MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It wasn’t pretty, but the University of Minnesota football team beat Michigan State 26-23 in overtime on Saturday to improve to 6-3 on the season.

The Gophers have earned bowl eligibility, and are 4-2 in Big Ten play. They weathered plenty of adversity in the game to get the win, a mantra of P.J. Fleck ever since he’s been a head coach.

Fleck remembers Fletcher Merkel

Why you should care:

Fleck spoke with media after the win, and as part of a five-minute opening statement, talked about how there’s far more to life than football. The Gophers hosted Fletcher Merkel’s brother and some of his friends along with their fathers for the game. The group spent time with Fleck and the team on Friday, got to be on the sidelines pregame and were part of the postgame celebr

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