The Gophers football team tried to spread “fertilizer” last week, and as farmers and gardeners know, it stinks when first applied.
Minnesota didn’t want to let the season-opening loss to North Carolina fester and instead worked to channel the potency that came with the 19-17 defeat into how they responded against Rhode Island.
The Gophers sprouted and sprinted past their FCS-level opponent 48-0 on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said the loss can feel like being caked in mud. You can get stuck in it or you can choose to find a way out.
“You get to pick which one that is,” Fleck said. “… How do you process the loss, and what is the culture inside the walls to take that loss and turn it into positives? Because the loss can just deteriorate you if you let (it).”
The Gophers defense stifled Rhode Island all day with four takeaways and produced the U’s largest-margin shutout since a 62-0 win over Temple in 2006.
The Rams didn’t cross the 50-yard line until the fourth quarter and managed only 135 yards of total offense.
Breakout performances
Fourth-year defensive tackle Deven Eastern had a team-best 91.5 grade from Pro Football Focus after producing a strip sack and two tackles against Rhode Island. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Shakopee native is being counted on more at nose tackle this season given the departure of Kyler Baugh. Amid the blowout, Eastern played on 17 snaps against the Rams.
“I thought he played one of his best games … since he’s been here,” Fleck said. “I thought he played really hard, swarmed the ball. I thought his technique was probably better than it’s ever been. And I think that’s one thing that’s held Deven back just a tiny bit has been he’s always been ultra-athletic and tough, but it’s the technique that’s got him at times.
“I thought he trusted his training and trusted his technique better than he probably has in the past,” Fleck continued. “And hopefully he can take that next step, and that next right step in his development, which I know he can.”
Defensive end Anthony Smith was another standout with seven pressures in his 17 pass-rush snaps on Saturday, according to PFF.
Second win
After the Gophers’ victory, Fleck got to enjoy his alma mater Northern Illinois stunning No. 5 Notre Dame 16-14 in South Bend, Ind. It was the Huskies first win over a top-five opponent in the AP poll.
Fleck was roommates with current Huskies coach Thomas Hammock when they were players at the school in the late 1990s. Northern Illinois was coming off a 23-game losing streak soon after Fleck got there in 1999.
“Here’s how bad it was: I was recruited,” joked Fleck, who is from Sugar Grove, Ill.
Hammock, who coached running backs at Minnesota from 2007-10, receives notes from Fleck’s mother, including one recently. To keep the correspondence alive, Hammock asked Fleck for his parents’ new address when they spoke over the weekend.
“What a win for the Huskies,” Fleck said. “… It’s fun to watch your alma mater do a lot of really good things.”
Briefly
The Battle for Floyd of Rosedale will kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday. It will air on NBC. … The Gophers are a 16.5-point favorite against Nevada for this Saturday’s game. … The Gophers used 71 players against Rhode Island, up from 51 versus North Carolina.
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