Fresh off the biggest comeback in 30 years for Minnesota at home, Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck gets defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Ohio State in its own building.
The Gophers rallied from 14-0 down to beat Rutgers 31-28 to open Big Ten play, and this week Fleck’s staff has been simulating how to not get behind in the Horseshoe against the Buckeyes (4-0). Ohio State’s last home loss to Michigan in November 2024 seems like a distant memory after the Buckeyes rolled through the 12-team College Football Playoff after that loss.
“I don’t think you can ever do that (simulation) exactly because, I mean, that place is 107,000 fans and it’s deafening,” Fleck told reporters on Monday. “And that’s for a noon kickoff or an 11 AM kickoff, let alone all them doing what they do, tailgating all day and being ready for the night game that the fans have asked for. And so we know we’re walking into a really hostile environment.”
“We’re gonna do everything we can to recreate it and preparing it. But our players are just gonna have to have incredible poise and execute in small details and find a way just to continue to get better and go execute the game plan that’s in front of us,” Fleck added. “But we know what kind of environment we’re walking into and what type of team we’re going to play. I mean, he’s defending national champions.”
P.J. Fleck Praises Ohio State’s Ryan Day
Fleck expressed his respect for Day, who led the Buckeyes to their first national title in a decade.
“He’s an incredible man, first of all, and then just a fabulous coach,” Fleck said. “But I know he has a lot of confidence in this football team that he’s coaching. And I think statistically, when you look at them under Ryan Day, I mean, statistically, in the first four games could be his best team he’s ever coached, and so this is a really good football team. So we’re gonna have to play our best football game of the year.”
“We know that, but that’s what’s so fun about it, and what a great opportunity it is for us, and a great challenge at the same time for our football team,” Fleck added.
P.J. Fleck Addresses Ohio State Defense
Ohio State has been a juggernaut on defense this season, which includes limited Texas and quarterback Arch Manning to seven points. The Buckeyes limited Washington to six points in their latest outing on Sept. 27 in Seattle, a 24-6 victory.
“Well, they’re holding opponents to five points. So Washington did a good job scoring one more point than what they’re averaging. So that’s above average performance,” Fleck said. “They’re really, really good at understanding how it all works.”
“You can see how the front seven understand how the back end works. The back end understands how the front seven works. They work cohesively together, they’re relentless. I mean, those four guys up front, I mean, they get into double legal packages, and they are straight up the field,” Fleck added.