P.J. Fleck on Gophers’ Offensive Line: ‘We’ve Got to Be More Consistent
Through six games, it’s fair to say that Minnesota football’s offensive line has not performed to expectations. While the Gophers’ pass protection has been adequate, their run blocking has been among the worst in the Big Ten, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry this season.
After a poor first four performances, the Gophers made drastic changes on the offensive line ahead of Ohio State.
After the first four games, the Gophers rolled out the following starting five:
Nathan Roy – Greg Johnson – Ashton Beers – Marcellus Marshall – Dylan Ray
Against Ohio State, however, the Gophers put out this combination:
Greg Johnson – Marcellus Marshall – Ashton Beers – Dylan Ray – Nathan Roy
While the Gophers’ rushing attack did improve from their performance against Rutgers, averaging 2.7 yards per carry against Ohio State, it still wasn’t good enough. To Ohio State’s credit, they have one of the best front sevens the Gophers will face this season — but that shouldn’t be an excuse.
The Gophers’ struggles in the rushing attack are not just a 2025 issue. It has become a systematic problem for the program and a continued trend from the 2023 season.
Since Week 5 of the 2023 season, the Gophers have averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in 27 games. Since the beginning of the 2023 season, they are tied for the third-most games in all of college football, in which they’ve averaged 3.9 yards per carry or less.
But what does P.J. Fleck think about the Gophers’ rushing attack? He discussed it on Monday.
“It’s a pretty big wall we were going against in that front seven, and we knew the challenge,” the Gophers head coach said, referring to the program’s struggles against Ohio State.
“We were down 14–3 so fast that we had to get away from the ground game a little bit. Then it was 21–3, and at that point, you’ve got to throw the ball. By the fourth quarter, we got back to the run a bit to shorten the game,” he continued.
“Our guys are coming off the ball — it’s not like we’re having a bunch of busts,” he said when it comes to their abilities on the offensive line. “We’ve played some really good teams and put ourselves in some tough situations early that have forced us away from the run.”
Fleck doesn’t believe it’s a talent or depth issue.
“We feel like we have eight guys who can really play,” he said. “But maybe the fifth guy hasn’t separated from the sixth or seventh. We’re always watching practice, evaluating. Sometimes someone gets banged up, and you’ve got to adjust. We knew the kind of personnel we were facing.”
Fleck also hinted that additional offensive line combinations could be coming in the future.
“We’ve got tackle bodies — guys who can play tackle or guard. For this matchup, we needed to be stout on the edges. That might not always be the case going forward,” he said. “But we’ll always put the best five on the field.”
“If we have to rotate, we’ll rotate. It’s a semi-good problem to have, because we do have depth,” he continued.
While the Gophers may have a semi-good problem in terms of depth, it’s clear that, through not just the 2025 season but now with two full seasons of data, Minnesota’s offensive line has not been good enough.
The Gophers will hope to find momentum on the ground this upcoming Saturday against Purdue.
“We just need more consistency from a few guys,” Fleck said. “It’s our job as coaches to get them there.”
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