P.J. Fleck compares Gophers-Ohio State blowout to midterm exams

Was Minnesota's loss to Ohio State just a failed test?

Oct 4, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck talk before the game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Minnesota faced a huge test against No. 1 Ohio State, and its report card came back with a 42-3 score. Was the blowout loss just a failed midterm exam?

P.J. Fleck has an interesting perspective on the Gophers' first Big Ten loss of the season. The Buckeyes scored 42 unanswered points, proving there are levels to college football, but there were some things Fleck liked from his team's performance.

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"You get the result back, and maybe it wasn't the result you wanted, but you knew a lot of the questions, and you knew a lot of the answers, just maybe you didn't get them right, and the teacher had a tough grading scale," he said. "So, you have to go back to it. You have the second half of the year to get the grade up."

Minnesota was out-gained 476 total yards to 162, and its offense was 1 of 11 on third down as the Buckeyes backed up the numbers as the No. 1 defense in the country, while showcasing two of the best receivers — Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate Jr. — in the country.

"When you measure yourself against the best team in the country and the players that we just played against, I liked a lot of things that were jumping out on the film," Fleck continued. "It really backed up what I said. They beat us. It wasn't like we went in there and beat ourselves... we had X on an O, and their X was just better than our O in that particular day."

The Gophers didn't have a turnover, and they only committed two penalties for 12 yards. It's hard to argue against Fleck's sentiment. Ohio State looked like the better football team, and they just flat-out dominated the game.

With seven Big Ten games left on the regular-season schedule, the Gophers have plenty of opportunities to get their 2025 grade up. The next big tests are against Nebraska, Iowa, and No. 2 Oregon.

At this point, an A for a final grade seems like a long shot. Getting a B is within reach, but they'll need to win some games against quality competition, and they certainly can't afford to fail in easier matchups against opponents like Purdue, who come to Huntington Bank Stadium for homecoming on Saturday night.

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