the run game, and then leave them with no way to stop an offense that has immensely more talent than their defense. But with that, we are trusting Zack to keep the ball safe and not turn it over. You can’t give them momentum. That’s what hurts you in these games.

Defensive Keys

While our defense is on the field, the key will be a smart pursuit plan from our defensive line. Half of the points Fresno State scored against the Potatoes last week were from their special teams and defense (see graphic above). They have a versatile and mobile quarterback, in Marcus McMaryion. Overpursuit that lead to long scrambles were a problem last week on defense for the Gophers. They can’t let that happen again.

Contain the QB on defense, leave the training wheels off of our QB, and don’t turn the ball over. If those things all go as-planned, the Gophers should walk away with this one handily. And doing that in a game like this… would just be another item of proof that PJ Fleck is different than all of the previous coaches, who served up nothing but broken promises.

Please, PJ… please give me another reason to love you more than your wife does…. please.

Heather might be the only person who’s love for PJ Fleck rivals my own. https://t.co/LWkl1ecwtQ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 7, 2018

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Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan @RealMNSportsFan