Seeking better balance

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck wants his team to pass more this season, and he brought back offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca to help in that aim. Here's a look at the Gophers' run/pass breakdown in Fleck's five seasons at Minnesota, the first three with Ciarrocca as his offensive coordinator, the last two with Mike Sanford Jr. at the helm.

2017 (5-7 record): 43 rushes/game, 26.9 passes/game, 69%-31% run-pass ratio, 22.1 points per game.

2018 (7-6): 40.3 rushes/game, 26.6 passes/game, 60.2%-39.8% run-pass ratio, 28.9 points per game.

2019 (11-2): 43.1 rushes/game, 24.8 passes/game, 63.4%-36.6% run-pass ratio, 34.1 points per game.

2020 (3-4): 42.6 rushes/game, 26.3 passes/game, 61.8%-38.2% run-pass ratio, 27.3 point per game.

2021 (9-4): 46.2 rushes/game, 19.8 passes/game, 70%-30% run-pass ratio, 25.5 points per game.