Three things to watch in Gophers spring game

Gophers spring game

11 a.m. Saturday, Athletes Village indoor football facility

Not open to the public. TV, radio: BTN, 100.3-FM

For the fourth time in five years, the Gophers football team's spring game is being impacted by either the weather or the pandemic. Coach P.J. Fleck announced this week that the game will move from Huntington Bank Stadium to the team's indoor facility at Athletes Village. The last outdoor spring game was in 2021, while the 2020 event was canceled because of COVID-19.

Here are some story lines to watch:

1. Changing of the guard … and center and running back and quarterback

From top to bottom, the Gophers offense will have an entirely new look. Tanner Morgan's concussion issues in 2022 allowed for a long look at Athan Kaliakmanis at quarterback, while running back Mohamed Ibrahim, the school's all-time leading rusher, and All-America center John Michael Schmitz leave huge shoes to fill. And then there's the change at offensive coordinator, with Kirk Ciarrocca off to Rutgers and Greg Harbaugh joining Matt Simon as co-coordinators. Fleck hasn't announced his primary play-caller, but Harbaugh certainly looked to be handling that role in spring practices.

2. Improving the pass rush

Joe Rossi has worked wonders as the Gophers defensive coordinator, and his 2022 defense ranked fourth in the Big Ten in yards allowed (294.7) and was the stingiest in the conference in third-down conversions allowed (27.9%). Those stats are even more remarkable when you consider the Gophers accomplished that with not much of a pass rush in 2022. Minnesota's 19 sacks ranked next-to-last in the Big Ten and tied for 111^th nationally. The pass rush, of course, has been a point of emphasis in the spring, with former Gophers defensive end Winston DeLattiboudere III taking over as defensive line coach. Ends Danny Striggow and Jah Joyner figure to be keys to getting pressure on opposing QBs.

3. Kesich could see double duty

Matthew Trickett rebounded from a subpar 2021 to make 15 of 18 field-goal attempts and all 46 of his point-after kicks as a senior last year. In line to take over is junior Dragan Kesich, who's been outstanding on kickoffs, producing 59 touchbacks in 71 kicks last year. If Kesich's big leg can be an accurate one, too, the Gophers will be in good shape. He's 0-for-1 on field goals in his Gophers career, with Iowa blocking his 53-yard attempt in 2021. Kesich's competition is Ball State transfer Jacob Lewis, who was 12-for-16 on field goals in two seasons with the Cardinals.