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Final score: Minnesota 17 Buffalo 7
Quick recap
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.
There wasn’t much to like about the first game of the P.J. Fleck era, particularly on offense. The Gophers couldn’t close out drives, they struggled in pass protection and failed to take advantage of opportunities. Even kicker Emmit Carpenter, a preseason All-B1G selection, was 1-for-3 on field goal attempts.
Yes, Minnesota won, but it was a pretty underwhelming victory considering all the hype surrounding Fleck’s arrival. There’s plenty to work on moving forward.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Tyler Johnson emerged as a playmaker at receiver, catching six passes for 141 yards and a touchdown all in the first half. Quarterbacks Conor Rhoda and Demry Croft gave Minnesota’s offense a few different looks. And the defense played relatively well, holding Buffalo’s offense to 257 yards for the game.
Minnesota’s defense made just enough plays to escape with a win.
Key play: Emmit Carpenter’s 43-yard field goal
Despite missing his first two attempts, Carpenter knocked through a 43-yard attempt with 2:05 remaining in the game. The kick pushed the score to 17-7, giving Minnesota its first two-possession lead of the night.
The Gophers were finally able to breathe easy after watching that field goal sail through the uprights.
Stat of the game: 7 points allowed
It may not seem like an appealing stat against a team that averaged just over 16 points a season ago, but it was the fewest points allowed by a Minnesota defense since the 2006 season.
Had the defense not played so well, the Gophers may have started 0-1.
What it means
The bottom line? A win is a win.
And in the first game of the year, that’s all that really matters. But it’s evident that Fleck isn’t a miracle worker and Minnesota isn’t going to be competing for a B1G title simply because of his arrival.
There are some serious concerns along the offensive line. Rhoda and Croft were under constant pressure throughout the game and failed to sustain any momentum. Even with a star-studded backfield in Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, the Gophers struggled to move the football.
For Minnesota to be more competitive this season, the offensive line is going to have to show serious improvement.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB