2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Quick Lane Bowl champion
Quick Lane Bowl, W 30–24 vs. Bowling Green
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	6–7 (3–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	P. J. Fleck (7th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Matt Simon (4th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Greg Harbaugh Jr. (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Joe Rossi (6th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Nick Monroe (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Huntington Bank Stadium

2023 Big Ten Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 1 Michigan xy$#^		9	–	0					15	–	0
No. 10 Ohio State		8	–	1					11	–	2
No. 13 Penn State		7	–	2					10	–	3
Maryland		4	–	5					8	–	5
Rutgers		3	–	6					7	–	6
Michigan State		2	–	7					4	–	8
Indiana		1	–	8					3	–	9
West Division
No. 24 Iowa xy		7	–	2					10	–	4
Northwestern		5	–	4					8	–	5
Wisconsin		5	–	4					7	–	6
Illinois		3	–	6					5	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	6					6	–	7
Nebraska		3	–	6					5	–	7
Purdue		3	–	6					4	–	8
Championship: Michigan 26, Iowa 0
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Gophers were led by P. J. Fleck in his seventh year as head coach. They played their home games at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The team was originally ineligible for a bowl game due to a losing record; however, they were awarded a berth due to having the highest Academic Progress Rating among 5–7 teams.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Nebraska	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN ($5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy)	FOX	W 13–10	53,629
September 9	6:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan*	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 25–6	48,101
September 16	2:30 p.m.	at No. 20 North Carolina*	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	L 13–31	45,151
September 23	6:30 p.m.	at Northwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	L 34–37 OT	20,148
September 30	11:00 a.m.	Louisiana*	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 35–24	46,843
October 7	6:30 p.m.	No. 2 Michigan	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug)	NBC	L 10–52	52,179
October 21	2:30 p.m.	at No. 24 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (Floyd of Rosedale)	NBC	W 12–10	69,250
October 28	2:30 p.m.	Michigan State	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 27–12	47,392
November 4	2:30 p.m.	Illinois	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 26–27	42,906
November 11	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	NBC	L 30–49	59,049
November 18	3:00 p.m.	at No. 2 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	BTN	L 3–37	104,019
November 25	2:30 p.m.	Wisconsin	Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	FS1	L 14–28	48,119
December 26	1:00 p.m.	vs. Bowling Green	Ford Field Detroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl)	ESPN	W 30–24	28,521
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, from the date when issued) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time Source:

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Roster

2023 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 0 Le'Meke Brockington  So RB 1 Darius Taylor Fr RB 2 Sean Tyler  Sr WR 4 Corey Crooms Jr.  Sr WR 7 Chris Autman-Bell  GS QB 8 Athan Kaliakmanis  So WR 9 Daniel Jackson Sr WR 11 Elijah Spencer Jr QB 12 Cole Kramer  Sr WR 13 Kristen Hoskins  Fr WR 14 Evan Redding  Fr WR 15 Kenric Lanier Ii Fr WR 17 Cade Conzemius  Fr QB 18 Drew Viotto Fr RB 21 Bryce Williams   GS RB 26 Zach Evans  Fr WR 28 Zach Jorgensen  Fr RB 30 Jordan Nubin  So RB 33 Max Grand  Fr OL 50 J. J. Guedet  Sr OL 52 Spencer Alvarez  Fr OL 55 Karter Shaw  GS OL 58 Jackson Hunter  So OL 59 Tony Nelson  Fr OL 65 Greg Johnson Fr OL 66 Nathan Boe  GS OL 68 Jackson Ruschmeyer   Jr OL 69 Aireontae Ersery  Jr OL 70 Cade McConnell  Fr OL 71 Martes Lewis  Jr OL 73 Tyrell Lawrence  Jr OL 75 Tyler Cooper  Sr OL 76 Reese Tripp Fr OL 77 Quinn Carroll GS OL 78 Ashton Beers  Fr OL 79 Logan Purcell  So WR 80 Dino Kaliakmanis  So WR 81 Quentin Redding  So TE 82 Wyatt Schroeder  Sr TE 84 Jack DiSano  Fr TE 85 Frank Bierman  Jr TE 86 Jameson Geers  So TE 87 Nick Kallerup  Sr TE 88 Brevyn Spann-Ford  GS TE 89 Nathan Jones  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 0 Anthony Smith  Fr DB 5 Justin Walley Jr LB 6 Maverick Baranowski  Fr DL 8 Darnell Jefferies  GS LB 9 Devon Williams  So DB 12 Darius Green  So DL 13 Chris Collins GS DB 14 Kerry Brown Fr DB 16 Coleman Bryson  Fr DL 17 Jah Joyner  Jr DB 18 Rhyland Kelly  Fr LB 19 Joey Gerlach  Fr DB 20 Jack Henderson Sr DB 23 Garrison Monroe Fr DB 24 Tariq Watson  Fr DB 26 Victor Pless  Jr DB 27 Tyler Nubin GS DL 28 Colton Gregersen  Fr DB 31 Jordan Greenhow  So LB 33 Ryan Selig GS LB 34 Jack Tinnen  Fr LB 35 Derik LeCaptian   Sr LB 41 Cade Larson  Fr DL 42 Jack Hawkinson  So LB 43 Eli Mau  So LB 44 Tyler Stolsky  Fr LB 45 Cody Lindenberg  Jr LB 46 Lucas Finnessy Sr DL 47 Hayden Schwartz  Fr DL 52 Luther McCoy  So DL 62 Jacob Schuster  So DL 87 Martin Owusu Fr DL 89 Nate Becker  So DL 91 Deven Eastern  So DL 92 Danny Striggow Sr DL 93 Kyler Baugh GS DL 96 Logan Richter  Sr DL 97 Jalen Logan-Redding  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 36 Ryan Shamburger  Jr LS 37 Brady Weeks GS K 48 Jacob Lewis  Jr P 96 Mark Crawford Sr K 99 Dragan Kesich Sr	Head coach P. J. Fleck (head coach) Coordinators/assistant coaches Greg Harbaugh Jr. (co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks) Matt Simon (co-offensive coordinator / wide receivers) Joe Rossi (defensive coordinator / linebackers) Nick Monroe (co-defensive coordinator / cornerbacks) Rob Wenger (special teams coordinator / defensive ends) Danny Collins (safeties / pass game coordinator) Brian Callahan (run game coordinator / offensive line) Winston DeLattiboudere III (defensive line) Nic McKissic-Luke (running backs) Andrew Sowder (tight ends) Gerrit Chernoff (general manager) Dan Nichol (head strength & conditioning) Norries Wilson (director of player development) Eric Koehler (offensive analyst) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: November 6, 2023

Game summaries

Nebraska

Nebraska at Minnesota
Rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total Cornhuskers 0 0 7 3 10 • Golden Gophers 0 3 0 10 13 Date: August 31 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 7:05 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:26 Game attendance: 53,629 Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 13 mph (21 km/h) Referee: Larry Smith TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 2 12:31 Minn Dragan Kesich 34-yard field goal Minn 3–0 3 14:03 Neb Alex Bullock 34-yard pass from Jeff Sims (Tristan Alvano kick) Neb 7–3 4 12:42 Neb Tristan Alvano 27-yard field goal Neb 10–3 2:32 Minn Daniel Jackson 13-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick) Tied 10–10 0:00 Minn Dragan Kesich 47-yard field goal Minn 13–10

See also: 2023 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Sunset over a sold-out Huntington Bank Stadium for the season opener.

WR Daniel Jackson and QB Athan Kaliakmanis talk about Jackson's game-tying, toe-dragging touchdown catch in the 4th Quarter against Nebraska.

Eastern Michigan

Eastern Michigan at Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 6 0 0 6 • Golden Gophers 0 10 10 5 25 Date: September 9 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 6:40 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:05 Game attendance: 48,101 Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 11 mph (18 km/h) Referee: Mark Kluczynski TV announcers (BTN): Connor Onion (play-by-play), Tommy Olson (analyst), and Audrey Dahlgren (sideline) Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team

at No. 20 North Carolina

Minnesota at No. 20 North Carolina

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 10 3 0 13 • No. 20 Tar Heels 7 14 3 7 31 Date: September 16 Location: Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC Game start: 3:35 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:12 Game attendance: 50,500 Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Sunny, Wind W 4 mph (6.4 km/h)--> Referee: Riley Johnson TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline) Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

at Northwestern

Minnesota at Northwestern

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 7 17 7 0 31 Wildcats 0 7 3 21 31 Date: September 23 Location: Ryan Field Evanston, IL Game start: 6:40 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:39 Game attendance: 20,148 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Clear, Wind E 9 mph (14 km/h) Referee: Tim O'Dey TV announcers (BTN): Lisa Byington (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline) Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Louisiana

Louisiana at Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total Ragin' Cajuns 7 10 0 7 24 • Golden Gophers 7 7 7 14 35 Date: September 30 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 11:01 am CDT Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 46,843 Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), Sunny Referee: Ron Snodgrass TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), and Dannie Rogers (sideline) Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 10:36 LA Peter LeBlanc 7-yard pass from Zeon Chriss (Kenneth Almendares kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:24) LA 7–0 02:30 MIN Daniel Jackson 10-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick) (9 plays, 86 yards, 5:03) TIE 7–7 2 13:26 LA Kenneth Almendares 28-yard field goal (7 plays, 64 yards, 4:04) LA 10–7 07:21 MIN Athan Kaliakmanis 2-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 6:05) MIN 14–10 01:47 LA Robert Williams 6-yard pass from Zeon Chriss (Kenneth Almendares kick) (11 plays, 75 yards, 5:41) LA 17–14 3 08:48 MIN Zach Evans 18-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick) (11 plays, 80 yards, 6:09) MIN 21–17 4 13:45 MIN Bryce Williams 2-yard rush (Dragan Kesich kick) (8 plays, 42 yards, 3:59) MIN 28–17 05:21 MIN Daniel Jackson 37-yard pass from Athan Kaliakmanis (Dragan Kesich kick) (7 plays, 56 yards, 4:30) MIN 35–17 03:01 LA Jacob Kibodi 52-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:20) MIN 35–24

See also: 2023 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team

No. 2 Michigan

Michigan at Minnesota
Little Brown Jug

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 2 Wolverines 10 14 21 7 52 Golden Gophers 3 7 0 0 10 Date: October 7 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 6:35 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:11 Game attendance: 52,179 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Cloudy, Wind E 4 mph (6.4 km/h)--> Referee: Jerry McGinn TV announcers (NBC): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (sideline) Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Michigan Wolverines football team

at No. 24 Iowa

Minnesota at Iowa
Floyd of Rosedale

1 2 3 4 Total • Golden Gophers 3 0 6 3 12 No. 24 Hawkeyes 3 7 0 0 10 Date: October 21 Location: Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA Game start: 2:33 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:38 Game attendance: 69,250 Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), Sunny, Wind NW 22 mph (35 km/h) Referee: Tim O'Dey Television network: NBC Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Michigan State

Michigan State at Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total Spartans 6 0 0 6 12 • Golden Gophers 0 10 0 17 27 Date: October 28 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 2:40 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 47,392 Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), Cloudy, Wind W 8 mph (13 km/h) Referee: Chris Coyte Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Michigan State Spartans football team

Illinois

Illinois at Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Illini 14 0 7 6 27 Golden Gophers 7 10 3 6 26 Date: November 4 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 2:45 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 42,906 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Sunny, Wind S 6 mph (9.7 km/h) Referee: Gregory Blum Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

at Purdue

Minnesota at Purdue

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 10 10 0 10 30 • Boilermakers 14 14 7 14 49 Date: November 11 Location: Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN Game start: 3:32 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:29 Game attendance: 59,049 Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), Sunny, Wind E 4 mph (6.4 km/h) Referee: Jeffrey Servinski Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Purdue Boilermakers football team

at Ohio State

Minnesota at Ohio State

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Gophers 0 0 0 3 3 • Buckeyes 7 6 17 7 37 Date: November 18 Location: Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH Game start: 4:01 pm EST Elapsed time: 2:55 Game attendance: 104,019 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), Sunny, Wind S 4 mph (6.4 km/h) Referee: Kole Knueppel Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Wisconsin

Wisconsin at Minnesota
Paul Bunyan's Axe

1 2 3 4 Total • Badgers 0 14 14 0 28 Golden Gophers 7 7 0 0 14 Date: November 25 Location: Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN Game start: 2:40 pm CST Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 48,119 Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), Cloudy, Wind SW 9 mph (14 km/h) Referee: Larry Smith Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Despite the loss giving them an overall 5–7 record, the Golden Gophers would head to a bowl game due to their Academic Progress Rate.

vs. Bowling Green (Quick Lane Bowl)

Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota

1 2 3 4 Total Falcons 7 3 0 14 24 • Golden Gophers 6 3 14 7 30 Date: December 26 Location: Ford Field Detroit, Michigan Game start: 2:04 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 28,521 Game weather: Indoor Referee: Tim Rich Television network: ESPN Source: Box Score

See also: 2023 Bowling Green Falcons football team