Minnesota arrives at Husky Stadium with the kind of program PJ Fleck has made familiar in Minneapolis: steady, bowl-bound, and usually annoying to play. That’s been the core of his 10-year run, and it’s also why the conversation around the Gophers always circles back to the same question - how do they go from solid to something more?
Randy Johnson of the Minnesota Star Tribune pointed to 2019 as the peak so far. Minnesota went 10-2 in the regular season, beat Penn State, then topped Auburn in the Outback Bowl to finish 11-2.
The Gophers ended that year ranked No. 10 in both final polls, their first top-10 finish since 1962. Johnson also noted that before the Big Ten got rid of divisions, Minnesota came within one win of reaching the conference title game three straight times and couldn’t quite close the deal.
“That’s definitely been the highlight of his tenure so far, and obviously they want to get back there, but that’s been the tricky part.”
On offense, Drake Lindsey is the engine. Through this point, he has thrown for 747 yards with four touchdowns and one interception, and Johnson described him as accurate with a big arm who can attack down the field.
Minnesota runs a pro-style offense with some RPO mixed in, and Lindsey has shown better command in his second year as a starter. The Gophers were blanked against Mississippi State in a loss, which Johnson said was a game where they could have used more from the offense.
The ball is getting spread around more this season. Jalen Smith has been one of the better receivers, Javon Tracy - a transfer from Miami of Ohio - has been very good, and Noah Jennings, who came over from Cincinnati, also has a touchdown catch.
The bigger issue has been health in the backfield. Darius Taylor missed the Akron game with a leg or hamstring issue, and Johnson said that takes a major toll because Taylor is such a threat as a receiver out of the backfield.
Two years ago, he led Big Ten running backs in receptions. Minnesota eventually got the run game going against Akron, piling up 191 rushing yards with 154 of those coming in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, longtime Fleck assistant Danny Collins runs the show. The headliner is edge rusher Anthony Smith, who landed on plenty of preseason All-America and Big Ten defensive player of the year lists.
He has not produced quite that level of impact yet, in part because Minnesota has used him at defensive tackle at times, including against Mississippi State. Alongside him, Johnson highlighted TJ Bush Jr., the transfer from Cal, and Carter Menz, a junior, as a strong rotation on the edge.
Maverick Baranowski, who had more than 100 tackles last season, is a key linebacker, and Kerry Brown is a solid presence at safety.
Johnson also singled out cornerback John Nestor as an underrated fan favorite. Nestor transferred from Iowa a couple of years ago, and Minnesota felt his absence in a loss to Northwestern last season when there was a clear weakness at one corner spot. He’s not a big defensive back, Johnson said, but he’s wiry and can hit.
The schedule, though, is the real grind. Minnesota has had Big Ten records of 5-4 the last two years and 6-3 in the two seasons before that, but this year’s path is much tougher.
Johnson said the Gophers face four ranked Big Ten teams plus Washington, which he noted is 26th. The list includes trips to Indiana, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin, with Michigan and Iowa coming to Minneapolis.
Bowl eligibility would require four Big Ten wins, and Johnson thinks Minnesota will have to fight for every one of them.
He put the range at 6-6, with 7-5 possible if things break well, though 5-7 is on the table too. He said that would bring plenty of frustration, even if it probably would not lead to a coaching change.
For Saturday night, Johnson picked Washington 27, Minnesota 21. He tied that call to how the Gophers handled Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, who gave them trouble in that game, and said Demond Williams could create similar problems because of his mobility.
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