As Gophers try to pick up the pieces, there's plenty of blame to go around

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – The Gophers remain winless in the Big Ten, and they haven’t even reached the hard part of their schedule yet. That thought came to mind after watching the Gophers invent a new way to lose Saturday on windy-turned-stormy Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. Their defense forced turnovers on four consecutive possessions, and they still managed to lose to Purdue by double digits, 31-17. “Everything that happened falls on me,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. Ultimately, yes, but blame should be shared. The Gophers blew a winnable game for myriad reasons. Quarterback Conor Rhoda continued to commit turnovers in the red zone, costing his team valuable points. The defense crumbled like soggy tissue paper with the game on the line. And injuries and suspensions have decimated the depth chart, forcing Fleck to rely on players who aren’t ready and/or good enough to compete at the Big Ten level. Minnesota quarterback Conor Rhoda ran off the field after Purdue clinched a 31-17 win over the Gophers at Ross-Ade Stadium ELIZABETH FLORES, STAR TRIBUNE Minnesota quarterback Conor Rhoda ran off the field after Purdue clinched a 31-17 win over the Gophers at Ross-Ade Stadium More The Gophers look like a flawed team even if everything goes perfectly. They’re not good enough to overcome costly mistakes, sloppy play and fourth-stringers being pressed into emergency action. “I wouldn’t say anybody is discouraged,” defensive end Carter Coughlin said. “I’d say a lot of people