Analysis: Complete fourth quarter vs. Michigan has lessons for Gophers going forward

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – As the 110,340 rain-drenched fans filed out of Michigan Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Gophers were left to ponder what might have been.

They had just staged a stirring fourth-quarter comeback, pulling to within 27-24 against then-12th-ranked Michigan after starting the final 15 minutes trailing by 21 points. And when Gophers linebacker Matt Kingsbury pounced on Dragan Kesich’s onside kick that had squirted past several Michigan players, the Gophers appeared to be in business at the Wolverines 38-yard line with 1:37 to play. Fox play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson’s voice cracked so much when screaming “Minnesota’s got it!!!’’ that you could’ve sworn it was Peter Brady in mid-puberty.

A tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown were in play for the Gophers. Instead, an official ruled that Kingsbury was offside, negating the play and enabling Michigan to recover the second kick, run out the clock and secure the 27-24 victory.

Replays of the first onside kick suggest that Kesich’s kick was off before Kingsbury crossed the line to put him offside. Opinions will differ, and you can be the judge.

This Michigan team might not have national championship contributors like J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and Connor Stalions, but the Wolverines at least for now are in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The fact that the Gophers nearly escaped the Big House with a win is a credit to their resilience. It also should be said that mistakes were a big reason they trailed all day and eventually lost.

The Gophers lost a fumble at their 12-yard line, leading to a Michigan touchdown. They had a punt blocked and recovered by Michigan at the Minnesota 11, leading to a Wolverines TD. They committed seven penalties, five by an offensive line that has a whopping 15 infractions this season. They rushed for only 16 yards in the first half and 36 for the game.

Still, with quarterback Max Brosmer completing 10 of 16 passes for 95 yards in the fourth quarter, Darius Taylor scoring two TDs and Daniel Jackson making a spectacular TD grab, the Gophers showed an offensive surge that’s been missing. Minnesota’s defense also tightened with Ethan Robinson intercepting a pass that sparked a touchdown drive.

“We’re starting to find out what we’re gonna have to be and what we’re going to be as an offense, defense and special teams as we continue to go forward,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.

In other words, this Gophers team doesn’t resemble the run-heavy, clock-draining squads that produced 9-4 records in 2021 and ‘22. Instead, the Gophers are cobbling it together with an increased focus on the passing game, a defense that has shown it can force turnovers and a return game sparked by freshman Koi Perich, who set up a TD with a 60-yard punt return.

The Gophers, who fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big Ten, are hopeful they can replicate the way they played in the fourth quarter going forward. That starts with Saturday’s visit from No. 11 USC (3-1, 1-1), the end of a three-game stretch that included Iowa and Michigan.

“We’ve got to put it all together,” Fleck said. “The schedule’s bringing the best out of us and at times the worst out of us, especially early. We’ve got to find a way to win those three games, and we haven’t. Again, that’s my responsibility, my fault, not theirs.”

Fleck’s postgame message to his players focused on the potential he saw from Saturday’s near miss in Michigan.

“I told them afterwards, ‘We’re 2-3, and that’s what everybody’s gonna tell us and judge us on that,’” Fleck said. “‘Those are the facts, record-wise. But we’re a really good football team.’‘’