Perich has played in six college games as a true freshman. He has five interceptions, and two of them were near the goal line in the waning seconds of a close victory.
He has forced a fumble and become the Gophers’ most explosive return man in memory.
If Fleck hadn’t landed Perich, he could very well be 3-6 this season, having won only four of his last 13 games, and all of those requests for raises could be viewed in a different light by school administrators.
2. Find a quarterback
As a former NFL receiver who coached at a smaller school and positioned himself as the arch enemy of silence, Fleck could have been mistaken, at the beginning of his Gophers tenure, as the next Jim Wacker.
Instead, he’s been much more like Glen Mason — capable of recruiting underappreciated running backs and offensive linemen, and intent on relying on his running game.
His weakness has been finding and developing quarterbacks.
