Gophers football ready to 'draw a line in the sand' after Michigan debacle

The press conference room at Huntington Bank Stadium is a short walk from the Gophers' locker room, and when the home team is victorious, media members can hear the raucous celebration when coach P.J. Fleck bodysurfs atop his players.

Late Saturday night, there was no bodysurfing or jubilation from the Gophers. Second-ranked Michigan had just administered a thorough and efficient dismantling of Minnesota, rolling to a 52-10 victory, a result that was inevitable 12 seconds into the game. A national TV audience on NBC watched as the Gophers suffered their largest margin of defeat since the Wolverines beat them 58-0 in 2011.

Fleck and a trio of players fielded questions after the game, and each credited Michigan for their dominance, lamented the Gophers' lack of execution and vowed to improve from the experience.

"We've got to draw a line in the sand and get after this next half of the season," Fleck said. "That was my whole message."

Halfway through the season, the Gophers are 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. They have a bye this week before returning to play Oct. 21 at Iowa. That game starts a six-week run that will determine whether they will contend for the Big Ten West title or even get to six wins to qualify for a bowl game.

The first half of their schedule included losses to a top-five team in Michigan and a top-15 squad in North Carolina. Among their remaining opponents, only No. 3 Ohio State is ranked, while Iowa and Wisconsin are expected to be favorites against the Gophers. Minnesota could be favored against Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue.

No matter what the oddsmakers say, the Gophers will need to improve in every facet of their game if they want to make the season a success. Their offense, particularly in the passing game, took a step back against Michigan, which ranks No. 2 nationally in passing defense. Athan Kaliakmanis threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns, the first coming 12 seconds into the game. He completed five of 15 passes for 52 yards, and in losses to North Carolina and Michigan, he went 16-for-34 (47.1%) for 185 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.

"We're just ready to learn," Kaliakmanis said. "We're excited to learn and be hard on ourselves. And we're going to be ready for Iowa."

The Gophers would help their cause if two key players could return to health and play at Iowa. True freshman running back Darius Taylor, who averages 133 rushing yards per game, has missed the past two contests because of a leg injury suffered Sept. 23 at Northwestern. The added week of rest should help Taylor, who jogged during early warmups before Saturday's game but did not suit up.

Minnesota's defense could get a boost, too, if linebacker Cody Lindenberg returns from a leg injury that has kept him out of every game. He would be a welcome addition to a position group that has used first-year starters in Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams, along with Western Michigan transfer Ryan Selig, who's also battling an injury.

"We've got to get healthy," Fleck said. "We've got to get our starters back in a lot of positions. And the bye week came at a really good time."

How well the Gophers use the bye week to heal, regroup and prepare for the game at Iowa will go a long way in determining how this season is viewed. Clearly, Fleck has put added emphasis on the next game. He is 0-6 against the Hawkeyes, and two of those losses have cost the Gophers a trip to the Big Ten championship game. In addition, Minnesota has not won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999.

"We've played really good teams, and now we've got to learn from those six games, draw a line in the sand and play way better in the second half," Fleck said.