Analysis: Gophers have impressed so far, but the competition toughens from here

Roughly 45 minutes after the Gophers finished their 66-0 romp over Northwestern (La.) State on Saturday, John Nestor, still exuberant from the victory and his role in it, made a proclamation about the defense that was sure to raise eyebrows.

“Man, we’re the best in the country, and I’m gonna say that right now,” said Nestor, a Gophers cornerback who intercepted two passes, returning one 29 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. “We can go toe to toe against anybody in the country.”

While the level of competition the Gophers have faced so far — a Mid-American Conference title contender in Buffalo and a lower-end FCS squad in Northwestern State — might cause people to scoff at Nestor’s words, but they fit with coach P.J. Fleck’s theme. “Be delusional,” Fleck said in the lead-up to the season, using the carrot of the 12-team College Football Playoff as reason for his players to adopt a “Why not us?” approach.

So far, the Gophers defense has been mainly solid and at times spectacular in two games under new coordinator Danny Collins. It ranks first nationally in total defense (96.5 yards per game), first in passing defense (65.0), third in rushing defense (31.5) and tied for sixth in scoring defense (5.0 points per game).

Of course, given the tiny sample size and opponent status, those rankings need to be taken with a grain of salt the size of a 50-pound cube used for livestock. It will be more impressive if the Gophers can keep their stats in the nation’s top 10 after upcoming games against California and Ohio State. Last year, Minnesota finished fifth nationally in total defense, ninth in both passing and scoring defense, and 12th in rushing defense.

Linebacker Matt Kingsbury, who recovered two fumbles and returned one 25 yards for a touchdown Saturday, said the team puts the focus on itself and how it can improve each week.

“No matter who we’re playing, it’s Minnesota vs. Minnesota,” Kingsbury said. “… We’re just not looking at the score. We didn’t care about the opponent. … We’re just having fun with our friends."

With the game’s issue no longer in doubt even before the first quarter was over, Fleck was able to get a long look at backups. A total of 76 Gophers played in the game, which ended with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter because of lightning in the area. Starting quarterback Drake Lindsey took his last snap with 10:43 left in the second quarter and his team up 49-0.

Grant Washington, fifth in the running back pecking order, rushed 20 times for 126 yards. Backup quarterback Max Shikenjanski played during the final three quarters, completing four of five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Third-stringer Dylan Wittke played a series in the third quarter, going 1-for-3 for 7 yards with an end-zone interception.

“I promise you this, we look at every single rep like it’s a national championship rep,” Fleck said. “There is no such thing as mop-up time at the University of Minnesota.”

The status of Darius Taylor, the Gophers’ leading rusher, for Saturday night’s game at California likely won’t be known until the Big Ten releases its availability report two hours before kickoff. Taylor left the Northwestern State game after three carries, pulling up with what appears to be a right hamstring injury.

However, Fleck was optimistic that the injury isn’t severe.

By scoring 66 points, the Gophers matched the modern-era record set in 2001 in a 66-10 victory over Murray State. Some other Gophers records:

• Their 35 points scored in the first quarter were the most in any quarter since 1973, when records were taken.

• Fleck won his 60th game at Minnesota, moving to 60-39 in his ninth season. He reached 60 victories in 99 games, the third fewest in team history; only Henry L. Williams (68) and Bernie Bierman (77) were faster. In 13 seasons overall as a college coach, Fleck is 90-61.

The Gophers will hit the road for Saturday’s 9:30 p.m. game at California, and Fleck knows the level of opponent will increase several notches. The rest of their schedule is against opponents from Power Four conferences — the ACC for Cal and the Big Ten for the final nine.

“The deeper we are, the better we’re going to be for this 10-game stretch of all Power Four football, because now football begins,” Fleck said. “And that’s no disrespect to the first two opponents.”