What Should Gophers Fans Expect vs Nevada? More Max Brosmer.

It’s week three and the Minnesota Gophers are coming off one of the more impressive passing performances we’ve seen recently out of a Dinkytown quarterback. Grad transfer, Max Brosmer performed in a way that we just haven’t seen consistently seen at Huntington Bank Stadium since 2019.

That was back when Tanner Morgan was playing out-of-body, in-part because he was surrounded by arguably the best WR group in program history, with Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell. But even back then, we did not see the same type of trust from PJ Fleck.

In week two, Brosmer threw the ball 30 times, a number that is normally ONLY reached by Gophers quarterbacks, when the team has been trailing most of the game. That was not the case vs Rhode Island, though.

PJ Fleck trusts Max Brosmer more than previous Minnesota Gophers QBs

Minnesota routed the Rams last weekend, 48-0, an unfathomable score for those of us who have followed PJ Fleck’s teams since he arrived in 2017. Up until September 7, 2024, blowing out an opponent by nearly 50 points was not even possible.

Whenever Gophers teams, of the past, have gotten out to early leads, they’ve went super-conservative, making it nearly impossible to score that many times. Not in week two, though. Why? What changed? Max Brosmer is what changed.

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Max completed 24 of his 30 pass attempts vs Rhode Island, good for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns (0 INT). That’s 80%, for those who might struggle with math. Through two games, but especially last weekend, Brosmer’s been a model of efficiency, which is why Fleck let him throw it around.

Flawless 29-yard TD pass by Max Brosmer to Le'Meke Brockington to put Minnesota up by 31. 🤌

📺 Peacock | @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/es9g0k6IpS

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024

The Gophers extend their lead to 24-0 with a Cristian Driver 6-yard TD reception. 💪

📺 Peacock | @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/KbSFWRu3rw

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 7, 2024

At least three of his incompletions vs the Rams were due to unacceptable drops by his receivers, too. Christian Driver dropped a touchdown, up the seam, that hit him right in the hands. Lemeke Brockington dropped a perfect pass that hit him directly in the chest.

Related: Max Brosmer Had His Coming Out Party vs Rhode Island

It was almost as if Minnesota’s wide receivers were being overloaded with targets. Like they were catching off a Juggz machine that had malfunctioned and wouldn’t stop hurling footballs at them. That’s understandable, given what they became used to, over the last couple of years.

And we shouldn’t expect anything less this Saturday, either. Nevada has a sneaky squad, that the Minnesota Gophers cannot underestimate. Yes, they are 1-2, on the season, but they should be 3-0, including a near win against top-25 hopeful, SMU.

Expect more Brosmer vs Nevada

But so far this season, teams have been throwing the ball on them constantly, and it has worked. Through three games, opposing teams are averaging 34 passing attempts per game. That’s 39th-most in the country. The 250.3 passing yards per game, that they’ve given up, are 32nd most in the country. Meanwhile, they are bottom-40 nationwide, in opponent rushing attempts.

Again, teams have been airing it out vs the Nevada Wolf Pack, and they have had success. More than likely, especially since Minnesota is still trying to piece together the right side of its offensive line, that will be the Gophers’ plan as well. Which is almost weird to type.

PJ Fleck and Max Brosmer have a goal of 70% completion, on the season, which would be far-and-away the best in program history. Currently, he sits at 72.5%. Last year, at New Hampshire, Max Brosmer completed passes at a 64% clip.

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That’s not bad, but he’ll have to do better than that, to keep Fleck’s trust. At least, if he wants to be able to throw the ball around the yard, like he did in week two. But especially early on, with the offensive line struggling to find its identity, relying on Brosmer’s accuracy and decision-making looks like PJ’s best bet, and he knows it.