“Business as usual” seems to be a quote that Gophers senior wide receiver Isaac Fruechte lives by. Even after arguably the best game of his career, where he scored his first touchdown since his sophomore year and had a career high in yardage, it was just another day of “going to work” for the Minnesota native.
Even in a tough loss to Illinois, Fruechte was one of the few bright spots. Isaac was the first player for the Gophers to reach 100 yards receiving since Derek Engel in the Texas Bowl in 2012. The touchdown on a post pattern to Fruechte brought the Gophers within four points, and ignited an offense that hadn’t been able to connect in the first half. “Obviously Illinois was kind of keying in on David Cobb. The o-line gave us great time, and Mitch threw a great ball,” said Fruechte.
After transferring from Rochester Community and Technical College, Fruechte sat a year out to redshirt and learn the system. Fruechte was a key part of the wide receiver rotation during his sophomore year, making 19 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Last year however, Fruechte was less of an impact, with 134 yards and no touchdowns.
During the last four games, Fruechte has been getting the playing time he saw as a sophomore, and has eight receptions for 212 yards in Big Ten play. “He’s going to be a big factor for us, and he only continues to get better every single day,” said quarterback Mitch Leidner. “The intensity and work ethic he brings every single day, he outworks everybody and that’s what sets him apart right now.”
When the Gophers have had success passing the last two games, it’s been largely due to play action plays. Fruechte has been communicating with Jim Zebrowski, Brian Anderson, and Matt Limegrover about getting involved in play action passes, and his touchdown against Illinois showed that it’s been paying off.
Being a fourth year player with a mostly young wide receiving core, Fruechte has had his fair share of leadership responsibilities for the younger wide receivers. “Working with those guys, you want to have a lasting impression on the program, and help the program really grow. So being able to do that with the young guys is really important to help the program get better and help the young guys get better,” said Freuchte.
With a recent high ankle sprain to Drew Wolitarsky, the already thin Gophers receiving core needs a target alongside Maxx Williams during the brutal upcoming four game stretch to finish out the season. With his performance from the past two games, it’s not unlikely to see Fruechte making that impact.