P.J. Fleck played wide receiver at Northern Illinois and coached the position as an assistant before becoming head coach at Minnesota, so he knows a few things about offense.
In preparing the Golden Gophers to face fourth-ranked Penn State Saturday at 3:30 (TV-CBS) in Minneapolis, Fleck admired what he saw on film and videotape.
“When you’re looking at Penn State, they have the ability to do a lot of different things,” he said earlier this week. “They do it very consistently. It’s a new wrinkle every single week, too.
“Whether it’s three different quarterbacks or whether it’s unique formations, they’re going to give you things you’ve never seen before.”
The Nittany Lions (6-1, 9-1) lead the Big Ten in total offense with 454.1 yards per game and are fourth in scoring (33.0) in Andy Kotelnicki’s first season as offensive coordinator.
Kotelnicki uses a variety of formations, motions and personnel groupings to confuse defenses. They’ve scored at least 33 points in six of their 10 games.
“They have weapons everywhere,” Fleck said, “but that’s why you’re the fourth-ranked team in the country and you’re really, really good. What makes them really difficult to defend is they just rotate guys in and out.
“It’s the consistency of how they play. It’s the creativity that they play with. It’s the ability to give you things you’ve never seen before and make you do in-game adjustments more than any other team.”
Minnesota (4-3, 6-4) has one of the better defenses in the Big Ten. The Gophers rank 10th nationally in pass defense efficiency, 11th in total defense (296.4) and 12th in points allowed (17.7). Iowa is the only team to score more than 30 points against them.
“They’re one of the better pass defenses in the country,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.
Minnesota will face one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the country.
Drew Allar ranks fifth in pass efficiency and in completion percentage (.719) and third in yards per attempt (9.75). He went 37-for-47 for 467 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover in the Lions’ last two games against Purdue and Washington.
“He’s really, really poised in the pocket,” Fleck said. “He’s big, strong and has a good arm. He understands the system. He can run. He’s really accurate. He’s physical.
“I think he processes at a higher level than he ever has. That’s a critical characteristic of being an elite quarterback, how you process, how you get through your reads, how you get to good decisions.”
Allar’s favorite target has been tight end Tyler Warren, who has 67 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns. He also has rushed 16 times for 157 yards and four TDs and has thrown for a score.
“Consistency is the truest measure of performance,” Fleck said about Warren. “That’s what you see every single week. He’s a really, really good player. We got our hands full, put it that way. It’s the versatility to do so many things.”
The Gophers lead the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally with 16 interceptions, but they’re 11th in the Big Ten in rushing defense. They will be tested by Penn State’s multi-dimensional offense.
“You have to be really disciplined with your eyes,” Fleck said. “You have to be really good at tackling in space. You have to play really good up front.”