They called themselves the "Encore Four," the quartet of sixth-year seniors who returned to the Gophers football team for the 2022 season. Quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mohamed Ibrahim, wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell and center John Michael Schmitz came back with the hopes of delivering the first Big Ten West Division title to Dinkytown.
The core group is down to three after Autman-Bell suffered a season-ending leg injury on Sept. 17, and that goal of a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game is an extreme long shot. Still, Morgan, Ibrahim and Schmitz hold the keys to what this team can accomplish as the calendar flips to November for the final four games of the regular season.
Coach P.J. Fleck made that clear when he relied heavily on all three in the Gophers' 31-0 victory over Rutgers on Saturday. After a three-game losing streak stripped away the optimism created during a 4-0 September, Morgan, Ibrahim and Schmitz provided solid performances.
Morgan, concussed in the late stages of the Gophers' loss at Illinois on Oct. 15, missed last weekend's loss at Penn State. In his place was redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis, the quarterback who Fleck says is the team's future and one who did enough at Penn State to lead many to believe the future should be now.
Fleck, though, stayed loyal to the quarterback who has a 32-14 record as a starter.
"Tanner has earned the right in, my opinion, to be on that field and leading our team," Fleck said. "And I told Athan, 'I'll do the same for you.' When you have that much built up, it's hard to sit there and say, 'OK, well, you go out there and see what happens.' "
Morgan was efficient against Rutgers, completing seven of nine passes and getting a 15-yard third-down scramble during the Gophers' first two possessions that led to a 14-0 lead.
Making things happen up front was an offensive line led by Schmitz, the 6-4, 320-pound brawler who is graded as the top center in the nation by Pro Football Focus College.
