Strack: Athan Kaliakmanis is the Future of Gopher Football; Let Him Cook

[BleedGopher]

Per Strack:

PJ Fleck let Athan Kaliakmanis cook vs Nebraska​

And to PJ’s credit, he gave his redshirt sophomore QB1 the keys and let him drive, something the head coach was unwilling to do, through six seasons in Minnesota.

Athan threw 44 passes on Thursday vs the Huskers, by far the most any quarterback has thrown for a Fleck-coached Gophers team. In fact, Kaliakmanis’ 44 attempts DOUBLED (or more) Minnesota’s single-game passing attempt totals from 17 of 26 games in 2021 and 2022.

Athan’s cannon is real.​

And we saw, throughout the opener on Thursday, why Fleck has changed his offensive philosophy in order to lean more heavily on the right arm of Athan Kaliakmanis, a cannon that was on display throughout the win. A few throws stick out, including this rifle on the run to new WR, Elijah Spencer, on 3rd and 9.

You don’t have to watch Athan play quarterback for very long before realizing the Minnesota Gophers may have a weapon under center that the program hasn’t seen since Adam Weber started all four years for former head coach, Glen Mason, from 2007-2010.

There will be Athan Kaliakmanis growing pains we’ll have to live with throughout this season but, if the interior offensive line can improve so he stays healthy, and PJ Fleck continues to let him learn from his mistakes, I’m confident fans will be in for quite an offensive treat over the next 2-3 football seasons.

Athan Kaliakmanis is the Future of Gopher Football; Let Him Cook

Athan Kaliakmanis' play vs Nebraska was up and down, but Minnesota Gophers' fans and head coach PJ Fleck, must allow him to learn from his mistakes.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Stuff]

You don’t have to watch Athan play quarterback for very long before realizing the Minnesota Gophers may have a weapon under center that the program hasn’t seen since Adam Weber started all four years for former head coach, Glen Mason, from 2007-2010.

Lol. Not how I remember it.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Lol. Not how I remember it.

Everyone wants to forget the Brew years!

 

[Plato]

Weber had a good arm and accuracy until multiple QB coaches in his four years at MN changed his mechanics every year.
He was never the same.
If PJ had started K last year MN would have won the West.

 

[BilldGopher]

Remember Adam throwing multiple completions for 1-2 yards...sometimes even 3 yards...and it being a 3-and-out over and over again.

I believe Dunbar was OC at that time. We didn't have much of a run game and that 3-yard gap was what opposing defenses were giving away. Brutal.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Lol. Not how I remember it.

Strack is a real person?

Tell us you’re using AI without telling us you’re using AI. This style of writing is horrible.

Sad..

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Jedd Fisch. Kill shot. Tennis ball is when we should have known

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Jedd Fisch. Kill shot. Tennis ball is when we should have known

I had lost track of Jedd when I discovered that he was now the Head Coach at Arizona, much to my surprise.

But, thanks to Wren/the Walrus, I will always think of him as the "Pet Fisch."

 

[XMan]

I do agree that AK is the real deal but the increase in pass attempts was because Nebraska was all out to stop the run and was going to make AK earn it by passing. He got it done in the end. I hope we are able to run better in the future