P.J. Fleck calls Joe Milton ‘huge challenge’ for Minnesota

Just days before the Minnesota takes on Michigan in their season opener, head coach P.J. Fleck acknowledged the threat opposing quarterback Joe Milton poses.

“Anybody who looks at Milton knows what kind of talent he is. He’s once in a decade type talent when you talk about his skill set,” Fleck said.

Milton’s career at Michigan hasn’t yielded a ton of game film to this point, with just 11 passing attempts so far. The lack of film is an obstacle for Minnesota, as is Milton’s skillset and his supporting cast on offense. “We know that Milton presents a huge challenge,” Fleck said. “One, because there’s not a lot of film on him. We know what type of player he is and it’s a very, very skillful player. And the weapons around him can really run.”

Fleck noted that Minnesota turned to Milton’s high school film for further scouting and also delved into Milton’s attributes. “He can throw the ball far, he can run, he’s big, he’s strong. Again, there’s not a ton of data on him based on what we’ve been able to watch, but he’s played in some games, we’ve watched some of his high school recruiting film, we’ve done a lot of those things,” Fleck said. “And pulled from basically wherever we can to be able to evaluate him as a skillful player. And he’s very talented.”

While it’s common for opposing coaches to talk up their opponents and give them respect in the days leading up to a game, Fleck’s comments have sincerity attached to them and the enthusiasm he’s known to exude. Fleck ended his Milton comments talking about what it will take for Minnesota to stop a talented player like him without having a ton of film to watch. “The sideline and game-time adjustments during the game are gonna be critical for us. And we’ve got a lot of question marks on our team as well that need to be answered.”

We’ll find out how huge of a challenge Milton presents when he makes the first start of his career on Saturday night at 7:30 eastern against the Golden Gophers.