It has not been the start to the season that the Minnesota Golden Gophers coaching staff, media, or fans alike expected from defending Big Ten Kicker of the Year Dragan Kesich.
Through five games, the senior kicker is 6-for-11 on the season in field goal opportunities. After a season in which he missed just two attempts from 40+ yards including hitting 3-of-4, 50-yard attempts, Kesich has struggled from long range this season.
Kesich this season has missed field goals from 27, 50 and twice from 55 yards. Against Michigan, Kesich's second missed 55-yard field goal of the season came late in the first quarter, a miss that would prove pivotal in the eventual 27-24 loss. He also had two misses in the season opener against North Carolina, a 19-17 loss for the Gophers.
Despite the now sustained struggles, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck issued a strong vote of confidence in the veteran on Monday during his weekly press conference.
"Keep rowing, man," Fleck said when asked about his message to Kesich. "Baseball terms keep swinging. Chopping the tree down. Keep chopping, and kicking terms, keep kicking it. Just do it better. That's the message," he added."
"This is just like I go back to Major League Baseball. Some of us love baseball, and I think Aaron Judge is getting booed at the beginning of the year. Am I right? Like there was a first month of baseball, wasn’t Aaron Judge having a hard time? But now he's close to 60 home runs. The Yankees are doing pretty good. Great players, that doesn't mean that they're not going to go through their own struggles," Fleck said in regards to Kesich's six misses through five games.
"I believe in him wholeheartedly and I'm going to continue to believe in him and I'm going to continue to do that. That's my faith and belief in my team and I'll always do that because I see what he does on a daily basis and you've all seen what he can do, he'll get it right. I know he’ll get it right."
Kesich and the Gophers will both look to get right this upcoming Saturday as they host the No. 11 USC Trojans at Huntington Bank Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
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