Shama: P.J. Fleck is 17-8 in his last 25 games. That’s the best stretch for a Gopher coach since Glen Mason was 17-8 in 2002 and 2003.

[BleedGopher]

per Shama:

After Saturday’s win over Nebraska, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is 17-8 in his last 25 games. That’s the best stretch for a Gopher coach since Glen Mason was 17-8 in 2002 and 2003.

The Bowling Green football team is 2-5 this season and has lost three straight games since its stunning upset of the Gophers who were 30 point favorites. Fleck said Saturday the game was probably his worst coaching performance since taking over at Minnesota in 2017.

As bad as the Gophers played, they almost certainly win that game if All-American running back Mo Ibrahim and best wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell are available. Best guess is the season-ending loss of Ibrahim costs Minnesota at least two wins this season.

Fleck met with his boss, athletic director Mark Coyle, after the Bowling Green debacle. The coach said he appreciated Coyle’s advice, “Time to row.”

David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Go Gophers!!

 

[Word]

I can almost guarantee Fleck's SOS is much stronger than Mason's was during that time.
Especially considering last year was all Big Ten schedule.

 

[noamfromm]

I can almost guarantee Fleck's SOS is much stronger than Mason's was during that time.
Especially considering last year was all Big Ten schedule.

And he got 4 OOC games and never played a p5 opponent in the non-con. Though with Fleckball we might have lost to a Toledo, SW Texas State, or Troy.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Manson's teams likely would have folded in the second half of the Nebraska game IMO.

 

[Rescooter]

Manson's teams likely would have folded in the second half of the Nebraska game IMO.

We would not have had the Goal Line defensive stand that we had (twice). Manson's (sic) teams were offensively fun to watch, but you always knew eventually the defense would trot out on to the field.

 

[Some guy]

Manson's teams likely would have folded in the second half of the Nebraska game IMO.

Masons teams would’ve ran for 400 yards on Nebraska and lost 45-38

 

[Unregistered User]

G	Date	Day	School		Opponent	Conf		Pts	Opp	W	L	Streak	Notes
1	Aug 31, 2002	Sat	Minnesota		Texas State	Non-Major	W	42	0	1	0	W 1
2	Sep 7, 2002	Sat	Minnesota	@	Louisiana	Sun Belt	W	35	11	2	0	W 2
3	Sep 14, 2002	Sat	Minnesota		Toledo	MAC	W	31	21	3	0	W 3
4	Sep 21, 2002	Sat	Minnesota		Buffalo	MAC	W	41	17	4	0	W 4
5	Sep 28, 2002	Sat	Minnesota	@	Purdue	Big Ten	L	15	28	4	1	L 1
6	Oct 3, 2002	Thu	Minnesota		Illinois	Big Ten	W	31	10	5	1	W 1
7	Oct 10, 2002	Thu	Minnesota		Northwestern	Big Ten	W	45	42	6	1	W 2
8	Oct 19, 2002	Sat	Minnesota	@	Michigan State	Big Ten	W	28	7	7	1	W 3
9	Nov 2, 2002	Sat	(23) Minnesota	@	(6) Ohio State	Big Ten	L	3	34	7	2	L 1
10	Nov 9, 2002	Sat	Minnesota		(13) Michigan	Big Ten	L	24	41	7	3	L 2
11	Nov 16, 2002	Sat	Minnesota		(6) Iowa	Big Ten	L	21	45	7	4	L 3
12	Nov 23, 2002	Sat	Minnesota	@	Wisconsin	Big Ten	L	31	49	7	5	L 4
13	Dec 30, 2002	Mon	Minnesota	N	(25) Arkansas

G	Date	Day	School		Opponent	Conf		Pts	Opp	W	L	Streak	Notes
1	Aug 30, 2003	Sat	Minnesota		Tulsa	WAC	W	49	10	1	0	W 1
2	Sep 6, 2003	Sat	Minnesota		Troy	Ind	W	48	7	2	0	W 2
3	Sep 13, 2003	Sat	Minnesota	@	Ohio	MAC	W	42	20	3	0	W 3
4	Sep 20, 2003	Sat	Minnesota		Louisiana	Sun Belt	W	48	14	4	0	W 4
5	Sep 27, 2003	Sat	(24) Minnesota	@	Penn State	Big Ten	W	20	14	5	0	W 5
6	Oct 4, 2003	Sat	(21) Minnesota	@	Northwestern	Big Ten	W	42	17	6	0	W 6
7	Oct 10, 2003	Fri	(17) Minnesota		(20) Michigan	Big Ten	L	35	38	6	1	L 1
8	Oct 18, 2003	Sat	(25) Minnesota		(15) Michigan State	Big Ten	L	38	44	6	2	L 2
9	Oct 25, 2003	Sat	Minnesota	@	Illinois	Big Ten	W	36	10	7	2	W 1
10	Nov 1, 2003	Sat	(24) Minnesota		Indiana	Big Ten	W	55	7	8	2	W 2
11	Nov 8, 2003	Sat	(24) Minnesota		Wisconsin	Big Ten	W	37	34	9	2	W 3
12	Nov 15, 2003	Sat	(19) Minnesota	@	(20) Iowa	Big Ten	L	22	40	9	3	L 1
13	Dec 31, 2003	Wed	(24) Minnesota	N	Oregon	Pac-10	W	31	30	10	3	W 1

 

[gophernut1]

Here is a little side by side comparision:

Non - conference record (not including Bowls) = Mason 8 - 0 vs 5 -1 for Fleck
Non - conference P5 record (not including bowls) = Mason 0-0 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Bowl Record = Mason 1-1 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Vs ranked opponents = Mason 1-7 - 1 win vs #25 Arkansas in Bowl
Vs. ranked opponents = Fleck 2-4, wins vs #5 Penn State, #9 Auburn
Big 10 Record = Mason =8-8, Fleck = 12-8


Obviously Fleck's 17-8 stretch > Masons 17-8 stretch by every measure.

 

[RememberMurray]

Isn't Fleck 2-0 in bowls as Gopher coach?

Georgia Tech, Auburn. Or was the Georgia Tech game outside the time frame you're using?

Oh, I see now: In his last 25 games. NM.

 

[imthewalrus]

Here is a little side by side comparision:

Non - conference record (not including Bowls) = Mason 8 - 0 vs 5 -1 for Fleck
Non - conference P5 record (not including bowls) = Mason 0-0 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Bowl Record = Mason 1-1 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Vs ranked opponents = Mason 1-7 - 1 win vs #25 Arkansas in Bowl
Vs. ranked opponents = Fleck 2-4, wins vs #5 Penn State, #9 Auburn
Big 10 Record = Mason =8-8, Fleck = 12-8


Obviously Fleck's 17-8 stretch > Masons 17-8 stretch by every C h

Isn't Fleck 2-0 in bowls as Gopher coach?

Georgia Tech, Auburn. Or was the Georgia Tech game outside the time frame you're using?

Oh, I see now: In his last 25 games. NM.

I don’t think the Gophers went to a bowl game in the 2020 season…

 

[swingman]

are Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska really Big Ten teams?

 

[Ope3]

per Shama:

The Bowling Green football team is 2-5 this season and has lost three straight games since its stunning upset of the Gophers who were 30 point favorites. Fleck said Saturday the game was probably his worst coaching performance since taking over at Minnesota in 2017.

Fleck met with his boss, athletic director Mark Coyle, after the Bowling Green debacle. The coach said he appreciated Coyle’s advice, “Time to row.”

Go Gophers!!

As much has been made on the "culture" over skill comment, I found his statements about the Bowling Green debacle this week far more interesting and insightful.

Owning it also admirable, especially when it feels as though in the short term they have done some stuff differently to improve. No wallowing in self pity, they got better.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Fleck's overall record at 59% is better than any coach since Bierman, excepting Tracy Claeys' one season, 9-4, but I notice some football sites give Claeys credit for six games the season before (2-4), which makes his overall record 58%, just below Fleck's.

 

[GopherRock]

On the list of Mason's 8 losses, there are some losses straight from the 7th circle of Hell. The Game That Shall Not Be Named, The Hangover, a game at Mordor where they had 400 yards rushing and 7 points to show for it, and the Iowa goal post game. Yeesh.

 

[Sparlimb]

Here is a little side by side comparision:

Non - conference record (not including Bowls) = Mason 8 - 0 vs 5 -1 for Fleck
Non - conference P5 record (not including bowls) = Mason 0-0 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Bowl Record = Mason 1-1 vs 1-0 for Fleck
Vs ranked opponents = Mason 1-7 - 1 win vs #25 Arkansas in Bowl
Vs. ranked opponents = Fleck 2-4, wins vs #5 Penn State, #9 Auburn
Big 10 Record = Mason =8-8, Fleck = 12-8


Obviously Fleck's 17-8 stretch > Masons 17-8 stretch by every measure.

Some of that is due to schedules we didn't have a choice over (big ten games played, games in a season, etc). Also, I would argue Mason was much better at crushing non-conference teams than Fleck. Yes, we lost to Toledo and Ohio (was that Mase?), but in general, we won those games by 20+. Anyway, just saying its not always fair to compare them and I still have good memories of what Mason did for us (after being a laughing stock my entire life before that).

 

[imthewalrus]

It sure is great that Coach Fleck managed to equal Coach Mason’s w/l record for a 25 game stretch. After all, Coach Fleck was at the disadvantage of having to play all of his home games outside, in a stadium that was almost brand new and, of all places on the campus.

That darn old dome used to always favor the home team so much more than having to play outside on the campus of the U of M.

Still, an old fan like me did have fun in that wonderful old damn dome environment.

I really am impressed that Coach Fleck has been able to overcome ALL the disadvantages of recruiting to this new little stadium that he doesn’t even get to share with the Twins or even the Vikings. Heck, he doesn’t even get to show new recruits where they will get to play when the stadium is being converted for baseball or the NFL or even a monster truck or tractor pull event. That used to really impress those recruits…their families and certainly was a point that could be made to recruits who were also being recruited to PSU…Michigan…the Ohio State or the stinking Badgers or Hawkeyes.

So I’d have to admit that I love the fact that Coach Fleck has tied Coach Mason in wins during a 25 game stretch. I also love the fact that Coach Mason was able to do as well during a 25 game stretch as Coach Fleck has. I think they are/were both excellent coaches. Both have/are adding to my love of being a Golden Gopher Life Long Football Fan.

I feel incredibly lucky to feel the same way about Coach Warmath, Coach Stoll and the Kill/TC era. And perhaps the Coach I rooted the hardest for was Coach Jim Wacker. Not because he was the greatest football coach, rather, he was a wonderful human being.

I hope Coach Fleck will be here for another 25 years. I hope he smashes all kinds of records and even rivals Coach Bierman’s legacy.

Still: thank you Coach Mason for setting the stage to bring Gopher Football back to the campus. Thanks for showing me the Gophers could compete with and once in a while beat some of the blue bloods of the Big Ten and the college football world.

 

[golden]

Fleck was 18-7 from Wisconsin 2018 through Colorado 2021. Not great reporting Sharma.

 

[Dano564]

It sure is fun winning so often.