New quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis delivered, and Gophers have a new offense for the future

MADISON, Wis. – The calendar flipped to 2023 on Saturday. The Gophers football team teleported its offense to the future.

Give the kid the ball and let him sling it.

No more service academy offense. No more run, run, run, run, run.

The Gophers have a young quarterback with a cannon arm and a reservoir of confidence.

Freshman quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had his official welcome party in a steely outing that proved he can be trusted to drive the offense.

The script looked brilliantly unfamiliar, and the payoff was a 23-16 win over the Wisconsin Badgers that allowed the Gophers to leave Camp Randall Stadium with Paul Bunyan's Axe.

One week after completing just one pass in the second half of a deflating loss to Iowa, Kaliakmanis passed for 319 yards and two touchdowns in his fourth career start, displaying a mixture of poise and toughness in leading the offense to a fourth-quarter flourish.

"Nothing is too big for him," P.J. Fleck said.

The main takeaway from a game that came down to one final play is concise: The Gophers have their quarterback of the future. The Badgers do not.

The Gophers should have discovered their offensive identity for next season, too.

Fleck and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca unleashed Kaliakmanis with a game plan that was unshackled from the run-dominated approach that has become the hallmark of this coaching staff.

The coaches trusted Kaliakmanis to pass repeatedly — in all situations — and stuck with it even when the results weren't positive. That commitment to balance made the offense unpredictable, created explosive plays and allowed Kaliakmanis and his receivers to establish a rhythm.

Finally.

Kaliakmanis' maturity and physical skills provide the foundation for an offense that must evolve next season. The Gophers finished near the bottom of college football in pass attempts in 2021 and again this season. That cannot happen again next season.

The offense should revolve around Kaliakmanis' arm, or at least make him co-chair of the attack.

The border battle provided the right template.

Ciarrocca repeatedly called pass plays on first down, and he blew the dust off the vertical passing game with a handful of deep shots. Kaliakmanis attempted 29 passes, completed 19 and did not throw an interception against a defense ranked top 15 nationally.

"It's a credit to Coach Ciarrocca's game plan," Kaliakmanis said of the aggressive approach. "We knew we were going to have chances down the field."

Kaliakmanis' best moments came in the fourth quarter with his team trailing 16-13. Three plays stood out:

With 10 minutes left, Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta stormed through the line on a blitz, forcing Kaliakmanis to backpedal to buy time. He took a big hit as he released the ball, but not before rifling a pass to tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford for a 19-yard completion.

That was veteran calm displayed by a freshman.

Two plays later, Kaliakmanis threw a deep ball down the sideline to Daniel Jackson, who did his best Justin Jefferson impersonation with an over-the-shoulder beauty that gained 34 yards. Those two passes set up a game-tying field goal.

Next possession, Kaliakmanis fired a slant pass to Le'Meke Brockington in stride for a 45-yard touchdown and the game's final points.

Fleck called the read and throw by Kaliakmanis "really, really special."

"He did some things that, wow," Fleck said. "Like 500-level things."

Their passing game had become so underused that the Gophers had not thrown a touchdown pass in their previous four games. That streak ended on their first drive with a 6-yard touchdown catch by Jackson.

Ciarrocca opened the game with a pass on the first play, a 14-yard completion to Spann-Ford. The play-calling stayed aggressive even when the operation misfired.

When Jackson dropped a catchable pass in the first half, Kaliakmanis went back to him two plays later, connecting on a 26-yard completion that set up a field goal in the final seconds before halftime.

The freshman kept firing in the second half, making clutch throws when the situation required it. He never once looked nervous with the ball in his hands.

The Gophers took the Axe back to campus because coaches trusted the passing game, and the quarterback and his receivers delivered.

That's a pretty good starting point for next season.