Dodd: Why Minnesota is more than Fleck's flash as it grinds towards title contention

BleedGopher

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per Dennis Dodd:

Saturday marked one of those moments that make this sport so special. After beating Penn State, 15,000 or so fans poured onto the TCF Bank Stadium field for an impromptu storming. They slapped backs, stopped players for selfies and wallowed in the glory.

"A lot of people tried to grab my bald head," Morgan said.

It's now hockey, the Vikings and the Gophers in Minneapolis, which is an upset in itself. There is no finesse or luck to Minnesota being 9-0. In the same week that Fleck got a seven-year, $33 million extension, his Gophers went out and beat the Nittany Lions. Late in his third season, Fleck has positioned Minnesota as something more than a curiosity.

"We felt like we needed to shake the tree," said Mark Coyle, the athletic director who hired Fleck. "How I describe P.J. is he operates with a sense of urgency."

For now, win out and the Gophers are in the playoff. Split with Iowa and Wisconsin down the stretch, and Minnesota can still "afford" a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game. An 11-2 Minnesota coming off a championship game loss would still be enticing to the Rose Bowl.

That's a world away from three years ago when Fleck arrived. The buy-in then was something less than optimal. The program and university were involved in a sexual assault scandal that resulted in a boycott by players and resulted in the firing of coach Tracy Claeys.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...-flash-as-it-grinds-towards-title-contention/

Go Gophers!!
 

Ooooh, that's another good article! Thanks, Bleed!

How fun is all this national press? What a ride. Thank you PJ, Empire Class, Tanner, Rashod, et al...it's been a long time coming for us weary, but passionate Gopher fans!
 




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