Bret Bielema is 10-0 all-time vs. the Gophers; P.J. Fleck just wants this one

BleedGopher

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Beat Bielema. It's time.

Per Randy:

Monday morning, P.J. Fleck did his best impersonation of a benevolent Dikembe Mutombo.

The Gophers football coach — all 5-foot-10 of him — anticipated the question: “What would it mean to you to not only get your first win over Coach [Bret] Bielema, but also lock up bowl eligibility?” — and politely swatted it away, much like the 7-2 former Denver Nuggets star, but without a finger wag.

“This is going to bore you,” Fleck answered. “1-0. That’s all we’re worried about.”

Fleck’s approach is that each game stands alone, each week is a one-game championship season, and this week that season is No. 24 Illinois. On Saturday, the Gophers visit the Fighting Illini in Champaign, where they’ll face a coach that has Minnesota’s number.

Bielema took over as Illinois coach in 2021 and has a 3-0 record against Fleck, winning 14-6, 26-14 and 27-26 last year with an improbable fourth-quarter rally. If you look back to Bielema’s days as Wisconsin’s coach, his win streak over the Gophers stretches to 10 games. He went a combined 7-0 against coaches Glen Mason, Tim Brewster and Jerry Kill.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Bielema and what he does,” Fleck said. “He always has a hard, smash-mouth, tough football team no matter where he’s been — Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois. It’s his DNA.”


Go Gophers!!
 

Beat Bielema. It's time.

Per Randy:

Monday morning, P.J. Fleck did his best impersonation of a benevolent Dikembe Mutombo.

The Gophers football coach — all 5-foot-10 of him — anticipated the question: “What would it mean to you to not only get your first win over Coach [Bret] Bielema, but also lock up bowl eligibility?” — and politely swatted it away, much like the 7-2 former Denver Nuggets star, but without a finger wag.

“This is going to bore you,” Fleck answered. “1-0. That’s all we’re worried about.”

Fleck’s approach is that each game stands alone, each week is a one-game championship season, and this week that season is No. 24 Illinois. On Saturday, the Gophers visit the Fighting Illini in Champaign, where they’ll face a coach that has Minnesota’s number.

Bielema took over as Illinois coach in 2021 and has a 3-0 record against Fleck, winning 14-6, 26-14 and 27-26 last year with an improbable fourth-quarter rally. If you look back to Bielema’s days as Wisconsin’s coach, his win streak over the Gophers stretches to 10 games. He went a combined 7-0 against coaches Glen Mason, Tim Brewster and Jerry Kill.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Bielema and what he does,” Fleck said. “He always has a hard, smash-mouth, tough football team no matter where he’s been — Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois. It’s his DNA.”


Go Gophers!!
Fleck 1, Bulletin Board material 0.
 

Beat Bielema. It's time.

Per Randy:

Monday morning, P.J. Fleck did his best impersonation of a benevolent Dikembe Mutombo.

The Gophers football coach — all 5-foot-10 of him — anticipated the question: “What would it mean to you to not only get your first win over Coach [Bret] Bielema, but also lock up bowl eligibility?” — and politely swatted it away, much like the 7-2 former Denver Nuggets star, but without a finger wag.

“This is going to bore you,” Fleck answered. “1-0. That’s all we’re worried about.”

Fleck’s approach is that each game stands alone, each week is a one-game championship season, and this week that season is No. 24 Illinois. On Saturday, the Gophers visit the Fighting Illini in Champaign, where they’ll face a coach that has Minnesota’s number.

Bielema took over as Illinois coach in 2021 and has a 3-0 record against Fleck, winning 14-6, 26-14 and 27-26 last year with an improbable fourth-quarter rally. If you look back to Bielema’s days as Wisconsin’s coach, his win streak over the Gophers stretches to 10 games. He went a combined 7-0 against coaches Glen Mason, Tim Brewster and Jerry Kill.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Bielema and what he does,” Fleck said. “He always has a hard, smash-mouth, tough football team no matter where he’s been — Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois. It’s his DNA.”


Go Gophers!!

Spot on, Coach. I respect Bielema too.

I'm glad that the writer noted that the first 4 wins in Bielema's 7-0 streak against Minnesota were compiled against Mason, Brewster and Kill. Fleck shouldn't be associated with the entire streak.
 

People are obsessed with these streaks. He wins the first three vs Fleck, the last one in flukey fashion, and now he supposedly owns Fleck. People act like we can’t win because a streak is in progress.
 







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