As Gophers' P.J. Fleck says goodbye to key players, he's excited for the future, too

NEW YORK — P.J. Fleck, beaming with pride Thursday following his fourth consecutive bowl victory as Gophers coach, one by one acknowledged the four players who joined him to speak after Minnesota beat Syracuse 28-20 at Yankee Stadium.

Three in the group — seniors Mohamed Ibrahim, Tanner Morgan and Mariano Sori-Marin — represented the Gophers' just-completed past. The fourth, true freshman Coleman Bryson, offered a glimpse of the future.

"You have a definition of a football player, of what it looks like, it's right there,'' Fleck said, pointing to Ibrahim, before quickly adding, "and right there and right here and there. I mean it. This is a really, really special group to me — personally and professionally.''

One era of Gophers football ended in the famous baseball stadium when Ibrahim became the school's all-time leading rusher, Morgan delivered a solid relief appearance and Sori-Marin spearheaded a defense that stepped up when needed. That trio — along with All-America center John Michael Schmitz, who opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl but represented the Gophers throughout their New York stay — helped Minnesota win 11, nine and nine games during the past three full seasons, discounting the 2020 COVID-19 campaign.

Thursday, however, also was time to look forward for Fleck and the Gophers to what they hope is a bountiful future. And judging by the performances of some returnees for the 2023 season, there will be much for Fleck and his staff with which to work.

"Couldn't be prouder of the young guys like Coleman Bryson who got a chance to step in there, and there were a lot of young guys on that field today, but very good players that are the future of this program,'' Fleck said.

Bryson delivered a pivotal third-quarter play on his way to being named the bowl's MVP. The Gophers, who led 14-0 in the second quarter, saw Syracuse score a touchdown before halftime and drive for a field goal to make it 14-10 on its first series of the second half.

The Orange were on the march again, reaching the Minnesota 32 and in a favorable second-and-2 situation. As Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader threw an out pattern toward wideout Oronde Gadsden II, Bryson diagnosed the route, stepped in front of Gadsden, intercepted the pass and sprinted 70 yards for a touchdown and 21-10 Gophers lead.

"What's crazy, though, is I got beat on that route three or four times during the season,'' said Bryson, a freshman from Waynesville, N.C., who played high school football at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High in Rabun Gap, Ga. "And so, to be able to get that and learn from it, learn from my mistakes is the biggest thing.''

Another Gophers youngster, redshirt freshman Quentin Redding, made a big play late in the third quarter to set up what proved to be the winning touchdown.

After Syracuse pulled within 21-13, Redding took the ensuing kickoff. Rather than fair catch the ball to start at the Gophers 25-yard line, Redding caught the ball, faked a reverse, then sped down the right sideline. He made a cut inside, sprinting to the Orange 25 before being tackled. Two plays later, Morgan connected with Daniel Jackson for a 25-yard TD pass.

"We're like, 'Oh, second half, like we might be able to pop it,' '' Redding said. "And I mean, we were practicing it for a while.''

Two players expected to be Gophers cornerstones in the future suffered leg injuries Thursday and were assisted off the field, throwing a scare into the team's fan base. Redshirt freshman quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis left in the second quarter after being hit low, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Cody Lindenberg exited in the third quarter.

Afterward, Fleck had good news, saying that the injuries were such that had they happened midseason, they they likely would sideline the pair for a few weeks rather than long term.

Kaliakmanis was sharp before being hurt, completing seven of nine passes for 80 yards, including six for first downs. Lindenberg led the Gophers with 11 tackles, nine solo. Add in contributions from redshirt freshman defensive back Darius Green (five tackles) and redshirt freshman wide receiver Le'Meke Brockington (two catches, 27 yards), and the Gophers are showing their youth will be served.

"There's a lot of things behind the curtain that we don't see on game day,'' Fleck said. "… You start to bring in guys like Coleman that eventually … can go in and play at a high level. We have some other guys that are ready to do that as well; they might have just had Mohamed in front of them or Mariano.''

The Gophers will need their youngsters to mature quickly against a difficult 2023 schedule. Their nonconference slate includes three 2022 bowl teams – Eastern Michigan (9-4), North Carolina (9-5) and Louisiana-Lafayette (6-7). And their Big Ten East Division foes will be 2022 College Football Playoff selections Michigan and Ohio State, plus Michigan State.

While Fleck allowed himself to savor what his tight group of seniors accomplished, he knows next year's opener vs. Nebraska will arrive quickly.

"We're going to do everything we can to start building for the 2023 season as fast as possible,'' he said. "Enjoy this but move on to that as well.''