Penn State wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley caught a pass against Gophers cornerback Terell Smith during Minnesota’s 45-17 loss on Saturday. (Barry Reeger, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Saturday night's 45-17 loss at Penn State was only 36 hours old when Gophers coach P.J. Fleck offered an assessment of his football team after its losing streak reached three games.

"We've all got to take accountability,'' Fleck said Monday during his weekly news conference. "We've got to coach better, play better. Nobody's happy about the performance; nobody's happy about the last three weeks. That's very clear. But you either stay where you're at or you can change your best.''

The Gophers (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) have reached a point in the season in which their best better get better in a hurry. They've fallen two games behind Big Ten West Division leader Illinois (6-1, 3-1) and need two wins in their final five games to reach bowl eligibility, a status that once was a foregone conclusion.

Starting Saturday against Rutgers (4-3, 1-3) at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Gophers begin a stretch of five games that — on paper, at least — look winnable. To do so, they must improve in some key areas:

Trial by fire for young QB

Fleck came away impressed with the poise that Athan Kaliakmanis showed in making his first career start in front of a raucous "White Out'' crowd of 109,813 at Beaver Stadium. The redshirt freshman's stats didn't jump off the page — 9-for-22 passing for 175 yards and a touchdown with an interception — but Fleck saw promise.

"He was poised and threw the ball really well,'' Fleck said. "He handled himself well, and he was able to escape the pocket when he needed to get yardage.''

Kaliakmanis improved as the game went on, leading the Gophers on a 90-yard drive to cut Penn State's lead to 17-10 late in the second quarter and completing five of seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Baby steps, yes, but steps, nonetheless.

Fleck said he wasn't yet sure who would start at quarterback against Rutgers. Sixth-year senior Tanner Morgan is in concussion protocol, and Fleck said he's progressed. "It's too early to tell [if Morgan can play Saturday],'' he said. "You have so many steps [in protocol], and it's not just the step, it's how you feel during the step.''

Seeking more from wideouts

With Chris Autman-Bell out for the season because of injury, the Gophers needed their wide receiving corps to step up as a group. That hasn't happened.

On Saturday, the position group combined for three receptions for 88 yards, with Mike Brown-Stephens catching two passes for 55 yards and Le'Meke Brockington one for 33. In the three-game skid, Minnesota's wideouts have 13 catches for 255 yards, much of that from a six-catch, 110-yard performance by Daniel Jackson against Purdue.

Missing from the group at Penn State was Dylan Wright, who did not make the trip for disciplinary reasons. Fleck expects Wright to return this week.

Where's the pass rush?

When asked to assess his team's pass rush, Fleck was succinct.

"Well, it's not very good,'' he said.

The stats certainly support that. The Gophers have sacked opposing quarterbacks a total of three times during the three-game skid, and their nine total sacks this season are the fewest in the Big Ten.

Against Penn State, Jalen Logan-Redding had two hurries on quarterback Sean Clifford, but the Gophers couldn't produce a sack.

"We're just not getting home right now,'' Fleck said.

Big-play blues

In ranking No. 3 nationally in total defense in 2021, the Gophers were especially stingy against big plays by opposing offenses. Minnesota allowed 35 gains of 20 yards or more last year, a figure that tied for first nationally with Washington.

This year, they've given up 18 gains of 20 yards or longer, tied for fifth nationally. Problem is, 12 of those have come in their three-game skid, including seven against Penn State. Four of those 20-yard-plus plays were Nittany Lions touchdowns.

"We let up some explosive plays, and we're not built that way,'' Fleck said. "Everything we talk about is creating explosive plays on offense and eliminating explosive plays on defense. And [Penn State] won the explosive play battle.''