Gophers passing attack is lagging. So what's been going wrong?

The contrast is glaring.

On Nov. 9, 2019, wide receivers Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Chris Autman-Bell combined to catch 17 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns as the Gophers beat No. 5 Penn State 31-26. Fans stormed the field in P.J. Fleck's signature win as Minnesota's coach.

Then last Saturday, Mike Brown-Stephens and Le'Meke Brockington were the only Gophers wide receivers to catch the football, combining for three receptions for 88 yards in a 45-17 loss at No. 16 Penn State. This time, it was Nittany Lions fans reveling.

Minnesota's offense has dried up during its three-game skid, scoring only 10, 14 and 17 points in losses to Purdue, Illinois and Penn State. The passing game has produced only one touchdown, on a catch by tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Gophers wide receivers haven't visited the end zone since Daniel Jackson had two TD catches on Sept. 24 at Michigan State.

What's happened with the Gophers wideouts? There's not one simple answer, rather a combination of circumstances that make that November Saturday seem like so long ago.

"We've gotta be able to create separation, and then we've gotta be able to make the plays that present themselves,'' said Fleck, whose team is host to Rutgers on Saturday. "When we're able to catch the ball in traffic and make plays, we're really good.''

Tough act to follow

In discussing the Gophers' wide receiver situation, one must acknowledge how good the team had it in 2019. Bateman, a four-star recruit and Georgia native, spurned several SEC schools to play for Fleck and wide receivers coach Matt Simon. He had a breakout season, catching 60 passes for 1,219 yards and 11 TDs.

Johnson was even better, with 86 grabs for 1,318 yards and 13 TDs. Together, they became the first receiver duo from one team to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Their value to the Gophers showed in quarterback Tanner Morgan's stats. With the duo in 2019, Morgan passed for a school-record 3,253 yards and 30 TDs. Since then, he has a combined 24 TD passes in three seasons.

With Bateman and Johnson gone, Autman-Bell was poised to be the standard-bearer among Gophers wideouts. Problem is, he was limited in 2021 by an ankle injury, and this year he was lost for the season in the fourth game because of a leg injury.

"The other guys have to be able to step in and do that type of stuff,'' Fleck said. "And we have [at times]. Those guys have the capability of doing that. They have to believe that they can because they have.''

Initially, the wideouts did step up in Autman-Bell's absence. In the 34-7 rout of Michigan State in East Lansing, Brown-Stephens caught six passes, Dylan Wright had three grabs and Jackson had two TDs among his three catches. Since then, though, Spann-Ford has been the primary pass-catcher, leading the team with 23 receptions for 320 yards and two TDs.

Trying to fill spots

In the era of the transfer portal, teams will have turnover, and that's the case with Gophers wide receivers. Eight wideouts who were on Minnesota's 2021 roster — Nnamdi Adim-Madumere, Brock Annexstad, Brady Boyd, Douglas Emilien, Jonathan Mann, Dylan McGill, Peter Udoibok and Larry Wright III — transferred to other schools.

Of that group, the most notable might be Boyd, who has nine receptions for 92 yards and a TD for Texas Tech. Four of those wideouts ended up at FCS programs, two at Division II schools and one more at an FBS program (Emilien at Kansas).

Ryan Burns, publisher of recruiting-focused website GopherIllustrated.com, sees a lost opportunity in recruiting after the 2019 breakthrough.

"When you look at the passing game since that 2019 season, it obviously hasn't been what they've wanted,'' Burns said. "They were hoping to capitalize on having two first-team All-Big Ten receivers, but the results are what the results are.''

From the 2020 recruiting class, Jackson is the only wideout still on the Gophers roster. "The guys that did leave,'' Burns said, "weren't the caliber of players who were going to help elevate the passing offense like clearly Minnesota needs.''

Don't be surprised if the Gophers mine the transfer portal in search of wide receiver help for 2023.

"They need multiple transfer receivers from this portal,'' Burns said. "You can address your needs immediately, but it's going to be about how do they attract them?''

Aiming to improve

Last week, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said he wanted his wideouts to rediscover the aggressiveness they developed during training camp. "They were attacking every ball,'' he said. "They were attacking every route as if they were going to win.''

He saw some of that against Penn State. Brockington, a redshirt freshman, made a 33-yard catch on a deep sideline pass by Athan Kaliakmanis. Brown-Stephens, a fourth-year junior, caught a deep ball over the middle for a 49-yard gain.

"It was a positive step forward for them, and they've just gotta keep building on it,'' Ciarrocca said. "Over a long period of time, it happens all the sudden. You've just got to keep grinding and believing in yourself.''