Scoggins: Not a lot to get excited about over ‘new’ Gophers offense

[Music] divy news Scoggin not a lot to get excited about over new gopher offense the Minnesota Gophers opened their season with a disappointing 19-7 loss to North Carolina revealing some troubling issues under head coach PJ Fleck despite the hype surrounding graduate transfer quarterback Max brosmer the offense struggled looking much like the uninspired units of past Seasons the absence of star running back Darius Taylor was evident but even with him sidelined the gopher's overall lack of Rhythm and consistency on offense was a major concern their inability to execute effectively coupled with poor game management and penalties ultimately led to their downfall Max brosmer making his debut for the Gophers had an underwhelming performance early on he appeared jittery and struggled to find his footing which set the tone for the rest of the game while he showed flashes of composure during a late game hurry-up drive it wasn't enough to overcome the team's offensive struggles the gopher's best defensive play was a fortunate catch and fumble recovery highlighting their inability to generate sustained drives or explosive plays North Carolina on the other hand faced its challenges particularly with quarterback Max Johnson who was carded off the field with a hip injury in the third quarter Johnson a transfer from Texas A&M had strug struggled throughout the game before his injury but his replacement Connor harell stepped up when it mattered most harell led the Tar Heels on a late drive that culminated in a game-winning field goal showcasing his ability to handle pressure in a tight contest the gopher's defense had its moments including a key interception return that set up a touchdown but they couldn't sustain that momentum mfield goals and sloppy tackling added to the team's woes and strange decisions in game management raised questions about the coach staff strategy the loss was particularly frustrating given that North Carolina while a solid team was seen as a beatable opponent especially with their Stark quarterback Drake may now in the NFL as the Gophers look ahead to the rest of the season it's clear that significant improvements are needed the offense in particular must find a way to be more Dynamic and less mistake-prone if they hope to compete in the Big 10 Max brosmer will need to quickly adapt and Elevate his play while the coach in staff must address the lapses in discipline and game management that plagued the season opener without these changes the Gophers risk falling short of expectations once again