It’s just one game, but the new Gophers look a lot like the 2023 Gophers, who finished 111th in offense.

Making their debuts for Minnesota, New Hampshire transfer quarterback Max Brosmer and Oklahoma transfer running back Marcus Major were on full display in Thursday’s 19-17 season opener against North Carolina. Major starred in the first half before going MIA in the second. Brosmer struggled for 58 minutes before leading the Gophers down the field on what could have been a game-winning drive, but preseason All-American kicker Dragan Kesich missed his second field goal of the night as time expired.

Last season, Minnesota’s passing offense ranked 123rd in the nation, averaging 143.4 yards per game. Last year’s quarterback, Athan Kaliakmanis, is now at Rutgers (he threw for three touchdowns in his debut Thursday night), and Brosmer was brought in to improve the air attack. So far, not so good.

Brosmer finished the night 13 of 21 for 166 yards and one rushing touchdown. He didn’t throw a touchdown or an interception, but he did throw a costly fumble deep in Minnesota territory. He struggled to move the ball down the field and relied heavily on the rushing attack, which wasn’t efficient.

“If I’m honest, I think it took him a while to adjust, but once he adjusted, he looked like the guy I haven’t seen in a long time,” P.J. Fleck said when asked about Brosmer’s performance. “I saw a lot of things I haven’t seen in a long time, he’s a really good kid, a really good quarterback, a really good character and I thought he showed a lot of those moments. He’s got to get better, he knows that. We’ve got to make him better, but I like his leadership and he’s a competitor, he really is.”

Minnesota’s veteran offensive line was expected to be a strength this season, but Brosmer was sacked five times and never looked entirely comfortable in the pocket. Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave him a 61.5 offensive grade for his debut performance.

As for the pass catchers, Minnesota’s top receiver was Daniel Jackson, who finished the night with four catches for 55 yards. The offense completed five total passes of 15 or more yards. Major and Jordan Nubin had 28.3 percent of the team’s receiving yards from the backfield.

“We’d like to be more efficient in the passing game. I’ve got to do a much better job of putting the ball where it needs to be, I thought the guys did a really good job of getting open today,” Brosmer said. “As an effort, the pass protection was really, really efficient today, it was really good today. As a unit, we’ve got to do a better job and I can’t wait to see where it goes the rest of the season.”

The running game took a hit when star sophomore Darius Taylor was injured, but Major was able to hold down the fort to some extent, totaling 20 carries for 74 yards and one touchdown. But he had just three yards in the second half and the Gophers averaged just 2.4 yards per carry against the Tar Heels.

Minnesota’s 20.9 points per game last season was the lowest in Fleck’s tenure as head coach. They were aggressive in the offseason, signing eight offensive transfers, three of whom took the field Thursday night. The entire offensive coaching staff has remained relatively unchanged. The result so far has been more of the same football that has frustrated fans for five years.

Minnesota has two home games against Rhode Island and Nevada to get things going before its Big Ten opener against Iowa. If nothing changes, it could be a long college football season in Minnesota.