A synopsis of what Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck along with players Tanner Morgan, Nyles Pinckney, Ko Kieft, and Jack Gibbens.
P.J. Fleck:
- Mohamed Ibrahim will have season-ending surgery. Should be able to make a full recovery and down the road will decide whether he wants to come back or go to the NFL.
- Thinks wide receiver Dylan Wright is a special talent and is just scratching the surface. Has length, size, and speed and this is his first year playing meaningful snaps in college.
- Thought tight ends played well. Mentioned Ko Kieft being an important part of why running lanes opened up. Brevyn Spann-Ford has gotten better and is playing with a lot more confidence.
- Will look to give Ky Thomas and Marquise "Bucky" Irving a look at running back. Every running back will get a look moving forward and every one will compete. Have a lot of numbers, but haven't seen them because Ibrahim has been so good.
- Says six massive plays stand out from the Ohio State game. Had missed assignments on two of those. Personnel matchups were an issue when Jordan Howden went out with an injury. Didn't get enough depth at the nickel position in one of the long pass plays. Said Ohio State averaged 59 yards per their explosive plays compared to Minnesota's 29 yards per.
- Was happy with the movement they got along the defensive front. Gave credit to Ohio State for having good balance and good play-calling.
- Says Miami (Oh.) plays incredibly hard. They have more depth than they ever had. Got down early quickly to Cincinnati which changed their game plan. They rotate a lot of guys in. Have to play their best football against them.
- Thought Tanner (Morgan) was good, but a lot of room for improvement with accuracy, decision making, and playing the position better. Managed the game well and ran the offense well.
Tanner Morgan:
- They have a lot of talent and skill in the receiver room. It's important to understand how each guy runs stuff differently.
- Describes Ko Kieft as violent. Loves to play football. Fantastic leader.
Nyles Pinckney:
- Felt like defensive line played pretty well against Ohio State, but multiple things they could have did better.
- Stopping big plays starts up front and helping out their secondary.
- Says the atmosphere was "awesome" and described his first game as a Gopher as "surreal."
- Attended the Minnesota State Fair. Had a few donuts and cookies. Favorite thing was the food.
- Feels they need to be more consistent every snap and be more firm moving forward this season up front.
- Sees Miami (Oh.) as a young team that has potential to be a really good team. Needs to play to their level to beat them.
- Sad to see Mohamed Ibrahim get injured. Makes everyone just pick each other up and be grateful for the opportunity to play and practice for him.
Ko Kieft:
- Takes pride in playing violent. Enjoys run-blocking and helps their offense a lot.
- Wants to be the most physical offense in the country.
- Been awesome to see Brevyn Spann-Ford grow over the past year. Not only catching, but run and pass blocking as well.
- Played quarterback and linebacker in high school, said learning foot work was the biggest obstacle in learning how to run-block as a tight end.
Jack Gibbens:
- Have been focusing on communication and getting everyone on the same page and getting better on the details of their assignments on defense.
- Said atmosphere, fans, and energy was awesome in the stadium.
- Don't take any moral victories from the Ohio State, just focused on getting better every week.
- Atmosphere coming out of the tunnel was very cool for him. Once the game started, he settled in a bit.
- Says Miami (Oh.) has a lot of speed on the outside. Gave up too many explosive plays last week and wants to eliminate those this week.
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