Gophers remain a work in progress, pleased with Rhode Island game but not satisfied

The passing game efficiently hummed along Saturday as Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer spread the wealth to nine targets while completing 24 of his 30 throws for 271 yards.

Running back Darius Taylor was back in the lineup, rushing 14 times for 64 yards and adding four receptions for 48 yards.

And the Gophers defense pitched a shutout, scoring on one of three interceptions in the process.

Two days after Minnesota defeated FCS-level Rhode Island 48-0, coach P.J. Fleck looked back on a victory that evened his team’s record at 1-1 and saw a lot to like. He also saw a lot from which to learn.

“This is the old coach’s cliché, but you’re always learning,” Fleck said Monday. “We’ll be learning things about this football team from Game 10 to Game 11.”

The lessons continue with Saturday’s nonconference finale against Nevada at Huntington Bank Stadium. After that, the Gophers open Big Ten play with a challenging three-game stretch: home vs. Iowa on Sept. 21, at defending national champion Michigan on Sept. 28 and home vs. USC on Oct. 5.

An example of learning, Fleck said, involves the team’s offensive line. The Gophers’ original plan was to move Quinn Carroll from right tackle to right guard, better utilizing the sixth-year senior’s strength as an inside blocker. That move was contingent on either Martes Lewis or Phillip Daniels seizing the tackle job. That didn’t happen, and Carroll is back at tackle, while Daniels, Lewis, Ashton Beers and Tony Nelson have received playing time along the line.

“Our offensive line just kind of reminds me a little bit of the 2019 offensive line, where we played a lot of different players,” Fleck said. “… We’re probably going to play a lot of guys as the season goes along.”

Through two games, the Gophers haven’t been as dominant in the running game as they have in recent years. They’re averaging 97.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 110th among FBS schools and is down from 157.5 last year and 207.5 in 2022.

Instead, they’ve used the pass to set up the run, and Brosmer loosened Rhode Island’s defense by not relying on one player or one type of route. Wideouts, running backs and tight ends all were in the mix. Brosmer received an outstanding grade of 91.9 from Pro Football Focus.

“That’s going to have to be the key for us to have success — the ability to spread it around,” Fleck said. “… For this to work the best it can work, everybody has to be reliable.”

The spread-it-around approach applies to the Gophers defense, too, and on Saturday, new coordinator Corey Hetherman’s troops posted the program’s first shutout since a 31-0 win over Rutgers in 2022. Keying the effort were interceptions by Aidan Gousby, which led to a touchdown drive; Jack Henderson, who returned his pick 25 yards for a TD; and freshman Koi Perich, who set up a field goal with his first career pick.

That showed up in the tackling, too. A total of 21 Gophers made at least one tackle, and defensive back Za’Quan Bryan and linebacker Tyler Stolsky led with three each.

“We have to be a swarming defense that plays with legal football violence in everything that we do,” Fleck said. “And I think that’s been the message from Day One with our players, and they’ve responded really well in two games with that.”

The Sept. 21 game between the Gophers and Iowa at Huntington Bank Stadium will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will air on NBC, the Big Ten announced.

The meeting will be the 117th between the border rivals, and Minnesota leads the series 63-52-2. The Gophers and Hawkeyes are playing for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy for the 90th time, and Iowa holds a 44-43-2 edge. Last year, the Gophers ended Iowa’s eight-year winning streak in the series with a 12-10 triumph in Iowa City.