When everything falls into place for a college football coach, life becomes a whole lot easier. And that was the case Thursday night for P.J. Fleck, after his Gophers opened the season with a 48-10 rout of New Mexico State.
Not only did the Gophers win by a comfortable margin, they did so with a roster that features 60 freshmen. Once the game was safely in control in the fourth quarter, Fleck inserted his freshmen-heavy second-string offense and defense, getting the groups some experience.
"We accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish if the situation turned out to be what it was and the score turned out to be what it was," Fleck said. "We got a lot of players playing time. ... We were able to pull some of our starters but still get a lot of time and a lot of plays."
Thanks to a 28-point second quarter, the Gophers put the game's issue in doubt and were able to play 27 freshmen — 15 true freshmen and 12 redshirt freshmen. Here are the ones who stood out:
• Zack Annexstad, QB: The walk-on wasn't sharp right away. He completed only one of his first four passes before throwing a first-quarter touchdown pass to Tyler Johnson. Then Annexstad showed that he is a true freshman, fumbling a shotgun snap that New Mexico State recovered and converted for a tying touchdown.
Instead of going into a shell, Annexstad regrouped, even telling Fleck that everything would be all right.
"I looked at him and said, 'We're going to be all right, huh?' " Fleck said. "Usually it's me telling them, 'Hey, you're going to be OK.' That's his personality. It's different. And I like it."
Annexstad backed up those words by leading three second-quarter TD drives. He completed six of seven passes for 132 yards and a TD in that span. In the first half, he went 10-for-16 for 162 yards and two TDs. He wasn't as accurate in the second half, going 6-for-17 for 58 yards, but a 38-point win in a collegiate debut is nothing to sneeze at.