P.J. Fleck downplays Athan Kaliakmanis's return as Gophers host Rutgers Saturday

Gophers' P.J. Fleck downplays Athan Kaliakmanis's return to Minnesota [FULL]

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck met with reporters on Monday and talked about former quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis making his return to Minnesota with Rutgers this weekend. Kaliakmanis was Fleck's starter two years ago, then entered the transfer portal after the season.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is back from its early bye week, and the Gophers open Big Ten play on Saturday against Rutgers at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Athan Kaliakmanis returns to Minnesota

What we know:

That means the return of former Gophers’ quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who is in his second season with the Scarlet Knights. Kaliakmanis was Fleck’s starter two seasons ago, and entered the transfer portal immediately after the regular season ended. In 12 games in 2023, Kalakmanis threw for 1,838 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 this season, and Kaliakmanis has thrown for 11,50 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. Last year in his first game since leaving the Gophers, he threw for 240 yards and three scores in a 26-19 win over Fleck and Minnesota.

Fleck downplayed Kaliakmanis’s return on Monday. His departure two years ago led Fleck to bringing in Max Brosmer last year, and having redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey be the starter this year.

"Listen, this is Rutgers and Minnesota. I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do and how they do it. He’s playing really well," Fleck said. "You’d expect to see the type of growth that he has shown. He’s playing at a high level, that’s for sure."

Darius Taylor update

Why you should care:

The Gophers and Scarlet Knights meet at 11 a.m. Saturday, which means we’ll get an injury report at 9 a.m., and a possible update on Darius Taylor. Fleck was asked which running backs will be available, and he was expectedly vague.

"We’ll have plenty of running backs on Saturday. The injury report will come out two hours before kickoff," Fleck said with a smirk.

Taylor suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter of Minnesota’s 66-0 win over Northwestern State, and did not return. He didn’t play at California, and the hope was he could return after the bye. Without Taylor, A.J. Turner and Fame Ijeboi got most of the carries. The Gophers need a healthy Taylor with nine games left, all in the Big Ten.

Koi Perich bounce back?

The backstory:

Fleck is all about players responding to adversity. He’ll be looking for just that from sophomore standout Koi Perich, who had a tough night in the loss at California. He fair caught a punt at his own 3-yard line, got beat on several pass plays and muffed a punt in the fourth quarter that allowed the Golden Bears to score a touchdown, and seal the win.

"I loved Koi’s response. That’s hard to be that level of player, have that level of attention and you’re not ever going to be perfect." Fleck said. "That’s why we definite failing as growth. One play never loses you a game. Koi definitely learned that lesson."

Ohio State kickoff announced

What's next:

The Gophers announced Monday they will face Ohio State in Columbus at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. That means of the remaining nine games, at least four will be at night. They’re hosting Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, and at Oregon at 8 p.m. on Nov. 14. Homecoming against Purdue on Oct. 11 will also be at 6 or 6:30 p.m.

Kick times for Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin have not yet been announced.