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First-rounders everywhere: PJ Fleck blown away by talent-laden offense of Ohio State
By Paul Harvey
Published:
For 3 quarters of Thursday’s season opener, Minnesota hung neck-and-neck with the No. 4 team in the country.
Unfortunately for the Gophers, an ill-fated injury to Mohamed Ibrahim – combined with Ohio State’s offense waking up – led to the Buckeyes finishing off with a 45-31 win. The big story of the night was Ohio State racking up 35 points after halftime.
Shaking off the initial rust from his first career start, quarterback C.J. Stroud threw 4 touchdowns after the break, including a pair to star receiver Chris Olave. In the end, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck had to admit that he was blown away by the offensive talent of Ryan Day’s squad.
Following the game, Fleck labeled that offense as one of the most talented he has ever coached against. Here’s what he had to say about that offense:
P.J. Fleck on Ohio State: That’s one of the best offenses I’ve ever coached against. They make you cover the entire field. They’re all 1st round draft picks.
— Dustin Schutte (@SchutteCFB) September 3, 2021
It’s hard to disagree with that assessment. Everyone knows about Olave and Garrett Wilson on the outside, along with big offensive linemen in Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere, but those players are just the tip of the iceberg.
Though just a redshirt freshman, Stroud put his arm talent on display multiple times in the second half. Ohio State also has a loaded running back group with Miyan Williams and true freshman TreVeyon Henderson.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.