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5 big concerns I have about Minnesota heading into the 2021 season
By Phil Ervin
Published:
P.J. Fleck isn’t afraid to admit it.
“I’m not for everybody,” the Minnesota coach has become fond of saying.
“I” in this case is actually “we.” There’s a collective culture Fleck has built on the foundation of catchy slogans, memorable acronyms and seemingly unmatched energy.
That’s Fleck. And that’s Golden Gophers football.
“Not for everybody” also denotes exclusivity. Come to the Twin Cities to play college football, and you won’t be the biggest show in town. You’re not playing for a blueblood. But you’re part of something new and unique.
That’s the pitch, and it’s worked.
Players in Fleck’s program echo his mentality and his platitudes. During the last “normal” college football season, it paid off with an 11-win season.
And yet Minnesota sits at somewhat of a crossroads heading into Year 5 of the Fleck experience. Call it a “T” intersection to tone down the drama.
Turn one way, and you’re back on track after a 3-4 season that some might simply say “toss it out the window.” Take the wrong turn, and — well, we’ve seen what mediocre Division I football looks like in this market for a long, long time.
Where’s this loud, maroon-and-gold bus headed? The outcome of the following 5 areas of concern will largely dictate it:
1. Mohamed Ibrahim is a superhuman. But he’s still a human.
As great as the returning Big Ten running back of the year was last year, almost 70 percent of a team’s rushing attempts on the back of one man isn’t exactly sustainable. Maybe Ibrahim will prove that notion wrong. But it’d be much better if Cam Wiley, Treyson Potts or some combination thereof take a huge step. If 2019 is the barometer, you may recall Minnesota had three bona fide backs. Even two would be better than last season.
2. The defense returns a ton of experience. Is that a good or a bad thing?
Preseason prognostications, including modern pundits’ fancy formulas and algorithms, often account heavily for returning experience. Current NFL cornerback Benjamin St-Juste is the only starter Minnesota’s “D” lost from last season. But many of the returning names, simply put, didn’t have a very good year. The secondary should be fine, but the front seven needs to take a big step. Will an influx of transfers along the line help? Who’s going to emerge as a consistent linebacker?
3. It’s hard to have a balanced attack with one featured receiver
Given his current career trajectory and some of the scintillating individual plays he made last season, Chris Autman-Bell is primed to join the growing list of wideouts to leave a mark on the program under Fleck. But the play behind him last season was inconsistent at best. Daniel Jackson has drawn rave reviews since the spring. Michael Brown-Stephens is a darn good athlete. But can they put it all together against Big Ten secondaries? Autman-Bell needs help. So does quarterback Tanner Morgan.
4. The danger of missing a bowl game is real
What? Doesn’t Minnesota avoid Michigan and Penn State? Yes. That’s the reward for starting the year against Ohio State. But Colorado, Nebraska, Maryland and Northwestern are all toss-up games. An 0-3 finish to the year then becomes realistic as the Gophers close against Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. That’s a gauntlet. Can Goldy get on another roll and amass enough wins by then for it not to matter?
5. Special teams
The numbers have been ugly, both in terms of starting field position and scoring ability, for multiple years. Minnesota needs a kicker who can make chip shots. And it needs players on the field — even if they’re scrimmage starters — who can run down returners and string together enough blocks for the offense to start on a good footing. The transfer market may have helped here, too. We’ll find out when the Gophers kick it off against the Buckeyes the Thursday before Labor Day Weekend.
Veteran sports writer Phil Ervin brings his expertise on Minnesota and B1G football to Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @PhilErvin.