Tag: pj fleck

Wisconsin future opponent inexplicably ends Rutgers four-game losing streak

Brutal loss for PJ Fleck on Saturday

There’s a reason that college football is among the toughest things to accurately predict, let alone just in sports.

A primary example is seen in Minnesota’s 26-19 loss to Rutgers on Saturday.

Related: Bye Week Report Card: Grading Wisconsin’s offense and Grading Wisconsin’s defense

Every trend line pointed toward a Golden Gopher victory. The team had won four straight games after starting the season 2-3, including a narrow triumph over USC, a blowout over Maryland and a big road win over Illinois. The team appeared to have elevated itself into the top third of the Big Ten power rankings.

Rutgers, meanwhile, entered Saturday losers of four straight. The team entered a nosedive after a 4-0 start. The Minnesota game was thought to eventually be yet another blemish on a poor final record.

But the Scarlet Knights won.

QB Athan Kaliakmanis led the way with 240 passing yards and three touchdowns in a rematch against his former program. Rutgers held Minnesota to only 35 total yards on 1.8 yards per carry. In all, the Scarlet Knights out-gained the Gophers 354-297. It was a somewhat decisive victory for Rutgers standards.

The result is notable for the Wisconsin Badgers as it halts Minnesota’s momentum entering the final weeks of the season. The Gophers fall to 6-4 (4-3 Big Ten) with the loss, dropping from their previous position of long shot Big Ten contention. The team now enters a bye week before hosting No. 6 Penn State. Now, there’s a real chance the team is riding a two-game losing streak when it travels to Madison to close the regular season.

Wisconsin and Minnesota will meet in that annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Black Friday. Depending on the next few weeks, the contest could be pivotal for Wisconsin’s bowl hopes.

Any Minnesota loss is somewhat notable for Wisconsin fans. This one, however, could have significant impact on the rest-of-season outlook.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

PJ Fleck-UCLA rumors hit with huge revelation ahead of Minnesota clash

This is a stunning twist.

The UCLA Bruins saw Chip Kelly leave for the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State. Immediately, Minnesota’s PJ Fleck was linked as a possible candidate for the Bruins.

There were several names that floated around as options, but Fleck’s was one of the more intriguing given his experience.

However, Fleck quickly shut down those talks and reaffirmed his commitment to Minnesota.

With the Bruins hosting the Golden Gophers in Week 7, a new update has shown just how close Fleck was to leaving.

Earlier in the week leading up to the game during an episode of the Pair and a Spare Podcast,  hosted by Gophers sideline reporter Justin Gaard (KFAN), Gopher Illustrated insider Ryan Burns (247Sports) and veteran Minnesota sports scribe Chip Scoggins (Star Tribune), Burns dropped quite a big revelation on the Fleck-UCLA link:

“I think this was as close as [PJ] Fleck has ever come, at this at this university, to leaving. I think there was so much smoke in the air and I think ultimately it comes down to UCLA [having] a $25-$27 million deficit in their athletic department. Martin Jarman is not exactly on steady footing there, as the athletic director. You have a chancellor who’s overseeing things and they’re not on steady ground and I just don’t think they had the money to pay a $5 million buyout” … “Then you gotta give [Fleck] a bump (raise). The other thing I also heard was UCLA gave all of their assistant [coaches] two-year deals so they would have had to buy out all of their assistants for that, which is multi millions of dollars.”

That sure changes a lot of things in regards to the previous rumors, especially with the way UCLA has begun this season with DeShaun Foster as the coach.

And, with Minnesota coming to town, it raises even more eyebrows.

Only one team in the Big Ten is winless after Week 1 … Minnesota

Minnesota is not where you want to be at the moment:

The Wisconsin Badgers did not instill confidence with their uncomfortable 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan on Friday. But the team is 1-0 after one week of action, which is all that technically matters.

We will inevitably spend the next week nitpicking the win and pointing to the team’s faults. I’d argue that activity is necessary with the gauntlet schedule that lies ahead for the Badgers, starting with No. 5 Alabama on Sept. 14.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 1: Our first look at the expanded conference

But I can guarantee that status is better than Minnesota’s. The Gophers fell 19-17 to North Carolina on Thursday, and actually set off fireworks as their kicker missed a game-winning field goal attempt.

P.J. Fleck’s team is not only 0-1 after Week 1, it was the only Big Ten team that lost this weekend. The new-look conference went 17-1, including No. 23 USC‘s impressive win over No. 13 LSU and a handful of decisive nonconference victories.

Every team won except Minnesota, who is officially the first team to be dead-last in the new 18-team conference.

https://twitter.com/ZachHeilprin/status/1830445206296010952

Things do not figure to get much better for the Gophers. Their conference schedule includes No. 25 Iowa, No. 9 Michigan, No. 23 USC, Maryland, Rutgers, No. 8 Penn State and Wisconsin. If the team’s offense looks the way it did against the Tar Heels, Minnesota could miss a bowl game.

We will do more intensive deep-dives into the Big Ten standings once conference play begins. For now, it’s worth highlighting Minnesota’s status as the only 0-1 team in the conference.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

Minnesota set off fireworks after missing game-winning field goal vs. North Carolina

In case you missed it last night, Minnesota set off fireworks after losing to North Carolina:

Friday is not a good day to be a Minnesota fan.

The Gophers dropped their 2024 season opener to North Carolina, 19-17, on Thursday night. They did so in heartbreaking fashion, missing a 47-yard game-winning field goal attempt as time expired.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s Week 1 contest vs. Western Michigan

The loss is a disastrous start to a pivotal year for the P.J. Fleck era at Minnesota. The team went 5-7 during the 2023 regular season and showed signs of steep regression. The loss to North Carolina continues that trend, especially given the team’s nonexistent offense.

Transfer quarterback Max Brosmer was supposed to be a significant upgrade over 2023 starter Athan Kaliakmanis. His Gopher debut against the Tar Heels included a pedestrian 13 of 21 passing for 166 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Minnesota offense managed 244 total yards in the loss.

To add insult to injury, somebody at Huntington Bank Stadium thought the field goal was good. So they shot of celebratory fireworks:

This captures the current state of Fleck era at Minnesota. A lot of flashy, bright lights all around the stadium, yet another loss on the field.

Minnesota has games upcoming against No. 25 Iowa, No. 9 Michigan, No. 23 USC, Maryland, Rutgers, No. 8 Penn State and Wisconsin. It looks like Gopher fans are in for a long season.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. 

Minnesota’s PJ Fleck raves about new MSU DC Joe Rossi at Big Ten Media Days

New MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi has left a positive lasting impact on his former boss Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck

New Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi has left a positive lasting impact on his former boss Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck.

Fleck met with the media on Thursday at Big Ten Football Media Days and he had only nice things to say about his former defensive coordinator. Rossi had been at Minnesota the previous six seasons before coming to Michigan State this year to join new head coach Jonathan Smith’s staff.

Fleck stated that he fully supported Rossi taking the Michigan State job, and considered Rossi to be “very meticulous” and “very detailed.”

Check out the complete quote and interesting story about Rossi from Fleck below — courtesy of the Detroit News’ Madeline Kenney:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

Trojans Wire YouTube show previews USC football vs PJ Fleck and Minnesota

Catch our Trojans Wire look-ahead at the USC-Minnesota game on Oct. 5.

On our USC show at The Voice of College Football, we offered a brief initial look at the Trojans’ 2024 matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and head coach PJ Fleck. Minnesota and Fleck thrived for a few years at the beginning of Fleck’s tenure in the late 2010s, when he came over from Western Michigan. Minnesota came very close to making its first Rose Bowl since the early 1960s, the longest drought among any longstanding Big Ten school (in other words, schools other than Nebraska, Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers, which have all joined the league in the past 35 years). However, the Golden Gophers fell short in 2019 and have not come closer since then.

Just how would USC and Minnesota match up on the gridiron when they play on Oct. 5 in Minneapolis? We looked at various factors attached to this game. One thing that should help USC is that Minnesota will be coming off a visit to Michigan when it plays the Trojans. Michigan will physically pound Minnesota (regardless of the outcome of the game). Minnesota will face a stiff physical challenge in playing Michigan and USC in back-to-back weeks.

Our conversation on the USC-Minnesota game and the status of the Minnesota college football program begins at 28:50 in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/live/eEclHR7DrUA?si=P6deHEx8oMMQl3Sd&t=1730

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Minnesota loses the top-ranked OL in its class of 2025

Minnesota loses top-ranked OL in its class of 2025

Minnesota’s class of 2025 took a hit on Sunday when three-star interior offensive lineman Nelson McGuire announced his decommitment.

McGuire was the highest-ranked offensive lineman committed to Minnesota’s class of 2025. His departure moves the group down to a No. 24 overall ranking.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten coaching staffs entering the 2024 football season

The Midlothian, Texas, native is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 853 player in the class of 2025, No. 52 interior offensive lineman and No. 137 recruit from the state of Texas. His departure from the class immediately follows an official visit to in-state Texas Tech.

The Gophers still have 22 players committed to their class of 2025, only two who are currently ranked as blue-chip prospects.

Wisconsin’s class of 2025, meanwhile, added its 21st commitment on Saturday with the addition of three-star edge rusher Nicolas Clayton. The group ranks No. 12 in the national rankings and No. 4 in the new Big Ten.

The Badgers are 1-0 against the Gophers in the Luke Fickell era and will look to extend that mark when the two teams meet in Madison, Wisconsin, to close the 2024 regular season.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Minnesota fan goes viral for sharing Gophers tickets on-sale at…Costco

Minnesota fan goes viral for sharing a Gophers tickets sale at…Costco

The Wisconsin football offseason must have entered a slow period because the current online discussion doesn’t center around the team’s prospects, the offense in year two under Phil Longo, the gauntlet schedule, or what to expect in the new Big Ten landscape.

It is focused on the program’s rival to the West, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Specifically, a photo posted on X by a fan showing a full display of Gophers tickets at a local Costco.

Related: Ranking all 18 Big Ten coaching staffs entering the 2024 football season

The deal is two upper-level sideline tickets to a select game for $100. Those possible games for the Gophers in 2024 include vs. North Carolina, Rhode Island, Nevada, Iowa, USC, Maryland and Penn State.

As you can expect, Wisconsin fans were quick to point out the (somewhat) desperate measure to sell tickets. It may be a common practice among teams and programs, but the optics, paired with Minnesota’s 6-7 2023 season, helped to generate quite the conversation around a simple post.

That, plus single tickets for Wisconsin’s Week 3 home game vs. Alabama aren’t going for any less than $160. The connection between the two rivals and the desperation measure of one is an easy one to draw.

Here is that original post, which is now up to nearly 70,000 views:

Wisconsin enters 2024 after a win over Minnesota at the end of 2023. The Gophers had won two of the last three matchups in the age-old rivalry, but the Badgers are importantly now 1-0 in the Luke Fickell era.

The matchup between the two schools will take place in Madison, Wisconsin this season, so Minnesota fans may have a hard time finding tickets on the shelves at Costco.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Wisconsin class of 2025 CB target commits to rival Minnesota

Wisconsin class of 2025 CB target commits to rival Minnesota

Wisconsin class of 2025 cornerback target Naiim Parrish committed to Minnesota on Sunday.

Parrish chose the Gophers on the heels of his official visit to the program. He had one other official visit scheduled: to Wisconsin on June 14.

Related: Ranking the highest rated recruits in the history of Wisconsin football

The three-star recruit is 247Sports’ No. 1,044 player in the class of 2025, No. 84 athlete and No. 31 recruit from his home state of New Jersey.

Wisconsin recently landed a commitment from three-star CB Jahmare Washington, its fifth secondary commit in the class. It’s hard to see the Badgers taking many more cornerbacks in the cycle, especially with the quality of commits at the position in their 2023 and 2024 classes.

However, Minnesota is treating the commitment as a significant win in the rivalry — regardless of whether or not Wisconsin was still in pursuit of Parrish,

Wisconsin’s class of 2025 currently ranks No. 13 in the nation after landing Washington on Sunday. The group has a solid foundation, yet lacks the top-end talent that the program ended the 2024 cycle with.

Minnesota’s class of 2025, meanwhile, ranks No. 19 in the nation with 18 players committed. The group is yet to add a composite four-star recruit.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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Minnesota football unveils new-look uniform for eventual rivalry loss to Wisconsin

Reaction to Minnesota’s new uniform?

The Minnesota Golden Gophers unveiled their new-look uniforms for the 2024 season.

Editors Note: the Gophers’ new uniforms will be worn by the 2024 team before another eventual rivalry loss to Wisconsin in the final week of the season.

Related: ESPN FPI ranks college football’s top 25 toughest 2024 schedules

The program opted for a new design after wearing their previous uniforms for the past six seasons. It must be noted that the Badgers went 3-3 against the Golden Gophers over the last six years, that after a 14-game win streak from 2004-2017.

P.J. Fleck’s team enters the 2024 season ranked No. 61 in ESPN FPI and No. 45 in ESPN SP+. The team is likely to be better than the 2023 group, but a gauntlet schedule has the season outlook not looking much different than last year’s 6-7 finish.

Related: The 10 pre-Luke Fickell Wisconsin players set to start for the 2024 Badgers

Much of the progression will rest on the shoulders of New Hampshire transfer quarterback Max Brosmer. A great season from him could return the Golden Gopher offense to its 2019 level, or at least improve upon its recent output with Athan Kaliakmanis under center. Again, the tough schedule makes a big ascension extremely unlikely.

Wisconsin and Minnesota will play their annual rivalry game on Black Friday in 2024. The game is scheduled to kick off at noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central and will be broadcast on CBS.

Luke Fickell is 1-0 against the Gophers after a dominant win last season. He’ll look to start a series winning streak this season — that against a new-look Minnesota team (at least uniform-wise).

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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