BleedGopher
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Per Randy:
During the 2021 and 2022 football seasons, the Gophers were a team that lived and died with their running game. Their 46.3 carries per game in 2021 ranked sixth nationally, and their 44.7 average last year was the eighth most.
Conversely, their 21.6 passes per game in 2022 and 19.8 in 2021 ranked 126th and 127th, respectively, among the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
So when the Gophers passed the ball 44 times and called only 25 rushes in the season-opening 13-10 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night, observers and fans did a double-take.
"Throwing it 44 times probably is shocking to a lot of people, but that's what was required to win that particular game," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said Monday, reviewing the win over the Cornhuskers and looking ahead to Saturday night's home game against Eastern Michigan.
"If you sit there and think we're just going to pound Nebraska, just run the ball down their throat, I don't know how much success you're gonna have with how big and how deep they are up front," Fleck said. "… But we want to be better in that area."
m.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
During the 2021 and 2022 football seasons, the Gophers were a team that lived and died with their running game. Their 46.3 carries per game in 2021 ranked sixth nationally, and their 44.7 average last year was the eighth most.
Conversely, their 21.6 passes per game in 2022 and 19.8 in 2021 ranked 126th and 127th, respectively, among the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision programs.
So when the Gophers passed the ball 44 times and called only 25 rushes in the season-opening 13-10 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night, observers and fans did a double-take.
"Throwing it 44 times probably is shocking to a lot of people, but that's what was required to win that particular game," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said Monday, reviewing the win over the Cornhuskers and looking ahead to Saturday night's home game against Eastern Michigan.
"If you sit there and think we're just going to pound Nebraska, just run the ball down their throat, I don't know how much success you're gonna have with how big and how deep they are up front," Fleck said. "… But we want to be better in that area."
P.J. Fleck: Gophers' passing preference was best way to beat Nebraska
Minnesota threw 44 passes and only rushed the ball 25 times against the Huskers, but P.J. Fleck said "that's what was required to win that particular game."
Go Gophers!!