P.J. Fleck claims Gophers weren't 'playing it safe' on bizarre red-zone call

Nothing seemed to go right for the Gophers in their season-opening loss to North Carolina.

Aug 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Gophers had every chance to leave Week 1 with a victory against North Carolina, but a plethora of penalties, puzzling play calls and missed opportunities resulted in a loss.

Since taking over the Gophers, P.J. Fleck's teams have been some of the best in the country at limiting penalties. Last season they were tied for the fewest in college football with only three per game, but on Thursday night they had six, including a few at inopportune times.

Some of the defensive penalties notably erased a fumble recovery, a third-down stop and a sack. While the defense showed flashes of big plays and exciting potential, the unit looked undisciplined at times in Corey Hetherman's first game as defensive coordinator, allowing five North Carolina runs of 10 or more yards.

"That's the type of game that you wish you can play for 60 more minutes because it's such a great game," Fleck said. "I told our team at the very end, this is a team loss, period. This isn't lost by one person, this isn't lost by one play, we had a lot of opportunities on offense, defense and special teams, just like they did. There's going to be a lot of plays that North Carolina want back, we want back, this is where you grow the most."

Offensively, it was more of the same conservative decision-making that has become commonplace with Fleck's Minnesota teams. Notably in the first quarter, the Gophers had the ball second-and-goal from the 9-yard line when they ran for a 1-yard loss and then on third-and-goal from the 10 they ran again for a 1-yard gain. It resulted in a 27-yard field-goal attempt from Dragan Kesich, which he ultimately banged off the right upright for a critical miss.

"We felt like we had a really good opportunity, just because we are third and nine, doesn't mean the best play is not a run in a certain position, it's not just we're playing it safe," Fleck said when asked about the play call. "We threw the football a lot, we also threw the football and got sacked, we threw the football and got a lot of pressure on us, there's a lot of times in a close game, points matter. I am going off based on what we can do and what we are not able to do and what's the best situation and what's the best call in that particular situation by what's being shown and that's what we're all doing."

Late in the game Minnesota's offense seemingly eased up as they were setting up a game-winning field-goal attempt from Kesich. They were first-and-10 on North Carolina's 40-yard line with 59 seconds to go and one timeout. After a costly holding penalty, they only moved the ball 11 yards, setting up a 47-yard attempt that sailed wide right as time expired.

"That's coaching, you're making the best possible decision you can make at that particular time of the game," Fleck said. "You're always going to go back as a head coach, look at all the calls, look at everything offensively, defensively, special teams and how we as coordinators and head coaches can grow too, but where we have to grow the most and how we can make our team better."

Despite some serious struggles offensively, the Gophers were in position to walk away with a win up until the clock hit zero. That's a good sign for the defense going forward and reason for concern about the offense and coaching that resulted to poor execution and a loss.