Athan Kaliakmanis looks the part despite Gophers' growing pains

The pass looked uncatchable. Too much air under it. Not enough room for Daniel Jackson to catch up to it, corral it with his hands and get one foot down.

Nope, not physically possible.

An incompletion would be the death knell on a season opener the Gophers football team couldn't afford to lose.

Fourth-and-10, trailing by a touchdown, 2½ minutes left in the game, the ball floating toward the side of the end zone.

Then Jackson performed a scissors kick like a dancer on a stage and everything changed.

The score. The game. The vibe. The team's outlook.

Jackson somehow secured Athan Kaliakmanis' 13-yard touchdown pass by dragging his left foot inbounds, sending turf pellets flying, while his right leg was extended straight out mere inches from touching the turf out of bounds.

Week 1, and that might be the catch of the year in college football based on dramatic timing and degree of difficulty.

"Maybe one of the best catches that I've seen in 11 years [as a head coach] when it comes down to special moments and memories," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "That's a picture that goes on the wall. That will be in our home forever. It will be in our office forever. That will be a special moment that everybody talks about."

Jackson's freeze-frame catch tied the score, Nebraska did its usual choke routine and the Gophers overcame an uneven performance with a last-second field goal to win their opener 13-10 over the Cornhuskers at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The Gophers have a lot to dissect and correct from an outing that pushed them to the brink of a loss that would have been supremely deflating. The point total — 13 — is not a blueprint for future success. The Gophers had too many dropped passes. The offensive line had a rough night. And they will need to muster some semblance of a rushing attack to keep defenses honest.

But the final few minutes revealed clutch plays and the unshakable confidence and poise of their starting quarterback.

The reconfigured offense resembled nothing from the Fleck era in terms of run-pass balance. So long Mohamed Ibrahim. Hello Kaliakmanis.

The Gophers ran the ball only 25 times. Kaliakmanis attempted 44 passes.

Making his debut as the undisputed starting quarterback and team leader, the sophomore played a mature, efficient game with only one major mistake.

Kaliakmanis completed 24 of 44 passes for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

He had to carry the offense because the running game was nonexistent, averaging a measly 2.2 yards per carry, with their longest run of the game only 11 yards.

The lack of production and second-half deficit forced the Gophers to abandon the run and put everything in the young quarterback's hands. He delivered with timely throws, including the beauty to Jackson in a must-have moment.

"He showed guts, he showed determination, he showed leadership," Fleck said. "Now, do we have to be more consistent? Absolutely. But he's such a great learner and he takes it all in. He can flush things really quickly. I think that's a gift."

Kaliakmanis had to flush only one killer mistake that came in the third quarter on the heels of two terrific throws when it appeared he was finding his groove.

First, he zipped a pass to tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford for a third-down conversion. Then he rifled a sidearm beauty to Corey Crooms Jr. for a 20-yard gain that put the Gophers at Nebraska's 25-yard line.

But two plays later, Kaliakmanis underthrew Jackson in the red zone, resulting in an interception. A learning moment for him.

It's obvious that Kaliakmanis has all the physical tools and confidence necessary to be a successful Big Ten quarterback. Pressure situations like Thursday will only accelerate his development.

Kaliakmanis showed off his strong arm by firing passes into tight windows. His throws were mostly short-to-intermediate routes. He took a few deep shots to Jackson in the fourth quarter, including one that should have resulted in a pass interference penalty that was not called.

The most encouraging part of Kaliakmanis' performance was his efficiency on third down. In the first quarter he had three third-down conversions on passes and one on a nine-yard scramble.

He converted three more third downs in the second quarter — two by pass, one with his running.

He added several more third down conversions in the second half. And, of course, his game-saving touchdown pass to Jackson on fourth down.

"I thought he handled himself really well," Fleck said. "He took some shots, made some big throws. But the whole game is going to get better."