PJ Fleck on Sports Huddle 11-11-18

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Gopher FB Coach PJ Fleck appeared on the Sports Huddle on WCCO radio on Sunday.

Sid: How bad were the weather conditions?
PJ: I loved the wx. when you get to November, have to love MN weather. it's part of our culture. very special - the state embraces wx. want the team to embrace wx. use it to your advantage. we train in it, prepare in it.

Sid: did you see this coming?
PJ: we've been very inconsistent. team has gone through challenges, faced lot of adversity. we have a lot of young players 1st year players. we've had a lot of injuries. that's made it hard to have a feel for this team. they continue to get better. they have great practice after great practice. they keep putting the oar back in the water. I haven't had a team with so much adversity.

Sid: great victory. Purdue beat OSU, Iowa. great passing team. your defense was great
PJ: played really good. held Purdue to 233 yards - lowest of the year. 10 points - lowest of the year. Purdue has a high octane offense. #2 in B1G they're a very experienced team, with a lot of great players. our players stepped up to the challenge.

Max: what were the defensive changes?
PJ: I said we had to be simple, sound and fast. Coach Rossi and the defensive staff had a great game plan. Purdue is hard to prepare for - lot of different formations, different personnel, trick plays. you have to have your eyes in the right spot. played very simple, sound, played hard, tackled well. knew their assignments. need to give the players a lot of credit. they have the ability to go out and respond. very inspiring as a coach. this team could have quit four weeks ago. they continue to want to get better. embrace the challenge.

Mona: offense was well thought out. Ibrahim is a good blocking RB
PJ: Mo and Bryce are both FR. started the year as the 3rd or 4th back. Mo over 700 yards for the year. Had his 3rd 100-yard game in the season. That's the 1st time a FR has done that since Maroney. Kirk C. called a great game. we wanted to be aggressive. needed to win on 1st and 2nd down. keep 3rd downs manageable. our 1st drive set the tone. 8 minute drive. their offense can't be on field. we converted 3rd downs, got 3 points. our play-makers were able to make plays.

Sid: I love the way you use Green.
PJ: he's a very versatile player. as young as we are, we have to find creative ways to run the football, create deception. Seth is getting better. he's studying a lot more. becoming a better runner. can he be better - absolutely. he's getting more confident in how he runs. looks like a short-yardage back. look at him now, he's keeping his feet moving, running for extra yards. our RB's doing a great job of pushing the pile, getting yards after contact.

Max: Cashman.
PJ: great athleticism. plays with heart, will, how. he's got it. when I got here, I couldn't believe he was still a walk-on. we knew his heart. offered a scholarship right away. it was necessary for our program. that was a huge play. he's got great instincts. played in position, tackled well. able to make the scoop and score. One statistic - Purdue was 0-12 on 3rd down. that's such a credit to our defense.

Mona: heating coils? O-Line playing to whistle and beyond
PJ: field crew did a great job. the surface doesn't freeze. it can melt snow on the surface, but as the snow accumulates, it freezes pretty quickly. it's a nice benefit to have to our field. //O-Line: I love the way the line's playing. Coach Callahan doing great job. Playing 2 FR, have another SO rotating in. those guys are doing a great job pushing piles, finishing, doing it clean. that's whats different. playing disciplined FB. you want that in November. - not beat yourself. didn't have many penalties. finishing to the whistle. look at the play, the RB may be stopped at 3 yards, the OL keeps pushing the pile. that's all pride.

Sid: tackling. difference in this game to Illinois.
PJ: there was so much space in Ill game. that put the players at a disadvantage. (against Purdue) we kept them coiled up, confined. were able to make tackles. not a lot of tackles in space. swarmed to tackles. they're a growing-up team. all I can ask is that they continue to get better. even in losses that have been bad in terms of score, we got better. Tyler Johnson - no receiver has had more catches, TD's, yards all together. the offense has had 4 straight 400-yard games. that gets lost at times when you're not winning. the guys are getting so much better, but there's still so much room for improvement.

Sid: Great Victory. Murray's. Like to see your bride at those press deals.
PJ: She's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. She coaches the head coach. Usually at the radio show, practices, at our facility. Want to thank our band, our crowd, all the veterans in the state of MN. Enjoy Vet's day weekend. RTB, Ski-U-Mah, Go Gophers.
 

Thanks SON. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you have a high tolerance for pain listening to Sid.
 

Thanks Shorty! Very, very much appreciated!
 


Always a greater pleasure to read this than actually listen to it. Thank you!

JTG
 


Mona must read this forum. He also needed clarification on the heating coil debate.
 

Thank you, Mr Shorty! I believe we can make a bowl. Rossi might be the man. Fleck enjoys winning. Very glad for that.
 

Is Green really only a Sophomore?
 

Is Green really only a Sophomore?

Yes.

Green also has brothers (twins) in the class of 2021 who are WRs who already hold offers from Auburn, Baylor, us, and will likely get a ton more (visited Bama recently).

They both have lived in Texas since Seth went there so it's hard to tell just how connected they are to MN.
 



I will give Fleck all kinds of credit for using and keeping Green involved in the offense. Hopefully Seth appreciates how Fleck has used him and sways his brothers to seriously consider coming to the U.
 

Thanks SON.
I still don’t get why we got rid of the heating coils.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


I will give Fleck all kinds of credit for using and keeping Green involved in the offense. Hopefully Seth appreciates how Fleck has used him and sways his brothers to seriously consider coming to the U.

Completely miffed as to why Fleck couldn't figure this out last year...
 



Thanks SON.
I still don’t get why we got rid of the heating coils.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As far as I know, the heating coils are still in place. I thought that was what Fleck was talking about. Again, as I heard it, the coils will keep the field from freezing - but if they're getting heavy enough snow, the snow can melt and then re-freeze, and cause some problems. It's not like they can turn up some thermostat and the field is magically 72 degrees.
 

Completely miffed as to why Fleck couldn't figure this out last year...

Some of that may have been on Green as well. Maybe it took a little while for him to adjust to the new staff.

They have definitely found a great niche for him this year and the more they are able to work passes into his repertoire the more effective his running will become.
 




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