Scoggins: Now that P.J. Fleck has a QB he can trust, it’s a whole new ballgame for Gophers

Max Brosmer threw a rainbow pass off his back foot with a defender’s hand in his face to a tiny area in the back of the end zone.

The pass should have come with a warning: Kids, don’t try this at home.

“A green-grass throw,” Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. said.

Translation: Throw the ball to a spot and expect the receiver will get there to catch it.

Brosmer manipulated that outcome on his 7-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Spencer in the first quarter of a 48-23 rout of Maryland.

The throw and catch could not have been executed any better, which is doubly impressive considering Brosmer had never attempted that pass on that exact play in practice.

Spencer was his third option in the progression. Normally in practice, Brosmer either hits option No. 1, Daniel Jackson, or option No. 2, tight end Jameson Geers.

Brosmer needed only a split-second in Saturday’s game to decipher that neither of those options were favorable, so he shifted to option No. 3. He feathered a beautiful floater to Spencer, who raced from the opposite side of the formation to settle under the ball at the back of the end zone.

“I knew he was going to get there,” Brosmer said. “I just trusted my receiver.”

Trust is the operative word. The Gophers have forged a new offensive identity this season because P.J. Fleck trusts his quarterback.

The one-dimensional nature of Fleck’s offenses throughout his tenure in Dinkytown fueled annual pleas for him to modernize his scheme. The stunning transformation we are witnessing is the result of Fleck finding a quarterback who has inspired him to radically alter his strategy.

Fleck is showing his wild side.

The Gophers have more passes than runs through eight games, slightly higher at 51% of their total plays.

In Fleck’s seven previous seasons at Minnesota, the offense never finished a season with a passing ratio higher than 40% of their plays.

The Gophers average 31.3 passes per game (easily the highest in Fleck’s tenure), which ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 62nd nationally.

By comparison, here is their season national ranking in pass attempts per game previously under Fleck: 123, 126, 127, 105, 111, 106, 124.

Fleck’s offenses traditionally are known for running. They have finished Top-5 in the Big Ten in rushing average four times in his tenure and never lower than eighth. The Gophers currently rank 17th in the conference in rushing.

Their entire offensive approach has been flipped upside down because Brosmer has given the Gophers an accurate, savvy quarterback who is able to process what he sees on the field quickly.

His completion percentage (69.5) ranks ninth nationally and is on pace to set a school record.

Everything starts with the hardest thing for coaches to glean when evaluating quarterbacks in recruiting — the ability to process all the chaos happening around them on a given play and identify the right decision.

Brosmer is a smart customer in this area.

“It gives me the confidence to call any play,” Harbaugh said. “You can utilize the entire playbook. You can utilize every area of the field.”

Brosmer is here for only one season as a graduate transfer. His impact cannot be overstated because he has provided a template for how the offense should look and function. The same is true of his exhaustive preparation, which has earned him a legion of admirers inside the athletic department.

“I love that feeling of responsibility and accountability as a quarterback,” he said. “To know that everything you do on a daily basis from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., every single minute, you have to dedicate to your team and your craft to make sure that you can put your team in the best position to win a game.”

The internal faith in Brosmer is evident in both stats and optics.

The Gophers led Maryland 31-10 when they got the ball at their 35-yard line with 26 seconds left until halftime. Fleck kept his foot on the accelerator, knowing he has a trustworthy quarterback. Brosmer completed three passes to move the offense in position for a 34-yard field goal that extended their lead.

The touchdown pass to Spencer earlier in the half was a prime example of a quarterback executing at a high level. Spencer told Harbaugh the next day that when the ball left Brosmer’s hand, he initially wasn’t sure of the intended target but told himself to keep running his route.

Spencer stayed on his path and the ball was there for him to grab.

“Elijah trusted it and Max trusted it,” Harbaugh said. “And it was really cool to see that moment within our offense.”

Cool in that moment and beyond. The trust has changed everything.