BleedGopher
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per Megan:
If 2018 was about youth for the Gophers football team, 2019 is about “experienced” youth.
That’s how coach P.J. Fleck is defining it, at least.
As the Gophers prepare to head into spring practices Tuesday, Fleck, in a news conference Thursday, touted a team with 77 percent underclassmen (89 out of 115 on the roster). Last season the Gophers were among the youngest teams in the nation with more than 50 percent of the roster freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
While the Gophers started 2018 with three nonconference wins, they went 0-4 to start Big Ten play while also losing several key players to injury, which only exacerbated the youth issue. But the team ended stronger, winning three of its last four, including the rivalry game with Wisconsin and a bowl game.
So just because his team is young once again doesn’t mean it won’t have success, Fleck said.
“We might be youthful. I think we’re at top five most youthful team in America again,” Fleck said. “But we are way more experienced than we were last year.”
Fleck said the Gophers have more experienced underclassmen than most teams in the nation, citing Tennessee and Utah as other examples. That happens when freshmen start at quarterback, three freshman offensive linemen play in the bowl game and overall eight freshmen start on offense at the end of the year for Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/p-j-flec...ience-heading-into-spring-practice/506833742/
Go Gophers!!
If 2018 was about youth for the Gophers football team, 2019 is about “experienced” youth.
That’s how coach P.J. Fleck is defining it, at least.
As the Gophers prepare to head into spring practices Tuesday, Fleck, in a news conference Thursday, touted a team with 77 percent underclassmen (89 out of 115 on the roster). Last season the Gophers were among the youngest teams in the nation with more than 50 percent of the roster freshmen or redshirt freshmen.
While the Gophers started 2018 with three nonconference wins, they went 0-4 to start Big Ten play while also losing several key players to injury, which only exacerbated the youth issue. But the team ended stronger, winning three of its last four, including the rivalry game with Wisconsin and a bowl game.
So just because his team is young once again doesn’t mean it won’t have success, Fleck said.
“We might be youthful. I think we’re at top five most youthful team in America again,” Fleck said. “But we are way more experienced than we were last year.”
Fleck said the Gophers have more experienced underclassmen than most teams in the nation, citing Tennessee and Utah as other examples. That happens when freshmen start at quarterback, three freshman offensive linemen play in the bowl game and overall eight freshmen start on offense at the end of the year for Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/p-j-flec...ience-heading-into-spring-practice/506833742/
Go Gophers!!