STrib: Gophers football season starting to feel like 2019 revisited

[BleedGopher]

per Randy:

"Comparisons," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck has been known to say, "steal your joy."

For fans and media members, however, comparisons are as essential as oxygen because of the speculative nature of their roles. Which team is better? Who'll win the division?

And with the Gophers off to a 4-0 start and ranked No. 21 in the AP poll entering Saturday's homecoming game against Purdue, a common question has popped up this week:

Are the Gophers having another season like 2019?

That team went 11-2, upset No. 4 Penn State and beat No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Losses to Iowa and Wisconsin kept the Gophers from advancing to the Big Ten Championship Game, but they finished No. 10 in both major polls, posting their most wins in a season since 1904 and their best final ranking since 1962.

Fleck tries to keep his team focused on the "one-game championship season" each week, and said, "We need the internal message to be way louder" than the outside noise.

But through four games, there are intriguing similarities between the 2022 and 2019 teams.

Gophers football season starting to feel like 2019 revisited

At 4-0, the Gophers are full of promise, with memories of the team's 11-2 finish three seasons ago still fresh on fans' minds.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherTheJugular]

I'd say it's starting off better. In 2019, all 3 non-conference games were close and could have been losses. We didn't get going until later in the season. This feels like we were a well-oiled MACHINE coming into the season.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I actually think there is very little similarity between 2019 and 2022 outside of maybe what the final record will end up being.

2019 came out of nowhere whereas it is not surprising that we have a good team in 2022. I do however think that our success in 2019 is helping people buy into what we are doing in 2022 quicker.