Scoggins: Gophers still have plenty to figure out despite getting job done vs. Purdue

P.J. Fleck sprinkled in some self-affirmation in diagnosing the Gophers’ noncompetitive loss to top-ranked Ohio State last week.

“We’ve got a really good football team,” Fleck said after the 42-3 rout.

The Gophers reached the halfway point of the season Saturday night, and I still don’t know what to make of them.

They were more resourceful than really good in avoiding a nightmarish loss to one of the Big Ten’s worst teams on homecoming at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Koi (Wonder) Perich returned to center stage to save the day with a pick-six interception for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 27-20 victory over Purdue that improved the record but left nagging concerns.

The Gophers are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, and if they are to fulfill Fleck’s vision, they will need to elevate their performance against opponents not nearly as hapless as the Boilermakers.

Let’s start the synopsis with this disclaimer: Teams needn’t apologize for winning. College football has become increasingly unpredictable in the transfer portal/revenue-sharing era. Penn State would gladly take an ugly win right now. Wisconsin, too.

Sometimes, a helping hand is needed.

What an odd game.

The Gophers won despite being outrushed 253-30 by one of the worst rushing offenses in major college football. That seems almost impossible, but it happened.

The Gophers offensive line had a rough outing. The defense missed too many tackles again. Drake Lindsey completed only 47% of his passes.

A clean, artistic game it was not.

Turnovers were the difference. Purdue had four, the Gophers one.

The Boilermakers threw an interception at the goal line on a trick play. Their receivers dropped a handful of easy catches. They kept alive the Gophers’ tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter with not one but two facemask penalties on plays that should have been sacks, including one on third down. They kicked a field goal from the 3-yard line.

Those gifts opened the door, and the Gophers walked through it.

Big picture, Fleck and his coaching staff have issues to solve. They shuffled the offensive line for the Ohio State game, but that unit is not winning the battle of the trenches.

Darius Taylor had no room to run, finishing with only 32 yards on 14 carries. The absence of a reliable running game puts an awful lot of pressure on freshman Lindsey to carry the entire offense.

The takeaways were a positive improvement for their defense, but the run defense whiffed too often.

The Boilermakers ranked 111th nationally in rushing at 115 yards per game. They had 178 rushing yards by halftime.

Purdue faced a fourth-and-2 from the Minnesota 40 on the game’s opening possession. The Boilermakers called a timeout, sent in backup quarterback Malachi Singleton and ran a quarterback draw that resulted in a 40-yard touchdown run up the gut.

Starting quarterback Ryan Browne rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown. Bulldozer running back Devin Mockobee rumbled for 98 yards.

Missed tackles remain a theme. The Gophers missed 45 tackles combined in their previous three games, per Pro Football Focus.

This stretch will define their season. A good team wins three of those games, minimum.