Minnesota Golden Gophers are facing their greatest chance in 50 years to make the unthinkable, win the NCAA championship.
Before talking about how Gophers could make the impossible, I am going to be clear. The fact that Minnesota is going to win Iowa (last victory at Iowa in 1999), Northwestern and Wisconsin (Minnesota has not won two consecutive Paul Buchanan Axes since 1993-1994) would be a miracle. Even if that miracle happened, Minnesota would have to win Ohio State (3 wins since 1950) to get a berth in playoffs. This scenario would be the greatest upset in college football history, but the truth is that for the first time since the 90s, there is hope in the Middle West state.
Minnesota left 2016 with one of the biggest crisis in their program, 10 players were accused of sexual assault. The scandal following the news ended with Tracy Claeys era even though he had a 9-4 record as Head Coach. In response, Minnesota rebooted the program to its roots, with PJ Fleck as the new HC and building around 2016 and 2017 rookies. It was a HC of a minor college, the general view of Minnesota as losers and a feeling of no room for improvement. Everyone thought that Golden Gophers were doomed to continue in the bottom of the “bad” division of the Big 10. But everything changed in only three years.
Three years ago, Minnesota had lost 13 consecutive games to Wisconsin and have not ended ranked since 2003. After one negative first year, PJ Fleck achieved two surprising records. First, he led the team to a Bowl (winning it) but most important, Minnesota finally beat Wisconsin. The victory against the Badgers could seem as a minor detail, but for Minnesota it was the way to answer those who call them small university and the “kid” of Wisconsin Badgers. Now, there is an option to end ranked for the second time in the XXI century.
New culture, new player and always the underdogs
In three years under Fleck regime, Minnesota had suffered many changes at all levels. Not even last year is similar to this one, with injuries, coaching decisions and the loss of Blake Cashman. Cashman, drafted by the New York Jets, is probably the best player who came from Minnesota since Eric Decker. The LB was the main saver of a struggling defense. It has so many flaws, that they received more than 30 points in the first six games of the Big Ten last year. After that mess, Robb Smith was fired and Joe Rossi was the man in the charge of the defense. Since then, Minnesota has only received 30 points in three ocassions.
Now, with Carter Coughlin being the leader of the front seven, Minnesota has found another star. Antoine Winfield Jr has emerged as one of the best players in the NCAA with 7 interceptions, two decisive in the game against Penn State. Small as his father and seem as non explosive, he makes up those problems with the collocation of a veteran and the ability to catch every ball. Also, he has something that some have and others wish. He is capable to appear in the defining moments of a season even though the attack is the most important part.
Because Minnesota offense has the star of the team and one of the best WR presented to this year draft. Tyler Johnson does not care if Zack Annexstad, Tanner Morgan or an inanimate carbon rod is throwing to him, if the pass goes three yards around Johnson, he will catch it. With him, Minnesota has a runner like Rashod Bateman, who breaks any coverage with his speed. Chris Autman-Bell works as a third man, only outshined because the other receivers are amazing.
But, not even the QB was the expected. Last year, Zack Annexstead beat Tanner Morgan because he had the ability to create plays when everything seemed lost. An unfortunate injury in Annexstead foot made Morgan (also a sophomore) the starting job. He started slow but he has gained momentum working with all the guns available. Minnesota is simply underrated when you look to the offense. Why people tend to underrate Minnesotan offense? Because they are a small university and small universities are allegedly not well coached.
The backfield depth is also amazing, with three RB who could be starters. Rodney Smith is RB1, with Mohamed Ibrahim and Shannon Brooks splitting the snaps. Ibrahim is another product of Flecks Culture “Row the Boat”. Rodney was injured last year and Ibrahim had to work as the main threat on the backfield and he did it great, earning more snaps this year. And if everything goes down and Minnesota is close to the end zone is Seth Green time. Seth Green, used as a Wildcat QB, is the answer passing or running to short yardage situations as we could see against Penn State.
It is time to believe.
As a Minnesota Vikings and Golden Gophers fan, I maintain a strong motto in my life: You must not believe. Keep my head cool, remember every disappointment and think that on Saturday, Iowa will break our hopes. But Minnesota will never have an opportunity like this. Minnesota´s game against Penn State it´s a cry that we should not forget. It´s a cry of libertation, of feeling that for one moment we are not the laughing stock. Even suffering at the first couple of games, no one can discredit Minnesota and we deserve to be at the Top 25. And that is a big change. Minnesota is now a contender for the playoff, now Minnesota is something more than the warm up game for Wisconsin before playing the Big 10 final.
Golden Gophers are not a popular team outside Minnesota and that is logical. In a 14 team conference, Minnesota is not even in the top 5. Michigans (Michigan and Michigan State), Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Iowa can look upon their shoulders when they talk about a state and a team who lives of the glory days, before Second World War was real. Minnesota is not a big house and it will never be again. But that point is what PJ Fleck culture has impacted in the mind of every single Gopher fan. We are not worse than anyone, we are not going to quit before playing and we will always earn our rivals respect in the field.
No one fears a Gopher, but now not many teams want to fight them. Minnesota is now an underdog in two of the three games left even when Golden Gophers are ranked at the top 8 of the country. Always being the underdog, not feeling welcome or respect outside your fans is also important. Minnesota gets out every Saturday with their heads full of “experts” and journalist opinion. They play knowing that no one believes in them, and that is somehow peaceful for them. Every single positive play is a direct hit to the critics, every win is an upset, playing the spoiler in the big ordinary world of NCAA.
The last shot for romanticism
And, i am trying to be objective but i cannot deny a fact. Is there something more beautiful than an unknown team in the Playoffs? Probably Alabama or Georgia fans will not think as me, but Playoffs are a private property. Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, maybe Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon or other teams of SEC will play at December and January. Minnesota would be the first time that a true underdog flies so high and yes, I am talking through my feelings, not through my mind.
Because if we only talk about what should happen, Penn State should have demolished Gophers according to experts. Iowa will finish this magic cinderella story if everything goes normal. But sports is the land of the unthinkable. And one more week of dreaming is seven days of a maroon and gold storm making Minnesotans happy and not having to think about unemployment, crisis and sadness. Sometimes we tend to forget it, but this is the greatness of sports. Sports are our way to forget about for our problems only a few hours a week.
Every single reader of less than 57 years has not seen Minnesota at the top 5. Every single reader younger than 100 years old cannot remember such an start of a season for Minnesota. I am not a fortune teller and i do not pretend to be one but we are living history and my only hope is to dream one more week. This and no other would be the American sports story of the century if it ends right, and we all know it will not end with the National Championship. On the other hand… Why are we going to stop dreaming when there is still a chance? Doug Flutie and his Boston College won Florida Gators, it is possible. And it is always charming to be in the good guy side, especially when you know that everything can finish in only 72 hours.
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