P.J. Fleck, Gophers face Northwestern at Wrigley Field

P.J. Fleck, Gophers head to Wrigley Field to face Northwestern [FULL]

University of Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck spoke with reporters on Monday at Athletes Village. The Gophers are 6-4 on the season after a 42-13 loss at No. 8-ranked Oregon Friday night. This week, the Gophers face Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Fleck, who grew up near Chicago, talked about growing up a Cubs fan and playing at the historic venue.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team has two regular season games left, and has its final road test of the season this Saturday.

Gophers at Wrigley Field

What we know:

It’s not your typical road trip. P.J. Fleck and the Gophers face Northwestern at 11 a.m. Saturday. It’ll be played at historic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Fleck grew up in the Chicago area and is still a Cubs’ fan to this day. His dad was a White Sox fan.

Fleck was in grade school on a field trip and saw live when Kerry Wood had 20 strikeouts in a game.

"Excited, I grew up a Cubs fan. I still am a Cubs fan. Growing up near Chicago, you pick one or the other," Fleck said. I’ve always loved the Cubs, Ryne Sandberg. I grew up in the Sammy Sosa, the Mark Grace era. I was there on a field trip when Kerry Wood threw the 20 strikeouts, that was awesome. You get to be able to play in a different venue, a historic venue, it’s fun to be able to say you played at Wrigley Field. Definitely has a special place in my heart."

Facing Northwestern

Why you should care:

The Gophers are facing a Northwestern squad that’s now lost three straight games after winning four in a row. The Wildcats are 5-5 on the season, and 3-4 in Big Ten play. It’s expected to rain there later this week, making conditions for playing football on a baseball diamond especially challenging. Fleck says the Gophers will be testing cleats at practice throughout the week.

The road has not treated Minnesota well so far this season. In four losses, the Gophers have been out-scored 152-46. Fleck says taking those lumps are part of the journey for the program to move forward.

If they can knock off the Wildcats, a win over the Badgers gives Minnesota an eight-win regular season, and a higher-quality bowl game.

"You can’t skip steps in the journey of development. Those scars remind us of where we’ve been, and you’re gonna have to be able to have those scars at some point," Fleck said. "When you look at it, it’ll bring you back to some of your hardest times and what you were able to overcome."

Closing the gap?

Dig deeper:

With two games left, the Gophers are 6-4, and 4-3 in the Big Ten. They need to find a way to be more competitive against the top teams in the league, with three of the four losses coming in blowouts at Ohio State, at Iowa and at Oregon.

Fleck made the point Monday that there’s a lot of teams in college football that would love to be 6-4 with two regular season games to play.

"I feel like we’re going to continue to compete at the highest level. That’s the person I am, the competitor I am, I wouldn’t coach if I didn’t think that," Fleck said. "We’re sitting 6-4, there are a lot of really good football teams in the country that are 6-4, including us. It’s really, really hard to win in 2025. It is a gauntlet schedule."