Gophers look to bounce back from Nebraska thrashing
Year No. 2 of the P.J. Fleck era has hit some big snags since the start of the Big Ten Conference season.
The Gophers (3-4, 0-4) had a horrendous effort on defense against Nebraska last Saturday, allowing 383 rushing yards, 276 passing yards and 53 points to a winless team en route to a 53-28 loss.
Before Saturday, the Cornhuskers were averaging 23.3 points per game, which ranked 107th in the nation. Nebraska amassed 659 total yards, topping Ohio State’s total of 504 yards from the previous week. The Gophers’ defense made Nebraska freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez look like a Heisman Trophy candidate. Martinez completed 25 of his 29 passes, while two Nebraska running backs tallied 100-plus yards.
Fleck said it wasn’t any one particular segment or coach who deserved the blame.
“I have 100 percent faith in every single one of my coaches,” he said. “I’m the one that knows all the internal things that we have to deal with every single day and what the program is looking like internally.”
The Gophers have another chance to fix their woes with Friday’s contest against Indiana. But the health of freshman quarterback Zack Annexstad is a concern. Annexstad left the Nebraska game with a midsection injury and went to the hospital at halftime.
“He had a few things wrong with him when he was taken out, but he’s doing well,” Fleck said.
Redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan replaced Annexstad in the second half. He guided the Gophers to two third-quarter touchdowns to cut the deficit to 28-22. Morgan finished 11-of-16 for 214 yards. Morgan’s running added a new element to Minnesota’s struggling offense. He finished with four carries for 35 yards, which included a nine-yard touchdown.
“It was gritty, gutsy,” Fleck said of Morgan.
“He gave us a little bit more with his feet. He was able to run some option and escape the pocket, run, pick up a first down here or there, get some extra yardage. When Tanner got in there, it opened up a little bit more and you could see what we are missing with that. It just depends. Zack has got to heal up.”
The Gophers and the Hoosiers (4-4, 1-4) are very similar team, both fighting for respectability in a tough conference, while trying to ride a strong start to a bowl game.