Not only did they come in as the No. 5 team in an 18-team Big Ten conference, but they were riding high on a four game winning streak. With three games remaining on the 2024 schedule, even the College Football Playoff wasn’t off the table. Unfortunately, it’s definitely off the table now.

This, after the Minnesota Gophers offense struggled throughout the day in New Jersey, against one of their former defensive coaches (see below). That allowed a 4th quarter fumble, followed by a safety on the next drive, to sink PJ Fleck’s week 11 boat. Ultimately, Minnesota fell on the road Saturday to Rutgers, 26-16.

Minnesota Gophers offense (especially OL) still inconsistent

Athan Kaliakmanis had one of the best performances of his season, on Saturday. He threw for 240 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Meanwhile, Max Brosmer rode the struggle bus vs Rutgers in a way we haven’t seen in recent weeks. On the day, Minnesota’s new QB went 27-of-45 (60%) for 262 yards and 1 TD (0 INT).

Athan Kaliakmanis delivers a STRIKE to Dymere Miller to put Rutgers on top. 🎯 pic.twitter.com/sOYp6fX5bD

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 9, 2024

We didn’t learn today that Max Brosmer is a better quarterback than Athan Kaliakmanis. We knew that before he ever played a game under center for the Minnesota Gophers, just based on how the coaching staff talked about him during the preseason.

Today, in one of Brosmer’s worst showings of the season, he still made better decisions and played way more efficiently than Kaliakmanis did. No matter how this game would have ended, there are no questions about which squad has the better quarterback. Unfortunately, Max’s offensive line didn’t come to play in New Jersey.

Related: NFL Draft Expert Not Sold on Minnesota Gophers Left Tackle

What we did learn is that the Minnesota Gophers offense, which is one of the more talented bunches in the Big Ten, underperformed in the biggest moment of the season, especially on the offensive line. Entering the season, the OL was supposed to be this team’s best and deepest position group.

That's a safety for @RFootball 🔼#B1GFootball on Peacock 💻 pic.twitter.com/ERm7XNnp2K

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 9, 2024

Unfortunately, especially in the four losses this season, they have been anything but that. Max Brosmer is really good and Darius Taylor might be the best running back in the Big Ten. But if the former can’t get any time in the pocket and the latter doesn’t have any holes to run through, talent doesn’t matter.

Defense wins championships when offense disappears

The real MVP from Saturday’s game vs Rutgers was the Minnesota Gophers defense. After getting popped in the mouth repeatedly by Athan Kaliakmanis and backup Scarlet Knights running backs in the first half, Greg Harbaugh’s defense came for scarlet blood in the 2nd half.

Rutgers scored 14 points in the first two quarters, thanks to 267 total yards of offense (216 through the air), the Gophers came out with a completely different type of commitment on that side of the ball for quarters three and four.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Kicker Takes Home Big Ten Weekly Honor

So much commitment, in fact, that the Scarlet Knights posted just 33 yards of total offense in the 3rd quarter. After his HUGE first half, Kaliakmanis went 3-of-13 for 24 yards and 1 TD in the entire second half.

#Gophers defense did its job in this second half.

The offense has not.

— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) November 9, 2024

But there was a problem for Minnesota in the 2nd half. After scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the half, the Gophers’ offense ran completely out of gas and the Scarlet Knights defense answered the bell, after their own offense started riding the struggle bus.

Rutgers’ last touchdown of the game, which put them up 20-16 with just 7:40 remaining in the 4th quarter, happened because they forced a Minnesota fumble at their own 10 yard line, the Gophers first turnover since the 2nd quarter vs USC. One phantom PI call and a broken coverage easy TD pass later, PJ Fleck & Co were in trouble.

RUTGERS BALL ‼️😤 @RFootball #B1GFootball on Peacock 💻 pic.twitter.com/vqKS0npaBi

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 9, 2024

Rutgers running backs accumulated just 27 yards on the ground… until their final drive of the game, when they ran all over the Minnesota defense, positioning the Scarlet Knights for a field goal that put them up 10 and iced the game.

There are no easy games in the 2024 Big Ten

But former Gopher QB Athan Kaliakmanis, along with former University of Minnesota coaches Kirk Ciarrocca (OC) and Joe Harasymiak (DC) now leading the show on both sides of the ball for Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights were not going to hand PJ Fleck and their new QB Max Brosmer an easy victory.

Without a doubt, this was the best game Rutgers has played in weeks, and that isn’t surprising, given the familiarity between coaching staffs and the revenge storylines surrounding today’s Big Ten contest.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Snubbed in Both Polls, Especially AP

From the opening kick, this one was a slobberknocker between two teams that know each other way too well, especially when this is only the second time they’ve played each other since 2019. But again, that’s what happens when most of the members from both coaching staffs have coached together, at one point or another in their careers.

Rutgers came into Saturday’s contest on a four-game losing streak, but they had been playing better of late, at least on offense, where they put up a total of 52 points over the past two weeks. Their problem has been on defense… but that wasn’t a huge problem vs the Minnesota Gophers.

That’s because, no matter who the opponent is in this conference, even if they have given up 133 points over their past four games. If you don’t bring it every single week, in every facet of the game, you will lose, especially if you aren’t Ohio State.

The Golden Gophers were not good on offense vs Rutgers this weekend, especially in the trenches, and the defense was extremely inconsistent. It doesn’t matter who you play in the Big Ten, your team will likely lose when that is the case. Minnesota found that out on Saturday.

Sources: Minnesota is naming co-coordinators to replace former offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. Matt Simon, who was a co-coordinator, will be joined in that spot by Greg Harbaugh. Harbaugh served as Minnesota’s tight end coach. Both will receive pay raises.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 9, 2023

The offensive double threat. #RTB

????: https://t.co/oFGzLtduMZ pic.twitter.com/6ssacs3WrR

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) January 9, 2023

Gopher football beat writer and recruiting expert, Ryan Burns (GopherIllustrated.com), believes Simon will call plays and that Harbaugh will be promoted to QB coach. Simon was already listed as a co-oc but didn’t call plays.

He doesn’t have much experience doing so, either, but did call them vs West Virginia during the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, after Ciarrocca announced he was leaving for Penn State.

Fleck Turns to Internal Hires

This time around, Kirk Ciarrocca took a $500K raise to turn his back on PJ Fleck and move his office East. Thus, Fleck had a decision to make. Should he hire from within or look to an outside talent, like he did with Mike Sanford the last time Kirk left Dinkytown?

In the end, he decided to look inward this time around. The proof will be in the pudding as to what the right choice was.

Matt Simon Coaching Experience

2020-present: Minnesota – Co-Offensive Coordinator / Wide Receivers
2019: Minnesota – Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers 
2017-18: Minnesota – Wide Receivers
2014-16: Western Michigan – Wide Receivers
2013: Rutgers – Wide Receivers
2012: Rutgers – Player Development
2011: University of St. Thomas (Minn.) – Tight Ends
2010: Northern Illinois – Offensive Quality Control

Greg Harbaugh Jr Coaching Experience

2023-present: Minnesota – Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2022: Minnesota – Tight Ends
2020-21: Western Michigan – Wide Receivers
2019: Minnesota – Quality Control
2018: Chattanooga – Wide Receivers
2017: Minnesota – Quality Control 
2015-16: Western Michigan – Graduate Assistant
2013-14: Marietta College – Passing Game Coordinator / Recruiting Coordinator / Video Coordinator / Academic Coordinator 
2011-12: Methodist University – Assistant Coach
2009-10: North Carolina Wesleyan College – Wide Receivers / Running Backs

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Sources: Rutgers is targeting Minnesota’s Kirk Ciarrocca to be the school’s new offensive coordinator. The deal is not complete, but is expected to happen in upcoming days. Rutgers expected to make a substantial commitment to bring in former offensive coordinator.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2023

Ciarrocca was PJ Fleck’s offensive coordinator for 7 seasons going back to his first year as head coach at Western Michigan in 2013. He was almost hired away by West Virginia before the 2019 season, before finally jumping ship in 2020 in favor of Penn State.

The Pennsylvania native lasted just one season in his home state before being fired. After spending on year as an “offensive analyst” at West Virginia, Ciarrocca jumped back into Fleck’s boat for the 2022 season. Ciarrocca would be the third coach this season that Fleck has lost.

Coaches Jumping Ship

First was running back’s coach, Kenni Burns, who fled for the head coaching job at Kent State. Then yesterday, cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator, Paul Haynes, was reportedly ready to accept a job at rival Wisconsin.

But Kirk Ciarrocca leaving on a lateral move for Rutgers is a kick to the gut of PJ Fleck’s program. He’s only been back on staff for one season and, though he has coaching experience with the Scarlet Knights and with Greg Schiano, a move to New Jersey is absolutely a downgrade from the position he held at Minnesota. Even if he’s getting a small bump in pay.

So Long Kirk Ciarrocca

The yearly rumors about Ciarrocca flying the Dinkytown coop were beyond annoying anyway. Leaving for Penn State was bad timing but explainable. But Kirk, you operated one of the worst passing attacks in the Big Ten last season and got a raise for it.

Instead of looking for greener pastures, Ciarrocca should have been in the lab with Athan Kaliakmanis trying to find a way to 9 wins next season with both Ohio State and Michigan on the schedule.

Seriously though… Rutgers? Give me a fucking break.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Jeff Brohm’s shiny new offense had posted 38 or more points in 4 of its last 5 games, going into the matchup. Oddsmakers saw a track meet (o/u: 58.5), even though the forecast called for snow. Instead, Rossi & Co punched the Boilermaker offense in the face for four-straight quarters, while Kirk Ciarrocca picked their defense apart. Final score: 41-10, Gophers win.

Brohm was 1-0 vs PJ Fleck, as a Big Ten rival, going into that late-season dual. Overall, Brohm was 2-0 against PJ (1-0 vs Fleck with W. Michigan). Since that victory, Fleck has beaten the Fighting Jeff Brohms three-straight times and now holds a 4-1 record vs Purdue as Minnesota head coach (4-2 overall).

Deeper than Purdue

But it wasn’t just the division rivalry vs Purdue that Joe Rossi helped turn around, on that snowy night in Dinkytown. That win and the arrival of Rossi turned the tide on PJ Fleck’s program at the University of Minnesota. The Gophers lost the following week, to the eventual Big Ten West champions (Northwestern: 14-24). then closed out the season with two more dubs.

The defense dominated Wisconsin (37-15), in Madison, to close out the regular season. Then, they suffocated Georgia Tech’s (34-10) triple option offense in the Quick Lane Bowl a month later. In 2018 the Gophers were 4-5 with Robb Smith as DC; 3-1 under Rossi.

Then, 2019 happened. Minnesota went 11-2 and beat Auburn (31-24) in the Outback Bowl. That made the PJ Fleck and the Gophers 14-3 with Joe Rossi as defensive coordinator. The last two years haven’t been as successful, from a record standpoint. But that was more of a Mike Sanford problem, it appears, than an anything else problem.

Joe Rossi + PJ Fleck

Zoom out even further, PJ Fleck held a 9-12 record with Smith as his defensive coordinator. Since Joe Rossi took the reigns (mid-2018 to current), the Minnesota Gophers are 30-11. Now, time accounts for some of those wins. Fleck’s program was a lot younger, when Robb Smith was DC.

But the change under Rossi has been monumental. Minnesota went from a defense that gave up 40-50 burgers on the regular, to one that opponents are lucky to score 10 on. And yes, the Gopher offense has been high powered through four games this season and ripped up the Big Ten in 2019. But outside of some hiccups in 2020, it’s been the defense that has kept this program afloat in harder times offensively.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

➡️ Undefeated and 4-0 ATS
➡️ 183-24 point differential
➡️ Averaging 543 yds/game
➡️ Starting defense has allowed 3 points
➡️ 0 rush TDs allowed
➡️ Allowing 187 yds/game
➡️ 40:35 avg time of possession

Row the boat ski u mah go gophers 〽️ https://t.co/onBOFPMWHh

— Barstool Gophers (@BarstoolUMN) September 28, 2022

The Minnesota Golden Gophers (@GopherFootball) have allowed under 280 total yards in 11 consecutive games, dating back to last season. pic.twitter.com/dNFv3ZU3R8

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 27, 2022

And I don’t want to alarm anyone with this stat, but it feels wrong not to share it. With Kirk Ciarrocca and Joe Rossi at PJ Fleck’s side, the Minnesota Gophers football team is 18-3. I’m counting the Outback Bowl because Kirk may not have been there, but it was his offense the Gophers ran.

Enjoy Joe Rossi While He’s Here

The Gophers’ dominance on defense goes beyond wins/losses and statistics. If you prefer anecdotal evidence, talk to Rossi’s players. He’s nicknamed “The Guru” because he remembers everything and he’s always considered the smartest guy in the room. What’s even better about him? He hates that nickname.

Here’s a clip from PJ Fleck defending Rossi, when things were going sideways in 2020. Below it is a 2021 quote from linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, about his DC’s steel-trap of a brain.

Joe Rossi's not getting fired. #Gophers pic.twitter.com/QuJ3rA3brz

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 2, 2020

“He is the walking library of plays. He can watch a play in practice and say the Sam linebacker … sheds (a block) early and the ball bounces. He can go back in time and tell you exactly when that happened in game, a 10-year-old play. He’ll be like, ‘I will tell you a time Indiana was playing Ohio State in 2017 and their Sam linebacker did the exact same thing and the ball bounced for a 40-yard touchdown. It’s just funny because guys get a little chuckle out of it. It’s true because sometimes he’ll pull up the play and show us.” — Mariano Sori-Marin (via Pioneer Press)

There’s some bitterness to writing this blog about how great Joe Rossi is. Blogs and articles just like this one are sure to hit the world wide web frequently over the next couple of months. Hype that is likely to push Rossi into a head coaching job this offseason. And he’ll deserve it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Under Ciarrocca in 2019, Tanner set all of the major single season passing records at the University of Minnesota. Without him in 2020 and 2021, Morgan dissolved into one of the worst quarterbacks in the Big Ten. In a conference with Spencer Petras, Graham Mertz and Noah Vedral that’s saying something.

Tanner Morgan 6.0

The 2022 Gophers weren’t even asking for 2019 Tanner Morgan to reappear. They just needed him to revert back toward that direction. Most of the fanbase would’ve happily settled for QB competence this season. Instead, we’ve gotten the best version of Tanner that we’ve ever seen. Which, in turn, means some of the best quarterback play Dinkytown has ever seen.

He’s confident, poised and playing fast. Reads are decisive and on time. Accuracy through the roof. Really, the 6th-year senior is an entirely different player, right now.

Morgan has the Minnesota Gophers offense humming, as the most efficient in all of college football and his early numbers are even better than what he set records with three years ago. Per Fangraphs, Morgan is 4th in the country in QB Rating, 2nd in completion % and 3rd in yards per pass thrown. Sure, it’s early and the competition hasn’t been fierce. But to this point in 2019, the schedule had the same story.

Only difference, Tanner wasn’t nearly as good back then and the Gophers barely squeaked out wins vs SDSU, Fresno State, Georgia Southern and Purdue; instead of bulldozing through NMSU, Western Illinois, Colorado and Michigan State, like they have through four games this season.

Sparty Learns the Hard Way

On Saturday, Michigan State found that out the hard way. The Spartans entered last weekend’s contest thinking they were up facing Mike Sanford’s Minnesota Gophers’ offense. An offense that couldn’t pass the ball effectively, no matter the circumstances.

MSU’s defense was intent on making Morgan beat them. So, he did, going 23/26 for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, earning himself Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Final score: 34-7, Gophers.

Tanner showed out on Saturday and people took notice. pic.twitter.com/KT5ddyYQuk

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 26, 2022

Purdue Up Next

Now, the undefeated (4-0) Gophers will welcome the Purdue Boilermakers to Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday (11 AM). And there isn’t a team in the Big Ten (outside of maybe Nebraska) who has struggled more against the Minnesota coaching threesome of PJ Fleck, Joe Rossi and Kirk Ciarrocca, than the Boilermakers.

Will Jeff Brohm & Co key in on stopping Mohamed Ibrahim, too? Or, has Tanner Morgan scared them enough to pull safeties out of the box and/or hesitate against the run, because of possible play-action? Unlike the previous two seasons, there’s a thin margin for error defending both the run and pass vs the Minnesota offense.

And that’s thanks to Tanner Morgan + Kirk Ciarrocca, not just resurrecting the Minnesota Gophers passing attack, but elevating it to heights we’ve never seen in this program’s history.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Let’s be honest, there is a large contingent of Gopher football fans out there who have been burned by high early-season hopes too many times before. These fans won’t be fooled by easy non-conference schedules any longer. We all know fans like this. Hell, maybe you are one. The, ‘yeah, but who have they beaten?’ crowd.

These fans have spent the last couple Saturdays fall cleaning, maybe warm-weather bow hunting, or a family afternoon at the apple orchard. They might check box scores later on. Maybe, they have push notifications sent to their phones. Meanwhile, the Gophers ran up scores vs New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado.

We love this game. #RTB // #SkiUMah // #Gophers pic.twitter.com/hs2BuQzrGh

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 21, 2022

Bandwagon Gopher Fans Are Paying Attention This Week

Call them what you want: “Bandwagon“, “Fairweather” or “Smart“. There’s nothing wrong with this type of fandom, a group that makes up about half of every fanbase (completely unscientific estimate). And on Saturday (2:30 PM), when the Minnesota Gophers kickoff as (-3) favorites in East Lansing vs the Michigan State Spartans, many of these “prove it to me” fans will sit down and flip their maroon and gold on for the first time this season.

Others are even more stubborn and need to see a victory over the Spartans this weekend, before devoting a rare fall afternoon to their favorite college football team. Either way, their attention is on the line Saturday. The Gophers need to beat the Spartans or these fans will be out of the boat until convinced to come back.

For those of us who continue to watch weekend in and weekend out, Saturday afternoon is a barometer check and a game that we know would vault Minnesota into the AP Top-25 poll. But win or lose, we’ll be watching again next week vs Purdue. And we’ll continue to cling to hopes of a Big Ten West title, too. Because we love the punishment.

But if PJ Fleck and Co. want to fill Huntington Bank Stadium at home next weekend vs the Boilermakers, and get the entire fanbase excited about what 2022 might hold, winning vs Michigan State is a necessity. So, here’s what it will take:

Three Keys:

Tanner Morgan Gut Check — So far this season, Tanner Morgan has looked much more like his 2019 self, than he has either of the last two years. We think that is the Kirk Ciarrocca effect. That might be true, but looking competent vs New Mexico State, Western Illinois and a bad Colorado team, doesn’t tell us for sure. Michigan State is a big step up, but they still rank near the bottom of power five football in passing defense.

The Wright Time? — With Chris Autman-Bell out for the season, somebody needs to step up and prove themselves as a reliant option in the pass game for Tanner Morgan. Dylan Wright, a former 5-star college recruit who began his career at Texas A&M, is BY FAR the most talented of the bunch. Now, in his second season with the Gophers, this feels like the perfect time for Wright to come out of his shell.

Some more angles because this Dylan Wright TD deserve it pic.twitter.com/uJsO77pzIk https://t.co/6lUl4nD8X6

— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 17, 2022

Test Time for Defense — The Minnesota Gophers defense was a top-20 unit last season, according to Football Outsiders, and they could be even better this season. Against the sub-par competition they’ve seen so far, Joe Rossi’s unit has been dominant, allowing just 17 total points and 511 total yards of offense, through three games. The Spartans have one of the best passing offenses in the Big Ten and could give the Gophers secondary their biggest test of the entire regular season.

Prediction

Of course, I’m picking the Minnesota Gophers to beat the Michigan State Spartans. Why? Because I believe in Tanner Morgan, with Kirk Ciarrocca beside him, and I trust that this Gophers defense will be just as legitimate as next season. That means, the Minnesota defense finds a way to keep a high-powered Michigan State offense off the scoreboard more often than the Sparty defense can do to the Gopher offense.

Minnesota wins: 27-20

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It was vs Bowling Green (2021), a group-of-5 school. The Gophers entered as 30.5 point favorites and lost 14-10. The non-conference blunder — paired with an embarrassing 14-6 loss vs Illinois that cost them the Big Ten West — ruined an otherwise successful season. The reoccurring issue wasn’t a mystery. The Minnesota Gophers couldn’t throw the ball.

Remember 2019 Tanner Morgan?

A once-promising NFL prospect, Tanner Morgan fell off the Big Ten QB cliff. He went from 2nd-Team All Big Ten in 2019, to being talked about in the same conversations as Graham Mertz and Spencer Petras. Oh, you have forgotten how good Morgan once looked?

Head over to the single-season U of M passing record book. As a Sophomore in 2019, Tanner set the single-season school records for yards (3,253), touchdowns (30), completion percentage (66%), TD/INT ratio (4.28 | 30 TD / 7 INT). He was a third round QB, and rising, in many “future” draft classes.

We lost track, but we think Tanner Morgan was 33-of-33 for about 1,000 yards and 20 TDs in these highlights. pic.twitter.com/p68vNdcxbe

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) July 15, 2020

2019 QBR Rankings of Returning QBs:

1. Justin Fields (tOSU) – 92.1
2. Trevor Lawrence (Clem) – 87.3
3. Tanner Morgan (UMN) – 84.2
4. Micale Cunningham (UL) – 83.9
5. Jack Coan (Wisc) – 82.0
6. Kyle Trask (UF) – 81.3
7. Kedon Slovis (USC) – 81.1
8. Peyton Ramsey (NW) – 80.2 pic.twitter.com/gInY5vSx0F

— Sidelines – CFB (@SSN_CollegeFB) June 4, 2020

But after Kirk Ciarrocca left for Penn State, and Mike Sanford began his Gophers OC tenure, Tanner Morgan became a shell of his 2019 self. He looked jumpy and nervous in the pocket. Many times, Tanner looked downright confused. Morgan’s statistical comparisons, under Ciarrocca vs Sanford, paint a vivid picture of his downfall.

The statistical downfall of Tanner Morgan under Mike Sanford

In 2020, the Gophers played just seven games. So, Morgan’s 1,374 total passing yards that season can be deceiving. But his yards per attempt and adjusted yards per attempt went sour, too. Tanner’s 10.2 Y/A and 11.1 AY/A in 2019 fell all the way to 7.5 and 7.0 in 2020. A nearly impossible decline.

Morgan’s play under Sanford didn’t get much better in year two, even with a full offseason of working together. After throwing for a record-breaking 30 touchdowns in 2019 (13 games), alone, Morgan threw for just 17 total touchdowns during two seasons (19 games) under Mike Sanford’s tutelage.

So when the 2021 season came to an end, all of the questions surrounded the Minnesota Gophers football team centered around two people. Tanner Morgan, and the offensive coordinator who supervised his decline, Mike Sanford.

Fixing the passing problem

Was PJ Fleck going to fire Sanford? Would Tanner use his 6th season of eligibility to return and, if so, would there be a quarterback competition? The answers to those questions came quickly. Yes, yes and no.

Mike Sanford was fired on November 29, right after the 2021 regular season came to an end, and before the Minnesota Gophers started preparation for their bowl game vs West Virginia. Morgan announced his return for a 6th and final year, soon after. And by the time their bowl game was played on December 28, we knew the 2022 starting job was Tanner’s and that he’d be reunited with Kirk Ciarrocca, who had been rehired as Minnesota’s OC.

So, here we are…

Fast forward to tomorrow. Through two games (vs bad opponents) under Ciarrocca, Tanner Morgan has flourished. The Gophers, once again, look as explosive offensively as they’ve ever been under Fleck.

Mike Sanford was hired by Colorado, as offensive coordinator. Converse to Minnesota’s early success in 2022, Sanford’s start in Boulder has been rocky. The Buffaloes have mustered just 23 points through two games, leading to losses vs TCU (38-13) and @ Air Force (41-10).

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel is calling Colorado the worst Power-5 team in all of college football, and part of that has to do with what looks like a brutal OC hire, in Mike Sanford.

I was high on Minnesota entering the season, but I’m not sure we’ve learned a thing about the Gophers yet after blowouts of New Mexico State and Western Illinois, and even this week’s step up may be fairly useless because Colorado is my early leader for worst Power 5 team in the country. — Stewart Mandel (The Athletic)

Climbing out of Sanford hole starts with a glow up vs Sanford

So, Saturday’s game isn’t about the Minnesota Gophers vs Colorado Buffaloes. Because the contest, itself, shouldn’t really be a contest. Instead, the Gophers need to prove themselves as worthy Big Ten West favorites.

To do that, Minnesota needs to prove that Tanner Morgan can revert back to the QB we saw in 2019. So far, so good. Through two games, he’s posted 461 yards on 73% completion and 12.5 Y/A, easily looking like the best QB in the division, behind Purdue’s Aiden O’Connell.

A look at that @GopherFootball offense's day in W2 ????

• Most points (62) in a game since 2006
• Most total yards (679) in a game since 2004#B1Gstats pic.twitter.com/9zkPvTB8vk

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) September 11, 2022

But those numbers were posted vs FCS (Western Illinois) and bad group of 5 (New Mexico State) competition. As mentioned, Colorado isn’t a good P5 football program. They are, however, a P5 football program. That means P5 talent and P5 size.

So, this is an important step for Morgan and the Gophers offense. We need to see, again, the poised/confident version of Tanner Morgan. The same guy who has been IMA for two seasons. It’s an opportunity to show everybody watching that he wasn’t the problem, during the Sanford tenure.

Because this is the final preseason test that new/old Tanner Morgan and the 2022 Minnesota Gophers will get. Next week, the 30-point favorite games are done, when the Gophers hit the road to play (#11) Michigan State, in East Lansing.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Kirk’s replacement, Mike Sanford, had a track record for ruining quarterbacks before he arrived. And he lived up to his reputation with Tanner Morgan, who never surpassed 2,100 yards or 10 TD’s in either season under Sanford. Given the offense’s tentative nature in 2020 and 2021, it’s clear PJ Fleck never trusted Sanford either.

Picking up where they left off

But after falling on his face at PSU and eating a lot of humble pie on his way down, Kirk Ciarrocca was hired back as Minnesota Gophers offensive coordinator for the 2022 season; Tanner Morgan’s 6th and final year of eligibility. And while it’s true that the Gophers are yet to face any real competition, the difference already in Morgan’s confidence and comfortability isn’t just noticeable. It’s palpable.

Easy. ????@brevyn_ x @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/FBIrPdy66R

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) September 10, 2022

CHRIS AUTMAN-BELL. ????@chrisautmanbell X @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/EqOYIUVYnT

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) September 10, 2022

There were hints of improvement last week vs New Mexico State. But, the Fighting Jerry Kills kept two safeties deep for most of the game, which invited PJ Fleck to embrace his favorite part of football. Running the ball and controlling the clock. So, he took advantage.

In week two, however, their FCS opponent — Western Illinois — wanted to make the Gophers beat them through the air. And in a stunning change of fate, Fleck, Ciarrocca and Morgan were happy to oblige. After just 2 quarters of play, Tanner had already collected 223 yards, on 11/15 passes. He finished 14-18 for 287 yards and one TD.

It was 2019 all over again, maybe better. The slant game is ABSOLUTELY back and so are the big plays. But what has changed, is Morgan’s awareness and movement in the pocket. He looks calm, cool and collected. He’s looking off defensive backs and strategically maneuvering to areas that allow clean step-up windows on deeper throws.

Different Tanner Morgan

Right after Ciarrocca left the program and Mike Sanford was hired, Big Ten football was shut down in 2020, before eventually starting back up again. Worse yet, Tanner’s dad (Ted) was battling cancer. A battle he would eventually lose in 2021. It’s been a tough couple of years for many, but Tanner Morgan had a lot on his plate.

So far, 2022 has been a better year. Morgan got married in the offseason and, on the football field, he has his old offense back. We’ll see if his confidence and poise continues to grow as a new season with Kirk Ciarrocca moves forward. If so, there isn’t a team in the Big Ten West that can hang with the Minnesota Gophers.

pic.twitter.com/ZlajnDL4qy

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 10, 2022

Western Illinois probably wanted to drop their football program by the time this 62-10 shellacking was over.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Morgan, along with teammates Mohamed Ibrahim, John Michael Schmitz and Chris Autman-Bell; announced a return for one last college football campaign in 2022. PJ Fleck fired offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr and re-hired Kirk Ciarrocca, who held that position until he left for Penn State in 2020. But the success next season will fall mostly on the shoulders of Tanner and whether or not he can return to anything that resembles what he showed in 2019 under Ciarrocca.

Tanner Morgan under Kirk Ciarrocca:
– 21 G: 63.5%, 4376 YDS, 37 TD, 12 INT

Tanner Morgan under Mike Sanford:
– 19 G: 58.8%, 3309 YDS, 17 TD, 13 INT#Gophers

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 28, 2021

All Eyes on Tanner Morgan

That’s why all eyes will be on Tuesday in Phoenix will be on #2. Kirk Ciarrocca will not call plays nor will he be in the building vs West Virginia but the last time Matt Simon sat in as play caller for Morgan was 2 years ago (Jan 1, 2020) in the Outback Bowl vs Auburn. In that game, the Minnesota Gophers dominated the Tigers both from the ground and in the air.

Morgan went 19/29 for a modest 278 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT that day. His QBR was 88.7 and his NFL-style passer rating was 105.2. His 68.9 PFF grade, however, was one of his worst of that season. Only three times in 2019 did Morgan’s PFF grade drop under 68.9 and his final grade that year was 89.1, good for 14th best in the entire country.

On Tuesday night, however, Gopher fans would give arms and legs to have Morgan provide that same type of Auburn stat line vs West Virginia. Tanner’s 89.1 final PFF grade from 2019 feels like a dream that we can’t be sure happened. Even his final 2021 grade of 74.1 feels generous.

Mike Sanford’s Fault?

Many fans want to point their finger at former OC Mike Sanford, who directly oversaw Tanner Morgan’s 2-year decline from 2020 to 2022. And there is plenty of evidence, given his track record of doing the same thing to other quarterbacks, that Sanford was the biggest problem.

In 2018 Jordan Love had 32 TD’s and 6 INT at Utah State.

When Mike Sanford got there in 2019, that went to 20 TD’s and 17 INT. ????

For #Gophers wondering, 2019 Tanner Morgan was 30 TD 7 INT.

2020, first year under Sanford/also COVID, was 7TD/5INT.

This year so far? 6TD/5INT ????

— Chelsea Breza-Berndt (@ChelseaBerndt) November 7, 2021

Tanner Morgan's career #Gophers stats:

– 2019: 250.2 passing yards per game, 30 TDs

**Mike Sanford Jr. hired as OC

– 2020: 196.3 passing yards per game, 7 TDs

– 2021: 161.3 passing yards per game, 10 TDs

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 29, 2021

But that’s just another reason why all eyes will be on Morgan Tuesday night. It’s our first chance to see Tanner without Sanford’s shackles holding him back. Will he look like his old self? If not, will he look better than he has through 12 games this season? As fans, we have to hope so. Because success in 2022 depends on it.

Better Morgan or Bust

After Morgan announced he was returning, two of his most-likely replacements entered the transfer portal. Zack Annexstad beat Tanner out once for the starting job and was on his way to doing it again, until suffering a season-ending leg injury before the 2019 season began. He’s gone. Jacob Clark was once seen as the bridge QB between the Morgan/Annexstad era into the Athan Kaliakmanis era. He’s now gone too.

There won’t be a bridge between Morgan and Kaliakmanis now. Tanner will eventually hand the QB reigns directly to Athan, who will be in his 3rd year by the time Morgan is no longer in the room. If that happens during the 2022 season, it’ll be due to injury or non-satisfactory results.

So tonight, all eyes will be on Tanner Morgan. And they will all be looking for the same thing. He needs to show us that it’s possible 2019 wasn’t a fluke and that he was the best quarterback option for the 2022 Minnesota Gophers.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

But on Thursday night, Yahoo Sports’s Pete Thamel, turned random conjectures into reality. Thamel is reporting that Minnesota is targeting Ciarrocca as their next offensive coordinator. Ryan Burns (Gopher Illustrated) has confirmed that Ciarrocca is the hire.

That’s right, PJ is getting the old (2019) band back together.

Sources: Minnesota has targeted Kirk Ciarrocca as the school’s new offensive coordinator. He worked as P.J. Fleck’s OC for seven combined seasons at Western Michigan and Minnesota. He was the OC for Minnesota’s 11-2 2019 season and worked last year as a West Virginia analyst.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 3, 2021

Until he left for Penn State after the 2019 regular season, Kirk Ciarrocca was the only offensive coordinator that PJ Fleck ever employed. Under Ciarrocca, Tanner Morgan posted numbers in 2019 (3,253 YDS, 30 TD, 7 INT) that he hasn’t touched since.

Could the old OC be exactly what the Minnesota Gophers offense has been missing? Looks like we’re about to find out.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan