Minnesota proves they belong in college football’s upper class with Outback Bowl win vs. Auburn

P.J. Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers hung with and took down Auburn in the Outback Bowl, proving they belong and aren’t going anywhere.

Minnesota is here to stay.

The Golden Gophers couldn’t pass every test in the regular season. Though they stunned Penn State, they fell to Iowa and Wisconsin down the stretch, thus leading to the Gophers failing to make the Big Ten Championship Game and well outside of the College Football Playoff. However, they still earned an Outback Bowl date with the vaunted Auburn Tigers on Wednesday.

If the losses to the Hawkeyes and Badgers had left doubters about P.J. Fleck and the Golden Gophers, though, there should be none after their New Year’s Six appearance at Raymond James Stadium.

Though Minnesota only ended up with a 31-24 victory, it felt as if they were in control of every aspect of the game. The Gophers outgained Auburn 494-to-232 in total yards, consistently made the big plays that the Tigers were unable to convert and even attacked Gus Malzahn’s team where they were strong, running the ball down their throats.

With the dominant showing from quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mohamed Ibrahim and wide receiver Tyler Johnson on offense and a terrific team defensive effort to stifle Bo Nix, Fleck’s Golden Gophers proved they aren’t just the pesky, feel-good story but rather a team that can compete with the blue-bloods of college football.

More importantly, all the signs are there that Minnesota isn’t going anywhere after concluding this year with an Outback Bowl win.

Yes, Fleck will see Johnson head to the NFL on the heels of his 12-catch, 204-yard, two-score game against Auburn. However, the passing attack will still have a bonafide superstar in Rashod Bateman while Ibrahim (20 carries, 140 yards, one touchdown) appears more than capable of taking over for the departing Rodney Smith in the rushing attack.

Of course, Morgan will also be back under center for Minnesota’s 2020 season as a redshirt junior. Considering that he continued to get better and show more control over the offense as the season progressed, that bodes even better for what the Golden Gophers can look like despite the talented personnel they’ll have to replace.

Perhaps the biggest factor in all of this, however, is Fleck remaining at the helm of the program. Since going 5-7 in 2017 (his first year with the program), the head coach has dramatically changed the trajectory. They were 7-6 in his second season (2018) and then reeled off a 9-0 start before finishing 11-2 this year.

From his days at Western Michigan to now, Fleck has more than proven his merit as a head coach of the highest order. He builds, instills belief and wins football games. In just three seasons, he’s accomplished that with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and, as long as he remains in place, don’t expect his triumphs to dissipate anytime soon.

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