P.J. Fleck only won three of his first 17 games at Eastern Michigan; he might have started his Minnesota tenure in similar fashion if not for one factor: Mike Riley. The Gophers two most impressive games (by far) were a 48-14 victory over Oregon State and a 54-21 victory over the Huskers. The Gophers only defeated one other Power Five opponent (24-17 over Illinois) last season. Adding extra ignominy over that 54 point explosion against the Blackshirts is the fact that those were the last points Minnesota scored in 2017. Northwestern and Wisconsin combined to blast the Gophers 70-0 to close out the season; not since 1950 had the Gophers been shut out in back-to-back games.
Minnesota Golden Gophers 2018 Football Preview
