The Minnesota Gophers kicked off their football seaso n on Thursday night vs the North Carolina Tar Heels, with a new veteran quarterback, New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer. Expectations were internally high, entering the night, even if sportsbooks and most national talking heads felt differently.
Unfortunately, last night ended with a 19-17 loss , after left-footed senior kicker Dragan Kesich hooked a 47-yard walk-off chance. The preseason All-Big Ten kicker went 1-for-3 on the night. His other miss was a 27-yard chip shot in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, UNC’s senior kicker Noah Burnette went 4-for-4, hitting from 52, 42 and 45 yards, the latter of which gave the Tar Heels a two-point lead with 1:44 remaining in the 4th quarter. He accounted for 13 of North Carolina’s 19 points. Poor tackling by a Minnesota defense that was stout most of the night, allowed their six other points.
PJ Fleck, Max Brosmer get off to slow start vs North Carolina
In the first half, new Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer looked nervous, to be frank. He overthrew a couple of guys and looked uncomfortable in the pocket, especially when the offensive line struggled against the stunts and ghost looks from the UNC front seven.
No doubt PJ Fleck noticed, and immediately reverted back into his run, run, run comfort zone during the first two quarters. Nonetheless, Minnesota went into halftime with a 14-7 lead. Same old PJ…
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Here is where I go left, though, when the media/fan narrative from last night goes right. From what I saw, Fleck and the Gophers offense came out of halftime with a different mentality than what we have come accustomed to the last seven years.
Other fans and media members do not seem to see it the way I do, however. Instead, the prevailing internet sentiment is that Fleck’s conservative offensive nature cost Minnesota another game. It’s an easy assumption to fall back on, after years of watching PJ run his tailbacks into brick wall fronts, as if passing is illegal.
Different Minnesota Gophers offense in the 2nd half
But watching the second half back this morning, and taking a closer look at the official stat sheet, that’s not how it went down. Instead, I’d argue Fleck put more trust in Max Brosmer’s right arm, during the 2nd half last night, than he has with any QB since 2019 Tanner Morgan.
In return, Max went 7-of-10 for 113 passing yards. He also ran for two huge 1st downs… one of which ended in a lost fumble. But even after that fumble to start the quarter, Fleck let Brosmer cook and the Gophers went up and down the field in each of their last two drives.
Max Brosmer was 6-of-12 passing for 53 yards, entering halftime. He went 0-for-2 in the 3rd quarter, but the Gophers only ran four plays. Suddenly, in the 4th, no more 3rd-and-long runs. No more fighting for field position.
Just an offense looking for points. Hell, we even saw multiple 1st down passing attempts. And it’s not like they had to pass. Minnesota held the lead for most of the 2nd half, even after an ugly 3rd quarter.
Mistakes on both sides of the ball and a tough 3rd quarter cost Gophers
And that’s how we get to what actually killed the Gophers vs UNC. Their inability to stop the Tar Heels run game, or get off the field, in the 3rd quarter. UNC racked up an absolutely absurd 13 minutes and 34 seconds in time-of-possession in that 15-minute 3rd period.
The Gophers, meanwhile, got one drive the entire 3rd. It lasted four plays and went for one yard (and a 10-yard penalty). But finally, in the 4th quarter, we saw Max Brosmer settle in and look a lot more like the guy this Minnesota coaching staff has been raving about for months.
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And Fleck deserves credit for allowing him to cut it loose. Remember, Thursday was Max Brosmer’s biggest football game ever and he is playing in a new offense. He came from FCS New Hampshire. We should have expected some jitters.
Even though he is a super senior, Max is still a 23-year-old kid. If he continues to get more comfortable, which he will, and Fleck gives him more and more leash, which isn’t guaranteed, the Gophers will be ok in 2024, and much better than people expect. Even after an 0-1 start.
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