PJ Fleck on Pat McAfee Show - Minnesota did NOT void the night game with Penn State


Nice interview. I never heard of Pat before (I don't get out much). I'll have to check him out.

Nice to hear The U didn't opt out. It leaves it open to spread rumors State Penn did......
 

Great insight into how PJ Fleck is the motivating force behind the rising University of Minnesota Football Program. The U fits him like a glove and I hope he stays and builds a dynasty.

We dare to dream of championships!!!
 
Last edited:

I cannot endorse this link. I watched for a while. First of all, the new facilities on campus were not PJ Fleck's idea or initiative. Second, my stomach turned when the host asked Fleck how did you turn this program around so fast?

I honor what coach Fleck has accomplished here - it's great to be 8-0 and to lead our division. I'm as excited as anyone about what the future holds, but I want to be fair to the previous regime. The new facilities are part of a huge ongoing investment in the athletic program that dates back many years. And in the four years before Fleck took over the team won 8, 8, 6, and 9 games. This was not a rebuild; it was a remodel.
 

I cannot endorse this link. I watched for a while. First of all, the new facilities on campus were not PJ Fleck's idea or initiative. Second, my stomach turned when the host asked Fleck how did you turn this program around so fast?

I honor what coach Fleck has accomplished here - it's great to be 8-0 and to lead our division. I'm as excited as anyone about what the future holds, but I want to be fair to the previous regime. The new facilities are part of a huge ongoing investment in the athletic program that dates back many years. And in the four years before Fleck took over the team won 8, 8, 6, and 9 games. This was not a rebuild; it was a remodel.

I agree with you to a certain extent. Jerry Kill, who I loved as the HC... not so much anymore, deserves more credit than anyone for his work with the athletes village.

I do think PJ Fleck turned the program around. Kill's teams were always competitive and I felt like he got every drop out of the players he had. For the first time in my lifetime I feel like the Gophers have a future under Fleck. They keep me thinking we have more and more potential. I think Kill's ceiling would have been similar to the Mason era - which wasn't bad. Win 8-9-10 games a year, with a bounce of the ball here or a break there and you could be in the Big Ten title talks. If Fleck stays here I honestly think we can be in the conversation for the CFP - not every year, but occasionally. He is that good. We have more talent than we've ever had (some of that is because of Kill), but in years past if we ever lost a RB duo like Smith and Brooks and a WR like Johnson I'd be convinced that the next year is going to be doomed. I think our offense will be better next year.
 


Someone on the Penn St board posted a rumor that it was Penn St who turned it down. We'll never know...
 

To get back to the initial post, either its a BIG or NCAA rule I cannot remember but both parties have to agree to a night game in November.
It seems logical for PSU to not want a night game because the atmosphere in the stadium for important night games usually favors the home team.
At PSU that is true but TCF not so much but PSU's decision was based on their experiences at night home games in Happy Valley.
 

To get back to the initial post, either its a BIG or NCAA rule I cannot remember but both parties have to agree to a night game in November.
It seems logical for PSU to not want a night game because the atmosphere in the stadium for important night games usually favors the home team.
At PSU that is true but TCF not so much but PSU's decision was based on their experiences at night home games in Happy Valley.

TCF Bank would be a tougher environment for PSU at night than it will be at 11:00am. Not as hostile as Happy Valley, but that's not the issue. The fact that they will get home before dawn on Sunday might also have something to do with it.
 

Someone on the Penn St board posted a rumor that it was Penn St who turned it down. We'll never know...

It's pretty obvious the Penn State turned it down.

No way ESPN and ABC chose the Clemson-NC-State and Georgia-Missouri games for the prime time slots over this game.
 



I agree with you to a certain extent. Jerry Kill, who I loved as the HC... not so much anymore, deserves more credit than anyone for his work with the athletes village.

I do think PJ Fleck turned the program around. Kill's teams were always competitive and I felt like he got every drop out of the players he had. For the first time in my lifetime I feel like the Gophers have a future under Fleck. They keep me thinking we have more and more potential. I think Kill's ceiling would have been similar to the Mason era - which wasn't bad. Win 8-9-10 games a year, with a bounce of the ball here or a break there and you could be in the Big Ten title talks. If Fleck stays here I honestly think we can be in the conversation for the CFP - not every year, but occasionally. He is that good. We have more talent than we've ever had (some of that is because of Kill), but in years past if we ever lost a RB duo like Smith and Brooks and a WR like Johnson I'd be convinced that the next year is going to be doomed. I think our offense will be better next year.

To be clear from Coyle's comments, Fleck was hired with the expectation to move the program to the next level. It was Fleck's decision/desire to make it into a "turnaround".
 

It's pretty obvious the Penn State turned it down.

No way ESPN and ABC chose the Clemson-NC-State and Georgia-Missouri games for the prime time slots over this game.

Other than Nebraska, this is the physically longest trip that Penn St can make in the conference. Their bodies are an hour later than the game time. So starting at 630pm CT, 3.5 hr game, figure at least an 1.5hr post game, shower/change, pack up, bus to the airport, it's 1230am-1am ish ET before they're taking off to return home, probably not getting home until between 3-4am Sunday.

I would absolutely turn it down, too, if I were them.
 

To be clear from Coyle's comments, Fleck was hired with the expectation to move the program to the next level. It was Fleck's decision/desire to make it into a "turnaround".

Turnaround may have been the wrong term. Change the trajectory of the program, enhance the ceiling, etc.
 

To be clear from Coyle's comments, Fleck was hired with the expectation to move the program to the next level. It was Fleck's decision/desire to make it into a "turnaround".

When a new coach takes over a team with 4 healthy OL on scholarship and Connor Rhoda as their starting QB, it is by default a rebuilding year. Were there some good players on the team? Of course. Was there a realistic possibility of 9 wins? Hell no.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



When a new coach takes over a team with 4 healthy OL on scholarship and Connor Rhoda as their starting QB, it is by default a rebuilding year. Were there some good players on the team? Of course. Was there a realistic possibility of 9 wins? Hell no.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What would Claeys and staff have done in 2017? The eternal question that can never be answered ...
 
Last edited:


What would Claeys and staff had done in 2017? The eternal question that can never be answered ...
They’d have probably been a PR disaster regardless of what they did on the field.
 



I'm always up for a good discussion about whether Fleck in year three can exceed Claeys' win total in year 1(he looks pretty well setup to do just that), but I'm a little curious how we got here on the second page of a thread about PSU running from a night game. I'd love to discuss PSU's cowardice, it shows they are afraid of the team Fleck has put together and a night game environment with an 8-0 team to get excited about. But I guess if we want to circle back on 9* wins, we can do that too.
 

Great interview, another example of just how great of a motivator PJ really is (contrast that with the thread on Scott Frost "motivating" his players by embarrassing them telling them they should be more like the Gophers). And yes, Penn State vetoed the night game, which from a PSU standpoint makes sense.
 

When a new coach takes over a team with 4 healthy OL on scholarship and Connor Rhoda as their starting QB, it is by default a rebuilding year. Were there some good players on the team? Of course. Was there a realistic possibility of 9 wins? Hell no.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree. We had Rhoda and Croft, two far from solid QB options. Doesn’t matter what other talent we really had on offense. We were too one dimensional because teams knew we could really only run the ball. We didn’t trust either QB to really pass. Croft was a speedy guy, had some potential, but he wasn’t the answer. Rhoda never got enough starting experience while living in the unimpressive INT-prone shadow of Leidner. Defensively I think we’d have been pretty good. But with how unproductive our offense was, we would be like what Michigan State has looked like. Good defense, bad offense. Low scoring losses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I agree. We had Rhoda and Croft, two far from solid QB options. Doesn’t matter what other talent we really had on offense. We were too one dimensional because teams knew we could really only run the ball. We didn’t trust either QB to really pass. Croft was a speedy guy, had some potential, but he wasn’t the answer. Rhoda never got enough starting experience while living in the unimpressive INT-prone shadow of Leidner. Defensively I think we’d have been pretty good. But with how unproductive our offense was, we would be like what Michigan State has looked like. Good defense, bad offense. Low scoring losses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think Croft would have been better if he played in Jay Johnson's offense as opposed to Kirk's. An offense better suited for his skill set IMO.

And you have guys like Gaelin Elmore and Connor Mayes, guys who weren't by any means stars but they were starters that decided to transfer out primarily due to the coaching change. We had a juco O-line commit, last name Terry, and Fleck didn't honor his commitment. Fleck was also determined to keep Andries RS when he otherwise would have played.

I don't think we would have won 9 games had Claeys stayed but I think we would have done better than 5-7 due to things like what listed above. Those things aren't huge but they add up.
 

I think Croft would have been better if he played in Jay Johnson's offense as opposed to Kirk's. An offense better suited for his skill set IMO.

And you have guys like Gaelin Elmore and Connor Mayes, guys who weren't by any means stars but they were starters that decided to transfer out primarily due to the coaching change. We had a juco O-line commit, last name Terry, and Fleck didn't honor his commitment. Fleck was also determined to keep Andries RS when he otherwise would have played.

I don't think we would have won 9 games had Claeys stayed but I think we would have done better than 5-7 due to things like what listed above. Those things aren't huge but they add up.

Also on the OL, Tyler Moore(?) was a stud center who transferred out due to the scandal. Went to Okla State I believe.
 

Also on the OL, Tyler Moore(?) was a stud center who transferred out due to the scandal. Went to Okla State I believe.

He wouldn't have been able to play anyways and had to medically retire so I didn't include him. But yeah, guys like him, Elmore and Mayes transferring add up.
 

I'm always up for a good discussion about whether Fleck in year three can exceed Claeys' win total in year 1(he looks pretty well setup to do just that), but<b> I'm a little curious how we got here on the second page of a thread about PSU running from a night game.</b>

It must have been my fault.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

It's pretty obvious the Penn State turned it down.

<b>No way ESPN and ABC chose the Clemson-NC-State and Georgia-Missouri games for the prime time slots over this game</b>.

Sorry Dude, most of America Households are casual CFB fans, at best, and would prefer to watch Clemson or Georgia vs Anyone over PSU vs Minnesota.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Back to the night game issue - I distinctly remember reading an item - I believe in the Pioneer Press - about two or three weeks ago.

The item said that the U of MN had told the B1G that the Gophers did not want to host any night games in November.......looking online.......

Found it --- from an Andy Greder article ---

On Oct. 19, Minnesota deputy athletics director John Cunningham told KFXN-FM 100.3 at halftime of the Rutgers game that the U’s November home games would not kick off at night.

“We have the option to take them off the board for night games, and that’s what we’ve done for those November games,” Cunningham told the radio station.


So, a Gopher athletic official stated in mid-October that there would be no night home games in November - at the U of MN's request.

But now, the Coach is saying that the Gophers did not turn down a night game. Something does not add up.
 

I think what they’re talking about is the rumor that *after* that fact, Minnesota and ESPN then approached Penn St about doing the night game for Nov 9, with the carrot of GameDay, and Oenn State said No.
 

Other than Nebraska, this is the physically longest trip that Penn St can make in the conference. Their bodies are an hour later than the game time. So starting at 630pm CT, 3.5 hr game, figure at least an 1.5hr post game, shower/change, pack up, bus to the airport, it's 1230am-1am ish ET before they're taking off to return home, probably not getting home until between 3-4am Sunday.

I would absolutely turn it down, too, if I were them.

We also turn our clocks back one hour this weekend.
 

What is the temperature difference between 11am and 7pm on game day? I would think this would be PSU's main concern over travel time.

PJ may think his team could handle the cold better than the Lions.
 




Top Bottom