Midseason report: Are the Gophers good? Their identity has been a moving target.

They’ve won a couple of football games that they could have lost. They’ve lost a game that they could’ve won.

They won in workmanlike fashion over a Mid-American Conference opponent, destroyed an overmatched FCS squad and experienced how dominant the defending national champions can be.

Now the Gophers have reached the midpoint of their regular season with a 4-2 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Big Ten.

Beginning at 7 p.m. Friday against No. 25 Nebraska at Huntington Bank Stadium, they start the second half — six games remaining, three at home and three on the road — that will determine whether the season ultimately is viewed as very good, good, mediocre or bad.

How Minnesota plays over the next seven weeks (the Gophers have a bye) will determine a lot.

Will the Gophers make a bowl game (two more victories are needed, more for an upgraded destination)? Will they win a trophy or two (games against Iowa and Wisconsin remain)? Can they pull off a memorable upset (Nov. 14 at No. 8 Oregon would qualify)?

What will happen?

They’re not the big-play 2019 team of Tanner Morgan, Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman that averaged 34.1 points and 10.2 yards per pass attempt on the way to an 11-2 campaign.

They’re not a smash-mouth run team in the mold of the 2022 Mohamed Ibrahim Gophers, who would tenderize opponents’ midsections and average more than 200 rushing yards per game during a 9-4 campaign.

Nor are they the 2023 Gophers, who completed only 52.6% of their passes on the way to a 5-7 regular season with Athan Kaliakmanis as starting quarterback.

What’s impressed coach P.J. Fleck about this 2025 team are intangibles.

“Their resiliency, their resolve, their courage, their fight,” he said. “They’re a really fun team to coach because they’re a really connected team. And our best players have made huge plays at huge moments, and they’re going to continue to do that the second half of the season.”

The quarterback | A year after a successful dive into the transfer portal netted the Gophers standout quarterback Max Brosmer, Fleck and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. opted for the developmental route. They handed the reins to redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey, a workaholic who continues to learn from Brosmer, who’s conveniently with the Vikings.

Lindsey is averaging 214 passing yards per game and has nine TD passes vs. three interceptions. His completion rate — 60.1% — took a hit vs. Purdue, but he has been solid when needed, leading rallies from 14 (to beat Rutgers) and 10 points down (to edge Purdue).

It might be tempting to grade Lindsey on a curve based on his limited experience, but Harbaugh won’t go there.

“I don’t think I ever really looked at him as a freshman,” Harbaugh said. “I didn’t want to put that in his head, and I know Coach Fleck didn’t want to put that in his head. He has to play like an experienced guy right from the start. … Everything that he’s going through is an experience that hopefully he’s going to learn from. He’s going to make a mistake and grow from it and then continue to get better."

The tight end group | Jameson Geers leads the team with three touchdown catches among his 13 receptions and has become a reliable option for Lindsey. Frank Bierman (76.9) and Pierce Walsh (76.8) have earned solid run-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus.

Safeties Koi Perich and Kerry Brown | Perich, who led the Big Ten in interceptions as a true freshman last year, broke through against Purdue with a beautifully executed blitz look and drop into coverage that resulted in a 27-yard pick-six for the winning touchdown. Earlier in the game, Brown’s diving interception at the Gophers 1-yard line might have been just as valuable.

Anthony Smith | The edge rusher leads the Gophers with 4½ sacks and 6½ tackles for loss, while PFF credits him for nine QB hits and 14 hurries.

Run blocking | The Gophers are rushing for 112.3 yards per game, which ranks 115th nationally. That’s not all on the offensive line, but that group hasn’t been great. Under Pro Football Focus’ ratings, which don’t always match what the team uses, a rating of 59.9 or lower is considered below average, while 60-69.9 is average. The season run-blocking grades for the offensive line starters: left tackle Nathan Roy, 67.6; left guard Marcellus Marshall, 49.2; center Ashton Beers, 51.9; right guard Dylan Ray, 66.3; right tackle Greg Johnson, 64.7.

Tackling | Since starting play against Power Four opponents Sept. 13 at Cal, the Gophers have 58 missed tackles, according to PFF, or an average of 14.5 per game. That’s a recipe for defensive disaster.

“Our main objective is to clean them up,” said linebacker Devon Williams, the team’s leading tackler. “It starts in practice.”

Place-kicking | Brady Denaburg had his best game of the season Saturday night against Purdue, kicking a 46-yard field goal early in the second and nailing a 29-yarder on the final play of the first half. The bad news: He’s now 1-for-4 on kicks 40 yards or longer.