'Anybody Can Beat Anybody': Gophers To Battle Purdue To Kick Off Big Ten Competition

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Gophers Football team begins its Big Ten schedule at Purdue this weekend.

The Gophers barely had an undefeated non-conference schedule, and they've learned from their performance.

"We had to find a way to win," said coach P.J. Fleck. "We made a lot of mistakes, but that credits our opponents as well."

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tanner Morgan is very candid about what he perceives as his shortcomings.

"I've definitely put the ball in the opposing team's hands a lot, way too many times, and put our defense in bad situations," Morgan said.

The Gophers have also been snatching wins, sometimes literally.

"At the moment, there were a lot of people who thought we were going to lose that game," Fleck said.

It's not a sustainable way to play.

"It was nice to be able to see what we kind of misfired on in terms of some of the games, and how the games could've gone either way," said redshirt senior defenseman Sam Renner.

The Gophers may be on the right track.

"They've seen how they've gotten to where they have, but they've also seen how they've gotten to where they have," Fleck said. "Part of what makes that offense really good is [it's] really creative, and I'm sure with the bi-week they're going to be really creative."

But if they're not careful against Purdue, they'll get run over Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana.

"Once you get into the Big Ten play, anybody can beat anybody," Renner said. "You really have to take one game at a time."