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

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 while waiting for the end of December to draw a little closer, I’ve been looking forward to the 2022 season schedule. On paper, it looks easier than what we saw in 2021, mostly because the Big Ten schedule misses both Ohio State and Michigan. That, however, is a blog for another day.

We know that PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers have a knack for making early season matchups vs lesser opponents way too competitive. Game plans and scheming against teams like South Dakota State, Georgia Southern, Miami (OH) and Bowling Green during the last two non-conference season have been more much more bland than what we’ve seen in Big Ten play. They got away with it in 2019 (barely) but it cost them a win vs BGSU in 2021.

But if there was any year where Fleck and his staff would “change their best” during non-conference play, it might be in 2022.

Wk 1: New Mexico State w/new HC, Jerry Kill

Jerry Kill hates PJ Fleck and that’s not hyperbole. Kill has come out publicly multiple times, since the University of Minnesota hired Fleck, and denounced both the hire and how his former staff was treated on their way out.

There is absolutely nothing else Jerry Kill will think about during this offseason than beating PJ Fleck. He could lose every other game and still call the season a success if he comes to Huntington Bank Stadium to knock off his old Gophers and his most-hated peer.

For PJ Fleck, that’s a nightmare he cannot afford to see come true. Writers in this town would NEVER let him forget about losing to a “Year Zero” New Mexico State team coached by Kill.

Wk 3: Colorado w/new OC, Mike Sanford

Mike Sanford lasted two season as Minnesota Gophers offensive coordinator, before being fired at the end of November. His tenure will not be remembered fondly. Sanford will forever be known as the OC who ruined (or almost ruined, depending on how 2022 goes) Tanner Morgan as a quarterback.

Now, Mike Sanford is heading to Colorado University where he’ll be offensive coordinator and QB’s Coach. The Buffaloes football brain trust must’ve liked what they saw when the Gophers thumped them 30-0 in Boulder. So much so that they’re willing to ignore what happened to Minnesota’s passing game after Sanford took over.

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

Sanford vs Rossi

The Minnesota Gophers and Colorado Buffaloes will fulfill their two-year home/away football agreement in 2022 when CU comes to Huntington Bank Stadium in week 3 of the non-conference. I can promise that Joe Rossi and his defensive staff aren’t bringing a vanilla scheme or game plan to that matchup.

Mike Sanford will be in a new environment and working for a new head coach. His offense is bound to have a much different flavor than what we saw while he was here. It will be up to Joe Rossi and PJ Fleck to change up what they’re doing enough defensively that Mike can’t take advantage of what he learned while here.

We’ve seen PJ Fleck’s Gophers play down to, and even lose, vs opponents who shouldn’t belong on the same field. So it doesn’t really matter how good the 2022 New Mexico State or Colorado teams are. Fleck will have to get his team more ready to play in next season’s non-conference than he has in the past or he could face a terrible and embarrassing start to the season. Because more than ever, the opposing coaching staffs will be ready and hungry to taste the tears of PJ.

Now watch the Gophers’ one non-conference loss be against Western Illinois in week 2. That would be the Minnesota way.

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

The news was first reported by FootballScoop.com and later confirmed by Andy Greder (Pioneer Press).

Minnesota is going in a different direction at offensive coordinator, sources tell @FootballScoop. Mike Sanford will not return after two seasons on the job.https://t.co/hhy494DrhZ

— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) November 29, 2021

According to the report from Football Scoop, it was Fleck who wanted to go a different direction. Now, the question surrounds who will replace Mike Sanford. Could PJ Fleck possible bring back Kirk Ciarrocca, who is currently an offensive analyst for West Virginia OR does he turn to Matt Simon, who called the Gophers to a Outback Bowl victory at the end of the 2019 season?

Obviously, we’ll keep an eye out for other possible candidates as they prop up. It’s been a crazy day for Minnesota Gophers football.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

That’s because, when either offense struggles, it’s for the same reasons. Both teams rely too heavily on their running games, no matter the score or situation and lack trust in their QB’s and passing game. Each has a plethora of offensive weapons that they underutilize week in and week out. And both head coaches prefer an old-school, run-first and dominate the clock style of football.

The #Vikings have targeted Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson 3 times since halftime.

They’ve been out scored 21-7 since that point.

The ineptitude of Kubiak and Zimmer knows no bounds.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) November 7, 2021

This #Gophers offense looks lost so far.

Their three leading receivers, (Chris Autman-Bell, Mike Brown-Stephens and Dylan Wright) have combined for ZERO targets today.

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) November 6, 2021

Fleck and Zimmer are the same guy (on the field)

PJ Fleck and Mike Zimmer might be complete opposite personalities when engaging with media or going about their daily lives. But once the whistle blows and they’re standing on a sideline, they become the same exact person.

If either Minnesota football team jumps out to a lead, both head coaches will put the aerial offensive game plan on ice, in hopes of running opponents out of stadiums. That was on display last Sunday when the Vikings jumped out to a 17-3 first half lead vs the Ravens and ended up losing in overtime.

If either team falls behind, like the Gophers did 0-14 vs Illinois last weekend, there’s next to no chance they’re able to throw their way back into it. Both offenses take way too long to flip the switch into “oh shit” mode, instead of opening the throttle whenever necessary.

Neither will abandon the run-first game plan until the 4th quarter, which PJ Fleck admitted after their loss last week and Zimmer has mentioned countless times before.

Fleck says that he thought they could run their offense until about 9 minutes left, when they went to their 2 minute offense.

I’d like to sign up for said 2 minute offense as the new 60 minute offense.

— Dan Owen (@DanOwenMN) November 6, 2021

Deny or Lie

That’s why both teams struggle in the same ways. Their offenses are too fucking predictable and boring. Fans know it, media knows it… but the head coaches and offensive coordinators for either club either deny there’s a problem or they act just as befuddled as the rest of us. I’m not sure which I hate more.

PJ Fleck told media this week that the Gopher offense and its game planning is fine. The problem is costly mistakes at crucial moments. But he fails to recognize the reason those mistakes are so crucial is because of PJ’s refusal to trust Tanner Morgan’s arm when he needs to. If you ALWAYS need a positive game script to be successful, penalties and negative plays hurt way more.

Mike Zimmer and Klint Kubiak, on the other hand, have told us for weeks about the need to get more aggressive offensively. They have said the same things this week. But it’s all just lip service. Because when rubber meets the road and the game hangs in the balance, they’ll choose the cautious approach every time, if it’s an option. Just look at last week in overtime.

Kirk Cousins’ arm forced OT on the final Vikings drive in regulation. Then, Anthony Barr made the defensive play of the game, batting a Lamar Jackson pass into the air and then catching it himself on the way down for an INT.

All Minnesota needed was 30 yards and a field goal. Instead, they went three-and-out: short pass, run, short pass, punt. After the game, Zimmer complained about the overtime offense, as if he doesn’t have a headset on that reaches the offensive coordinator. Come on Mike, we’re not that stupid.

Mike Zimmer expressed frustration in the offense, specifically that they failed to even pick up a first down after the Vikings’ two interceptions. Those two drives were brutal and costly.

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) November 7, 2021

Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator or Quarterback?

Here’s where the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Gophers’ offenses align once again. Nobody’s completely sure who deserves the most blame. There’s an obvious trust issue in the passing game for both teams. But whose fault is it?

Should Mike Zimmer and PJ Fleck trust their offensive coordinators more? Or should their offensive coordinators trust their QB’s more? Maybe, its Kirk Cousins and Tanner Morgan who are playing too conservative by nature… It’s possible, given both quarterbacks have no problem handing off to running backs way to often and both have been known to choose the more cautious short throws, even if deeper routes might be open.

Morgan doesn’t have the talent or statistics to be in the same conversation as Cousins. Still, Tanner has thrown for big numbers in the past (2019) and, much like Kirk with the Vikings, is a team veteran in his 5th year. Why pay Kirk Cousins $35 million if you don’t trust him. Why make Tanner Morgan the face of your program if you aren’t sure he can get the job done?

More thoughts on the Gophers’ need for a QB change in the second half: Morgan seems like a great guy but sticking with a QB you clearly don’t trust makes no sense. It’s only 14-0 and a QB change has the potential to provide a spark for an offense that is being shut down.

— Judd Zulgad (@jzulgad) November 6, 2021

Zero trust in Kirk Cousins on those last two plays. We can all debate whether that’s warranted, but the main goal of those last two play calls was to avoid a mistake.

— Phil Mackey ???? (@PhilMackey) November 1, 2021

2x the frustration

Minnesota football fans are pissed off this week and for good reason. If you’re a fan of one team, you’ve been watching the same problems slap you in the face week after week. If you’re unfortunate enough to be a fan of both teams, then you’ve been hit with 2x the frustration on the same fucking topic. It’s like a bad offensive dream that you can’t escape.

Oh, and both head coaches suck at using their timeouts. That’s another commonality they can share over a glass of wine.

Maddening.

Eric Strack | (Angry) Minnesota Sports Fan

The Gophers took to their home Huntington Bank Stadium turf and got smacked around by a ‘group of five’ team that hadn’t beaten a ‘power five’ school since 2019. The maroon and gold looked underprepared and shocked with the type of tenacity brought by the BGSU defense. But the ugliest part of last weekend’s nightmare happened whenever Tanner Morgan dropped back to throw the football.

Tanner Morgan’s No Good, Very Bad Day

Tanner doesn’t deserve all of the blame for his poor play. The veteran-laden offensive line that’s supposed to keep him cozy-warm in the pocket vs MAC opponents wouldn’t have stopped seven middle-schoolers last weekend. But guess what? If you can’t muster better than 5/13 for 59 YDS, 2 INT’s and a lost fumble, nobody is going to care about your o-line play.

Even as badly as the Gophers played on Saturday, Tanner Morgan still had the ball in his hands late in the 4th quarter, down just four points, with chances to lead his team down the field to victory. And to the very last possession, fans thought it would happen.

Why not? Morgan has proven more than capable in those situations, even when he and the rest of the team rode the struggle bus for three quarters. In 2019 vs SDSU, Georgia Southern and Fresno State, Tanner threw Minnesota to 4th quarter victories.

But vs Bowling Green a week ago, instead of a point-producing, game-winning drive, Tanner threw two ugly interceptions that sealed the loss. Both were thrown with under two and a half minutes to play.

Tanner Morgan….YIKESpic.twitter.com/NMAmZiWUMP

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 25, 2021

Tanner Morgan throws an INTERCEPTION!!! Bowling Green can almost kill the clock but Minnesota has one timeout left. pic.twitter.com/I0I3z7H4L6

— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 25, 2021

Who lacks confidence?

I’m struggling to understand who lacked more confidence against Bowling Green; Tanner Morgan when he dropped back to throw OR Fleck and Sanford when they called plays? It’s clear that head coach, PJ Fleck and offensive coordinator, Mike Sanford, did not trust Morgan to throw them to victory. Even against a much lesser opponent.

Obviously, throwing just 13 times in a game where you trailed throughout, speaks volumes. But specific plays tell the story in more detail. Late in the 3rd quarter with the Gophers down 10-7, for example, the Minnesota offense had the ball at the BGSU 33 yard line. It was 3rd and 6 yards. Instead of trusting their senior QB to throw them a huge first down, Fleck and Sanford opted to run the ball. They were stuffed for a 1-yard loss. Matt Trickett missed the 52 yard field goal one play later.

It’s these types of calls that show an obvious lack of trust in Tanner Morgan and contribute to a day where he only threw the football 13 times.

Sink or Swim vs Purdue

So it’s time to take the training wheels off of Tanner Morgan, whether he’s ready or not. The coaching staff needs to show their confidence in him by putting more weight of the outcome on his shoulders. At this point, if you can’t trust Morgan then it’s time to turn to the next guy in line. Since losing OC Kirk Ciarrocca and wide receivers, Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman, the Kentucky kid’s failed to produce results worthy of a power 5 QB.

With your star running back, Mohamed Ibrahim, out and defenses keying to stop the run, trusting Tanner’s arm is a very logical offensive game plan. So PJ Fleck and Mike Sanford should scheme and call a game that is much more balanced vs what we witnessed last weekend.

Both guys have talked this week about doing exactly that, while still staying true to themselves. We’ll see if that actually happens. And if it does, we’ll indeed see whether or not Tanner Morgan is the right guy to lead the Minnesota Gophers going forward. I’ll be in the press box at West Lafayette when we find out. My first road game as a big j. Hopefully it’s a W.

PJ Fleck said the same types of things on his radio show yesterday. Hopefully this means sink or swim time for Tanner Morgan.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 29, 2021

Heard West Lafayette is nice this time of year figured I’d find out for myself. #Gophers pic.twitter.com/t958YIbczk

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 29, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

What Minnesota Gophers fans watched on offense Friday night, and what they’ve been subjected to all season, is criminal. This was supposed to be the strength of this team, entering 2020. Tanner Morgan and Rashod Bateman were going to lead Minnesota to the top of the Big Ten, on that side of the football.

Instead, we’ve gotten the exact opposite. If Mo Ibrahim isn’t rushing for record-breaking numbers of yards and touchdowns, then this passing game cannot function. The most important parts of the Gopher offense returned after last season, except Tyler Johnson and Kirk Ciarrocca.

There are areas of the passing games, when you look on paper, that seem similar to 2019. This team is considerably worse, however, in the statistical categories that matter most (yards and touchdowns).

***These numbers are PRIOR to the game vs Iowa Friday. The rest of the Big Ten hasn’t played yet this week and season stats won’t update for Minnesota until tomorrow. After being updated, they won’t look any better

Something Needs to Change

I don’t know what is going on with Tanner Morgan but something has fucked up his confidence. He looks like a completely different quarterback from what we saw in 2019. That Tanner Morgan was throwing bombs down sidelines and always hitting receivers when they were open. He was constantly making defenses pay for making mistakes and he became known as one of the best RPO quarterbacks in college football.

This Minnesota Gophers offense doesn’t look like an RPO offense at all. The RPO’s look like run plays and I’m not sure Morgan even has the option to pull the ball out of Mo’s breadbasket. Mike Sanford has neutered Tanner Morgan.

It’s a completely different Tanner Morgan. Like he’s been neutered… https://t.co/nBq0YLR8eF

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 14, 2020

Morgan or Sanford or Both

At 1-3, there’s no reason why PJ Fleck should fear making major changes for the rest of this season. There’s nothing to lose anymore. If he’s confident Sanford isn’t the problem, then he needs to give Zack Annexstad a shot at starting QB. If he’s confident Morgan isn’t the problem, then it’s time to give Matt Simon an opportunity to call plays.

And if he’s confident in neither, then switch out both. This is a “free season” so now that our Big Ten West hopes are dead, it’s time to give playing (and playcalling) opportunities to others.

Honestly, we can hope and dream about these things all we want to but PJ Fleck hates making changes to his staff or his team. He had to be forced into it with DC Robb Smith, back in 2018, and I just don’t see him making a change at OC this week.

It’s more likely we see Annexstad get a start but I would have thought we’d see him in garbage time tonight, when the Gophers were down by 35 points. But we didn’t… so wtf do I know?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Source: Minnesota WR coach Matt Simon will be promoted to co-offensive coordinator. He had a huge bowl game as Minnesota's OC, as the Gophers gained 494 yards against a rugged Auburn defense. https://t.co/3XAM9oM0Tk

I was taken a bit aback by this announcement, when I first saw it, because I didn’t expect PJ to go outside of the program to hire a new offensive coordinator this quickly. If he was going to move expeditiously like this, I was expecting Matt Simon to be named the guy. Then, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, reports that the Gophers have hired Utah State OC, Matt Sanford to be the new offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Gophers.

But less than 10 minutes later, he reports that the Gophers are also promoting Matt Simon to be Co-Offensive Coordinator next to incoming Mike Sanford. This is a very intriguing decision… who is going to talk to the media ever Tuesday? That’s the real question….

Sanford was once a head coach at Western Kentucky, but was fired in 2018 after a 1-9 showing. He was then hired as the offensive coordinator for Utah State, where he led an Aggies offense that was the catalyst to 7-6 season that included a bowl game this last season. Win or lose… offense wasn’t the problem for Utah State, where Mike’s offense averaged 430 YPG and 29.2 points.

Just like his new Co-Offensive Coordinator Matt Simon, Mike Sanford is known as one of the brightest young minds in college football and also holds most of his experience as a QB Coach. According to Thamel, who reported this originally, says the Gophers are still expected to run the same type of “multiple” offense.

PJ Fleck is not afraid to bring in the best and brightest minds he can find, and then he lets them go to work. If he is intrigued enough by Sanford, to place him next to Simon and trust the two to run the offense in 2020… then I’m excited too.

#RTB

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan