The Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday night fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels 19-17 in their season opener. Gophers Nation provides three quick takeaways on the season opening loss for P.J. Fleck's program.
A sloppy start to the season
It was a start to the season that the Golden Gophers are going to want to watch the film of and then immediately bury in the backyard. Quarterback Max Brosmer struggled with his footwork and as a result his accuracy early, the offensive line didn't do him any favors either, allowing five sacks in the game. Defensively, the Gophers had several costly peanlties, blown assignments, and missed tackles while Dragan Kesich, the Big Ten Kicker of the Year a season ago missed a pair of field goals including a 27-yard attempt in the first quarter. While for many programs the first game of the year could be sloppier than usual, the mistakes that the Gophers made on Thursday night were mistakes that often palgued them in 2023. P.J. Fleck often preaches that the Gophers a program of development. The Gophers will have the opportunity to back that claim up over the upcoming weeks and if they don't, it could be a long season in the new Big Ten for the maroon and gold.
Marcus Major solid with Darius Taylor out
With star running back Darius Taylor sidelined, Oklahoma transfer Marcus Major stepped up as the Gophers' lead back on Thursday night. The sixth-year running back delivered a quality performance for Minnesota, accumulating 100 yards from scrimmage on 21 touches including 20 carries for 73 yards while picking up his first touchdown as a Gopher. The highlight of the game for Major, however, came in peculiar fashion as he was on the receiving end of a lucky bounce on a Le'Meke Brockington fumble and was able to advance the ball deep into North Carolina territory. As the Gophers' schedule becomes more manageable in the upcoming weeks, P.J. Fleck and the Gophers could choose to keep Taylor out for precautionary reasons. If they do choose to do so, Major should continue to be the bellcow of the Minnesota rushing attack.
Lackluster day for Brosmer, passing attack
It was not a strong first impression for the Gophers passing attack in 2024. Quarterback Max Brosmer struggled at times throughout the game with his accuracy, missing several key throws in the process. The New Hampshire transfer ultimately finished the day completing 13-of-21 attempts for 166 yards. Eight different Gophers recorded receptions in the game including Daniel Jackson leading the way with four receptions for 55 yards on five targets. Prior to the fourth quarter, Brosmer had just 53 passing yards on 6-of-12 passing attempts. Going forward, the Gophers will need to get the senior quarterback into a rhythm much quicker than they did on Thursday night.
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