BleedGopher
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Per McKewon:
He straddles the line between gimmick and ingenious, the coach of the Big Ten West’s last remaining undefeated team. Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck is like a Rorschach test for cynical sportswriters who may roll their eyes at slogans and motivation tactics better fit for elementary school kids.
Or maybe that’s me, as a 44-year-old late Gen-Xer who rolls his eyes at a lot, reacting to the 41-year-old Fleck, an early millennial who buys into a lot of the stuff a Gen-Xer might reject.
Take the Gophers’ preparation this week for a road game at Michigan State. Fleck didn’t just pump loud white noise into UM’s practices. He tailored it to MSU’s crowd. He inserted the Spartans’ fight song. He included taunts and chants, too. It was kind of atmosphere that runs counter Fleck’s sunny personality.
“We know that not one person in that stadium – besides maybe our families – are going to want us to win,” Fleck said week on his TV show, filmed on the turf of Minnesota’s indoor practice field. “We’re not going to hear anything but negativity, so they’ve got to hear that prior to going in there.”
Gimmicky? Maybe. Shortening the play clock by ten seconds to simulate disorientation in an unfamiliar environment? That’s kind of ingenious. Losing time in a loud stadium can be common, and Minnesota likes to bleed clock on offense. Adjusting before the road trip is smart.
Minnesota spent the first three weeks at home playing New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado – all of whom remain winless - so MSU, even at 2-1, is a significant step up in competition. The Spartans have a competent passing game, for one thing. The Gophers haven’t faced that yet. It’s part of why voters have been reluctant to place Fleck’s squad inside the top 25.
That’d change if the Gophers roll out of Spartan Stadium 4-0. Las Vegas wouldn’t view it as an upset – Fleck’s flock is a 3-point favorite – but if Minnesota wins, it has to be the big favorite for the Big Ten West.
Wisconsin doesn’t have Minnesota’s offense. Iowa doesn’t have an offense. Illinois may have the division’s best defense, but blew a road game at Indiana, too. Purdue, 1-2, is doing Purdue things. Northwestern lost to Southern Illinois. Nebraska’s lost in the inner circle of thought.
By Monday, maybe the picture looks different. At the moment, it’s PJ’s playground. The Gophers run about five plays on offense – but they work, especially if running back Mo Ibrahim is healthy. Minnesota’s defense is prone to allowing big passing plays – look for some Saturday – but stingy in the red zone.
omaha.com
Go Gophers!!
He straddles the line between gimmick and ingenious, the coach of the Big Ten West’s last remaining undefeated team. Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck is like a Rorschach test for cynical sportswriters who may roll their eyes at slogans and motivation tactics better fit for elementary school kids.
Or maybe that’s me, as a 44-year-old late Gen-Xer who rolls his eyes at a lot, reacting to the 41-year-old Fleck, an early millennial who buys into a lot of the stuff a Gen-Xer might reject.
Take the Gophers’ preparation this week for a road game at Michigan State. Fleck didn’t just pump loud white noise into UM’s practices. He tailored it to MSU’s crowd. He inserted the Spartans’ fight song. He included taunts and chants, too. It was kind of atmosphere that runs counter Fleck’s sunny personality.
“We know that not one person in that stadium – besides maybe our families – are going to want us to win,” Fleck said week on his TV show, filmed on the turf of Minnesota’s indoor practice field. “We’re not going to hear anything but negativity, so they’ve got to hear that prior to going in there.”
Gimmicky? Maybe. Shortening the play clock by ten seconds to simulate disorientation in an unfamiliar environment? That’s kind of ingenious. Losing time in a loud stadium can be common, and Minnesota likes to bleed clock on offense. Adjusting before the road trip is smart.
Minnesota spent the first three weeks at home playing New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado – all of whom remain winless - so MSU, even at 2-1, is a significant step up in competition. The Spartans have a competent passing game, for one thing. The Gophers haven’t faced that yet. It’s part of why voters have been reluctant to place Fleck’s squad inside the top 25.
That’d change if the Gophers roll out of Spartan Stadium 4-0. Las Vegas wouldn’t view it as an upset – Fleck’s flock is a 3-point favorite – but if Minnesota wins, it has to be the big favorite for the Big Ten West.
Wisconsin doesn’t have Minnesota’s offense. Iowa doesn’t have an offense. Illinois may have the division’s best defense, but blew a road game at Indiana, too. Purdue, 1-2, is doing Purdue things. Northwestern lost to Southern Illinois. Nebraska’s lost in the inner circle of thought.
By Monday, maybe the picture looks different. At the moment, it’s PJ’s playground. The Gophers run about five plays on offense – but they work, especially if running back Mo Ibrahim is healthy. Minnesota’s defense is prone to allowing big passing plays – look for some Saturday – but stingy in the red zone.
McKewon: It’s P.J. Fleck playground in the West if Minnesota slips past Sparty
Voters have been reluctant to place Fleck’s Gophers inside the Top 25. That may change if they roll out of Spartan Stadium 4-0. More Big Ten picks from Sam McKewon.
Go Gophers!!
