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University of Minnesota Athletics
Week Eight Roundup
10/25/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Gophers Host Nebraska on November 11
Each week we will be gathering the top notes from the previous Saturday and Tuesday's press conference. Take a look below:
Battling for Floyd and a New Tradition
Head coach P.J. Fleck grew up in Big Ten country and knows how special the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry is.
"This is why you play in the Big Ten and this is why you coach in the Big Ten. This is why you come to the University of Minnesota to play in all these historic rivalries. It's very important. It's the next game and I never want our players to have to play so much better in one game because it's this game and then slough off in another game because it isn't a rivalry," Fleck said. "But it's an honor. I'm really honored to be able to coach in this rivalry and represent our team to be able to represent the past, present and future Gopher teams. But it means a lot. It really does."
The rivalry will be put on hold for a special moment after the first quarter this Saturday. Iowa has started a tradition that has impacted the entire college football world. After every first quarter the entire stadium turns and waves to the Children's Hospital that overlooks Kinnick Stadium.
"I'll say this, I think that's my favorite tradition in college football. I know it's just started, that is my favorite, favorite one," Fleck said. "We'll participate in that, as well, and we look forward to it. And, you know, hopefully that rivalry will be able to create something special for all the children in that hospital, and I know that -- you know, our players spend a lot of time at Masonic Children's Hospital every week, Wednesday or Thursday, and, you know, children are very important in our lives, and the Children's Hospital, no matter where we've been, has always been very important in our life as a Fleck family and always will be, so we're very honored to partake in that tradition."
Penalties Way Down
The Gophers rank 2nd in fewest penalties per game and in fewest penalty yards.
"It's not just, "Don't do this." That's not what this program is about, not a bunch of don'ts, don'ts, don'ts, don'ts. It's here's why we educate to do this instead of this," Fleck said. "t's a very emotional game but you have to be able to direct your energy towards the things that are really important, and playing the game the right way, focusing on your teammates, celebrating with your teammates, not letting the outside noise affect you, but being strong enough to hold on to the core values of the culture and continue to be an example of that."
Because It's Important
The Gophers have battled a string of injuries in the secondary yet are 23rd in the NCAA in passing yards allowed at 183.1 yards allowed per game. Fleck talked about secondary coach Mo Linguist. He has a saying, "because it's important," and Fleck believes his guys really play for him and buy into that.
"Mo Linguist is somebody I respect a lot," Fleck said. "Unbelievable recruiter, unbelievable relationship-builder, and one thing I love about Mo is it doesn't matter who's out there, he coaches them all. Like they're the All-American, like they're the five-star, like they're the All Big-Ten Player of the Year, coaches them all that way."
One key contributor to the secondary's success has been Adekunle Ayinde. The senior walked on at Minnesota and earned a scholarship at safety. This year he has played safety, nickel and cornerback and is coming off a nine tackle game.
"One thing I'll say about Kunle is he cares. I mean, he cares. He is a senior who cares, he's played ball for us," Fleck said. "Kunle is what Row The Boat culture is all about. He plays so hard. He's very selfless. To go from safety to corner and learn the techniques and do all those things and start the year as non-starter and now you're the guy, and that's just what I said to the team beginning of the year. I said, we're going to need everybody, and Kunle is a prime example of that."
Thank You Note
Fleck started Tuesday's presser by giving out some thank you shoutouts. He thanked the media for their coverage wished good luck to all the Minnesota high school teams preparing for playoffs and thanked Mortenson Construction.
"They don't get enough credit in terms of how hard they work," Fleck said. "I think everybody just sees the progress, thinks it's beautiful, and the Athletes Village is a gamechanger and it's because of all those workers out there every single day, and just truly appreciate their elite work, and it never goes unnoticed. So thank you so much for the commitment that you've made to our facility and to the University of Minnesota and our student athletes. And I know one day your work will be done here, you'll move on to another one, but the work you're doing is going to last a long time based on the results we get inside this program, on the field, off the field, and in recruiting."
