BleedGopher
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Per Anders:
Still, Minnesota does present a solid defense and a capable young quarterback to give the Buckeyes some issues.
Fleck took the program from 5-7 in his first year after arriving from Western Michigan to 11-2 in year three, a loss to Wisconsin to close the regular season being the only thing that stopped the Gophers from playing in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. They won the Outback Bowl against No. 9 Auburn.
The dread of the COVID-19 season placed Minnesota at 3-4. Since then, Fleck has settled into a steady rhythm of eight- and nine-win seasons. The Gophers went 9-4 back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022, dipped to 6-7 in 2023, then returned to business as usual with an 8-5 campaign in 2024.
Now in his ninth year with the program, only two Big Ten coaches – Kirk Ferentz (27 years) and James Franklin (12 years) – have been at their schools longer than Fleck. He’s met expectations at a school that is 65 years removed from its last national championship.
Drake Lindsey was a three-star prospect ranked 873rd in the 247Sports composite for the 2024 class. But his stats through four games tell a different story. He’s completed a strong 65.8% of his passes for 958 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions, picking up a respectable 8.2 yards per attempt.
His outing against Rutgers in the last game was his best yet. Lindsey racked up a career-high 324 passing yards at an efficient 75.6% completion rate with three touchdowns, including the game-winner to wide receiver Javon Tracy.
“We just said, ‘We’re putting it on your shoulders, big boy,’” Fleck said of his message to Lindsey before the game-winning drive. “The faster I can get to saying that, the better we’re gonna be. But that’s Drake. I went to his high school state championship and he put the entire team on his back. And there weren’t a bunch of five-star people on his team and there weren’t a bunch of people going to Division I schools on his team, it was him. And he elevated everybody’s game. And that was our decision at halftime. Put the ball in (No.) 5’s hands and let 5 go win the game.”
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Go Gophers!!
Still, Minnesota does present a solid defense and a capable young quarterback to give the Buckeyes some issues.
Old Reliable Boat
Minnesota has only once risen to compete atop the Big Ten under Fleck, but it’s been as consistent as a McDonald’s cheeseburger the last five years or so.Fleck took the program from 5-7 in his first year after arriving from Western Michigan to 11-2 in year three, a loss to Wisconsin to close the regular season being the only thing that stopped the Gophers from playing in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. They won the Outback Bowl against No. 9 Auburn.
The dread of the COVID-19 season placed Minnesota at 3-4. Since then, Fleck has settled into a steady rhythm of eight- and nine-win seasons. The Gophers went 9-4 back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022, dipped to 6-7 in 2023, then returned to business as usual with an 8-5 campaign in 2024.
Now in his ninth year with the program, only two Big Ten coaches – Kirk Ferentz (27 years) and James Franklin (12 years) – have been at their schools longer than Fleck. He’s met expectations at a school that is 65 years removed from its last national championship.
Flight of the Drake
In a parallel to Ohio State, Minnesota has a redshirt freshman quarterback who has impressed in his first year as a starter.Drake Lindsey was a three-star prospect ranked 873rd in the 247Sports composite for the 2024 class. But his stats through four games tell a different story. He’s completed a strong 65.8% of his passes for 958 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions, picking up a respectable 8.2 yards per attempt.
His outing against Rutgers in the last game was his best yet. Lindsey racked up a career-high 324 passing yards at an efficient 75.6% completion rate with three touchdowns, including the game-winner to wide receiver Javon Tracy.
“We just said, ‘We’re putting it on your shoulders, big boy,’” Fleck said of his message to Lindsey before the game-winning drive. “The faster I can get to saying that, the better we’re gonna be. But that’s Drake. I went to his high school state championship and he put the entire team on his back. And there weren’t a bunch of five-star people on his team and there weren’t a bunch of people going to Division I schools on his team, it was him. And he elevated everybody’s game. And that was our decision at halftime. Put the ball in (No.) 5’s hands and let 5 go win the game.”
Five Things to Know: Minnesota Driven By Defense With a Blossoming Young Quarterback and How the Gophers Became Golden
Minnesota has its own blossoming redshirt freshman quarterback, while defense has driven the Golden Gophers so far, and speaking of which, how did they become golden?
Go Gophers!!