Mainly, they started putting the ball in the endzone. After posting just 84 total yards and 0 points in the first half, Minnesota gained 63 yards and scored 14 points in the 3rd quarter, alone, followed by 87 yards and another touchdown in the fourth. They went from down 10-0 at halftime to up 14-10 by the end of the 3rd.

Brought home the 𝑾 from Cali 📹#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/aFJTtLtHK5

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 13, 2024

In the fourth quarter, the Gophers and Bruins exchanged haymakers and late game leads. Referees tried to screw Minnesota multiple times (shocker). In other words, Saturday’s contest had a lot of the same aspects that all of their conference games have had so far this season.

Another 2024 classic. And for the second week in a row, this time with a final score of 21-17, the University of Minnesota came out victorious vs one of the new Big Ten teams. Here’s what we learned.

Max Brosmer is the difference for Minnesota Gophers

Daniel Jackson is really, really good. And he was again last night. That should not be understated. He will be drafted next April, because he has some of the best hands in the entire country. Vs the Bruins, Jackson caught 10 passes on 13 targets, for 89 yards, and he should have had more (see below).

But at the end of the day, the only reason Jackson is getting 13 targets is because of grad transfer quarterback Max Brosmer, who took the game into his hands during the 2nd half Saturday night, and pretty much willed the Minnesota Gophers to a victory.

It wasn’t just about his 26-of-37 passing (70%), 131.9 rating or 2 touchdowns. Brosmer’s completion percentage stands out, and those who have watched him play before know why it’s so high. But without the context that comes with watching him play, you can’t understand how good and how important he really is.

Like the Gophers’ first touchdown. One UCLA defender blew his coverage. It seemed like a confusion on whether he was supposed to be in man or zone. Big mistake. Brosmer saw it immediately: Elijah Spencer – touchdown.

1️⃣1️⃣ with reservations for 6️⃣‼️

pic.twitter.com/Jya9WDpRS0

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 13, 2024

The composure this kid shows is unbelievable. He changes plays and protections at the line of scrimmage, something that no other QB has been allowed to do under PJ Fleck. And you can watch him go through his reads like clockwork.

Related: PJ Fleck Got Emotional Following Minnesota Gophers Win vs USC

Even as the pocket collapses or when he knows a hit is coming, if there is an open receiver on the field, he will find them. His checkdown, game-winning touchdown shows his brilliance. Taylor was Max’s third, maybe even fourth option on this play. The pocket is so tight, but he stands in, surveys, surveys, surveys and hits Taylor, for what appears to be an easy touchdown. It wasn’t.

📺 @BigTenNetwork https://t.co/xa4feMtXL4 pic.twitter.com/LxYZCF9zxa

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 13, 2024

Don’t forget about Darius Taylor, who ran for a very difficult 30 yards and 1 TD, on a rugged 15 carries. Nothing was easy for him because the Bruins defense was focused on one thing. Stopping him. And they did it pretty successfully. But again, it’s Max Brosmer who makes this offense go, no matter what the stat sheet says.

Good things happen when Koi Perich is on the field

Koi Perich had two more interceptions on Saturday night. Because why wouldn’t he? The true freshman has only been on campus for four months, and he spent the first two recovering from a high school track injury.

Sure, the second interception was a jump ball in the endzone that ended up going right to Perich, but that’s the thing. He always seems to be in the right place, at the right time. It’s like the football finds him… And the first INT was incredible, a diving superman grab that needed review to confirm, given how impossible it appeared in real time. UCLA QB Ethan Garbers was just a split second late on his timing route to the left side. Big mistake.

Another interception for @GopherFootball 👀#B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/1lk2rUOpd5

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 13, 2024

PJ Fleck started the spoon feeding slowly, but Perich continues to eat everything this coaching staff puts on his plate. After playing a combined 19 defensive snaps vs Nevada, Iowa and Michigan, Koi has been on defense during 101 snaps the last two weeks vs USC and UCLA.

Related: Gophers Teammate Steps in to Help Koi Perich Answer Question About Refs vs USC

Not only does he have four total interceptions on the season, already a freshman record at the University of Minnesota, he’s also piled up 10 tackles and forced a huge fumble on defense. Koi’s also added a layer to the kick and punt return game, that PJ Fleck has NEVER had.

• Koi Perich PFF Grades thru 7 games (snaps) : DEF: 87.8 (136) | RDEF: 87.9 (43) | PRSH: 65.7 (4) | COV: 88.3 (89) | TACK: 77.9

And no, the Elko kid isn’t just about flash. He’s not running around blowing assignments because he’s seeking big plays. Koi Perich holds an 87.8 PFF grade on defense this season, after Saturday night, which is easily the highest of the entire group. Kerry Brown has the second-highest grade, at 82.1.

We need an investigation into Big Ten referees

For some reason, the Minnesota Gophers continue to get screwed by referees late in Big Ten games. We saw it happen vs Michigan, when they were called for offsides on an onside kick that they very clearly were not offsides on. That cost the Gophers a legitimate opportunity to win the Little Brown Jug.

That wasn’t the only late call that has gone against the Gophers this season, though, and we saw it happen again against the Bruins. Late in the 4th quarter, Lemeke Brockington was ripped to the ground by his nameplate, an obvious horsecollar penalty. No call.

Schwesinger makes the tackle on third-down and the Bruins get the stop.

Credit: BTN pic.twitter.com/WztSAKeWk5

— Kai Dizon (@KaiADizon) October 13, 2024

On Minnesota’s 2nd to last drive, Daniel Jackson made another beautiful catch, something we have become very used to seeing. But it was ruled incomplete. Fine, tough call in real time. But then, even upon replay, this was not ruled a catch.

Even the broadcast thought Jackson held the ball steady with both hands. Not just through the ground, but through the first down pole held by a chain gang member who must not have been paying attention and was way late to try and move the marker before Daniel Jackson crashes into it.

Related: How to Watch Minnesota Gophers Games

Those two plays happened on the same drive, with only a busted screen pass sandwiched between, and forced a Minnesota Gophers punt, with just 2:53 left on the clock.

Or how about this no-call at the end of a big Minnesota first down? Jackson is clearly out of bounds. The only reason the UCLA defender pushes him to the ground is out of frustration. He knows the play is over and they just gave up a huge play. It’s quite literally the definition of “unnecessary”.

Daniel Jackson is wide open for a 27-yard gain.

Credit: BTN pic.twitter.com/3xJLdCoX11

— Kai Dizon (@KaiADizon) October 13, 2024

Too many times this season, it seems that Big Ten referees are involving themselves in the final decisions of Gopher football games. Why? Why are we talking about zebras after every single game? It makes no sense.

No matter, the Minnesota Gophers move to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in conference play. As of Sunday morning, the Golden Gophers are in 10th place in the Big Ten. Every school ahead of them have played only three conference games. Six of them are 2-1. In other words, the season is just getting started.

Related: Matt Birk Throws Hat in Ring for Gophers Head Coaching Job if PJ Fleck Leaves

Said large, very heavy vehicle was shot toward Minneapolis from 1,900 miles away in sunny Los Angeles, like a heat-seeking smart missile, the moment it was announced that UCLA head coach Chip Kelly had suddenly resigned in favor of an offensive coordinator gig at Ohio State.

UCLA coach Chip Kelly leaving to become Ohio State’s OC, @BruceFeldmanCFB reports. When Day was New Hampshire’s QB, Kelly was UNH’s OC. Expect Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck among UCLA’s top candidates

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) February 9, 2024

Along with the announcement of Kelly’s departure, Gophers head coach PJ Fleck was named as a top candidate to to replace him. Of course, we all know what happened in the hours that followed. More reports quickly arose connecting PJ to the Bruins job.

At points during that 30-hour period of unknown, it felt more likely that Fleck would leave than stay. But on Saturday afternoon, Fleck tweeted his commitment to the University of Minnesota, ending a whirlwind few days around Gopher nation.

So how close was PJ Fleck to taking the UCLA job?

But in the aftermath left by UCLA’s near miss, questions remain over how close Fleck actually was to leaving town. Well, on Monday’s episode of the Pair and a Spare Podcast, which is hosted by Gophers sideline reporter Justin Gaard (KFAN), Gopher Illustrated insider Ryan Burns (247Sports) and veteran Minnesota sports scribe Chip Scoggins (Star Tribune), Burns shed light on the situation.

And if you were doubting the legitimacy of Fleck’s interest in taking the Bruins job, that he has some diehard commitment to building and growing his program in Minnesota and nowhere else… I have some bad news for you. The only thing that stopped Fleck to UCLA from happening is just how bad of shape the Bruins football program is in right now.

Related: Does PJ Fleck Have His Recruiting Mojo Back?

It’s a team and athletic department that’s in complete shambles and it’s a school that lacks the financial security to make an established Big Ten head coach like Fleck make the jump into uncertain waters. But if not for UCLA’s massive budget deficit and mismanagement of money in recent years, PJ is probably moving into a new west coast office this week.

“I think this was as close as [PJ] Fleck has ever come, at this at this university, to leaving. I think there was so much smoke in the air and I think ultimately it comes down to UCLA [having] a $25-$27 million deficit in their athletic department. Martin Jarman is not exactly on steady footing there, as the athletic director. You have a chancellor who’s overseeing things and they’re not on steady ground and I just don’t think they had the money to pay a $5 million buyout” … “Then you gotta give [Fleck] a bump (raise). The other thing I also heard was UCLA gave all of their assistant [coaches] two-year deals so they would have had to buy out all of their assistants for that, which is multi millions of dollars.”

Ryan Burns – Pair and a Spare Podcast

This doesn’t mean Fleck’s departure is imminent

It’s not all doom and gloom, for those who are invested in PJ Fleck and his Row The Boat culture. This near move doesn’t mean he is guaranteed to leave as soon as another opportunity presents itself. Fleck is still here and, according to Burns, UCLA has always been one of the biggest threats to lure PJ away from Dinkytown.

Related: Are Minnesota Gophers Assistant Football Coaches Underpaid? The Contracts Say…

Now that the Bruins vacancy is filled, Minnesota’s 247Sports insider cannot foresee another coaching job coming open in the near future where Fleck would have comparable interest to what he had in coaching at the University of California Los Angeles.

Burns doesn’t want to name any specific schools that PJ has on his “list” so he trails off during the explanation (twice). But it’s clear Ryan doesn’t feel threatened by any of the jobs he sees as possible coming open anytime in the foreseeable future.

“Now that UCLA has hired a guy, I go back to, ‘now what’? There isn’t another job that I look at where it’s like yeah yeah [he’d leave for that job]…”

“Again, now that [the UCLA job] is filled, I just look around the [coaching] landscape and I’m like yup, he’s gonna be here now, until… whenever he chooses not to… or… [things don’t go well] the next few seasons but… I don’t know how else to convey that I guess…”

Ryan Burns – Pair and a Spare Podcast

Timing of departure would have sunk Minnesota Gophers football

There are arguments to be made that Fleck’s time as U of M head coach has run its course. PJ is the 3rd most-tenured head coach in the Big Ten and he’s coming off one of his worst seasons in Dinkytown. Whether you’ve been a Fleck fan or not, it’s not audacious to wonder if grass might be greener at the football facilities under a different head coach.

Related: Ihmir Smith-Marsette Claims PJ Fleck, Gophers Over-Pressured Him to Commit During 2017 Visit

But even the biggest Fleck detractors would not have wanted to see the implications of him leaving in the middle of February, just weeks out from spring practices starting and a month from another transfer portal window opening.

Had that happened, it’s plausible to think that 90% of of the 2024 recruiting class would decommitted and 75% of players would enter the transfer portal. It could have quite literally been the death blow to Minnesota Gophers football for the foreseeable future.

Related: Matt Birk Throws Hat in Ring for Gophers Head Coaching Job if PJ Fleck Leaves

Nonetheless, reputable reporters from both The Athletic (Bruce Feldman) and Action Network (Brett McMurphy) have listed Fleck as one of the Bruins’ top candidates. In Feldman’s report, PJ was the only active head coach listed as candidate of interest. He and David Shaw, formerly at Stanford, were the only two candidates listed with any head coaching experience.

Odds PJ Fleck lands UCLA head coaching job

In other words, my worry level on losing PJ Fleck was increasing by the hour yesterday, as rumors continued to push him to the top of UCLA’s board of coaching possibilities. I know there are plenty of Minnesota Gopher football fans who don’t care if, or would love to see Fleck leave… more on that momentarily.

For those of us who worry about Fleck leaving, these projected odds from professional handicapper, Dan Kilbridge (Bookies.com) made me feel a little bit better.

Would PJ Fleck take UCLA job over Minnesota?

Some locally, and around football, have questioned out loud whether or not the UCLA job is better than what PJ has in Minnesota, especially given he has already entrenched himself and his culture in Dinkytown. Starting over with a program in turmoil, like the Bruins’ is, might seem like too much of an undertaking, especially with spring practices right around the corner.

PJ Fleck and his staff feel really good about their roster for 2024 and they just completed their best recruiting class of the NIL era. Would UCLA be ok with “Row the Boat” and would they be willing to fire and pay the buyouts for most of their coaching staff; a group they just extended last offseason? If the answer to either of those questions is ‘no’ then I’d be surprised if Fleck would accept the job.

Related: Are Minnesota Gophers Assistant Football Coaches Underpaid? The Contracts Say…

In a four-season stretch under Jim Mora, from 2012-2015, UCLA football went 37-16 and had back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2013 and 2014. But starting in 2016, the Bruins began a 45-49 downward spiral that included just one 9-win season and only three seasons above .500, all of which came in the past three seasons under Chip Kelly… who was just pressured to leave.

Both schools are now in the same conference and, outside of the weather and bright lights of California, Bruins football hasn’t been anything worth bragging about for most of the last decade. Obviously, questions would start with what exactly the UCLA NIL program looks like. Are Bruins boosters steadily pumping in more dollars than just about any school in the country, like their big brothers at USC?

The Gophers’ Name, Image and Likeness situation has seen marketable improvement in the last year but it’s still nowhere near USC, Michigan or Ohio State level. More money, not just for Fleck, but his staff too, along with better NIL funding would be the easiest ways to lure him away from Minnesota.

I have reached out to PJ Fleck’s office for comment on whether or not he has any interest in the UCLA job and have not yet gotten a response.

For the PJ Fleck haters

For those Gophers fans who do not like PJ Fleck, you’re welcome to cheer for your sports teams however you see fit, even if you don’t see correctly. But let me just point out, yet again, how much better PJ has been as leader of this football program than just about any coach that had his job before him.

At 50-34, Fleck has the best winning percentage (.595) of any Minnesota Gophers football coach since Bernie Bierman (.716), who coached for 16 seasons from 1932 to 1950, and is widely considered one of the greatest coaches of all time; not just in Dinkytown, but in football history.

Related: Does PJ Fleck Have His Recruiting Mojo Back?

In fact, the only U of M football coaches since 1900 with a better winning percentage than Fleck are the legendary Henry Williams, who went 136-33-11 (.786) from 1900-1920 and is seen as the father of Gopher football. Then, there’s the aforementioned Bierman, who went 93-35-6 (.716) and Clarence Spears, who went 28-9-3 (.716) from 1925-1929. That’s it.

Rip PJ’s conference record (29-32) all you want. That’s a very fair criticism. But losing Big Ten games was a problem for the Dinkytown football team long before he got here.

PJ Fleck a top candidate for UCLA head coach job?

According to multiple reports Friday, however, the Gophers’ down 2023 season isn’t holding PJ back from being a top candidate for UCLA’s recently vacated head coaching job, after Chip Kelly took a demotion to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Brett McMurphy (Action Network) named Fleck immediately upon Kelly taking the OSU OC job.

UCLA coach Chip Kelly leaving to become Ohio State’s OC, @BruceFeldmanCFB reports. When Day was New Hampshire’s QB, Kelly was UNH’s OC. Expect Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck among UCLA’s top candidates

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) February 9, 2024

It’s hard to know whether or not PJ Fleck is really a top candidate at UCLA. I mean, we are talking about one of the most sought after jobs in the country and one that is splashing into Big Ten money next season.

Related: Does PJ Fleck Have His Recruiting Mojo Back?

Of all the coaches who would be interested in that opportunity, why Fleck? And why would he be the only name that McMurphy tweets out? Well, PJ wasn’t the only name mentioned by Bruce Feldman (The Athletic), but he was the 2nd name on his list of potential candidates.

Other options for Bruins

Former Stanford coach David Shaw was the only person ahead of PJ and those two were the only head coaches named. The others were all assistants. It’s early, but it’s possible that, this late in the coaching carousel, the Bruins won’t have a normal complement of options to choose from.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck is high-energy. The 43-year-old knows the Big Ten. — He’s a good coach who took over a messy situation at Minnesota. He’s known for his Row The Boat mantra and the pep he brings. How well that might play in Los Angeles would be interesting, to say the least.

Bruce Feldman – The Athletic

We know Fleck and his agent, Bryan Harlan, like to keep the University of Minnesota on their toes and we know Mark Coyle just got a raise/extension approved by the Board of Regents this week. Could this be PJ Fleck’s attempt at the same thing? I find that as more likely than it is UCLA hires him away from Dinkytown… but I’ve been wrong before.