‘Can’t Settle for Field Goals’: Gophers look to fix green zone woes
Last week’s offensive performance for the Minnesota Golden Gophers against the Buffalo Bulls in the box score was a strong one.
443 yards of total offense, 290 passing yards, 153 rushing yards, and an average of 5.6 yards per play. However, all those yards resulted in a mere 23 points for the Golden Gophers.
The reason why?
In seven drives that reached at least the Buffalo 25-yard line (not counting the Gophers’ final offensive drive of the game), the Gophers scored just two touchdowns. They also had three field goals, one turnover on downs, and one interception.
It was the biggest stain on an otherwise promising offensive performance.
Earlier this week, head coach P.J. Fleck took responsibility for one of those missed opportunities. In the first quarter of last Thursday’s game, on fourth-and-one deep inside Buffalo territory, the Gophers went with a tush push utilizing tight end Jameson Geers as the ballcarrier. It failed, and the Gophers turned the ball over on downs.
“That’s a bad call by me,” Fleck told the media on Monday. “That’s a horrible call,” he added while noting that he was contemplating taking a timeout before the snap, but ultimately never did.
On Wednesday, the Gophers’ performance in those prime situations was a point of discussion for both offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr and quarterback Drake Lindsey.
“It’s going to just come down to execution. The field gets shorter. It’s wider than it is longer,” Greg Harbaugh Jr said about the Gophers’ performance. “I want to be very efficient in the green zone. We don’t want field goals. We have to score points. That comes down to execution, taking care of the football.”
The third-year offensive coordinator also pointed out the Gophers should score before they reach the green zone.
“I want the whole objective to score before we get into the green zone,” he said. “That’s the best offense, the most explosive offense.”
“When you get tighter to the end zone, you have to be able to run the football effectively. I have to do a better job of making better decisions in the green zone, as far as, all right, when are we going to run the football? When are we going to throw it?” he added.
There are calls that Harbaugh, upon review, would like back.
“I wish, if I had one call back, I wish I had run the ball in second and seven after AJ (Turner) ran outside zone to the left,” he said, referring to a third quarter drive after a A.J. Turner’s three-yard run, the Gophers decided to pass the ball on second and seven, resulting in an incomplete pass. The Gophers would pass again on third down and settle for a 29-yard field goal.
“Maybe then it’s third and three or third and two, and then we can run the ball again.”
Quarterback Drake Lindsey was also asked about the Gophers’ performance in the green zone.
“At the end of the day, when we go down the road and keep going on with the season, we gotta score touchdowns,” the first-year starter said. “That’s a big emphasis from Coach Fleck and Coach Harbaugh. We can’t settle for three, can’t turn the ball over in that situation.”
While it’s an area of the game that Lindsey knows will improve over time for the Gophers, he also knows that it’s an area of the offense that has to be better in the immediate future as well.
“I think there are a lot of situations overall that we can get better at and that comes with time, but it’s also gotta come now,” he said. “I think that’s a thing that all of us realize. We can’t settle for field goals if we wanna get to where we wanna go.”
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned to Gophers Nation as we bring the latest updates on the Golden Gophers’ upcoming matchup against Northwestern State.
Join Gophers Nation now for $1 your first week and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.
Sign up here: https://www.on3.com/sites/gophers-nation/join/
💬 Wondering what other Minnesota fans are saying?
Head to Inside Gophers Nation and jump into the discussion →
