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P.J. Fleck on Gophers' 42-3 loss at Ohio State: 'We got beat' [FULL]
University of Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck met with reporters on Monday at Athletes Village and reflected on Saturday's 42-3 loss at No. 1-ranked Ohio State. Fleck and the Gophers will welcome back more than 200 former players this week as Minnesota hosts Purdue Saturday night for Homecoming at Huntington Bank Stadium.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is back on campus after falling to 3-2 on the season and 1-1 in Big Ten play following a 42-3 loss at No. 1-ranked Ohio State Saturday night.
‘We got beat’
What we know:
If you think the Gophers are shaken after getting dominated in every imaginable way at Ohio State, that’s not the case. The Buckeyes are the best team in the country, and might be better than the team that won the national title last season.
Ohio State had 474 total yards and 21 total first downs. The Gophers struggled to do much of anything offensively after getting a field goal on their opening possession.
"We’re disappointed in the outcome and the result, but when I went back and watched the film, it’s exactly what I thought it was. We got beat," Fleck said. "There’s so much good in that film that gets covered up by the score. I get paid to tell the truth to our football team and that’s exactly what I told them. I said you have to swallow a pill that we got beat by a better football team who played really well that day. They’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason."
Former players return for Homecoming
Why you should care:
The Gophers host Purdue for Homecoming Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. For Fleck, it’s a chance to connect. He said more than 200 former players will be in town for the game, and the team will have an event to connect with them.
When Fleck first had former players come back, only 40 did. The Gophers also plan to honor the 1960 national championship team, including Bobby Bell.
A look ahead
What's next:
Fans might panic at a 42-3 drubbing, but they shouldn’t. The Buckeyes will be looking to repeat as national champions.
The Gophers are 3-2, and the next four games are all winnable. Three of the next four games for the Gophers are at home, starting Saturday against Purdue. They also host Nebraska on Oct. 17, travel to Iowa on Oct. 25 and host Michigan State on Nov. 1.