Fleck vs. Kill in a post-season bowl showdown?

P.J. Fleck (Daily Gopher)

Saturday was an opportunity to watch the Gophers football game live on YouTube for free. So I was watching near game's end when our quarterback was taken down hard, very hard. The play might not have made a big impression on the casual viewer. Might have seemed more or less a routine play. 

The casual viewer was focused on how this game was going for his/her favorite team. 

I could have written " 'their' favorite team" even though my first reference was in the singular. This appears to be acceptable use of the English language now. Did not used to be. Indeed our language is fluid. 

We have been wrestling with the different pronoun questions. The accepted default approach is "they/their" as opposed to any kind of gender-specific reference. So that's that, the new rules of the English language. At age 68 I am bothered some. So I used the cumbersome reference of "his/her." One could always write the whole sentence over again with fresh wording of some kind. 

 

Ingrained interest in the game

A part of me feels interest in football like always. Buried in me is that childlike enthusiasm for something that creates excitement in our lives, a sense of suspense about the unpredictable. Added to that are the quite common human interest angles. And boy, there is one that could emerge with real robustness soon: a possible meeting of the current and former U coaches. 

Jerry Kill (KVIA image)

I guess this possibility might have dawned on all of us. Now it's being postulated in the national press. So, the odds look decent for a meeting of our disappointing U of M football team and the upstart contender New Mexico State. The Gophers were underachievers. New Mexico State is quite the surprise. What special rivalry am I talking about? Well it would be the U of M coach P.J. Fleck and a predecessor of his here, Jerry Kill. 

Kill showed us he had chops for coaching big-time football. His hindrance here was his health as you probably recall. He was always at risk for having a seizure during a game. I expressed concern at the time that fans in other cities would be traumatized, thinking they might be seeing a man literally dying along the sidelines. 

We want to accommodate people with health limitations. But there is a limit to that. So Kill's tenure ended here and he went on to "bounce around" in college sports, going here and there and at least being able to perform in subordinate or administrative roles. But his instability made him seem rather forlorn, object for some pity maybe? I know I felt that. 

One thing about sports: it can be full of surprises. The drama of such things captures our imagination, fuels our continued interest. "Pointspreads" and predictions can be oh so theoretical. So we enthusiastically "tune in," position ourselves with our snacks on weekends. For the people who broadcast these games, it is a sweaty and demanding profession. For the viewers it's "off" time and escapism. 

 

Right in front of us

The sad part is that viewers fail in a big way to see the physical injury risk to its proper extent. We should ask for forgiveness when our first thought upon seeing an injury is: What impact will this have for my team? The Gophers of course lost to Wisconsin in the game for that stupid "ax." 

It's one of those seasons where the fans of our "beloved rodents" are left stewing. Skepticism builds about our head coach. Coaches are paid to win. They survive losing seasons only if they can show they are building something. My late father who was in college academia said "what a way to make a living." 

Looks like U of M coach Fleck will live to see another coaching day in this season. A bowl game is always better than no bowl game at all. Put the date on your calendar, talk up the game with friends and then wait with anticipation. Nice little nugget for the holiday season. Just put aside our regular season won-lost record. 

 

Could be very serious

My rather grim thoughts are with the Gophers quarterback. Near game's end versus Wisconsin he was taken down to the turf and he smacked his head very hard. I have seen documentaries about football head injuries where some of the particularly dangerous incidents happen precisely like this: contact with the ground. It probably does not look all that serious in real tine, Many fans may not even notice much with the replay. I think my eyes are better trained than that. 

As of Monday I saw no medical reports of our QB failing a concussion protocol. But I think there's still a chance of that happening. Stay tuned. Am I concerned about what this might mean for the Gophers' competitiveness? Not at all. Our QB wasn't doing that great anyway. But seriously I'm concerned about his future welfare. He lay on the ground and called for some special attention. He held his head! Definitely some clues of something serious afoot. 

And yet the nation's young men continue to be attracted to this Neanderthal sport. What were you expecting? For football to disappear? So we continue to have the breathless announcers and sports commentators doing their thing. The norm continues. 

It is of secondary importance to me that the Gophers might meet up with New Mexico State in the bowl game: Fleck vs. Kill. I can still write about this as if it's just an entertainment diversion. I know the routine, can pull the right strings. 

I used to trap gophers

I do have an interest in the University of Minnesota generally speaking. The U really seams leaderless now, has been through phlegmatic times. I don't know why. Basic incompetence? Ouch. I don't even understand this whole Fairview Hospital thing. Media articles should do more to background us - the articles presume we know. 

But let's get to the "fun" of football! The escapism, the popcorn. I hesitate to try to type the quarterback's name. Of course I could look it up. I won't do it right now. 

New Mexico State is called the "Aggies." Looks like the Gophers could meet the Aggies in the New Mexico Bowl. The date would be Dec. 16. The site: Albuquerque. I cannot spell "Albuquerque" off the top of my head either. 

 

Resilient Jerry Kill

Kill has absolutely risen from the ashes. The team made its biggest statement with its win over Auburn, yes THE Auburn. The Aggies have surged to a 10-3 record. The Gophers? My, our beloved rodents have lost four straight, hardly the prelude to a bowl game appearance. Bowl invites were much harder to get in my young years. Today it's all about money: if a bowl event can justify itself with the bottom line, go for it. Losing records aren't that big a deal. 

A pretty determined guy, eh?

Kill ended up most bitter at Fleck and presumably by extension the U of M itself. Grudge match: fans salivate. 

Kill accused Fleck of being all about himself, and my goodness he even brought up "Fleck's first wife." Mercy. 

It appeared Fleck did not go out of his way to treat Kill's holdover subordinates with respect. That's a tough one to assess because a new head coach has total latitude once he takes over. And there's just no job security in sports coaching, face it. 

Fleck responded to all this by just saying he was "saddened." The two have already met once from their current positions. No contest: the Gophers swarmed over the Aggies 38-0. That would appear to mean nothing now. 

So, it's not a fact (yet) that a re-match will occur in the upcoming bowl game. But such fascination to speculate! And, to speculate on whether the two coaches shake hands! You have to wonder when you realize that past wives are not off limits! 

New Mexico State has played an easy schedule. But don't assume anything from that, due to how the Aggies almost manhandled the Auburn Tigers 31-10. Bring it on! My thoughts will not drift away from the Gophers' quarterback - name is Athan Kaliakmanis - and the possible serious head injury he experienced against Wisconsin. News about him on Tuesday is that he has entered the "transfer portal."

It will be hard to root against Jerry Kill. His story could lend itself to a movie.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com