Introduction: Quick Hitters:

The Minnesota Golden Gophers lost to the
North Carolina Tar Heels 19-17 in their season
opener on Thursday night. Gopher Nation,

B.J. Losing Fleck from the program in the
season opener makes for three quick takeaways.

The start of the season was disappointing

It was the start of a season that makes you
want to bury the Golden Gophers in your
backyard right after watching the movie.

Quarterback Max Brussmer struggled with his footwork,
which led to poor accuracy early on and the
offense was unable to capitalize, allowing five

sacks in the game. Defensively, the Gophers
endured several costly penalties, missed
assignments and missed tackles while Dragan

Kasic was the player of the year last season, including a 27-yard attempt in the first quarter. The first game of the year can be sloppier than usual for many programs, but the mistakes the Gophers made Thursday night will often haunt them in 2023. PJ Fleck often preaches that the Gophers are a growth program. The Gophers have a chance to prove that claim in the coming weeks, but if they don’t, it could be a long season for the Gold and Brown in the new Big Ten.

Marcus Major was well represented by Darius Taylor.

The highlight of the game for Major, however, was when he got a lucky rebound off Le’Mac Brockington and was able to send the ball deep into North Carolina territory. As the Gophers’ schedule becomes more manageable in the coming weeks, P.J. He’s probably keeping Taylor away as a precaution. The choice is spot and gopher. If they do, Minnesota’s rushing attack should continue.

Lazy day for Brosmer, passing attack

Eight different Gophers recorded receptions during the game, including Daniel Jackson, who led the way with four catches for 55 yards on five targets. Brussmer had completed six of 12 passes for just 53 yards before the start of the fourth quarter. Next, the Gophers need to get their senior quarterback into a rhythm much sooner than Thursday night.