RandBall: One has to wonder when the Gophers will win again?

In better times just a few days ago, I got wildly ahead of myself.

Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer was carving up Iowa’s defense en route to two first-half touchdown drives and a 14-7 lead at the break. He looked precisely like the breath of fresh air the Gophers needed in a rivalry that had turned into a race of low double digits in recent years.

If you squinted at Brosmer distributing the ball in rhythm, you might have thought to yourself (as I did) that he plays a little bit like Aaron Rodgers.

I almost put that on social media, but prudence and a lifetime of watching Gophers football told me to hold off. Let’s see how the second half goes.

And of course Iowa ran all over Minnesota in the second half, putting up 24 points to the Gophers’ zero. There were still things to like about Brosmer’s night, but they were muted by his second-half struggles and by Iowa outgaining Minnesota 272-79 on the ground for the game.

If the thought at halftime was that the Gophers were becoming a team that could hang with anyone, the question after the game was different: Where are the wins going to come from? Randy Johnson and I talked about that challenge ahead on Wednesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

Up next is Michigan, which is averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground and just rallied past USC on the strength of 290 rushing yards. Do you like the Gophers, as 10-point underdogs, to go win at The Big House?

UCLA the week after that should be a reprieve and the Gophers’ best chance for a Big Ten victory. But that’s still a road game, so let’s take nothing for granted.

The last five: home against Maryland, at No. 19 Illinois, at Rutgers, home against No. 9 Penn State and at Wisconsin. You might think Maryland and Rutgers are easy-ish games, but both are projected by ESPN to finish with around seven wins. The Gophers? Five.

P.J. Fleck’s Gophers have thrived in recent years focusing on one week at a time instead of letting the big picture consume them.

Without the benefit of the soft Big Ten schedule, and staring at a daunting stretch of games, that mindset will be of extra importance this season if they are to prove doubters wrong.

Here are four more things to know today: