Gopher Football Weekly w/ PJ Fleck 11-18-25

Gopher Football Weekly w/ PJ Fleck 11-18-25

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Please sky you mos snapbacks, Loot Dalla Chicks, black muster
be two pointed. He goes all the way, he's in
the field, nobody to pay.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
This will be two for Minnesota Niler Moss with a
handoff at another big game and the ball pop.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Loose and is still purpling back there and it.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Is Mandy jack Us.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Let's see who has a Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Welcome to Gopher Football Weekly with p. K. Fleck on
the Gopher Sports Network from Learfield with the Canada.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Five Tops down back to the six.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Vote for Football Weekly with p J Fleck. He's presented
by True North Family of companies. Visit the True North
Family dot com. Also vote to you by cub the
official crosser of Gopher Athletics, and by Tipsy Skier in
High Bines located at count Road Sea and Snelly, proud
sponsor of Gopher football. We go No, No, Here's the

(00:59):
voice of the Gopher, Mike grim.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
We are on campus today and are ready to roll.
Here it's Go for Football Weekly with p J. Fleck.
Down to our final two regular season shows on campus
this week. Next week back to the restaurant Tipsy Steer
in High Pines in Roseville, I am Mike Grim along
with Justin Guard JG. Good to see you. Only two
more of these. Huh, I'm really going to miss you. Yeah,
I'm sure you're going to miss you. Sure you will.

(01:23):
We've got You've got basketball tomorrow at Allen Fieldhouse. Yeah,
Lawrence Camps very nice. Yes, safe travels and get a
win down there and then back at Wrigley Field on Saturday.
The head coach PJ. Fleck with us as well. The
show has your name on it, so we have to
have you on, right. You don't have to be a.

Speaker 4 (01:44):
Lead sponsor, Yes, can have anybody that you want. Thanks
to feel you're the mess reason why I'm here.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
I was trying to I'm sorry I did not come right.
I was trying to say you'd probably introduced us. That's
what you're saying. Go for football. It would be great
on the show. So we're going to talk to you
of because that's who people want to listen to. Is
how I should have phrased that, and that's really how
I meant to phrase it. It did not come out
very well. My apology, right, So you're down to tode
every Yeah, they don't.

Speaker 5 (02:10):
Even have to worry about offending me.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
I promise pre snap penalty thereun Yeah, exactly, it's all
about the response. So we'll have to come up with
some good questions. See how the show's going to go, guys,
exactly exactly, Well, a lot to talk about, certainly, we
got Northwestern and Minnesota this weekend. After watching the film
from Friday night, what do you take from that as
you now get ready for the week ahead.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
A lot of things. One, there's there's really good on
the film. I mean, when you look at it, there's
a lot of execution that we had on the offensive
side and defensive side at certain times. But I don't
want to sit there and take away how good Oregon is.
I mean they've they've done that to a lot of people.
I mean, they're really really good. Their athletes are just plentiful.
They didn't even have their top two wideouts. I don't

(02:53):
think people really understand that they didn't have their top
two white outs. And you look at eighteen, you look
at the tight end, you look at their other wide outs.
The quarterback played flawless and it wasn't that he was
just perfect. It was the guy's made incredible place. And
when you go back through that film, some of it.
It's like, okay, we can tested these and some of
them we didn't contest, and some that weren't contested. The
ball was placed only where their guy could get it,

(03:14):
and they made an incredible play and you got to
tip your cap to that, because that's very difficult to do.
But I thought their quarterback had an outstanding game. I
thought our team played incredibly hard. But we've got to
play better as we keep moving forward. I think when
you play a team like Oregon and Ohio State, it
says exactly where you are, and when they play really well,
it tells you exactly where you are comparatively speaking to

(03:37):
the best in the country period in every resource, in
players and coaching and facilities and resources. The new market
of nil that's the best, Okay, So it gives you
an honest opinion. And we're down twenty eight thirteen in
the third quarter, and a few things go our way
there that we would love, some things that maybe shouldn't

(03:59):
have gone our way, or it should have gone away
didn't go our way, and we're right in that football game,
and again we're closer than we think, but you're still
far apart. And I think that's where you've got to
continue as I talked to you know in the media
about just closing the gap, and it takes everybody though.

Speaker 5 (04:15):
It's not just me, it's not just the players.

Speaker 4 (04:17):
You look at people the way they're investing in over
the entire country, and there's no surprise when you look
at that twelve tonight the rankings come out and there's
no surprise, and they have.

Speaker 5 (04:27):
A lot of things in common.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
Yeah, so you mentioned you mentioned a lot there that
I want to get into.

Speaker 5 (04:32):
I'm curious that was a smorgas sport.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Yeah, but but you talk about that is the standards.
So do you leave that going, Wow, that's the standard.
You mentioned we're closer than we think, but we're still
far away. So how do you rationalize those two thoughts together?
I guess yeah, I.

Speaker 5 (04:47):
Don't excuse me.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
I don't know if that's it's it's the standard, because
I don't know, like how close we get to the
unlimited part, right, because it's it's fair, right because when
you look at Dan Lanning, every nobody talks about the
researchers they have, including him, and he's a good friend
of mine and I have a ton of respect for him,
but he doesn't get enough credit for how well of
a coachy, how good of a coach he is, and

(05:09):
how he connects that team, and they coach really well.
They got really good continuity and great coaches and they
kind of put it all together. So I don't know
if it's necessarily just the standard, but that's like the
top of the mountain when you look at it. And however,
we can work our way up the mountain and continually
work our way up the mountain, you're in, year out,

(05:29):
is what we're going to keep having to do.

Speaker 5 (05:32):
It's when you stop.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
On the mountain is when the avalanche happens. And you
see that all over the country and everybody just rolls
down the hill.

Speaker 5 (05:40):
And I'd like to remind people.

Speaker 4 (05:41):
I know what people's expectations are, but we're still bull
eligible after nine games. And that's a huge accomplishment, not
just saying that's what we're climbing the mountain to be,
but it's part of the mountain climb, but that we
played against a peak and again they're really good. But
our fight, our execus you shit at times.

Speaker 5 (06:02):
You know.

Speaker 4 (06:03):
Again, there was times that were better than us and
across the board, and then there were times that we
we'd fight scratch claw, you know, work our way down
the field, do a lot of great things. So I'm
an optimist and I'm a person that stays here for
a reason of elevating the program. That doesn't mean like
a mountain, there's peaks and valleys as you go up,
there's dips, there's climbs, there's there.

Speaker 5 (06:23):
There's all types of stuff.

Speaker 4 (06:24):
So it's they're really good and you got to give
them credit because they've they've done the best I think
in this Nio World Portal, as well as the Ohio
States of the world. And you look at those teams
at Texas A and M's and the Indiana's, I mean
Indiana is doing a ton. So yes, I do think
it is a standard to get yourself in talks to
compete within the college football playoffs.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Absolutely, the third quarter drive to start. I know you
are a guy who talks a lot about response and
guardian and we just did a podcast we're talking about
that you score there. Now you're within a couple if
you just get a stop all this sud I mean
no guarantee that you know how that thing's going to go.
But all of a sudden, the other sidelines is getting

(07:08):
a little net. Okay, we're in a ball game now,
but that was a nice drive. I thought that was
one of the better drives of the season, coming out
of halftime in a game that you know, the first
half probably didn't go the way everybody wanted it to go,
and to respond that way and you know, drive it
down the field.

Speaker 4 (07:21):
Well, that's what I love about our team is all
year they've responded.

Speaker 5 (07:24):
Some things have gone great.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
Some things they've had a fight scratch claw and it
did go our way, and then there's sometimes we're fight
stretch claw, it didn't go our way, and then sometimes
it didn't go our way really quickly and it was
like a title wave. They've always responded. This is not
a perfect world and an ideal world where every team
in the country is going to be twelve to zero
and have no issues. That is not football. That is
a that is a fairytale land world. That's an ideal

(07:47):
perfect world. We don't live in that. Our team lives
in a real world that is built on response. You
have to win really close games. And you know what,
Oregon played really well. Ohio State played really well when
we played them. I will play really well when we
played them. We didn't play our best and and that's
a credit to them and also things we've got to

(08:07):
get better at. But it's I love the response. I
love the opening drive of the third quarter or the
second half in the third quarter. I thought that said
a lot about our football team's character. And you know,
like you said, you get one call here, you know,
one review flipped here, and it's a different game.

Speaker 5 (08:25):
But part of the reason we couldn't.

Speaker 4 (08:28):
Stop them is they're really good and they've done that
to a lot of people all season. And what did
you see like seeing them in person? We talked a
lot about their physicality last week, and because I think
we both said it's not like the Chip Kelly offense
where they just try to, you know, go up and
down as quick as they possibly can. Then I forgot,
Well they're really fast too.

Speaker 2 (08:43):
Like me being on the field, the speed just seemed
like it was at a level maybe we haven't seen
this season from an opponent.

Speaker 4 (08:50):
Yeah, that was the fastest team, maybe the most athletic
team we played all year. That's no disrespect to Ohio
State because I think when you look at the complete team,
I mean or you know, Ohio State are in a
completely different league and upper echelon of across the board,
that type of talent and skill.

Speaker 5 (09:05):
But you know that they're really good.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
When Heather and I always kind of sit on the bench,
you know, two hours for a game time, we just
kind of look at the team and even Heather goes, wow,
who's that and then said wow, well who's that guy?
Then like well, that's the tight end, and that's the
second tight end, and that's the third tight end.

Speaker 5 (09:25):
Well, man, the receiver.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
Yeah, well the best two receivers are out, honey, and
those three guys are all their backups.

Speaker 5 (09:33):
And so when Heather's like, wow, well.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Good luck, honey.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Yeah, that was the most she got up says hey,
I'm going up to.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
The boxy go get them. Yeah, man, that and that.
You know, it's funny because they lost ten guys in
the NFL last year, and there was some in the
off season like well how are they going to answer?
And then I'm filling out my boards on Thursday and
it's like, oh, transfer from Georgia, I transfer from USC,
transfer from Louisville. And then it's oh, true freshman who
leads them and catches. It's that's how they rebuild.

Speaker 5 (10:01):
Right, Yeah, it's reloading.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah they have Again, they have the resources to replenish
and reload, and they're very good at developing that talent.
Some people have the ability to replenish and reload, but
don't coach as well. And that's why I think they're
so dangerous. That environment was incredible, their support is incredible,
and the resources are incredible, and the coach is incredible,

(10:25):
and that's it. I have no problem giving people compliments.
I think some coaches have a really hard time. Oh
I can't show any way. I can't show they can't
give them a compliment, and I can't give them anything.

Speaker 5 (10:34):
It is what it is.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
They're really good, and we're gonna have to play really good.
Like we played really good last year against Penn Sate
and we were right in that thing, right, we played
really good against top twenty five teams and beat them.
I mean got seven top twenty five wins here in
the last eight years. So when you look at them,
I mean, we went into that game thing, We're gonna
win the football game.

Speaker 5 (10:53):
That's what I love about our teams.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
I mean, I know a score didn't necessarily match that,
but not one tired at our players think we weren't going
to win that football game. I love that about our
team and we're never going to change that. That's part
of climbing that mountain, the mental and emotional piece and
that mental fortitude.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
What kind of like buyings do they put you in
in like the first few drives right, you stopped the
run a couple of times early. Then they have the
big play right right out of the gate. Like, what's
the conflict as they're putting you in different spots?

Speaker 5 (11:18):
Well, a few things.

Speaker 4 (11:19):
One again, they do a really good job of spreading out,
but they're really physical. They create a ton of space.
The quarterbacks incredibly accurated, five star kid. I mean, this
kid is brilliant and he played exceptional. The catch ratses
are really big. We also our attention to detail wasn't
as good. You know, we're supposed to be an exact
alignment in this particular eleven by one and we're nine

(11:41):
by zero. Well, that's the difference between getting the ball
off the hash and not getting and not making being
able to make the play there. That first explosive place
should never have happened, right, because it's the attention to details,
not like we busted the coverage but we didn't have
the razor sharp edge and the technique fundamental and alignment
that we should have had, and that's what got us

(12:01):
beat a little bit in that game, and those explosive
plays happened that way, and then they had the big
long run, which is unacceptable. But if you look at it,
it's not like we're getting crushed. Everybody's trying to go
after the ball. And I said this and my pressor
that I feel like our guys are pressing a little
bit to get takeaways instead of just let the takeaways
happen naturally. Because you're playing violently, you're playing with technique,
playing with discipline, you're playing with the fundamentals all within

(12:24):
the scheme.

Speaker 5 (12:24):
When you start going outside that scheme.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
Whether that's going after the ball or whether that's being
you know, nine by zero instead of eleven by one
and being exactly where you're supposed to be, everybody tries
to go make a play, and with a younger team
and maybe a little bit of inexperienced team at certain
positions that you don't get away with that. When you
play a top you know five team in the country,
you don't you don't get away with it.

Speaker 5 (12:44):
And they expose that on us.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
Yeah, and that was you said. You mentioned that yesterday.
I had that written down as part of in terms
of tackling, right, you want to tackle a guy, but
you've also i mean not just you in general, but
in the country it's become popular. We want to punch
the ball out. We want to do that, sometimes at
the expense of then ultimately making a tackle. But yet
there's times where you punch it out. So how do

(13:06):
you Well, it's a juxtapost those things.

Speaker 5 (13:08):
There's a few things.

Speaker 4 (13:09):
One, you know, when you're talking about the ball, you
secure the tackle first, then you punch it out the
way you've got a hold of them and he's going
to go.

Speaker 5 (13:14):
On the ground.

Speaker 4 (13:14):
Sometimes we're not securing that tackle to punch it out.
We're just punching it out. Then we get into a
rugby scrub and guys are all trying to punch it
out instead of get the guy on the ground first.
We talked about hitting this guy really low. The running
back's really good, and we didn't do that. We hit
him high and he dragged us. And that's what he's
done to everybody in the country. So we abandon that
technique to go try to make a play. And that's

(13:35):
that's the fundamental discipline and the attention to detail, and
you've got to trust the schematic piece. You've got to
have great attention to detail and fundamentals within the scheme.
You can't have greater fundamentals and technique and then abandon
the scheme. And you can't have poor technique within a
great scheme and discipline scheme.

Speaker 5 (13:52):
You've got to put it all together.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
And I think the maturity our football team has to
continue to grow as we keep going. And that means
the half two piece of all those things we have
to do. We got to want to do it and
execute it. And you know, we're so close in a
lot of different areas.

Speaker 6 (14:06):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (14:06):
And again, we're not a two and eight football team, guys.
I mean we're for a football team and you know
have a postseason that you know play for.

Speaker 5 (14:12):
And and we also.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
Got two great games to end the season, so they're
getting better every single week. Had a tremendous practice that
was really physical today and I just love coaching the
team because of their response.

Speaker 5 (14:22):
Where you have a long.

Speaker 4 (14:23):
Flight back, we get beat pretty bad in the terms
of the score, and those guys couldn't wait to get
back here. And on Sunday we had an awesome practice
to Tuesday.

Speaker 5 (14:32):
Awesome. I mean, I'm not saying that coach speak.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
I would, I would, you know if I was like, yeah,
we were okay and came in, you know we weren't.

Speaker 5 (14:39):
They were awesome.

Speaker 2 (14:40):
One follow up on that too, just in regard to
if it's a mistake, you know, trying to punch as
opposed to tackle, and you don't want to live with
any mistakes, but it's a mistake of effort trying to win,
like you're that that they they're their ideas. If I
punch this ball out, we have a better chance to win.
So how those mistakes are not okay, but better than
just mistraightside of laziness or dumbness or you know, dumb

(15:02):
player what happened?

Speaker 4 (15:02):
The great thing is you go back as a head
coach and you want to find it. You want to
find oh if this guy was lazy on this, gave
up on this.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Oh we didn't.

Speaker 5 (15:08):
We didn't have any effort. No no, no, yeah, I
didn't find any of that. And I'm the I'm the
king of that.

Speaker 4 (15:13):
I'll find it anywhere, right, I mean, I plus three
to the mailbox, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (15:18):
So we're we.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
Just can't let the circumstance dictate our behavior. And hey
we start, you're down fourteen nothing, and then now we
all have to make the play.

Speaker 5 (15:27):
No, no, no no.

Speaker 4 (15:28):
We've been down fourteen nothing before, We've been down ten
nothing before, and and we just trusted our technique more
in those games and kind of abandoned a little bit.

Speaker 5 (15:35):
More of this game. So that was a big emphasis
this week.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
All right, let's take our first break. We want to
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It's Go for Football Weekly with PJ. Fleck from Learfield.
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(16:00):
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(17:03):
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(20:05):
The Gophers would like to thank the presenting sponsors of
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Speaker 3 (21:04):
It's time now for the AVR Remix on Gopher Football
Weekly with k Flick. AVR a mcnomera company quality and
service delivered.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
It's gonna be a quickening pass. It is caught and
then Flee flickers back. It as a loose ball the
Bens and Minnesota has forced the turnover. They's write some
trickery and Minnesota was up to the task. First down
Gophers at the Oregon forty one yard line. Lockington in
motion far right side, Lindsay on a straight drop looking

(21:38):
right now, throws behind the man Tato great catch Tracy
in a touchdown. He reached back and stabbed it with
the right hand, brought it in, got into the five,
and then sprinted to the end zone. And it's a
ten yard touchdown from Minnesota, their first six of the night.
There it is the AVR Remix. That last play was

(21:59):
that culmination of the drive. We referenced in the opening
segment Welcome back, Let's go for Football Weekly with PJ Fleck.
We are on campus this week. Next week Tipsy Steer
and High Pines Mike Grim along with Justin Gard coach.
I have to ask you, because one you had referenced
it a little bit. We were wondering as well, any
explanation on some of the review replays. Either you know,

(22:22):
at the game itself, obviously it was the fumble potentially
out the back of the end zone, the touchdown where
the guys told may have been in, may have been out,
might have bobbled it at the end and never completed
the act of the catch. And I don't know, maybe
there was another one mixed in there as well.

Speaker 4 (22:38):
Yeah, I mean we had been in contact over the
last few days with the commissioner and Bill Croll, the
head of officials, and Mark Coyle.

Speaker 5 (22:44):
Was involved, and I was involved, and I.

Speaker 4 (22:47):
Have a lot of respect for what they do and
how hard the job is. But they completely understand that
we need to compete at the highest level and that's
even officiating as well, and just appreciate them taking the
time to call us back on all those take a
look at all those but it's football. You know, whether
they whether they got it right or wrong, that's not
for me to judge. They come back and give you rulings,

(23:07):
which which helped me feel a little bit better, but
not really because you know, you don't have you don't
have the victory.

Speaker 5 (23:14):
But that's not the reason we lost.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
So but it's, uh, you know, we just got to continue,
whether it's the NFL or college. I mean, everybody's got
their own opinions, officials and how we review things and
different things. But uh, if you if you don't want
to leave it up to that, just leave no doubt.
And unfortunately we didn't leave any doubt.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
But some I think if you look at okay, it's
a bang bang play, it's a hard job. But then
to take minutes to watch all their angles and their
million dollar you know, studio in the facility and then
come back with a decision that may or may not
be right. But how as a head coach, how out
of control does that? You know, it's out of your control,
I guess is what I'm trying to say. How frustrating

(23:53):
is that? Or can you let that go? Or how
much does it great on you? Well?

Speaker 4 (23:57):
I could definitely let it go after the fact. It's
just during the game. I'm pretty passionate about my team.
I'm passionate about my players. I'm gonna fight for my players.
I'm gonna I've played this game for a long time.
I've watched it on the sideline for a long time.
I've coached it for a long time at every level,
and you know, I see what I see too, And
I'm not just sitting there trying to the reviews. A

(24:18):
review and TV is a TV. But of course I'm
gonna fight for what I think is right. I'm not
there to I'm not there to watch the game. I'm
not a fan.

Speaker 5 (24:26):
You know I'm not. I didn't pay for a ticket.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
I'm a coach, right, So my job is a coach
all the way through the game. And coaching isn't just
the X and O piece. That's a piece of it.
That's not just the player piece. That's another piece of it,
the official piece too. And it's it's not quote unquote,
it's not working officials.

Speaker 5 (24:43):
I hate that.

Speaker 4 (24:43):
It's just getting explanations managing the game. They're talking to you.
I'm talking to them. I give them keys. I'm like, hey,
this is gonna be a screen here. Just help you out,
you know what I mean, Like, I'll let the side judging.
They appreciate things like that. So I'm just because I'm
in their official talking to it doesn't mean that I'm
ripping them. But yeah, when there's certain things that maybe
I disagree with, I want an explanation, and I need

(25:06):
an explanation really quickly, and there's eighty thousand people there,
I got to be louder, That's what I mean. What
you want me to be quiet? Excuse me, sir? Would
you excuse me? Excuse me? Oh no, you can't hear me. Okay,
then never mind. I don't need to explanation like so,
I don't know. I just I'm passionate about what I do.

Speaker 5 (25:23):
I love what I do, and I fight for our players.

Speaker 4 (25:25):
And it's not like I'm trying to trick anybody, And
it's fighting for what you believe in and what you.

Speaker 2 (25:31):
See and how that give and take. Along the sideline too,
where you're hoping to get some communication, some explanation. What
is your expectation as a coach of what a crew,
whether it's that one or any crew you work with,
in terms of trying to make sure you get answers
in a timely fashion, like you just said, and whether
the explanation is one you like or not, at least
you've gotten some communication there. You know.

Speaker 5 (25:51):
I've been in.

Speaker 4 (25:52):
The league almost nine years or nine years now, right,
we're going to be going on ten here coming up.

Speaker 5 (25:57):
When you look at that, like, I pretty much know.

Speaker 4 (26:00):
All the officials, whether it's the side judges or back judges,
or umpires or head referees, and I think communication is
a huge part of that. I have a ton of
respect for our Big Ten officials and what they do.
And you know, we get a chance to spend some
time in the off season at Big Ten meetings and
see them as people too, not just officials, and they
got a really hard job to do. I respect them.
I respect our commissioner and Bill Corolla and the job

(26:21):
they have, and.

Speaker 5 (26:22):
You know, Dean Blandino and all the guys. You know.

Speaker 4 (26:25):
I mean, it's I have a ton of respect for
their jobs. But I'm a huge all I ask. I
say it to every crew for the last thirteen years.
I just want you to talk to me, talk to me,
communicate with me, keep me informed. But if I need
an answer, I need an answer. It's not because I
need an answer. Get back to me at the end
of the quarter like I need an answer. It help me,
help me to help you whatever you need to get.

(26:46):
Help me manage my team to get a better result,
that you guys can officiate faster, better and more efficient.
So I think there's always a relationship with head coach
and officials, and I think I have a ton of respect.

Speaker 5 (26:56):
For them and what they do.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
One nice Jerry Maguire reference with help me help you.
That's good Child of the nineties. We got that grim
probably missed it. No Child of the eighties. But I
did want to talk about the relationship because it's fascinating
to me that you can go from like just screaming
at a guy and them being mad at you, and
then four seconds later you're like laughing and joking like
you're going to go You're going to go to the

(27:19):
Steve Prefontaine bar after the game, Like there's no if
someone just parachuted in from outer space and watched that dynamic,
it's an insane thing. When you really strip it back
and think about.

Speaker 5 (27:29):
It, it is insane.

Speaker 4 (27:31):
Sometimes people think like I'm really getting after him and
ripping them, but I'm actually giving them a big compliment passionately.
There there is one official and it's so funny because
as he shared the story with me before we played
a game that he officiated this year. It was from
last year and it was a USC game. It's Kyle,
and you know, I became a meme. I told him
I absolutely love him, you know, I just that was

(27:51):
what came out of my mouth. But it looks like
I'm screaming at him, and he actually thought like, well,
I told you it's a touchdown. And I was like,
I know, I love you, you know, like I was so excited.
And his wife actually printed out that photo because everybody
thought that like I was screaming at the guy in
a negative way, where I was like, I was so happy,
but it came out in a really passionate way. Or
then I'm going to go tell my team what just happened,

(28:12):
because I get the information sometimes first.

Speaker 5 (28:14):
Yeah, I mean I love the game. I love I
love the ebbs and flows of the game, and I
love it. I'm excited. I want to tell you I'm
focused but excited.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
All right, let's take another break break breakdown Man, absolutely
long segment official officials that we we donated one shout
out to Kyle's special shout out to Kyle. That was
fun last year you were that that showed up on them.
Every now and then you still see it. Someone will
reference that on it.

Speaker 4 (28:40):
Just because like somebody's passionate on the sideline doesn't mean
that they're like whining.

Speaker 5 (28:45):
He's whining. There's something that happened that we needed a
quick explanation.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
For, and we're passionate about and pretty energetic.

Speaker 4 (28:51):
And then sometimes I'll say something ba to you that
it's pretty funny.

Speaker 5 (28:54):
That's why I'll start laughing. That's a good one, you know.

Speaker 2 (28:57):
Yeah, listen, you got it.

Speaker 5 (28:59):
You got to take it for what it's worth too.

Speaker 4 (29:01):
I mean, it's still a game, and we're both playing
a game and coaching a game, so and officiating a game.

Speaker 5 (29:06):
It's still a game, and.

Speaker 4 (29:07):
Do everything you can to take it pretty serious but
also at the same time not so serious.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
All right, let's do take the break. We want to
thank the University of Minnesota Bookstore as well. They're the
area is the largest selection of U of M and
Golden Gold for apparel, gifts and novelties for fans of
all ages. From the latest styles to timeless favorites. It
is your one stop shop and every purchase directly supports
the University of Minnesota. You can shop in store, on
campus or online at bookstores dot Umn dot du will

(29:32):
give away that gift card. Next week at the Tipsy
Steer and High Pines. We'll look ahead to Chicago, wrigley Field,
and Northwestern. That's all straight ahead. Let's go for Football
Weekly with PJ Fleck from Learfield. Go for Football Weekly

(29:54):
with PJ Fleck, Mike Grim and Justin Guard with you
as we roll on on this Tuesday midday. Minnesota and Northwestern,
wrigley Field, the north Siders, the friendly Confines, and I
think I looked it up. Your hometown, PJ. Fleck is
about fifty or so miles from wrigley Field. You grew

(30:16):
up a Cubs fan, So how cool will this be
for you to be stalking the sidelines in that venue.

Speaker 5 (30:22):
That would be great.

Speaker 4 (30:23):
You know, I grew up a Cubs fan and Mark
Grace area or the Ryan Samberg area, Sean Dunstan, it
was awesome. I mean, I love the Cubs and my
dad was a big Socks fan, and I think as
anything a kid either goes one way or the other.
You root for the same team because your dad did,
or you just go complete opposite. Yeah, you guys can

(30:43):
go back and forth. And I kind of did that,
so I always loved the Cubs. I was actually on
a high school field trip where we got to be
at the Cubs game where Carrie Wood through twenty strikeouts. Like,
we were right there and it was raining, so we
got to move all the way down. We had box
seats by the end of the game. It was fantastic.
Who knows that game still be talked about. And it
happened to be where we were on a high school
field trip, which was that's what you do it, Caitlyn

(31:04):
High School. We did a nice little Cubs field trip, Yeah,
which is great. Nothing wrong with that. That's wrong with
that great place.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
And I'm assuming you've watched some of the Northwestern Michigan
film because we always talk baseball fields and the first
thing that people start talking about is footing and grass,
and baseball grass is really not necessarily meant to have
football cleats running through it, So could you tell how
it was and how important will that be this week
to have the equipment folks on the right cleats.

Speaker 4 (31:34):
Yeah, I mean on Sunday we had a practice where
guys tested out different cleats, and you know, we've been
talking about this off season, knowing we're going to play
in another baseball stadium, and some of the baseball stadiums
we played.

Speaker 5 (31:44):
In, you know, I mean Arizona was great.

Speaker 4 (31:46):
And then kept the roof open and it rained, and
then it became just an amazing moment, very unique.

Speaker 2 (31:51):
After you've already gone in, right, you came out to
the rain basically, which our.

Speaker 4 (31:55):
Guys were fired up because we were playing West Virginia,
if you remember, and they just chucked it around the yard.
They were falling and slipping and sliding. We were like,
this is perfect. Talk about home field advantage even though
we didn't do it, you know, it was like, this
is perfect. And then playing in Yankee Stadium, which was
just such a such a pleasure and what an atmosphere
that was in our bowl game and the bad Boy
morble and uh, but against surfaces are a little bit different,

(32:18):
you know, football fields and baseball fields are a little different.
I know that Riley has done a really good job
and it looked pretty solid, and you know that's that's
the least of our worries. But our equipment manager, Brady
go and You, has done a great job of providing
our guys with what they need and what he thinks
are going to need. We're also going to stop there,
I think on the way in. That was my question
as we go there, just to kind of see the
surface and get ready for that.

Speaker 5 (32:38):
But our guys will be fine.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
Will there be like like extra shoes, Do you bring
different sized cleats? I don't even know how that works.
They are they replacement cleats are totally separate pairs of shoes.

Speaker 4 (32:49):
Yeah, totally separate pairs of shoes between like their molded
cleats that they normally wear, and then also screwing cleats,
and then you also bring the actual cleat so you
can change the length of the actual cleat on the.

Speaker 5 (33:02):
Bottom of the shoe.

Speaker 4 (33:03):
So there's multiple different options our players have, and it's
all preference and how they feel and what positions they play.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
I saw I was watching getting ready for the Gopher
basketball game on Saturday after we got back from the
Friday night game, and I happened to flip over the
Iowa USC game and USC changed cleats at halftime because
it doesn't rain much in California, and it was raining
right and apparently I didn't see the first happ but
apparently they were slipping all over and the receiver, Lemon,
who pretty good player, said yeah, change cleats, and it's

(33:31):
amazing how much better we were, so it can be
a factor. Wasn't that amazing?

Speaker 5 (33:36):
And then right when the game was done, the sudden
came out.

Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, I don't know what time
they probably had to play through rain out there. It
is sideline reporter, one on one. If it's raining, you
get to do the hit about the cleats. Every sideline
reporter in the history of sports, Like, I've already got
that in the chamber, like I can't wait to talk.
I'm going to hold them on. I'm gonna clip this molded.
They put some new ones on there, and I'm gonna
sound like I'm the foremost shoe expert in the world.
But exactly, you got to take the layups right, you

(33:59):
got it. They're going to give you the little pitch
and catch. You got to do it every once in
a while.

Speaker 4 (34:02):
Well, then I know what I'm going to say walking
into halftime to you, We're going to change our cleat.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Yeah, that will be what if you make a deal,
that's the first question, no matter what perfect, But what
if you're just pleading and then you're our cleats were
perfectly Brady did a great job, right exactly.

Speaker 5 (34:16):
Yeah, Yeah, we'll talk. We'll make it all about the cleet.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
The circumstance may be perfect plan At Northwestern, the team
cleats are no cleats. You've got to play them as well.
They obviously are coming off a heartbreaker where they lost
with a plus five turnover margin, which is difficult to do.
Michigan makes the field goal at the end, so they
have moved their way through the season. Some people think
they might be the most improved team from the start
of the season to now, what's your general assessment of

(34:41):
what you've seen there.

Speaker 4 (34:41):
I would agree that they are definitely one of the
most improved teams.

Speaker 5 (34:44):
From that two lane game.

Speaker 4 (34:46):
And what people don't realize in that two lane game,
look at the score, but they turn it over a ton.
They did almost what Michigan did, right, but Tulane found
a way to win. And if you go back and
look at their drives, they're moving the ball, moving the ball,
moving the ball, and then bang a turnover. So if
they take the turnovers turnovers off the board, they probably
beat tu Lane.

Speaker 2 (35:03):
You know, Tolane might be a playoff team.

Speaker 5 (35:04):
And they're really good.

Speaker 4 (35:06):
So, uh, you look back and you look at this
football team, and you look at their record, and you
look how they're playing. I mean, they're they're the ultimate team.
They play so well together, they're well coached. Coach Brown
does an amazing job of connecting that team. They've had
a lot of you know between you know, coach Fitzgerald
and the things they went through and and Northwestern and
changing coaches, and but they still play exactly the way

(35:28):
they played.

Speaker 5 (35:30):
In years past.

Speaker 4 (35:31):
And I think that's a credit to the culture of
those players and the type of players they always continue
to get. And they're they're older, they play together for
a long time, they've stayed together. How many people are
leaving that Northwestern education, you know in the portal, so
they can almost do it a little bit more through
the high school way of hey, we're gonna build it
like the old school model.

Speaker 5 (35:51):
And so they've done a really good job.

Speaker 4 (35:52):
You got a really really deep defense, really old defense,
tons of guys who have played a lot of football
offensively they're very, very efficient. The amount of third and
one they have is incredible, and then they just get
it and stay on the field. They've done a really
good job of squeezing all the juice from the orange
of my opinion, and they're very, very efficient on both sides,
including special teams.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Their linebackers seem like they're what Northwestern linebackers always always
had a couple at a pick some turnovers obviously, they
just they're.

Speaker 4 (36:18):
Violent, the physic there, smart, They're always in the right positions.

Speaker 2 (36:22):
You know.

Speaker 5 (36:23):
They got a bunch of.

Speaker 4 (36:23):
Mavericks running around, you know, I mean that's that's truly
what when you look at what Maverick does for us,
and they got a bunch of them.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
Yeah, one of them last names Fitzgerald, not that Fitzgerald.
But but it makes it it's fitting. Yeah, maybe saw
it for sure. But in terms of as you look
now two games left as a coach, I know you're
you know, singularly focused in on this game, but do
you also or have people now because we're getting to
that point where somebody's got to plan something, is it

(36:52):
too soon that people are at least like, hey, we
could go to this Bowl game, could go to this
bowl game. If you do this, you do this.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
Yeah, I mean we've we've just discuss that more non
with our team. It's more administratively just to plan, just
to start planning stuff and looking at what are the
possibilities where we go.

Speaker 5 (37:08):
What does our record have to be to be here
and here?

Speaker 4 (37:11):
But when you look at the big ten right now
and you look at the spots, it's all playoff driven.
So we don't know who's going to end up in
the college football plaoff and that then pushes everybody down right,
and that that changes orders, and you know, the bowls
still have the selection pick of who they actually want.
So we have some ideas, but we don't know exactly
what's going to happen. Our focus is just to be
one to oh and find a way to play better

(37:32):
than we did last week and find a way to
beat Northwestern and which we know is going to be
a really hard, tough out, very physical game.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
All right, let's take our final break. We'll have our
final segment when we come back. We want to remind
Gopher fans final home game of the year comes a
week from Saturday. That's a two thirty kickoff, and it's
the battle for Paul Budyon's Acts, and you can go
to the Gopher Garden three hours before that game. It's
the fan Fest presented by Huntington Bank. It's located on
Oak Street outside of the stadium. Gopher Garden opens three
hours before the game. You can catch JG and the

(38:01):
GOP Football pregame radio show. The Pride of Minnesota Marching
Band and more experienced the excitement leading up to kick off.
This is Go for Football Weekly with PJ. Fleck from
lear Field.

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Speaker 6 (38:42):
The game against Rutgers on September twenty seventh recognized the
thirteenth annual Celebrate agg and Food Day at Huntington Banks Stadium.
Both the game broadcast and the presentation inside the stadium
celebrated the tireless efforts in the agriculture industry. Gopher fans,
we can all be proud of the continued efforts, results
and the talented people that work in these industries to
provide a sustainable food supply with so many changing variables.

(39:04):
The Gophers would like to thank the presenting sponsors of
this event, CCHS, I'm Peer Financial, Undeniably, Dare and Bex.

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Go Gophers.

Speaker 15 (39:43):
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(40:06):
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Speaker 2 (40:12):
Com confines of Wrigley Field, we were talking during a
break that you have never sung the take Me Out
to the Ball. We got to get you on that.

Speaker 5 (40:25):
I would love some.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
College coaches and others out there throwing first pitches and
singing that song.

Speaker 5 (40:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
I don't know if they have anything to do with Minnesota, though,
I think I think they would.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
We got to get working on it. I mean, like
Iowa gets in there a little bit that's annoying. I
think Caitlin Clark probably did it, you know. Yeah, you
gotta find the hook. Yeah, think about that today probably. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:47):
You know, it's a good thing for about here.

Speaker 2 (40:50):
You put about three hours your day into trying to
figure that out.

Speaker 5 (40:53):
Yeah, that's good, Josh for Chandler.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
That's true. Yeah, this summer. Who was your favorite cub
growing up?

Speaker 5 (40:59):
Wow, that's a great question.

Speaker 4 (41:01):
My favorite baseball player in general growing up was Greg Jeffries.
I think I told you that great Jeff Mets, yeah, which.

Speaker 5 (41:08):
I have no idea. I have no idea.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (41:11):
I was obsessed with Greg Jefferies.

Speaker 4 (41:14):
And it was funny because a few Fathers days ago,
Brevin s van Ford stopped my team meeting and said, coach,
it was on Father's around Father's Day, and he's like, coach,
we have a gift for you.

Speaker 5 (41:23):
And he comes walking out and it.

Speaker 4 (41:26):
Was a jag Greg Jeffries card and it was signed
because when I was a child, I wrote a letter
to Greg Jefferies wanting an autograph what you did back?
He couldn't trust him, couldn't, you know, get him on
Instagram or Twitter.

Speaker 5 (41:40):
So wrote him a letter. I never heard back, crushed
men day.

Speaker 4 (41:44):
I still I still remember it vividly, never got a
checked the mailbox every day, and uh after about a year,
I was like, yeah, and I don't think it's coming.
And uh so I told the story about to our
team about why I write back everybody who writes us,
whether it's good or bad. Like most people, most people
get something back. And uh that's why I do it

(42:06):
because of Greg Jefferies.

Speaker 5 (42:07):
And I'm not calling Greg Jeffers a bad guy.

Speaker 4 (42:09):
Just you influenced my life, Greg Jeffries at an elite
level where I now write everybody back. And so they
presented me with a signed Greg Jeffries baseball card and
it was one of the greatest father's days ever.

Speaker 5 (42:22):
I was like, this is amazing.

Speaker 4 (42:23):
So anyway, but yeah, like Mark Grace, I absolutely loved
everybody was like Mark Pryor and carry Wood fans just
because you know what he did. But I would say
Ryan Samberg up all time. I was a Ryan Samberg fan,
like besides, like there was the Punky QB. McMahon and
then there and then there was Ryan Zamberg and that
was that was Those were the Cubbies.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Yeah. Do you forget Bartman?

Speaker 5 (42:47):
Absolutely, man, I mean that's an instinct.

Speaker 4 (42:49):
I forgive the guy. Of course we've won World Series
since then, so you were good.

Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yeah, I thought, hey, World Series. Yeah, I enjoyed it. Actually, well, yeah,
you're a Cardinals dude. That was a great response. Being
able to overcome that. Yeah, that was a heck of
not talk about him done with the Cubs. The Cubs. Well,
do you think bred could help me with this? Because
the nineteen ninety two final four. I went up to
ask Kareem Abdul Jabbar for his autograph at the Metrodome
and he looked at me and said, I'm not signing
any autographs, and now I signed every autograph for everything. Yeah,

(43:16):
you were just signing them outside of this right, even
though no one has asked for my autograph in twenty
years of doing this, but if they do, you're gonna
sign it. You're gonna I remember being the ten year
old at the Metro Dome, and I've actually interviewed Kareem
in the interim for a couple of things. Did you
ask didn't I didn't have the guts, you didn't have
enough to go. I'm not going to help you with
your documentary. Kareem nineteen ninety two Metro Dome. Yeah, you

(43:36):
just blew me off. But I understood why because if
you signed one at the Dome in the aisle, then
everybody's going up to Kareem, you know, and it's disrupting
the fall. I get it now as an adult, but
it's stung. It's a spoiled ten year old at the
nineteen ninety two five four at the Soda Social Thursday
night out in Eugene, I thought you were going to
get some people asking you to sign stuff. Guardgie was
very popular amongs ago. We made a lot of videos

(43:58):
that night for people's people that weren't there. You know,
you did you did you you? We tried to try
to be ambassadors for you out there, and it was
it was we did. Okay, I have you sure, sure
you did? All right? Thank you? I have you pegged
as a shortstopper center fielder, correct, Is that right?

Speaker 5 (44:15):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (44:16):
And then I did a little catching too. I love
to kind of be in control of that piece. So
those are the three positions I played. And ironically, you know,
my one of my sons as a really good baseball player.
And he plays and you know, he loves center field.

Speaker 5 (44:28):
That's where he plays.

Speaker 4 (44:29):
And he's really fast, and he's bigger than me, and
I mean he's I think he's got a chance. Of course,
you know, I don't I don't know anything about baseball,
so especially recruiting, but he's I think he's gonna he's
gonna do some really big things because he loves it.
Man's and sleeps the game of baseball. And yeah, he's
he's His first words was baseball. You know, you know
it wasn't. But but truly, that's all I talked about,

(44:51):
like everything to baseball.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
He wasn't really really, That's that's bas I'm going to
use that in the radio broadcast. That's correct. Did you
were you multi sport? I know you did? You play
baseball the way up through?

Speaker 4 (45:02):
We didn't have a high school baseball team, believe it
or not. Really there's a little bit of Michael Jordan
I have something in common.

Speaker 5 (45:07):
Yeah, only if you know.

Speaker 2 (45:08):
That you got cut from your basketball team.

Speaker 5 (45:10):
Well, no, I played basketball.

Speaker 14 (45:12):
No, I know.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
I saw this was about to say, yeah, so.

Speaker 4 (45:16):
Basketball, No, but I played football, ran track. But we
had a high school baseball team that just started my
freshman year, and my buddy Sean Wins and I we
were really good baseball players, played club ball. We were
moving up the ranks together. And they had a freshman
baseball team and my wide receiver coach, a Cameland High
School named Steve Oxteader in case you.

Speaker 5 (45:34):
Want to you know, DM them.

Speaker 4 (45:36):
Uh decided like that was pretty good, Like I think
we were two of the best players on the team.
Of course, you know I thought this, We thought Cameland
just started a high school baseball program that year and
we were freshman. Well, he decided to keep no freshman.
We're not keeping freshman. We had a varsity team only,
and we're not keeping any freshman.

Speaker 5 (45:51):
That was his rule. I got cut from my high
school baseball.

Speaker 4 (45:55):
I didn't make it, and I was like, I was
so crushed and devastated. And then I ran track and
did very well in track. So but baseball was my
first love. Wow, and uh, what could have been?

Speaker 2 (46:07):
And they did it. Then they dropped it after that.

Speaker 5 (46:09):
No, no, they didn't have it. They created it.

Speaker 4 (46:12):
My freshman year just didn't keep any freshman because so
many people came to try out. He's like, listen, So
then it was not keeping any freshmen. And and then
I still text he text me all the time to
this day, and I always say, hey, man, I would
have been a better baseball player.

Speaker 5 (46:26):
That's a coach. Could possibly still be playing.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yeah, who knows, you could still.

Speaker 5 (46:30):
We have a great relationship. It's just we always joke
about that.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Real quick we have we want to get in because
I want people to know about it. The Turkey drive
next week, next week's Thanksgiving. Tell us about that a
little bit.

Speaker 4 (46:40):
Yeah, teaming up with a cub who's just an incredible
sponsor of ours and carry over there does an amazing job.
I mean, what a selfless woman. Cub has always been
such a great supporter of us. So, uh yeah, our
players will have a turkey drive and uh you know,
just like our Halloween extravaganza here, they do a great
job and being able to have so many people come
by and and and deliver turkey and full Thanksgiving meals.

(47:01):
And I think it's so good for our players to
continue to look at that football is really important, yes,
but the serving and giving aspect to our programs what
it's all about. And our players get very involved in that.
And that's during game week, just like Halloween was during
you know, I was at Nebraska week.

Speaker 5 (47:16):
I was michik State.

Speaker 4 (47:18):
Yeah, so I mean went out there and won a game,
and you know, so it's there's so much more than
just the football piece to our program. And Nurice Wilson
does a really good job putting this thing on and
teams up with Cub. Really really thankful to be having
our players serving given and be part of that thanksgiving
grateful time in.

Speaker 5 (47:35):
All of our lives.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
Man, they too. I've been around a couple of those
and the players just just wiles. I mean it is
really they love it. And the families then, of course
you know that that need it. Really it's like a.

Speaker 5 (47:47):
Drive through, right.

Speaker 4 (47:47):
They start at the end of the facility and our
players meet them down there and as they go they're
just there there.

Speaker 5 (47:52):
There's about ten different stops.

Speaker 4 (47:54):
There's hot chocolate at the very end, they're getting turkeys
or getting stuffing.

Speaker 5 (47:57):
Then every one of them is a different stop.

Speaker 2 (47:59):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (48:00):
And our players get to interact with all the people too.
Our players are dancing. There's there's movies for the kids
along the drive, like a drive in movie.

Speaker 5 (48:07):
That happens pretty quick.

Speaker 4 (48:08):
But I think it's so great for our players to
really impact so many families over this holiday season.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
Yeah, no doubt. How long do we have We had
about thirty seconds? Scout done? Yeah, geez, could I just
I mean, I think you should just say, we'll see it.
Wrig We will Wrigley Field on the right cleave Guardsy
from the sideline might sing take me out to the ballgame.
They did that on Saturday. That'll be a part of it.
I would imagine, all right, very good, ready for We'll
be ready for that nine am. Will take care. It's
an eleven o'clock kickoff. Minnesota and Northwestern looking forward to it,

(48:38):
and I think there'll be a lot of Gopher fans
there too, which will become absolutely we've.

Speaker 5 (48:41):
Got a great alumni bas especially in the Chicagoland area.

Speaker 2 (48:43):
Yeah, for sure. All right, we'll talk to everybody on Saturday.
This has been Gopher Football Weekly with PJ. Fleck from Learfield.